Public invited to comment on Lake Champlain Transportation Co. plans for $1.4M marina overhaul
By Zachary Matson
The company that ferries people between New York and Vermont is proposing upgrades to two old marina sites in Peru it purchased this summer.
The Lake Champlain Transportation Co. acquired 41 acres where the Olde Valcour Marina and Snug Harbor Marina have operated for decades, two of the oldest marinas on Champlain’s New York shore.
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Sitting just inside the Adirondack blue line across a straight from Valcour Island, the ferry company is seeking Adirondack Park Agency approval to overhaul the marinas, which are separated by a handful of parcels not owned by the company.
The proposal would eliminate 44 boat moorings and add 68 more docked boat slips, increasing total capacity to 302 slips and 68 moorings, a 7% increase.
The ferry company “proposes to reconfigure, modernize and make needed safety and environmental improvements to the docks, mooring fields and breakwaters,” according to the application.
The company plans to remove what remains of the original 27,000-square-foot breakwaters made of tires and replace them with metal breakwaters totaling about one-fourth the size. The application does not propose any changes to onshore facilities or infrastructure, including parking, utilities and wastewater.
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An earlier proposal had suggested connecting the two marinas with a raised dock bridge, but the company removed that idea from the most recent designs to simplify its application.
The company proposes to reduce and reposition boat mooring sites. With new metal docks, the marinas will be able to accommodate boats ranging from less than 16 feet up to as large as 65 feet.
The application reveals that the company paid $1.4 million for the marina sites and runs the 292-slip Ferry Dock Marina in Burlington. The company operates ferry service between Plattsburgh and Grand Isle as well as Essex and Charlotte.
The marinas will operate daily from 8 a.m. to 9 p.m. from April 1 to Oct. 31 and six days a week from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. from Nov. 1 to March 31, according to the application.
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Local officials backed the marina upgrades in letters sent to the APA. The North Country Chamber of Commerce, Plattsburgh and Peru town supervisors and a handful of longtime customers at the marinas also supported the proposal, according to the application record.
Assemblymember Billy Jones, D-Chateaugay, wrote that the ferry company’s involvement “will bring valuable improvement to this marina, benefiting our local community and enhancing recreational opportunities along Lake Champlain.”The APA is accepting public comments on the project through Dec. 26.
Photo at top: Design plans for the proposed marina upgrades. Screenshot of Adirondack Park Agency application
Forgive me if I don’t have much good to say about this company. Abruptly discontinuing the historical ferry service between Burlington and Port Kent was a blow to my community that basically went unanswered by our elected officials. I would be skeptical of what they offer to bring to other communities.