City Commissioners Larry Maglinger and Jeff Sanford during a Tuesday meeting discussed the prospect of implementing a transient boating dock that would give visitors and locals easy access to the amenities of downtown Owensboro.
Maglinger said it would give people the opportunity to dock their boats — large or small — and stay overnight in downtown Owensboro.
Transient docks have been installed in nearby cities such as Nashville, Louisville and Paducah. Maglinger said most transient docks run 300-600 feet in length and can hold several boats at a time.
A transient dock located at the former Executive Inn was a big success, Maglinger said, but it was dismantled after the building was demolished.
“Boaters look for places to go,” Maglinger said. “After you get that, word gets out across the Ohio River. People start saying, ‘Let’s make a trip there.’”
Maglinger said each city has its own rules and regulations for how long a boat can be parked at a dock, but allowing them for two to three nights at a time would benefit local hotels, restaurants, shops and entertainment venues along the riverfront.
Sanford said he and Maglinger are looking to position a transient dock behind the Owensboro Convention Center. With so much of the riverfront completed already, Sanford said he believed this was a good time to start focusing on the dock project.
“We have the river — we need to use it for all we can,” Sanford said. “I think we’re going to have the funding to do this thing.”
The city spent years planning a downtown marina as part of its master plan, but that project fell through due to infeasibility and high costs.
This project, Magliner noted, would cost far less money than a marina, and it would likely be well-received by those in the boating community, making it a project well worth considering.
“There are lots of grants available for projects like this,” he said. “I believe it’s the missing piece of our downtown riverfront.”
