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Mostly Cloudy ‘Piering’ into another Boston revolt
Lawrence mayor faces legal action over decrepit marina
Village of Lawrence Mayor Martin Oliner said he is serious about replacing the decaying 30-year-old Boston marina that he owns as president of two companies, including Shipyard Quarters that includes several other investors.
Oliner’s companies own Piers 6 and 8, collectively known as Shipyard Quarters Marina at the Charlestown Navy Yard. Based on a report filed by the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection, the piers are considered to be in deplorable condition and need to be fixed.
“It is a 30-year-old marina, which was maintained, but like any 30-year-old it needs to be replaced and I am committed to replacing it,” said Oliner, adding that he plans on replacing the existing marina with a “state-of-the-art marina” that would cost “in excess of $5 million.” Currently there are 115 boats docked there, he added. “I take it very seriously as one of the investors,” said Oliner about replacing the marina. “There is nothing nefarious. “It is a simple civil matter.”
In July of last year, a “Notice of Intent” was granted by the Boston Conservation Committee for the replacement of seven marine pilings at Pier 8. Records show the work was never completed. No other NOIs were submitted to the commission until this July, city officials said.
The condition of the marina has angered Boston residents, including the city’s mayor, Thomas M. Menino, who sent a letter in June to the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection, that called for the DEP to revoke the facility’s license. “The Shipyard Quarters Marina, located in the Charlestown Navy Yard, is in a deplorable state of disrepair,” Menino wrote. “There appears to be no dispute that the Shipyard Quarters Marina is an outrageous hazard.”
After receiving Menino’s letter, the Massachusetts DEP inspected the marina and in its report deemed it a “public nuisance” and cited several decrepit and hazardous components such as rotted, broken and missing support pilings, and corroded electrical boxes and decayed and “failing” supports and debris.
Several code violations were issued to Shipyard Quarters. The DEP ordered the company to perform repairs within 45 days or they could levy up to $25,000 a day in fines.
