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Deadline hits for owners to move boats from Buzzard Point marina in SW D.C. Deadline hits for owners to move boats from Buzzard Point marina in SW D.C.
(about 5 hours later)
As the deadline for owners to move their boats from the marina at Buzzard Point in Southwest Washington came, about 20 boats and trailers remained at the longtime spot. Last fall, officials with the National Park Service said the marina at Buzzard Point in Southwest Washington would have to close. It needed repairs that were far too costly to make, so the boat owners who docked there would have to move.
The marina, which has been in existence for more than 50 years, sits in a park area near V and Half streets where the Potomac and Anacostia rivers come together. It is surrounded by a mix of mostly industrial units, including warehouses and mechanic shops, and a Revolution-era fort. But on Monday, the deadline day for moving, about 20 boats and trailers remained.
In the fall, officials with the National Park Service had said that the marina, which is in need of repairs that are too costly, would close. They said they would look for other “recreational uses” for the Buzzard Point Park, such as picnic areas, boat launches or areas to canoe or kayak. “It is a very sad day,” said Christine Barna, who has worked at the marina for 35 years. “It doesn’t feel very good. We are a community here.”
Much of the area around the marina is poised for redevelopment, including a 20,000-seat soccer stadium for the professional team D.C. United that is expected to open in the coming years. Many of the owners of boats and trailers remaining at the marina were “still trying to scramble to figure things out” regarding where they would take their possessions, she said.
[Buzzard Point, proposed spot for D.C. United stadium, has long resisted development]
Meanwhile, as the Feb. 29 deadline to close the marina hit, it was tough for those who have used it for decades. The marina had a heyday in the 1980s and 1990s when its 93 slips were mostly full, and there was a waiting list, but it has lost popularity over the years.
“It is a very sad day,” said Christine Barna, who has worked at the marina for 35 years, on Tuesday. “It doesn’t feel very good. We are a community here.”
Of the 20 boats and trailers still at the marina, she said, many of the owners were “still trying to scramble to figure things out” of where they would take their possessions.
“It’s not that easy to move a boat,” Barna said. “If you live in a condo or use public transportation, you can’t just load it and take it somewhere.”“It’s not that easy to move a boat,” Barna said. “If you live in a condo or use public transportation, you can’t just load it and take it somewhere.”
For some boat owners, she said, the fees are too high at other area marinas to store their boats. And others need work and inspections done on their boats before they move them. The marina, which has existed for more than 50 years, sits in a park area near V and Half streets. It is surrounded by a mix of mostly industrial units, including warehouses and mechanics’ shops, and a Revolutionary-era fort.
“Some are going to just walk away from their boat,” Barna said. It’s heyday was the 1980s and 1990s, when its 93 slips were mostly full and there was a waiting list. But its popularity faded over the years.
[Buzzard Point Marina to close in December, after a half-century of use] Much of the area around the marina is poised for redevelopment, including a 20,000-seat soccer stadium that is to be the home of D.C. United.
In a news release Tuesday, the park service said it plans to work with residents and others to “explore options” for the future of the Buzzard Park area around the marina. [Buzzard Point, proposed spot for D.C. United stadium, has long resisted development]
It is offering three days in March where boat owners can come get their property. After that, officials said boat owners may be subject to penalties and fees for abandoning property. For some boat owners, storage fees are too high at other area marinas, Barna said. And others need work and inspections done on their boats before they move them.
The park service has owned the marina and the land around it for 50 years. It has also had a contract with Barna to help operate the marina, according to Emily Linroth, a service spokeswoman. “Some are going to just walk away from their boat,” she said.
That contract was set to expire at the end of 2015, but boat owners sued to try to stop the closure of the marina. The contract was then extended until Feb. 29, keeping the marina open. [Buzzard Point Marina to close in December, after half a century of use]
But on Monday, the contract expired, and park officials reminded property owners it was time to go. In a news release Tuesday, the Park Service said it plans to work with residents and others to “explore options” for the future of the area around the marina. Officials said they would look for other “recreational uses” for the space, such as picnic areas, boat launches or areas to canoe or kayak.
WTOP was among the first to report on the deadline for the marina’s Tuesday closing. The Park Service is designating three days this month for boat owners to get their property: Saturday, and March 9 and 12. After that, officials said, boat owners may be subject to penalties and fees for abandoned property.
Barna said she was skeptical of the future plans for the Buzzard Point marina and park around it. She said previous ideas to improve the existing marina hadn’t been well received or considered. The Park Service, which has owned the marina and the land around it for 50 years, had a contract with Barna for her to help operate the marina, according to Emily Linroth, a Park Service spokeswoman.
“I’m disappointed in our nation’s capital that, at a time when the rest of the waterfront is being redeveloped, this is just being left to deteriorate,” she said. That contract was to expire at the end of 2015, but boat owners sued to try to stop the marina’s closure. The contract was then extended until Feb. 29, keeping the marina open a few additional weeks.