EVERETT – Occasionally, on the marina’s picturesque public promenade, people are seen carrying their own waste.
Michael V. Martina / The Herald
Maybe it’s in a bottle. Maybe a bucket. Either way, the Port of Everett wants to put an end to it.
Tighter rules for people living on boats at the marina – live-aboards – are under consideration, including stricter background checks, higher fees and proof of insurance.
And the waste. All people living on boats would be required to have a toilet and holding tank on board.
Currently, there is no such requirement, though marina officials inspect the boats that do have toilets to make sure they aren’t sending waste overboard.
“We’re accustomed to seeing little doggy bags, but somebody carrying a urine bottle or human waste in some kind of bucket, I don’t think that’s a very aesthetically pleasing practice,” marina director Kim Buike said.
Most boats have a toilet and holding tank, but not the smaller boats, Buike said.
The proposed rules come as the Port of Everett plans a $300 million redevelopment next door that will include high-end condos, remaking one of the last vestiges of the city’s industrial waterfront.
Improving the 2,000-slip marina – the second-largest on the West Coast – by having stricter rules for the 130 registered live-aboards adds value to the community, and “the north marina redevelopment adds additional justification or incentive,” Buike said.
Toilets aside, live-aboards feel targeted by the rules, especially a proposed charge of $25 per boat, per month, to cover $20,000 in new water quality monitoring required by the city.
The money also will cover the costs of providing garbage and security services, Buike said.
Carl Kevan II objects to being singled out for the fee.
“It irks every one of us,” he said. “They’re implying we’re dumping overboard, and we’re not.”
City rules require water monitoring to determine “what, if any, significant water quality effects may exist as a result of live-aboards in the port marina area,” according to the city’s shoreline master program.
Josef Peterson, an artist who has lived on his boat Nimfa in the marina for three years, said all boat owners at the marina should pay.
Kevan, a 12-year resident of the marina, currently lives on the 30-foot Now &Again, his bachelor pad.
Many live-aboards are loners like Kevan, and minimalists. Some are retired, or down on their luck and only able to afford the cheap moorage, he said.
Live-aboards pay $100 to $400 a month in moorage fees, depending on the size of the boat, plus electricity.
Buike said most live-aboards are conscientious and watchful, minding the boats of their absent neighbors and helping during storms or fires.
But of 52 boats chained up for not paying their bills last year, 18 were live-aboards, Buike said. Also, live-aboards require more services and therefore cost the port more, he said.
When live-aboards apply for a slip, they don’t face background checks and don’t have to provide proof of insurance, Buike said. That would change under his proposal.
Background checks would help keep out undesirable people more cheaply and easily than trying to evict them later. Buike said he doesn’t know if the screening would be uniform.
Despite some residents arguing against the additional fee, “it still seems to me to be a reasonable thing to do,” Buike said.
Kevan worries that in January, when it comes to time reapply for a slip, the port will use background or credit checks to target current live-aboards and use it as a mechanism to oust some of them.
“It’s just harassment,” Kevan said. “We don’t want it and don’t think it’s justified.”
Resident John Lund said the proposed fee is acceptable, but with it must come a voice. A marina boat owner’s association will begin meeting soon to have a stronger role in marina policies, Kevan said.
Port of Everett commissioners might see a formal proposal in June or July, Buike said. If approved, fees could start this summer, and other requirements would be in place by January.
Reporter Jeff Switzer: 425-339-3452 or jswitzer@heraldnet.com.
Michael V. Martina / The Herald
John Hillman, 12, sits aboard his family’s boat at the Everett marina. Some marina residents object to new fees and restrictions proposed for live-aboards.
Proposed rules
People who live aboard their boats at the Everett marina would be required to:
* Have an approved toilet and holding tank.
* Pay $25 per month, per boat for water monitoring and services.
* Consent to credit, reference and background checks.
* Have $300,000 in liability insurance, and add the Port of Everett to the policy.
Talk to us
> Give us your news tips.
> Send us a letter to the editor.
> More Herald contact information.
