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SOSP | Sandusky Bay Pavilion is Public Property

SANDUSKY, OH – As of June 14th, 2010, the City of Sandusky has voted to enter into an agreement with the Sandusky Yacht Club for a submerged land lease on the Sandusky Bay Pavilion property. This will allow the Yacht Club to expand their dockage (as outlined in the information explained below in a previous post). At this point, there is no determination as to what amount of money the city will receive in return for the lease, but the Yacht Club is projected to earn around $60,000 once the dock slips have been filled.

Do you support the Yacht Club dock expansion?

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From the desk of the Editorial Board: The Erie Wire has attempted to obtain comment from the Sandusky Yacht Club for three consecutive weeks after the publication of this article, and once again from Jack Runner outside the Sandusky City Commission meeting on Monday, May 24th. On all occasions the Yacht Club either refuses to comment or will not return phone calls. We’ll keep reaching out to the Yacht Club for a formal interview and explanation into the dock expansion.

Notice to the public: The Sandusky Bay Pavilion is still the public’s park and available for recreation. It is now open to the public, but is considered closed at dusk. The photograph below is to illustrate part of the struggle to keep the park open, and the embedded mindset that the park is locked away from the public.

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The Erie Wire met with members of Save Our Shoreline Parks (SOSP) at the Sandusky Bay Pavilion, a public park located on the northeast side of the downtown, next to Battery Park. In this video, SOSP President Tim Schwanger and Dr. A.J. Skip Oliver, formerly a commodore of the Sandusky Sailing Club, give us a brief history of the property as the municipal pool facility, Surf’s Up, was shut down by the city only a decade ago. This is part 1 of a series investigating the many issues surrounding water in Erie County, Ohio.

A recent addition to The Erie Wire staff, Cassandra Lagunzad was on the scene for the interview. She is a graduate of Heidelberg University.

Next week, look for part 2 of this video as The Erie Wire looks into the Sandusky Yacht Club’s plans to lease the waterfront space of this public park for private dockage.

In February, The Erie Wire published a CALL TO ACTION on this issue, written by Dr. Oliver and Mr. Schwanger.

Read an article from the Resource Renewal Institute about the recent controversy behind efforts to develop Battery Park. After the firing of the former city manager, Matt Kline, for “behavior unbecoming to a public official” directly related to the development, plans for the “Marina District Project” have since expired.

Sandusky isn’t the only Great Lakes community with waterfront watchdogs.

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Sandusky Bay Pavilion – Part 1

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