AQUISTION OF THE PRINCETON BOATYARD

By Sally Campbell

THE BOARD MAJORITY VITOS THE CONTINUATION OF THE PRINCETON BOATYARD AT PILLAR POINT HARBOR.

SALLY CAMPBELL - Candidate for San Mateo County Harbor District Board of

Trustees + Nov. 2, 2004 General Election

About nine years ago, I urged my fellow board members to purchase 5 parcels of land commonly known as the Princeton Boatyard. Unfortunately, the majority was of the opinion that the District was not in a financial position to purchase the property so they continued to lease the facility. When the lease expired in November 2003, the District once again turned down the opportunity to acquire the boatyard despite the fact that they had a reserve of over $10-million in cash reserves.
One of my fellow board members shares my belief that the Board did not act in the best interest of the public when they twice failed to acquire a facility that is so vital to the commercial fishermen and recreational boaters at the Pillar Point Harbor. We feel that the District should purchase this property, spend what is necessary to bring it into compliance with Cal-OSHA standards and lease it to a private contractor who would operate the facility for the benefit of the boating public. We realize that the commercial fishing fleet that plays such a vital role in sustaining the local economy simply cannot survive as a viable entity without a permanent haul-out facility owned by the SMCHD. Absent the Princeton Boatyard, Pillar Point Harbor, as a commercial port, has no real future.