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Washington D.C.: Mayor James Fiorentini is traveling to Washington
this week for the 74th Winter Meeting of the U.S. Conference of
Mayors with the focus of opening the Merrimack River to boating
again.
“Maintaining a riverfront open to commercial and recreational
boating is integral to our plan for the revitalizing of our
downtown area. Rivers need to be dredged periodically to keep them
deep enough to be navigable. I’m working hard with Senator Kennedy
and Senator Kerry to get the funding to accomplish just that.”
Said Mayor Fiorentini.
The Mayor will be meeting with staff members from both of the
Senators offices on Friday.
The river needs to be between 5 and 7 feet deep to allow boats
safe passage. Some areas within the walled downtown area are in
less than two feet of water at low tide according to Harbormaster
Mike Vetts. Dredging the Merrimack River will open up traffic
coming upstream from the Newburyport area. If the river is
dredged, Haverhill will be able to dock commercial fishing
vehicles, especially since Newburyport is almost at capacity for
docking, and has limited commercial docking facilities on their
waterfront.
The City of Haverhill has plans for opening a Town Marina and
installing a large mooring field after dredging is complete.
“The Merrimack is such a beautiful river, and an important part of
our city. All the stores and restaurants downtown are within
walking distance of the city dock. I want the opportunity for
everyone to be able to enjoy the river, and our downtown, to the
fullest.”
The Army Corps of Engineers has money budgeted for this year to
begin sampling the river bottom sediment in areas to be dredged.
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