Fall River committee reviews 2017 purchase, access and upkeep of Battleship Cove docks

At a meeting of the Fall River Committee on Economic Development and Tourism, city staff and representatives of the Battleship Cove Yacht Club debated who owns and manages several dinghy docks and moorings at Battleship Cove and how to make the waterfront more accessible to visitors.

Attorney Akins, speaking for city administration, said the paperwork before the committee shows the Battleship Cove Yacht Club sold floating docks and attached structures to the city in February 2017 for $2,000. "You see the invoice there," Akins said, adding the purchase was intended to convert the facility to a town dock with transient tie-ups and seasonal moorings. Akins said the Department of Conservation and Recreation (DCR) had agreed to allow residents access across its property so the city could operate the facility as a town dock open to the public.

Tracy McElroy, representing the Battleship Cove Yacht Club, said the club has about 17 members who own mooring equipment and pay an annual town fee (reported by participants as $150) to the city for each seasonal mooring. McElroy described the club's role: members submit paperwork to the harbormaster, maintain their mooring equipment, and are inspected annually.

Members and public commenters described repeated theft and damage to small dinghies, which led to the use of a combination lock on the gangway. "If it's not locked, you can guarantee that's gonna turn into a disaster," one longtime boater said, urging a point person for access and faster responses when visiting boaters call. David Reback, a local mooring holder, said the lock had been used after several incidents and that the Battleship’s security used to open the gate during daytime hours.

The committee heard differing counts for moorings and slips: Akins described the town-dock plan as including 15 transient tie-ups and about 25 seasonal moorings; another attendee cited a combined total of 33 moorings with 11 transients and 17 owned by the yacht club. The committee did not reconcile those figures during the meeting; speakers emphasized the need for staff to verify the current inventory and records.

Participants proposed practical improvements to increase safe public access and visitor use: clearer point-of-contact procedures (so transient boaters can obtain the lock code or VHF contact), modest infrastructure repairs (missing cleats, floatation, ladders), lighting or cameras to deter theft, and kayak racks or a flat launch on the ramp opposite the carousel. Bill Leach, a recreational boater, suggested renting kayak storage spaces as one incremental revenue option.

City counsel noted the invoice presented lacks a city signature and committee members asked staff to search council records to determine whether formal council approval or other documentation exists from 2017. The committee’s stated next step is to reconvene with the harbor master (Officer Barbosa) present so staff can verify ownership records, confirm mooring counts, and develop a plan for maintenance, security and transient access ahead of next boating season.

Procedural notes: the committee approved the Feb. 21 minutes earlier in the meeting by voice vote. At the end of the discussion the chair entertained a motion to table further action; the motion to table was moved, seconded and approved by voice vote, and the committee adjourned.

What’s next: staff will verify the 2017 documentation and current mooring inventory, and the committee will meet again with the harbor master to draft recommendations for improving access and upkeep.