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SCOW
Archives
SCOW BOARD HOLDS ANNUAL
MEETING:
Dredging Needs Float to
the Surface
On
June 1st, the State Council on Waterways held its Annual Meeting at the
River
Street Café at the Troy Town Docks in Troy, New York. The SCOW Board
of Directors met prior to the Public Meeting. The agenda
included:
-
Update
on the transfer of the Erie House to the Canal Society of NYS.
-
The
unveiling of SCOW's newly opened web site (www.scow.net)
-
Discussion
of a "new" canal-based Urger educational program.
-
Discussion
of a proposed hotel boat industry study.
A
considerable portion of the public meeting centered on concerns about
navigational
dredging. Dan Geist, a tugboat captain, now living in the
Capital
District and Nick Chicaway, the operator of a small boat marina in
Colonie,
described the difficulties they face. The two men noted the State'
s
multi-year delay to perform "standard navigational dredging"
in areas
adjacent
to the main canal channels. It was also pointed out that the main
channel
in the Champlain Canal had not been adequately dredged since 1974.
Mr.
Chicaway displayed a series of photographs of silted mud closing in on
his
marina, blocking off slips and threatening to close off even more.
Photographs
of a similar phenomenon near Schoharie Creek were also
presented.
"Business is being lost, businesses will be forced to close",
he
noted.
A strong plea was made for an active SCOW role.
SCOW
Board member Tom Prindle, a canal-based tour boat operator, noted the need
for greater SCOW involvement. "Someone has to speak for all the
marinas, shipyards, commercial users and recreational boaters".
Tom
Ryan, SCOW President, noted the concerns and indicated that SCOW would soon
convene a group of waterway businesses and users to ascertain the
severity and extent of the navigational dredging
problems. He added that these dredging questions were largely separate
from the ongoing PCB dredging controversy. |
