Marine 2 with Police and Firefighters working on a rescue in the Snohomish River.
The Boathouse would be used to safely and securely store Marine 2, one of the City’s marine vessels used for both rescue and firefighting. In addition the Police dive unit needs to find a new place to store their gear.
City Council member Brenda Stonecipher expressed concerns over how the city is providing police and fire services at the Port and yet the Port is not paying directly for those services. Mayor Franklin said the city is negotiating for compensation by the Port for police and fire services but there is no agreement set at this time. The funds for the purchase would not come out of the general fund. The deputy mayor mentioned the boathouse is being purchased not from the Port, but a private party. The Port is not charging a slip fee for the boathouse.
Here is the summary of the proposal prepared by the administration for the Council’s consideration.
The City’s Police Department seeks to purchase a boathouse to serve as a secured location for its Marine Operations Unit vessel, “Marine II”, and its dive locker.
The PSA provides for an inspection and appraisal period during which the City may confirm or condition its satisfaction of the boathouse. Generally, boathouses rarely come on the market. Transfer of boathouse ownership at the Port of Everett Marina is a rare occurrence.
During the Port of Everett’s redevelopment of the Marina, Marine II was displaced from a boathouse that it had occupied through an agreement with the Port of Everett for many years. Marine II is currently docked at covered slip at the Marina.
However, because the vessel does not have a cabin it cannot be fully secured. Also, the Police dive locker is housed at the Yacht Club at the Marina, which is schedule for demolition as part of the Port’s continued redevelopment of the site. The dive locker must be relocated by July 2020.
The City’s ownership of a boathouse will provide a central operations location to secure Marine II and maintain an easily deployable dive locker which are both essential to the function of the Marine Operations Unit.
The estimated cost of the boathouse is $150,000.00. The final purchase price is subject to inspection and confirmation appraisal. In no event would the purchase price exceed $150,000.
The first $130,000 of the purchase price will be paid from the 156 Criminal Justice Fund. Any remaining balance will be paid from the Vessel Registration Fund.
The sale agreement was passed by the City Council with Council members Stonecipher and Roberts voting no and the other five members voting yes.
April 15, 2020
Everett, Everett Government