The wind blew fiercely on Friday while men worked to remove the docks from the North Cove Marina — another signal that community-backed Michael Fortenbaugh may not be the marina’s future operator.
“Well, we’re sort of sad,” Fortenbaugh, owner of North Cove Marina Management, told Downtown Express. “It’s been 20 years we’ve been located at North Cove. To be suddenly kicked out is hard. We would have liked to stay.”
Fortenbaugh’s staff were helping take the docks out of the marina. The tugboat Vulcan III took them over to Jersey City.
Last October, the Battery Park City Authority issued a request for proposals, or R.F.P., for a marina operator. At it’s January meeting, due to a lack of quorum, no winning bid was announced. Fortenbaugh’s lease expired on Dec. 31 and the B.P.C.A. took over operations of the marina on Jan. 1.
“It seems pretty clear that we’re not part of their plans,” he said by phone.
Community Board 1 passed a unanimous resolution in December calling on the B.P.C.A. to restart the R.F.P. process, which the commodore said was “amplified,” by five elected officials, who sent the authority a letter on Dec. 29.
“You would think that Battery Park City Authority would listen to the community,” he said.
Ted Wallace was named interim operator and he told the Downtown Express that is the second time he has overseen the marina during transition. He was there on Friday to make sure the dock removal was done safely.
Wallace, who has sailed with Fortenbaugh for 15 years, said that everything was being done efficiently and it has been an easy collaboration.
The B.P.C.A. announced Friday that there next meeting will be Thurs., Jan. 22.
— DUSICA SUE MALESEVIC
