National Marina Day
By Stewart Lytle
Celebrating National Marina Day on the Merrimack Waterfront last week were (from left): Randall Lyons, assistant general manager of Newburyport Marinas, Tina Santoro with Newburyport Development, Richie Twomey, manager of engineering for Newburyport Marinas, Mayor Donna Holoday, Sheila Twomey, leasing manager for Newburyport Development, and Brianne Records with Newburyport Development.
Newburyport Development and Newburyport Marinas hosted Newburyport Chamber members on Friday afternoon to celebrate National Marina Day. On a beautiful sunny afternoon with the Merrimack sparkling in the background, Mayor Donna Holaday told the group that she wants Newburyport to build a facility to provide showers and other necessities for recreational boaters.
She said she believes that such a facility for the comfort of recreational boaters will attract even more boats to Newburyport.
Recreational boaters are a huge boost to the local economy, she said. For every dollar spent at the marinas, the mayor said the boat owners spend three dollars in the shops and restaurants.
Next month she said she will have a new assistant who has had experience building a publicly owned facility for recreational boaters.
Randall Lyons, assistant general manager for Newburyport Marinas, told the Chamber gathering that there are 10 marinas within a two mile radius, more than 1,000 slips, 200 moorings and land boat storage for 500 boats.
In celebrating National Marina Day, Lyons said that boating “is a huge part of the Newburyport economy.”
The mayor also introduced Paul Hogg as the new city harbormaster. Working together with the Coast Guard, the harbor master manages and works to make the Newburyport waterways safe.
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Stewart Lytle is a contributing writer for Newburyport-Today he can be reached for comment at stewart@newburyport-today.com
National Marina Day
By Stewart Lytle
