What's next for new North East Marina Authority after filing for articles of incorporation

A.J. Rao, Erie Times-News

North East Borough is one step closer to ensuring the North East Marina is owned and operated by a local authority instead of the state.

Borough Council on Monday selected five people to serve on the newly formed North East Community Marina Authority.

The authority aims to negotiate with the Pennsylvania Fish & Boat Commission to transfer ownership of the North East Marina, located at 11950 East Lake Road.

Out of nine applicants, council voted and selected the following individuals to serve on the authority board, with term limits ranging from one to five years:

  • Eric Urbanowicz for a one-year term;

  • Kara Haas for a two-year term;

  • Timothy Truitt for a three-year term;

  • Edward Mascharka for a four-year term; and

  • Amy Burniston for a five-year term.

The North East Marina is shown on April 1, 2024, on Route 5 in North East Township.
The North East Marina is shown on April 1, 2024, on Route 5 in North East Township.

Borough Manager Patrick Gehrlein said applicants had to be either a borough or township resident or own a business in the borough or township.

“I don’t think there’s many people that have much experience being a marina board member ― nobody really does,” Gehrlein said. “(The council) took their life experiences and determined whether they were good fits for the board.”

Articles of incorporation filed

With the authority seated, Gehrlein said the borough on Tuesday filed articles of incorporation with the Pennsylvania Department of State.

The Department of State takes at least 15 business days to process those documents, according to the department's website.

Gehrlein said the authority, once incorporated, will begin the process of negotiating with the Fish and Boat Commission.

The Fish & Boat Commission has been willing to work with the community to transfer the property and potentially provide start-up funds for the authority.

“I’m sure this authority will be discovering a lot of details with the transfer and hopefully get a good understanding of this parcel of land, and what the challenges and opportunities are,” Gehrlein said.

Why does the borough want an authority?

State Rep. Jake Banta, R-4th Dist., and resident Dan Adamus, a trustee for the North East Community Foundation and a member of the Fuller Hose Co., began their efforts to save the marina in 2023 after the Fish & Boat Commission announced that it would close the private boats slips for the 2024 boat season.

The Fish & Boat Commission opted to close the private slips due to new dredging requirements that drove up the cost of the annual maintenance as well as the cost to move sand from the west side of the marina basin to the east side to prevent erosion down shore. Those costs have made operating the marina — the only one under Fish & Boat Commission's authority in the entire state — financially constraining for the state agency. Another issue was the discovery of unsafe electrical lines on the docks and the potential cost associated with an overhaul of the utility.

Officials have been in talks for months now about forming an authority to take over the North East Marina in the hopes of not only bringing it back to its former level of use, but also allowing the 17-acre property to reach its potential.

An authority, proponents have argued, would shield taxpayers from any financial liability, including taxes.

A.J. Rao can be reached at arao@gannett.com. Follow him on X @ETNRao.

This article originally appeared on Erie Times-News: North East PA Borough seats new authority to manage North East Marina

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