Thursday, March 15, 2007

Chicago Tribune | Harbor May Be Opened for Out-of-Town Boaters

By Noreen S. Ahmed-Ullah
Tribune staff reporter

March 15, 2007

The Chicago Park District hopes to create a harbor for boaters looking for a temporary place to park their watercraft near downtown.

On Wednesday, park district commissioners agreed to swap man-made structures with the city of Chicago to create the harbor on a stretch of land commonly known as Dime Pier.

The park district will hand over a concrete structure near DuSable Harbor so the city can create a helipad for first responders to emergencies. In exchange, the park agency will get Dime Pier, which runs parallel to the south side of Navy Pier. Park officials hope the pier can add 350 to 450 slips.

The harbor will be used by people from other harbors or out-of-town visitors who want to dock for the day, officials said.

It was one of the recommendations suggested by a review of the park district's harbor system.

"Right now, there is no harbor for people visiting from Wisconsin or Michigan to just come and moor their boat," parks Supt. Tim Mitchell said. "This gives them the opportunity to bring their boat down, go to Navy Pier for the day, go to the museums, go out for dinner and then get on their boat to go home."

If the Olympics are held in Chicago in 2016, the harbor would also be used to moor boats from Monroe Harbor, which is being proposed for Olympic events, Mitchell said.

No comments: