# St. Mary's public access not public anymore



## Zorba (Jan 24, 2007)

Looks like the City of Sault Ste. Marie will be charging a fee of $5 a day or a seasonal pass of $50 to use any of the city's launches. This also includes the use of the fish cleaning station.

All because the Coast Gaurd and the Border Patrol can't get their bigger boats in the upper St. Mary's River due to low water issues. The funds will be used to dredge a channel for them at the city's Ashmun Bay launch.

I would not mind the fees so much if the money was to improve ALL the launches.


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## rico1391 (Dec 12, 2007)

So this includes Ashmun bay, Aune-Osborn, and the marina by three mile, right?


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## Zorba (Jan 24, 2007)

All city launches. Ashmun Bay, Mission Street, Aune-Osbourne, Harvey, and even to use the fish cleaning station.


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## Forest Meister (Mar 7, 2010)

Can you hear the City Fathers speaking to the press? The St. Mary's fishery............We have a great resource up here and it should be used for the benefit of our citizens and to increase tourism and business. Then, after the press leaves: We could lose the next election if we try to increase taxes so let's put a different spin on this for the locals and grab some tourist dollars for the city before the "fudge shops" bleed 'em dry. 

How much has the government put into the eight year old Customs/BP Building at the bridge, not including the _*multiple*_ six to seven figure remodeling projects that needed to be done because the original design was faulty? Seems to me a couple hundred feet of dredging would be pretty much chump change for the Feds. FM


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## LSSUfishmaster (Aug 4, 2008)

Looks like I got out just in time


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## rico1391 (Dec 12, 2007)

This doesn't make any sense to me, have the fishermen pay for dredging that is needed by federal agencies. Why is the bill for this dredging that is needed being footed by the city anyways, it doesn't make any sense at all.


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## Forest Meister (Mar 7, 2010)

rico1391 said:


> This doesn't make any sense to me, have the fishermen pay for dredging that is needed by federal agencies. Why is the bill for this dredging that is needed being footed by the city anyways, it doesn't make any sense at all.


I suspect it might have something to do with the Golden Rule; he who has the Gold, Rules. It is no secret the Feds have spread dollars very liberally around the EUP since 9/11. I have been around long enough to know that local government can become addicted to eating from the government trough. Not saying that is what is happing in this case but judgment can sometimes be impaired if there is a promise of something bigger and better (quid pro quo).....or the threat of the faucet being turned down. 

It will be interesting to see the letters to the editor in the local paper. FM


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## West Side AK (Apr 7, 2006)

If i'm paying $50... They better be redoing the 3-Mile launch... That is #&[email protected] Also... Twice as much as state yearly launch fees?

Wheres this info come from?


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## Zorba (Jan 24, 2007)

Forest Meister said:


> I suspect it might have something to do with the Golden Rule; he who has the Gold, Rules. It is no secret the Feds have spread dollars very liberally around the EUP since 9/11. I have been around long enough to know that local government can become addicted to eating from the government trough. Not saying that is what is happing in this case but judgment can sometimes be impaired if there is a promise of something bigger and better (quid pro quo).....or the threat of the faucet being turned down.
> 
> It will be interesting to see the letters to the editor in the local paper. FM


 
The feds came to the city with a 50 percent grant for the dredging project. The city just needed to come up with the remaining 72,000.00 for the project. The fees are the way the city is going to make up the short fall. It was such a great deal:sad: They should of just said NO. If the feds wanted it they should pay for it. Not just 50%.

Then comes other issues. How will it be enforced? Will you have to pay to park? Does the fee include more than one boat? I have a boat and a Sea-Doo. Does that mean I need to pay for two permits? Will the Coast Guard, BP and any other goverment boat have to pay?

The thing that sucks is I live in the city. I pay city taxes that help maintain these launches. Does that not mean anything anymore?


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## West Side AK (Apr 7, 2006)

Right... Any other city launch has a city resident "discounted" fee and a Normal fee...


http://www.sooeveningnews.com/newsnow/x837708851/City-renames-Aune-Osborn-boat-launch


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## cointoss (Apr 9, 2001)

*I have to agree with you on 3 mile ramp, I wrecked a tire there a couple of years ago and havn't used it since. *


West Side AK said:


> If i'm paying $50... They better be redoing the 3-Mile launch... That is #&[email protected] Also... Twice as much as state yearly launch fees?
> 
> Wheres this info come from?


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## Tracker01 (Jul 6, 2010)

Not sure if its worth using those launches when access to other fishing in the EUP is just as good.


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## rico1391 (Dec 12, 2007)

Tracker01 said:


> Not sure if its worth using those launches when access to other fishing in the EUP is just as good.


But they are all within two miles of my garage... and with gas, the $5 might be worth cutting out the drive, but $50 for a year is outragous, especially for residents of the city. Oh, and when they make the money to dredge out Ashmun bay, do you think these fees will go away? Good luck with that!


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## West Side AK (Apr 7, 2006)

Hopefully if they dredge ashmun... it will turn the mosquito factory they have going on into something productive....




PS- GO WINGS!!!! cleary is is garbage....


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## phillycheese (Feb 2, 2006)

Acting on a recommendation from the Community Services Board, the Sault Ste. Marie City Commission lowered the seasonal boat launching pass for residents and upped the fee for those coming from out of town.
At last month&#8217;s session, the commission established a daily rate of $5 to use its launches with a seasonal rate set at $50. The fees would be applicable to anyone utilizing the Ashmun Bay, Aune-Osborn, Harvey Marina or the Mission Street Boat Launch.
Under the tweaked version of the plan, city residents will get to purchase a seasonal pass for $40 while non-residents would incur a $60 charge. The collected moneys &#8212; from both the seasonal passes and the daily launch fees &#8212;are to be used to offset the remaining $72,000 the city needs to raise for dredging at the Ashmun Bay Boat Ramp.
&#8220;I like the idea of a resident having a different fee than a non-resident,&#8221; said Mayor Anthony Bosbous.
Commissioner Marilyn Burton questioned the legality of different rates for users, but received assurances from City Attorney Steve Cannello that the practice did not violate any laws.
City Manager Spencer Nebel said there were still a number of questions that would need to be answered before implementing the new fee &#8212; citing the stipulations which may have been placed on previous grant funding from the Waterways Commission as a potential sticking point.
Nebel also added the residency requirements still needed to be ironed out with the boat registration, vehicle registration or trailer registration as potential determining factors.
Commissioner Ray Bauer expressed the opinion that the city could be putting too much work into making a distinction between resident and non-resident.
&#8220;If they&#8217;re going to go out of their way to find a loophole (to save $20) let them go,&#8221; he said.
The commission also set a $50 fine for using one of the city&#8217;s launches without purchasing either a pass or a daily permit.
The concept was approved on a 6-1 vote with Commissioner William Munsell providing the lone opposition, saying he felt the city should keep the program as simple as possible at least during the first year of charging a fee.


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## Zorba (Jan 24, 2007)

phillycheese said:


> Acting on a recommendation from the Community Services Board, the Sault Ste. Marie City Commission lowered the seasonal boat launching pass for residents and upped the fee for those coming from out of town.
> At last month&#8217;s session, the commission established a daily rate of $5 to use its launches with a seasonal rate set at $50. The fees would be applicable to anyone utilizing the Ashmun Bay, Aune-Osborn, Harvey Marina or the Mission Street Boat Launch.
> Under the tweaked version of the plan, city residents will get to purchase a seasonal pass for $40 while non-residents would incur a $60 charge. The collected moneys &#8212; from both the seasonal passes and the daily launch fees &#8212;are to be used to offset the remaining $72,000 the city needs to raise for dredging at the Ashmun Bay Boat Ramp.
> &#8220;I like the idea of a resident having a different fee than a non-resident,&#8221; said Mayor Anthony Bosbous.
> ...


 
That's what I thought they were going to do. As it turns out they changed their mind. (As of todays news article) The excuse was since they city accepts funding from the waterways commision they have to charge everyone the same.

What does funding for the marinas have to do with the launches? You would think they are two seperate things. And, if you accept funding why would you have to charge in the first place?

I thought there would be a huge public out cry over this. Not one open forum in the paper. I called a commissioner and told him what I thought as soon as I heard about it. As it turned out it didn't matter. He still voted for it.


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## Tracker01 (Jul 6, 2010)

rico1391 said:


> But they are all within two miles of my garage... and with gas, the $5 might be worth cutting out the drive, but $50 for a year is outragous, especially for residents of the city. Oh, and when they make the money to dredge out Ashmun bay, do you think these fees will go away? Good luck with that!


 
Well then I just need to catch a ride in your boat when you go, instead of trailering the 20 miles to then pay the fee And keep my boat for the rest of the river and lake huron. I'm wondering if there is a market for a boatpool? (similar to that of a carpool to work)


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## wonder why (Feb 28, 2005)

Zorba where are you getting your info for the reason that ashmun bay boat launch is being dredged. I know for a fact that BP boats are never launched up there.

_OutdoorHub Mobile, the information engine of the outdoors_


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## Zorba (Jan 24, 2007)

CBP and the coast guard does not launch because they can't. It's too shallow. That is the whole reason for the grant. CBP and the Coast Guard want access to the upper river for security reasons. As it is now they have to lock through. This takes to much time.


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## dryfly24 (Mar 18, 2009)

_Posted via Mobile Device_


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