Wednesday, August 11, 2010

How many agencies does it take to raise a boat?

From the Queens Gazette:

State Senator Joseph Addabbo and his staff thought they were addressing a simple problem this past March when a local resident asked if a seemingly abandoned single-engine motorboat could be removed from Hawtree Basin near Coleman Square. The “simple” problem took four months and ultimately involved six different governmental agencies before a city Department of Transportation (DOT) crew removed the derelict craft from the basin on Tuesday, July 27, with Addabbo on the scene to witness the boat’s successful lift out of the water.

The saga of the derelict craft began on March 26, when a constituent called Addabbo’s office to report an abandoned boat could be seen from his house in nearby Hawtree Basin in Howard Beach. Addabbo and his staff initially contacted the state Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) to begin the removal process and to discuss possible environmental issues with regard to the boat situation.

Addabbo’s office also contacted Frank Carnesi, Director of Security of the Dockmaster Unit of the city Department of Small Business Services, who assisted in contacting the NYPD Harbor Unit to ascertain who owned the boat. The Harbor Unit visited the site twice to trace the boat’s registration numbers and to make the decision that their harbor boat was unable to remove the abandoned boat due to the shallow water of the basin.

Throughout April and May, Addabbo and the agencies tried to locate the boat’s owner. After numerous, ultimately futile attempts, a decision was made that the boat was abandoned and must be removed.

6 comments:

Anonymous said...

Addabbo is grass roots and is concerned with the people he represents and assist in providing solutions.

Addabbo should consider seriously running for Rep Joe Crowley's Congressional seat as that seat is ineffective and blatantly political.

Addabbo does his job well and is results oriented.

Anonymous said...

Why did the city try to notify the boat's owner? Tow it just like a car.

Anonymous said...

Considering where this boat actually was, just towing it like a car is far easier said than done. Addabbo rocks.

georgetheatheist said...

There's an old saying: "The two happiest moments in a boatowner's life: the day he buys the boat and the day he sells it."

Anonymous said...

This is a problem all over the city, and naturally there is little money to solve it-- the city can't keep the parks and subways clean, much less the waterways, right? If the vessel is stranded in a federal navigation channel, the US Army Corps of Engineers is responsible for removing it at cost to the federal government.

Anonymous said...

This is a problem all over the city, and naturally there is little money to solve it-- the city can't keep the parks and subways clean, much less the waterways, right? If the vessel is stranded in a federal navigation channel, the US Army Corps of Engineers is responsible for removing it at cost to the federal government.