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May 2004 - NC Marine TradeWinds Newsletter
SBTDC NC Marine Trades Services
Congressional Waterways Caucus – Working for ICW Dredging
When Vehicles and Vessels Collide – the Compromise of Bridges and Roads
Manteo – Wanchese Overpass (fly-way)
National Marina Day – August 14th
Workforce Education, Training and Professional Development
IBEX – Promotion for Participating North Carolina Businesses
Congressional
Waterways Caucus – Working for ICW Dredging
The purpose of the
newly formed Congressional Waterways Caucus is to create a voice within Congress
on the issues facing the nation’s waterways, to identify ways to effectively
work to highlight the importance of waterways, and to examine legislative and
regulatory solutions to the challenges facing navigable waterways and rivers. On
May 17th, NC Congressman Mike McIntyre, co-chairman of this
committee, along with 53 other legislative members, urged rejection of proposals
that cut funding for waterways. This issue will be on the front burner for
coastal waterfront communities, marine businesses and the waterways tourism
industry of North Carolina.
The core of the problem is lack of funding through the Corps of Engineers. The key to solving this problem is political at the national level. We attempt to keep the latest information on our website. Involvement is critical.
When Vehicles
and Vessels Collide – the Compromise of Bridges and Roads
North Carolina
Department of Transportation is dealing with at least two locations where the
‘needs and wants’ of cars conflict with the commercial and recreational
‘needs and wants’ of boats and the boating industry. In the
Beaufort/Morehead City area it is a bridge-height-over-water issue, and in
Manteo/Wanchese the problem is overhead clearance over a vital boat transport
route.
Beaufort
Bridge: A replacement bridge for the
Beaufort drawbridge is a six-to-ten year reality. The replacement type, height
and service make up the industry debate. The first issue is safety and repair
access for boats with masts greater than 65’ (the Morehead City bridge
provides 65’ clearance). Safety is now provided through the Beaufort
drawbridge and into protected waters and haulout sites at three boatyards. The second
issue is jobs and marine industry growth for at least 12 – 15 marine
businesses providing services used by these taller masted vessels, especially at
the Jarrett Bay Marine Industrial Park – a facility with a 220-ton lift
accommodating wide beam, tall-masted catamarans. The third issue is tourism
in the Town of Beaufort where its thriving transient marina and
boat-supporting community drive the local economy, known nationally and
internationally as a jump-off and return-to port for ocean traveling vessels of
all sizes. Boaters want the shortest route just like anyone, and a bridge that
doesn’t accommodate boats with either a manned lift or at least a 55’ height
(unmanned but opening) is viewed by many as detrimental to the Beaufort economy.
The fourth issues is tall ships and the plans by the North Carolina
Maritime Museum to establish a tall ship harbor – following the Pepsi
Americas’ Sail tall ship event in 2006 – on property that would be cut off
by the proposed bridge.
Manteo
– Wanchese Overpass (fly-way): There are
approximately 15 custom sportfishing builders employing over 220 – and
currently building boats with a total value of $30 to $50 M – in Dare County.
Most have met with the NC DOT to discuss the clearance height of a proposed
fly-over (overpass) at the Manteo/Wanchese intersection. At issue is the
builders’ access to adequate height and width clearance needed to move 50’
to 80’ boats by truck to other sites, including launch sites. At
the meeting with the builders, DOT encouraged letters of support for the feeder
road to accommodate at least a 25 feet overhead.
Our experience is that
“you haven’t said anything until it is on your letterhead and in the
hands of the appropriate people”. Our Marine Trades Services staff is
offering to facilitate by collecting your letters and putting copies of them in
the hands of the DOT officials and your town, county and state elected
officials. You can fax to our Beaufort number (252) 728-6988 or to our
Wilmington number (910) 962-3014, or mail to P.O. Box 406, Beaufort, NC 28516.
Make the letter a one/two pager if possible; put the issue (Beaufort bridge or
Wanchese fly-way) at the top by itself; state your qualifiers (individual or
boater or builder/marina/support company with # of employees and location); then
identify your recommendation on the issue and anything that supports your
position; then a “thank you” for reading the letter; and then type your
name, sign it, and provide a way to contact you if there are questions (don’t
put confidential cell phone or email information – use your company number).
National
Marina Day – August 14th
Marinas across our
state – over 400 of them – provide the unique and critically important
access to and from our waterways along the coast, sounds, rivers and lakes. The
economic importance of marina services can be seen in the extraordinary growth
of boating access in our waterfront communities, the exceptional increase in
tourism and retirement dollars expended in those areas, and the dramatic climb
in the associated tax base in these communities.
The source for this
statewide economic engine is the boats and the money locals and tourists pay to
use them, maintain them and just look at them. Most of the boats involved in
this economic windfall are in these communities because they are serviced and
maintained by community marinas.
Across the country, some 12,000 marinas employing over 140,000 will be celebrating National Marina Day on August 14th. Involve your community, promote your marina, and activate the boaters/voters of your marina to tell the vital story of the service marina so that it remains an important resource and not an endangered species. For assistance, see www.moaa.com/nmd and use the materials available. Also, use your local resources: they owe you.
Workforce
Education, Training and Professional Development
All
across NC, the title topics above are generating state funding, community
college participation, and local interest on behalf of growing existing
manufacturing business and focused industry groups. Boatbuilding and marina
management are two areas with growing attention in the state and one that now
has the collective attention of the big three, The American Boat & Yacht
Council (ABYC), the National Marine Manufacturers Association (NMMA) and
Professional BoatBuilder magazine.
These
three industry groups have the ear and support of the national marine businesses
on the topics of education and training, as well as nationally recognized
boatbuilding standards. They plan to serve as a catalyst for addressing
workforce education, training and professional development issues by forming
alliances with marine trades associations, commercial entities, marine trade
schools, community colleges and secondary schools.
Last fall, during the
Greenville IBEX-U, ABYC president, Skip Burdon met with representatives of the Carteret,
Craven, and Pamlico
Community Colleges at the request of our NC Marine Trades Services. With
the advent of the Carteret Marine Trades Education
Center (MARTEC), the existing programs at Cape Fear Community College and
rumored efforts underway in other community colleges, it may be time for a
coordinated effort in marine trades training and workforce education - one that
utilizes the information, course planning and curriculums, and the certification
and testing programs that will come from this national alliance.
If your business has ties to local community college representatives, have them contact Mike Bradley of the NC Marine Trades Service (Mike.Bradley@NCwaterways.com). We have over 2,500 e-mail and fax contacts in marine businesses across the state, by county. We would offer to help them meet with ABYC officials and would work with them to contact businesses, offer seminars and workshops, and develop programs that utilize the certification, training and testing efforts of this ABYC, NMMA, and Professional Boatbuilder effort. And, mark your calendar for 2005, February 3-4 Summit on this in Fort Lauderdale.
IBEX –
Promotion for Participating North Carolina Businesses
The
2004 IBEX is set to take place Oct. 25-27 show at the Miami Beach Convention
Center, and our NC Marine Trades Services will again have a booth to assist the
NC businesses exhibiting and those builders trying to locate products, materials
and services – especially where we can connect NC buyers with NC venders. We
plan on advertising the NC advantage, so let us know if you are exhibiting or
attending. For the first time in several years, exhibit space is available at
IBEX for new manufacturers and suppliers of competitive boat building
technologies – NC vendors should consider this national exposure. For more
information, go to www.ibexshow.com.