Marina Dock Age

Mentor Lagoons Marina in Mentor, Ohio, now has the attention of city leaders because of abandoned boats creating a local eye sore. The derelict boats are stored in a fenced area along with boats that are up-to-date with storage fees, according to a Sept. 16 report in The (Ohio) News-Herald.

Taking over ownership of abandoned vessels presents complicated challenges as well. Under the law, in order to even begin proceeding, the amount of storage owed has to be equal to or greater than the value of the boat, according to Marina Manager Dave George. He said it would take a minimum of a year or two to get rid of them, but in some cases, this may be the city’s only option.

After an almost two-year court process, the city was able to crush one abandoned boat, leaving seven more that have already been declared abandoned and eight more close to that designation. With some of them, the city has been able to collect back fees through the courts. However, many quickly fall behind again on current fees, according to Parks Director Bob Martin. The other critical issue, Martin said, is getting owners who have abandoned their boats in court. “Often we can’t locate these people,” he said, also noting that the issue may only intensify with the current economy, as more and more troubled owners want an easy way out.

Martin said the city will continue forward with the process, already commencing legal proceeding on the seven other completely abandoned boats, as well as attempt to collect arrearages from the seven others who have not paid summer 2009 storage fees. Ideally, Martin hopes the court will make taking over ownership of abandoned boats easier for the marina, given owners 30 days to remove them before ownership transfers, even without the title.