After complaints, city puts boat harbor project on hold for now

Council approved $1.8 million renovation plan, scheduled to be done May 1

With the harbor renovation on hold, it’s hard telling what docking a boat will look like for many in La Crosse next spring.

After numerous complaints, the city has agreed to give another look at the renovation plans for La Crosse’s municipal boat harbor, which was supposed to be complete by May 1.

Dennis Smalley, the harbor neighborhood group spokesperson, however, is not entirely certain yet what that means.

“This isn’t, ‘Oh, OK, now we have a harbor. Now we got what we want.’ I don’t know,” Smalley said. “I guess I’m cautiously optimistic with what I’m feeling.

“Would a delay be acceptable? I guess, for a lot of people it would be.”

At this point, no action by the city’s parks board is scheduled on the on Isle la Plume harbor this year.

Boat owners, like Smalley, complained about the layout of the harbor and the number and sizes of slips, among other concerns.

In the fall, the city council approved spending $1.8 million on a harbor renovation. Shortly after, it evicted all boat owners still in the harbor. A new harbor permit has since been approved for the city by the DNR.

Smalley isn’t that concerned in relation to next year’s boating schedule.

“I know my wife and I actually talked about this,” Smalley said, “and her comment was she said, “I’m willing to wait until June 1, if it means that changes are made that are positive and make sense.'”