Keep SC harbor hand launches free!

http://saveharboraccess.wordpress.com/

Recently it was brought to the paddling community's attention that the Santa Cruz harbor hand launch docks would begin requiring a $10 fee for what has historically been a free, public use launch point for small human powered vessels.

The above website has a link to an online petition to protest the inclusion of the launch docks  FF and A in what would seem to be only a boat ramp issue. Among other things, to pay the fee would require driving to the harbor master's office. Once there, the probability that a majority of users would then choose to launch at the motor powered boat ramp is high, exacerbating the problem the port authority is presumably trying to eradicate.

At the very least there needs to be more discussion and involvement with the actual users of the harbor rather than a hastily hand written sign taped to the dock.

There will be a harbor meeting on Tuesday 11/27/12 as well, and I'm sure this issue will get attention there.

Mods: sorry if this ought to be in politics, I stuck it here to increase the chances of it being read. Move it if necessary.

Thanks for sharing that Sean!

I stole your quote for my remark.   

At the very least there needs to be more discussion and involvement with the actual users of the harbor rather than a hastily hand written sign taped to the dock.

 

Sincerely,

Jim

I'll mail in a letter as well    I like the points listed in the sample letter on the website Sean posted:

Dear Port Commissioners,

I am writing to ask you to repeal the proposed $10 hand-launch fee for access at the free public launch docks near Dock FF and Dock A.  Harbor staff recently posted signage stating that the new fee would take effect 11/17/12.

This fee is bad for the harbor, its businesses, and the boating and paddling public that utilize these free docks.  In addition the fee is unsafe and will not solve the “traffic” issues on the harbor it is attempting to address.  Negative consequences of the proposed fee include:

    Safety:  the fee eliminates Santa Cruz’s only safe access to the Monterey bay that is not a perilous “beach launch”.
    Safety:  those who go to the Harbormaster’s Office to pay the fee, will simply go ahead and launch from there – increasing the number of dinghies, kayaks and SUPs launching from the actual boat ramp area – a busier and more dangerous area that does not need more hand-launch traffic
    Public Recreational Access:  The fee would eliminate the only free, safe public access to the harbor’s waters and the Monterey Bay beyond.  Frequent users that include retirees and low-income boaters and paddlers would no longer be able to afford safe access to the harbor and Bay.
    Economic Impact:  Users of the hand-launch docks regularly patronize harbor businesses before and after their access to the harbor.  This benefits the harbor and its businesses.  Those patrons would be drastically reduced as would their economic benefit.
    Neighborhood Impact:  Rather than paying a $10 per vehicle launch fee, many boaters/paddlers will park in the Seabright neighborhood then carry/roll their watercraft down to the hand-launch dock near Dock A.  This will significantly increase the harbor’s parking burden on the surrounding neighborhood.
    Lack of Public Notice:  There was no public notice or public outreach regarding this new fee – a major public policy decision with a significant impact to the harbor’s users.  The Port Commission’s goals include the following goal: “Provide timely information to the public relating to Port Commission meetings and actions”.

I appreciate the fact that the post of Port Commissioner is an unpaid post that requires great dedication and time.  I ask that you consider the fee’s negative effects on a huge segment of harbor users and repeal it altogether, or table the fee until such time as a public meeting can be  held to discuss the fee.

Thanks for the heads up. I signed the petition and hopefully I'll remember to write a letter when I get home.

Thanks for posting this Sean.  I will defiantly sign and include a tactfull letter.
 I hope all of NCKA will follow suit and do their part help restore/protect this access point from this ridiculous and unnecessary taxation. I am pretty worked up over this and I hope all users are too.   

I'll be sure to get my letter going this week!

~Bill

Thanks all!

The fee program doesn't seem thought out to me. Is the fee on top of the regular day use parking fee?
Say a regular harbor user has a parking permit for the year. Are they exempt from the additional $10 fee or not?
If a user doesn't have a vehicle (and the fee specifies on the sign that it is "per vehicle") and rolls their kayak to the ramp, they don't need to pay?

Seems like if they were really serious about this they would have to install a manned kiosk or at least an "iron ranger" type thing to collect fees without making users drive all around the harbor just to pay.
  the whole thing makes no real sense.

Never makes sense.....

Another thing just occurred to me.  They are requiring users to go the the harbormaster's office to pay the fee.  I looked up the harbormaster's office to discover that the hours of operation are 09:00am - 05:00pm.  No more first light launches for seabass

This is a very bad proposal and really a waste of tax/fee payer $ to enforce this fee on users of the public launching docks.
If they do not keep it free. I propose 100 of us show up on opening day Salmon season next year and clog the main ramp up.

I went straight for the $ angle....

"I am an avid kayak fisherman and frequent the harbor on a regular. I often make purchases at Bayside and when my family comes with me they spend time at Aldo's and the other businesses within the harbor. These added fees will reduce the times I will launch at the harbor and spend my money there""

This is a very bad proposal and really a waste of tax/fee payer $ to enforce this fee on users of the public launching docks.
If they do not keep it free. I propose 100 of us show up on opening day Salmon season next year and clog the main ramp up.

I like this idea!

I'll bring my AI and do ALL the setup in the middle of the launch ramp.   

purely sucks!!   = petition signed 

Wife and I both signed.  I should get Nathan to get this rolling at school...