Monday, April 29, 2013
Jim Dominik, President of the Wilmette Harbor Association's Board of Director, weighs in on why the Wilmette Harbor should matter to everyone.
With the exception of the 300 or so folks who keep a boat there, it’s easy to overlook the importance of Wilmette Harbor. But if you live in Cook County, you owe a debt of gratitude to the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District (MWRD) Commissioners for recently approving a lease for management of the small north suburban harbor – even if you’ve never stepped foot on a boat. That’s because by approving the leasing agreement with the Wilmette Harbor Association (WHA) earlier this month, the MWRD will save Cook County taxpayers more than $500,000 in annual maintenance costs, reduce the risk of flooding in homes and streets across the county, and help to ensure the cleanliness and quality of Lake Michigan water. Without an agreement or …
Thursday, April 18, 2013
The Metropolitan Water Reclamation District of Greater Chicago unanimously voted to give a 39-year lease of the Wilmette Harbor to the Wilmette Harbor Association
The Metropolitan Water Reclamation District of Greater Chicago (MWRD) unanimously voted to give a 39-year lease controlling the Wilmette Harbor to the Wilmette Harbor Association (WHA). The vote occurred at the Board's meeting on Thursday. Although the vote to grant the lease to the WHA was unanimous, at least one member of the board made it known that they would have liked to have seen a shorter five-year lease granted instead. "I don't think it benefits us to enter into a long lease," Commissioner Mariyana Spyropoulos said during the vote. "However, I do see the importance two continue opening the Harbor...although I would prefer five years." The WHA said in a statement handed out at the meeting that there were numerous benefits to …
Wednesday, April 17, 2013
The Metropolitan Water Reclamation District of Greater Chicago will vote on accepting a bid from the Wilmette Harbor Association to keep the Harbor open this year.
The Metropolitan Water Reclamation District of Great Chicago (MWRD) will vote on the future of the Wilmette Harbor on Thursday, a decision that will decide whether or not the harbor remains open. The Wilmette Harbor is facing closure this summer, after MWRD rejected a lease bid from the Wilmette Harbor Association (WHA), which has managed the harbor for 75 years. The committee will be voting on whether it will accept a $68,501 bid from the WHA, entering into a 39-year term lease with the company on 6.19 acres of MWRD real estate (which includes the Wilmette Harbor). The advertisement for public tender of bids for the lease went up after a September 6 meeting. It was decided that the minimum annual rental bid would be set at $67,000, and …
Sunday, April 14, 2013
Wilmette Harbor Management Inc. released a memo on Friday saying the company is trying to assume operations of the Harbor.
Friday, April 12, 2013
Wilmette Harbor Management Inc. released a memo on Friday saying the company is trying to assume operations of the Harbor.
Wilmette Harbor Management Inc. (WHM) has released a memo to members of the Sheridan Shores Yacht Club on Friday, saying that the company is "ready, willing and able" to assume operations of the Wilmette Harbor. The Harbor is facing closure this summer after the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District (MWRD) rejected the lease bid from Wilmette Harbor Association, a group that has managed the harbor for 75 years, the Chicago Tribune reported. After the meeting, the Tribune reports, David St. Pierre, the MWRD Executive Director, said that it's unlikely that a new tenant could take over the lease in time for the boating season to begin. But WHM said in the memo released today that they would, given the opportunity, be committed to opening…
Friday, April 5, 2013
Metropolitan Water Reclamation District rejected the lease bid from Wilmette Harbor Association.
North Shore boaters who park their vessels at Wilmette Harbor may have to find a new place this summer after the harbor’s owner, Metropolitan Water Reclamation District, rejected the lease bid from Wilmette Harbor Association, which has managed the harbor for 75 years, Chicago Tribune reported. Wilmette Harbor Association’s temporary permit expires at the end of the month and it’s unlikely a new tenant could take over the lease in time for the boating season, according to David St. Pierre, executive director of the water reclamation district, Chicago Tribune reported. The MWRD, which constructed the harbor in 1910 and owns the property, announced its intention to go out to public bid in September 2012 for a 39-year management lease, …
Wednesday, March 27, 2013
Metropolitan Water Reclamation District Board deferred voting for the second consecutive time.
Who will manage Wilmette Harbor? That’s yet to be decided after the harbor's owner, the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District deferred voting on the incumbent Wilmette Harbor Association's lease bid for the second consecutive time, Chicago Tribune reported. Wilmette Harbor Association submitted the lowest annual bid of $68,500 among the three bidders and many had expected MWRD Commissioners to approve Wilmette Harbor Association’s bid on March 7. The board ruled the other two bidders–Wilmette Harbor Management and CenterPointe Yacht Services–to be financially "non-responsive" and it’s unclear what the latest delay will achieve since the bidders’ financial documents were evaluated separately, David St. Pierre, the district’s executive …
Tuesday, March 12, 2013
Metropolitan Water Reclamation District deferred voting to give its executive director time to review everything.
Just when you thought a manager for Wilmette Harbor would be selected after two years of uncertainty, the harbor’s owner, the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District, deferred the vote, saying it has received questions and wanted its executive director to review everything before making a final decision, Chicago Tribune reported. Officials from Wilmette Harbor Management, one of the three bidders still in the running for the harbor lease, previously raised questions about the district’s bidding process, Chicago Tribune reported. The other two bidders are CenterPointe Yacht Services and Wilmette Harbor Association. Wilmette Harbor Association, which has managed the harbor for 75 years, was considered the frontrunner even though it …
Wednesday, March 6, 2013
The Metropolitan Water Reclamation District Board of Commissioners is scheduled to vote on approving a rental bid on March 7.
After two years of uncertainty, Wilmette Harbor Association could resume its management of the Wilmette Harbor if the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District Board Commissioners approves its annual rental bid of $68,500 for a 39-year lease, Chicago Tribune reported. MWRD rejected two top bidders – Wilmette Harbor Management and CenterPointe Yacht Services – saying the competitors failed to provide sufficient financial documentation and is expected to approve the bid from Wilmette Harbor Association, which has managed the harbor for 75 years, Chicago Tribune reported. The MWRD, which constructed the harbor in 1910 and owns the property, announced its intention to go out to public bid in September 2012 for a 39-year management lease, with…
Tuesday, February 26, 2013
The Northwestern University sophomore drowned in Wilmette Harbor last September. Police say he had a blood alcohol content roughly twice the legal limit for driving.
Evanston police say alcohol was a contributing factor in the accidental drowning of Northwestern University sophomore Harsha Maddula, whose body was found in Wilmette Harbor in September 2012. A toxicology report from the Cook County Medical Examiner’s Office indicated that Maddula had a blood alcohol level of .125, or roughly 1.5 times the legal driving limit of .08, according to Evanston Police Cmdr. Jay Parrott. “Although the medical examiner is determining the death to be a drowning, and the cause undetermined, the investigation from the police department appears to show that this was accidental in nature with a contributing factor being alcohol consumption,” Parrott told Patch. Maddula, a pre-med student from Garden City Park, NY, …
John Finn
8:56 am on Tuesday, April 30, 2013
Wow, Willie Wilmette, you have it all figured out. Just a floating pier and they can take care of everyone on their waiting list? It seems naive to think that they could add a hundred spaces with a pier. Have you ever been there? They pack them in. Have you ever seen it when the MWRD opens the river into the harbor, what a mess a floating pier would be piled up in the corner with all those boats … more ›