300 Gulf Road, South Dartmouth, MA 02748
(508) 999-1381 (508) 999-0450 fax

Mooring Update

January 15, 2008

The town has issued us provisional mooring permits for rental of 154 commercial moorings in 2008. 19 mooring sites, some rented to customers and some used as yard moorings in prior years, are no longer available. We plan to offer moorings to all eligible customers from 2007, although the mooring location may differ from what was assigned in the past.

Please read the letter from the Waterways Management Commission.

Sincerely,

Brodie MacGregor

The Dartmouth Waterways Management Commission is a volunteer board responsible for setting and enforcing waterways use policies and regulations in all Dartmouth waters. Mooring rentals in Dartmouth are required to comply with all state and federal regulations. All mooring permits in Dartmouth are issued annually by the Harbormaster, and are renewable only upon compliance with all regulations.

Concordia, Inc. has a significant history of supplying mooring site rentals to boaters of Dartmouth. Concordia has recently applied to the US Army Corps of Engineers for the required federal approval and permits for their mooring rental sites. That application is pending before the United States Army Corps of Engineers without resolution before preparations begin for the upcoming 2008 boating season.

The Waterways Commission, after careful consideration and deliberation, voted to provisionally allow Concordia a limited number of mooring sites for conditional rental use in the 2008 boating season. The resolution adopted reflects a strong desire to accommodate the greatest number of boaters in the most equitable manner consistent with all regulations. We did not want mooring sites to sit idle for the upcoming boating season due to a lack of permit issuance by the federal authorities.

As a result of this federal permit application process, the United State Coast Guard has defined the navigable channel in the outer Padanaram Harbor to a width of 50 yards. The new channel designation will result in a net loss of several precious mooring sites. Many of the sites lost to the newly designated channel were previously rented by Concordia, while a smaller number of recreation or individual mooring sites are being displaced. The number of sites Concordia, Inc. will be allowed to rent in Dartmouth waters for the 2008 boating season has been reduced to reflect the new channel delineation. This Commission asked for, and Concordia also voluntarily relinquished four mooring sites to be used as municipal sites designed to enhance transient access.

A significant change, imposed by the Commission as a condition of continued mooring rental absent the required federal permits requires that Concordia collect Dartmouth Waterways Use boat fees from all mooring customers in conjunction with their rental fees. The Waterway Use Fee is required by local by-law for the non-transient use of Dartmouth waterways by all boaters. This fee, payable to the Town of Dartmouth, ensures the continued services and protections extended to boaters in our waters. Anyone who owes outstanding waterway fees or vessel excise tax will be ineligible to rent any commercial mooring site or any other vessel accommodation in Dartmouth. Delinquent accounts will be removed from any mooring waiting list to ensure that all boaters are contributing equitably to the success of our enterprise fund.

The last provision relative to Concordia renting mooring sites in Dartmouth calls for a final deadline of September 15, 2008 by which time Concordia must produce approved Army Corps mooring permits. If no permits have been approved by that date, it is the intention of the Waterways Commission that mooring rentals by Concordia will not be sanctioned for future seasons. Provisions for redistribution of un-permitted rental sites, if necessary, will be made following that date.

It is the sincerest hope of this Commission that you will understand and appreciate the difficult role we must undertake as a volunteer body charged with managing the desirable and treasured asset that is Dartmouth's waterways.