Essex council orders review of Colchester Harbour operations

Essex council has approved two motions looking to improve operations at Colchester Harbour.

Essex council unanimously approved two motions on Monday evening aimed at improving operations at Colchester Harbour.

Administration was directed to review customer service and safety concerns raised by harbour users, including whether staff could begin preparing the harbour earlier in the season than the traditional May 1 opening.

Mayor Sherry Bondy said council needs a clearer picture of what it costs to run the harbour and what changes would mean financially.

“I’d like to see a report on what it looks like from a cost perspective opening the harbour a month earlier, having more adult supervision down there,” she said.

“I’d also like to have some information included in this report what the harbour costs us, like what is the financial impact? Are we losing money? Are we gaining money? I have a feeling we’re losing money. I’d like to know how much.”

She said a formal report is the right next step to hold everyone accountable and improve conditions at the harbour.

“I do believe that this report will give us a lot of details about how we can make improvements,” Bondy said.

“I think holding ourselves and administration accountable with a report is the next step.”

Council also approved a separate motion asking administration to examine seaweed levels in the harbour and determine whether a formal management plan is needed, including potential costs and regulatory requirements.

Jake Morassut, deputy CAO/director of community services, said managing seaweed in the harbour is complicated.

He adds that staff are reviewing several options, including alternatives to costly dredging that would still meet federal regulations.

“We don’t own the harbor, right? It’s the federal government that owns that,” he said.

“So, anything that we do, we have to get permits from the federal government to make sure that we’re doing everything properly. So, it is quite the process anytime we want to do anything in the harbor, and we have to follow all of those regulations.”

Both reports will return to council at a future meeting.

Ward 3 Coun. Jason Matyi, who brought forward the motions, was hoping the seaweed issue could be dealt with before the season was over.