Archive: Sports

The New York State Lottery isn't the only drawing people were anxious about in Lansing this week.  Wednesday night a smattering of boating enthusiasts gathered at Lansing Town Hall to see how they would do in the Town Marina lottery for dock spaces.  Every three years boaters send in their applications, hoping to get a spot in the popular Myers Park marina.  This year the Park and Recreation Department got over 300 requests for information, and received 83 applications back.  "That was a real big number for us," says Park Superintendent Steve Colt.  "For us that's good news."

State Law doesn't permit the Town to restrict lakefront boat slip space to Lansing residents, so the town holds a lottery to insure that no preference is given to any particular applicant.  Residents do get a generous break on the rental fee if they win a spot in the Marina.  Smaller slips that accommodate 19' boats go for $608 for non-residents and $475 for residents.  The largest slips that will hold a 30' boat go for $960 for non-residents and $750 for residents.  Lansing boaters even get a $50 break on electrical service, which costs an additional $200 for non-residents who rent slips that have power available.  Applications came from as far as Binghamton and Endicott, as well as Ithaca, Dryden, and Freeville.

Colt says that lower numbers are virtually assured of getting a spot.  But even higher numbers could get a slip, depending on the size of the boat and availability of slips of different sizes.  "Size matters," he explains.  "If we fill all the slips that handle large boats and we have more applications for large boats, we're going to hop over them and start to fill the docks with boats that will fit.  We'll keep opening envelopes in sequential order.  You can't put a 30 foot boat in a dock built for a 17 or 18 footer."


And fitting the right boats into slips that can hold them works both ways.  "We wouldn't put an 18 foot boat in a slip that is available for a big boat," Colt says.  "We want to serve as many people as we can, but we also want to be fiscally responsible to the Town and what we've budgeted.  But our goal is to not have any slips empty, if physically possible."

Most of the people who showed up for the lottery were Lansing residents.  Though you didn't have to be present to participate, anxious boaters wanted to know whether they would have a spot in the marina, or be towing their boats for the next three years.  Mike and Joan Brink have been lucky in the lottery for the past 19 years, and were hoping to be again as the envelopes were picked out of the bag, one by one.  "It won't get a lot of use if we don't have it at the marina," Joan says.  "For us to go downtown or to Union Springs is insane.  It's close for us.  It's local. We know a lot of people there."

John Dean and friends got to the lottery late, only to find out that their envelope had been chosen first, guaranteeing them a slip in the marina.  But Marsha Greenberg and Dave Lewis, who have parked their boat in the marina for 15 years,  sweated out the entire process, not hearing their names even after the last envelope was chosen.  On checking afterwards it turned out they were picked in the low 60s.  They are hoping that will be good enough.  ""It's very convenient," Lewis says.  "The best thing is that you can go out in the marina and it doesn't matter which way the wind's blowing.  You just start sailing.  It's nice."


Colt says that's the hardest thing about holding the lottery.  "We have people who have been with us for years and years," he says.  "It gets tough when you're pulling for people that are sitting here and people that have been here for a long time.  You keep pulling and pulling and pulling, hoping they're going to come out."

Colt says that winners sometimes withdraw because they realize they rarely used their boat the previous year, or life changes change their minds.  "We will generate a waiting list from this," he says.  "By the time we get started it may be filled.  If not, it certainly stays viable during the year, or the next year, or the third year."

The Brinks remember that just before they started housing their boat at the marina you had to wait in line for a first come, first served boat slip assignment where you had to be near the front of the line in person.  Mike says some people camped outside the Town Hall for three days in winter weather to insure they got a spot.  They also remember more of a social scene where people would stay overnight and party on the docks.  "There used to be more," Mike says.  " A bunch of us used to spend the weekends there.  We're the only ones left of them.  And we haven't stayed overnight on the boat in two years."


"We used to have a mixer that all the boaters put together," Joan adds.  "We'd bring a dish to pass, a couple would cook the chicken."

The final results won't be known for about a week and a half, when all the applications are matched with available slips of the appropriate size.  Colt estimated the final results would be ready by the middle of next week.  He said that those in the top 30 stood a great chance of getting a boat slip. 

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