I was really looking forward to a relaxing weekend on the lake. Those happy thoughts all went out the window when I received a text message from Erica Whitney Thursday evening saying that the Corps of Engineers had ordered all boats removed from Sutton Lake Marina by Monday.
I called the local Corps office on Friday and spoke to the Project Superintendent. He couldn’t give me a reason why there was no news release from the Huntington headquarters or his office, like there had been in the past. His only reasoning was that it was a safety issue.
When I talked to him as a houseboat owner, he obviously didn’t care much about my concerns. I explained that it would be quite an obstacle getting 250+ boats up that ramp in 3 days and that with the projection of rain on Saturday it may be impossible to get bigger boats like mine out of the water by their deadline. I also expressed my concerns that such actions could present their own set of safety concerns. He told me that boats went up and down that ramp all the time in the rain. I reassured him that he had not tried to pull a houseboat under such conditions.
I talked to him about alternative access to the docks since the approach ramp is the safety concern. I felt like all my concerns fell on deft ears. Obviously, their mind was made up, they weren’t giving a inch.
That’s not a surprising stance from the Corps. I have dealt with them a lot over the 50 years I have been behind this desk. I helped organize and participate in numerous spring lake cleanups. I was one of the organizers of several large festivals held on Corps property. I have helped them with their vandalism problems and more. We have always been able to come to agreements, but they reminded me several times that their responsibility was flood control.
Over the years that position has been made very clear. Any time problems arose, if they persisted, the Corps answer was to do away with them… case in point, the Scenic Overlook at Bee Run, the Brock Run Camping area and the South Abutment Swimming area. I’m sure they are not losing any sleep about doing away with 250 boat owners 6 weeks early. Nor do they apparently care about the economic damage they have done to the marina, it’s employees and our community that relies on tourism dollars.
I guess that’s enough gripping.
We worked all weekend and part of last week fixing trailers and getting our boats out of the water… 12 altogether for our group. We also helped others while we waited our turn on the ramp .
We made it, however, it was not without incident. My boat was one of the last to be loaded, and wouldn’t you know it… the wind picked up about an hour before we cut loose from the docks. Due to the conditions and no ability to wait for a better environment, I had to approach the trailer faster than I normally would. When I reversed the engines, both motors quit, and I struck one of the uprights on the trailer creating a football size hole in my starboard pontoon.
My Labor Day 2024 was a labor, thanks to the Corps of Engineers.
