City Celebrates Opening of New Public Dock and New Electric Patrol Vessel
By Newport Indy Staff – September 15, 2024
Source: Newport Beach Independent https://www.newportbeachindy.com/city-celebrates-opening-of-new-public-dock-and-new-electric-patrol-vessel/
The City of Newport Beach celebrated two significant milestones in Newport Harbor on Wednesday, August 27: opening a new public dock and welcoming the first electric patrol vessel in the Harbor Department fleet.
The new VITA Seal electric boat is also the first all-electric work vessel delivered to any public agency in the United States.
Newport Beach elected officials and harbor commissioners performed a ceremonial ribbon cutting on the 29th Street Public Pier, at 29th Street and Lafayette Avenue, before christening the new electric vessel.
The 29th Street pier brings the total number of public piers in Newport Harbor to 15, following the dedication of the Balboa Marina Public Pier in March. Use of the pier is free for up to three hours during the day.
The 29thStreet dock, near the terminus of the Rhine Channel, can accommodate up to four 20-ft. boats or two larger vessels. It is part of an ongoing expansion of publicly accessible docks, owned and managed by the City, to provide greater access to boaters.
The new electric boat can be utilized throughout a typical 10-hour shift for the Harbor Department without the need to recharge. With a top speed of 30 knots, the boat will generally carry a crew of two staff members and can accommodate up to eight people. In addition, at Marina Park, the City is developing what will be the first publicly accessible vessel charging station in Southern California.
The 29th Street Pier was designed by Moffatt and Nichol and built by Swift Slip Dock and Pier Builders, with a construction cost of $262,000.
The cost of the electric vessel, $229,000, was funded by the City and partially offset by a Clean Off-Road Equipment (CORE) voucher from the State of California.
By Newport Indy Staff – September 15, 2024
Source: Newport Beach Independent https://www.newportbeachindy.com/city-celebrates-opening-of-new-public-dock-and-new-electric-patrol-vessel/
Share this entry
The Balboa Island Ferry, one of our most iconic Newport Beach tourism experiences, could be no more.
If that sounds dramatic, it is. I can’t imagine our city without the ferry, but unless something is done, this treasured piece of our city could be gone in less than two years.
Thousands of locals and visitors use the ferry every year and it’s a vital part of our culture and history. It is part of what makes us Newport Beach, and in my mind, it is as important as our beaches. But all of that is now threatened and could be lost.
More than 70 boats competed in the 87th Annual Flight of Newport Beach, presented by the Commodores Club of the Newport Beach Chamber of Commerce with assistance from the Balboa Yacht Club.
Initially known as the Flight of the Snowbirds and later the Flight of the Lasers, the Flight of Newport had three different classes of boats racing to circumvent Newport Harbor.
“I am pleased to report that a long-awaited water quality project, the Newport Bay Trash Interceptor, was approved this week by the Newport Beach City Council.”
On Tuesday, July 11, the City Council awarded a $3.9 million construction contract to Brea-based Jilk Heavy Construction, Inc. We expect to break ground this fall and begin operations in 2024.
The Trash Interceptor is a sustainably powered, floating trash and debris collection system that will be built in the San Diego Creek between the Jamboree Road Bridge and MacArthur Boulevard Bridge, upstream from the Upper Newport Bay Nature Preserve.
Leave a Reply
Want to join the discussion?Feel free to contribute!