Sandusky pushes harbor plan

4/8/2006

SANDUSKY - The city has applied to the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency for permission to construct breakwaters in the harbor for a proposed 95-slip marina to accommodate visiting boaters.

Gary Packan, assistant city manager, said yesterday that the proposed marina at 401 W. Shoreland Drive dovetails with the conversion of a lakefront storage dock into a 191-unit condominium and marina complex called the Paper District. That redevelopment aims to convert industrial buildings along the lake to residential and retail uses.

Work on a transient marina is not expected to begin for at least two years, Mr. Packan said. Cost is not final, and state grants are being sought for the project, which is supported by the Ohio Department of Natural Resources because of "a need for transient dockage in the downtown area as a key economic development tool," he said.

The city has limited dock space available for visiting boaters, he said.

Permits must be obtained from ODNR, the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency, and the Army Corps of Engineers before work begins, he said.

The Ohio EPA plans a hearing April 18 at 6:30 p.m. in Sandusky's city hall on the city's application to build two stone revetments, a stone breakwater and jetty, and a sheet-steel pile bulkhead for the project, which will require excavation of land.

At the meeting, the Army Corps of Engineers will detail its plans for dredging an estimated 300,000 cubic yards of material from Sandusky Harbor and navigation channels leading to Lake Erie. Some of the material would be dumped into the lake, although a proposal is being considered to dump the rest at three areas on land.