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Water Ways Ray Pendleton |
Isle marinas in a
state of dysfunctionIf you look up dysfunctional in the dictionary, you'll find a picture of our state-run Ala Wai Small Boat Harbor, a waterfront wag told me recently.
And I imagine many boaters would even take it even further and include all of our public marinas. Maui's Maalaea and Lahaina, Oahu's Waianae and Keehi Lagoon -- they've all become seaside slums.
People unfamiliar with our state's recreational boating infrastructure might wonder what prompts this sort of negative commentary. But to anyone who relies on the state for their boating facilities, it's as clear as the waters of Hanauma Bay.
In a Water Ways column last month, I addressed the ongoing problem of waterborne refuse that gets caught in the trap under the Ala Moana bridge and then escapes whenever a Kona breeze blows it in the opposite direction.
I mentioned that the Department of Boating and Ocean Recreation caretakers of the trap might keep a more watchful eye over it and either empty it in a more timely manner or close it with a boom when it was full or the wind changed.
Soon after, perhaps coincidentally, DOBOR employees closed the trap with a boom, except the trap was only one-quarter filled and uncounted trash-bergs have since drifted by it to pollute the harbor.
One log, about 15 feet long and 3 feet wide, was captured by Waikiki Yacht Club member John Ziegler. Imagine his frustration when he attempted to tow it into the sealed-off, but nearly empty trap.
Fortunately, the log has remained tied to the boom and out of harm's way since Ziegler left it there a week ago.
Another example of the Ala Wai harbor's dysfunction is surely the state of the state-maintained boat slips.
As reported by the Star-Bulletin's Diana Leone a week ago, state workers recently demolished 76 slips on F dock that had been declared unsafe, but their replacement isn't expected until sometime in 2005.
This compounds an earlier problem where 37 other slips along the 700 row had also been declared unsafe.
Now, close to one-sixth of the moorings in what should be Oahu's premier marina will not be collecting revenue for more than a year.
And too, there will not be sufficient slips available for the scores of yachts that will be visiting here when they take part in biennial events like the Victoria, Canada-to-Lahaina, Maui, race and the San Francisco to Kaneohe Bay Pacific Cup race.
The state currently charges an absurdly low $4.10 per foot per month for its slips. That makes this year's revenue loss at $222,384, Leone noted.
Imagine what the loss would be if DOBOR charged rates found nearly anywhere else in the U.S. If we use an average-sized 40-foot boat, times $8, times 113 slips, times 12 months, it comes to a whopping $433,920.
Would you buy stock in a business enterprise that allowed this sort of collapse in its facilities and income?
For that matter, would you buy stock in a company that rents its facilities for less than is required to maintain them, and how would you feel about its CEO and board of directors?
For you readers without a dictionary, I looked up dysfunctional and there wasn't a picture of our marinas there. But I have to admit the written definition gave a pretty close description.
See the Columnists section for some past articles.
Ray Pendleton is a free-lance writer based in Honolulu.
His column runs Saturdays in the Star-Bulletin.
He can be reached by e-mail at raypendleton@mac.com.
