By PETE WALTON
Four slips have been leased so far for the 2017 season at the Avon municipal marina.
Borough Administrator Timothy M. Gallagher said that checks have been received from three boat owners and payment is expected shortly for the fourth.
At its meeting this week, the Board of Commissioners decided to leave the recently updated marina regulations unchanged.
A small charter boat operator leased a slip in the off-season and will be relocating to Raritan Bay in several weeks. The owner has expressed a desire to come back to Avon in mid-summer.
The borough’s regulations for the marina do not prohibit leasing to commercial owners but the commissioners agreed that their original intent was to lease the spaces to private owners.
Commissioner Frank Gorman said that slip length requirements would limit the number of commercial boats which could tie up at the marina. However, he expressed concerns that if one commercial operator leased a slip, the borough would be hard pressed to deny them to others.
Gorman said the borough rented slips to commercial boats in the off-season when work was being done further inside the harbor.
“We were trying to be good neighbors,” Gorman said.
Commissioner Robert Mahon noted the limited parking at the marina. Gallagher said the commercial operator cooperated with the town by having his patrons park on the street when events were being held in the marina building. The administrator said that the operator took a maximum of six patrons out on his trips from Avon.
Slips are still available for the upcoming boating season. The number of slips depends on the length needed to berth the boats. Further information about the slips is available at the municipal office on Main Street. Slips can be leased by anyone, not just borough residents.
Also at this week’s meeting, the commissioners approved a contract between the borough and Teamsters Local Union No. 701. The local represents approximately eight workers in the street department.
Mayor John B. Magrini obtained agreement from Mahon and Gorman to advertise the starting time for board meetings at 7 p.m.
Currently, caucus meetings begin at 7 p.m. with regular meetings advertised to start at 7:30. Previously, if a caucus meeting ended prior to 7:30, the commissioners had to wait until the bottom of the hour to proceed.
Beginning with the April 10 meeting, the advertised starting time will be 7 p.m. The meeting will start with the caucus portion, followed immediately by the regular session.
