Third Street Dock Fees Wrong, Legally And Otherwise

We are frequent users of the city-managed public docks located at the Third Street boat ramp in Coeur d’Alene and were very pleased to see the new docks installed this spring.

On July 3, we drove over to Coeur d’Alene to see if the docks were crowded for the Fourth of July festivities. When we approached the docks we found a Diamond Parking pay station set up at the docks. It stated that any boat mooring at the docks between 10 p.m. and 6 a.m. must pay a $15 fee.

It was surprising to see the Diamond Parking pay station on the docks. It happened to be the time of night when the parking attendant was to check for payments and ticket the boats that had not paid. We visited with the attendant, asking who contracted with Diamond Parking for its services.

We were advised their contract is with the city of Coeur d’Alene. The employee also stated that when the fees were established, individuals asked for monthly permits. It also was stated that the Coeur d’Alene Resort requested that if monthly permits were allowed that it be allowed to buy half of the permits.

We protest the establishment of the mooring fee for the nightly use of the docks. The docks are the only set of public docks that are convenient to downtown Coeur d’Alene. They were built for public use. They should remain public. A fee should not be charged for overnight mooring.

We have researched and found that the money for the new docks was provided by a state of Idaho waterways improvement grant. The money for this grant comes from gasoline taxes. The state grant “forbids turning the docks over for private enterprise.”

It’s our understanding that the city made a special request to the state for approval of the overnight fee. It was wrong of the city to make the request and it was wrong of the state to allow the fee. The city parks department is in violation of the grant. Diamond Parking, a private enterprise, certainly is making money managing the dock.

Who established the $15 fee? Are you aware that one can moor their boat at Hill’s Resort on Priest Lake for $5 per night? And that is without being a paying guest at the prestigious resort.

If a boater comes to the docks in the evening, moors, goes into the city for dinner or entertainment and does not return to his boat until after 10 p.m., is he subject to the $15 fee? He may have parked at the dock for only a couple of hours.

We returned to the docks on July 5 to see if any boats were being ticketed. There has been one power boat moored at a slip. It had been there unattended for several days. This boat was ticketed.

There also has been one small sailboat, Sea Dart, that was not. When talking to the Coast Guard Auxiliary person on the docks that afternoon, we were advised the Sea Dart is a state-owned boat. It is interesting that the privately owned power boat was ticketed but the state-owned sailboat was not.

Our concern is that the city of Coeur d’Alene is pushing the public away from the Third Street docks. It is charging for something that should be free. Our tax dollars already have purchased these docks.

At some point, the city ought to listen to local citizens. It appears the city is more interested in people with money and influence than the taxpayer.

The July 8 Spokesman-Review had an article, “CdA to study riparian rights.” In this article, Councilwoman Deanna Goodland said: “Over time, you take a little bit here and a little there, and pretty soon you lose your ability to provide your citizens open space.”

We believe this mooring fee is a perfect example of taking away from the public. Please remove the overnight mooring fees from the Third St. docks.