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Tall ship Steelaway leaving St. Marys in frustration
Owners who gave free tours say city is taking too long in adopting maritime district
Posted: May 21, 2013 - 11:54pm
JView this story on the All-Access Members site
By Terry Dickson & Tiffany Pakkala
The owners of the picturesque, three-masted Schooner Steelaway that has been a part of the downtown St. Marys waterfront for over three years are bidding a frustrated goodbye to the community.
Capt. Anne Stone told the City Council Monday that the decision to leave was inevitable because of an unnamed “special interest group” working against the Steelaway and because of delays in establishing a Maritime Heritage District.
She said the small interest group had a “vendetta” against the Steelaway, “disrupted the majority of waterfront activity” for the schooner and other watercraft, and created a hostile environment.
City Manager Steve Crowell Jr. said he couldn’t address the special interest group, but believes Stone’s frustration is centered in the length of time it is taking to resolve some issues with the city’s docks.
“One little docking issue has turned into something bigger,’’ Crowell said.
Among the issues was a complaint by a group of crabbers that a dock the Georgia Department of Natural Resources had permitted for hook-and-line fishing was being used for mooring, according to a memo from planning director Roger A. Weaver.
That has been remedied with the removal of tie downs, Weaver wrote.
Other issues are somewhat more complicated, Crowell said.
“The DNR has expressed some concern that we were not in compliance with our permit. That’s something we want to do,’’ he said.
The permits also address docking time limits at the docks. A wooden service dock has a 30-minute time limit while a concrete portion of the dock has 6-hour limit, Weaver said.
At the suggestion of the DNR, the city has also closed its Gilman-Gateway Dock until all the safety and Americans With Disabilities Act upgrades are completed on the structure.
Stone also said she was disappointed with the city’s stalled efforts to establish a Maritime Heritage District, a special distinction that would have made St. Marys more accessible and attractive to large ships, specifically those 65 feet and longer. Stone and a number of city leaders had championed the idea, expecting it to bring desperately needed business to the downtown area and local tourism industry.
The plan is still under consideration, but there is no official timeline or assurance that it will be put in place, and there may be significant changes to the initial concept.
In a meeting in December, City Council members suggested establishing a minimum monthly fee for tall ships, which Stone said defeated the purpose of trying to attract them to the community.
Stone said there are large expenses already associated with docking a large ship. She said it cost about $1,500 every time she and her husband, John Fazzio, docked the schooner to offer free tours.
The ship, often compared to a pirate ship, is a rare, modern construction of a traditional gaff-rigged schooner more commonly seen in the late 1800s and 1900s. Fazzio built it, himself, giving it its name because it is made of steel.
Stone said the schooner will leave town permanently within the next one to two weeks.
Crowell said he does not believe the Steelaway will return and that Stone and Fazzio have been assets to the community.
“They were good community participants and were instrumental in the city’s Maritime Heritage District,’’ he said.
Read more at Jacksonville.com: http://jacksonville.com/news/georgi...ay-leaving-st-marys-frustration#ixzz2U1XHgtwC
Owners who gave free tours say city is taking too long in adopting maritime district
Posted: May 21, 2013 - 11:54pm
JView this story on the All-Access Members site
By Terry Dickson & Tiffany Pakkala
The owners of the picturesque, three-masted Schooner Steelaway that has been a part of the downtown St. Marys waterfront for over three years are bidding a frustrated goodbye to the community.
Capt. Anne Stone told the City Council Monday that the decision to leave was inevitable because of an unnamed “special interest group” working against the Steelaway and because of delays in establishing a Maritime Heritage District.
She said the small interest group had a “vendetta” against the Steelaway, “disrupted the majority of waterfront activity” for the schooner and other watercraft, and created a hostile environment.
City Manager Steve Crowell Jr. said he couldn’t address the special interest group, but believes Stone’s frustration is centered in the length of time it is taking to resolve some issues with the city’s docks.
“One little docking issue has turned into something bigger,’’ Crowell said.
Among the issues was a complaint by a group of crabbers that a dock the Georgia Department of Natural Resources had permitted for hook-and-line fishing was being used for mooring, according to a memo from planning director Roger A. Weaver.
That has been remedied with the removal of tie downs, Weaver wrote.
Other issues are somewhat more complicated, Crowell said.
“The DNR has expressed some concern that we were not in compliance with our permit. That’s something we want to do,’’ he said.
The permits also address docking time limits at the docks. A wooden service dock has a 30-minute time limit while a concrete portion of the dock has 6-hour limit, Weaver said.
At the suggestion of the DNR, the city has also closed its Gilman-Gateway Dock until all the safety and Americans With Disabilities Act upgrades are completed on the structure.
Stone also said she was disappointed with the city’s stalled efforts to establish a Maritime Heritage District, a special distinction that would have made St. Marys more accessible and attractive to large ships, specifically those 65 feet and longer. Stone and a number of city leaders had championed the idea, expecting it to bring desperately needed business to the downtown area and local tourism industry.
The plan is still under consideration, but there is no official timeline or assurance that it will be put in place, and there may be significant changes to the initial concept.
In a meeting in December, City Council members suggested establishing a minimum monthly fee for tall ships, which Stone said defeated the purpose of trying to attract them to the community.
Stone said there are large expenses already associated with docking a large ship. She said it cost about $1,500 every time she and her husband, John Fazzio, docked the schooner to offer free tours.
The ship, often compared to a pirate ship, is a rare, modern construction of a traditional gaff-rigged schooner more commonly seen in the late 1800s and 1900s. Fazzio built it, himself, giving it its name because it is made of steel.
Stone said the schooner will leave town permanently within the next one to two weeks.
Crowell said he does not believe the Steelaway will return and that Stone and Fazzio have been assets to the community.
“They were good community participants and were instrumental in the city’s Maritime Heritage District,’’ he said.
Read more at Jacksonville.com: http://jacksonville.com/news/georgi...ay-leaving-st-marys-frustration#ixzz2U1XHgtwC
