The news is not good for boaters who plan to attend SunFest via the water this year. The new, beautiful City of West Palm Beach docks will probably not be open to boaters at "Florida's largest waterfront music and art festival" for the second consecutive year.
An official at SunFest informed me Thursday (March 11) that "permitting and safety issues" will likely to continue keeping the three, 300-foot docks empty for the area's largest event, April 28-May 2. Yes, he referred to the same "issues" which kept the docks dry in 2009.
What issues? How could there still be issues more than a year after the docks were installed, a year after boaters were allowed to come to the Palm Beach International Boat Show (at the same site) unimpeded, and a month after boaters were allowed to use the docks for the grand opening of the West Palm Beach Waterfront?
Last year, officials referred to state and federal permitting as the culprit. This year, some of the same officials said the new West Palm Beach Waterfront was built for tens of millions of dollars, in part to serve SunFest and the annual boat show.
The official was somewhat vague this time as to what if anything might be done to improve bater access. But, he referred to expected problems with boaters entering SunFest drunk, or with alcohol, and safety issues regarding dockage and entrance. He said allowing boaters to come directly into the SunFest site (the main dock was used by pedestrians in 2009) - as opposed to using a water taxi to enter the dock area - would be akin to allowing motorists to drive right into the site, along Flagler Drive on the downtown West Palm Beach Waterfront.
I passionately asked the official how boating to SunFest would be any different from driving right up to the site and parking in a garage. Isn't it possible for a SunFest patron to come into the event after drinking?
The official agreed that boating access was great during the West Palm Beach Waterfront grand opening last month, which drew more than 100,000 people to the SunFest site. Craft of most sizes used the docks. He was there, in a boat. It was a great scene with boaters mingling with pedestrians. The city reported no problems.
I asked what sense it makes to discourage boaters from coming to the area's largest waterfront festival and warned him that many boaters would simply skip SunFest and instead spend the weekend at Peanut Island or elsewhere if they were again banned from coming directly to the event. I offered to find volunteer help in docking boats, ticket checks and sales, checking for drunk and drinking boaters and more.
I also spoke to the official about the water taxi issue - specifically the $10 or $12 per person fee to take the taxi just a few feet from someone's anchored boat to the docks. My complaint is that fee is way too high, it discourages boaters from coming to SunFest, and it certainly keeps them from coming multiple times. Last year, we had to shell out $24 just to have a couple of people go to shore to use a rest room! (My friends purchase advance SunFest tickets tickets.)
The official said he contracts with only one water taxi provider, has no affection for the provider, but uses it because it is the only reliable water taxi available for SunFest. He said he realizes the taxi price is too high but cannot control what the taxi company charges and said the taxi company claims it cannot be profitable without charging the high fee. (I disagree about the issue of controlling what the taxi charges.)
I suggested boater interests offer their own water taxi at reduced rates, or even for free, thanks to corporate sponsorship.
I also spoke to the official about the dangers of anchoring and leaving unattended boats in the Intracoastal during the event. I have witnessed many break-aways and damage to boats due to current changes, poor anchoring, and other issues - not to mention theft.
The SunFest official said the boat show is able to accommodate boaters on site because it installs separate docks for "parking" away from the show site. He acknowledged that officials such as Mayor Lois Frankel had promised the new docks would be open to boaters for the 2010 SunFest, but added that "politics" was involved and the non-for-profit entity that stages SunFest was "thrown under the bus" in the media over this issue.
Frankel told me personally the docks would be open to boaters for SunFest 2010.
The official suggested that perhaps the city-owned but privately managed Palm Harbor Marina, adjacent to SunFest, could be used for boater access. I pleaded with the official to at least allow boaters to drop off passengers (maybe with a 5-minute maximum stay) during SunFest - perhaps even for a small fee - and then move away to anchor.
As a longtime SunFest attendee, 33-year Palm Beach County resident and avid boater, I suggested that SunFest form a boaters' committee to consider issues such as boater access, and that boating organizations could volunteer to make the event more accessible.
We boaters can fix this issue.
I received no commitment on this or any other suggestion, but the official was very responsive, friendly and professional.
I encourage all boaters interested in SunFest - especially those like me (I bring lots of friends to the event, but we mix in trips to Peanut Island, fishing, etc.) - to contact West Palm Beach city and SunFest leaders to implore them to grant us the access we paid for and deserve. Below please find the contact numbers for key officials:
Paul Jamieson, Executive Director - Email pjamieson@sunfest.com
Dianna Craven, Sales Director - Email dcraven@sunfest.com
Pam Flanagan, Coconut Ball Coordinator - Email pflanagan@sunfest.com
Dan Goode, Event Manager - Email dgoode@sunfest.com
Stacey Halpin, Sponsorship Manager - Email shalpin@sunfest.com
Sharon Hoffman, Sales Coordinator - Email shoffman@sunfest.com
Pam Sartory, Business Manager - Email psartory@sunfest.com
Melissa Sullivan, Marketing Manager - Email msullivan@sunfest.com
Mayor Lois J. Frankel
P.O. Box 3366
WPB, FL 33402
(561) 822-1400
Email lfrankel@wpb.org
SunFest Web Site
With great response on this issue, the politicians and leaders will do something to help us get what we deserve.