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Lottery allocates Porritt Landing docking space for boat owners

The Town of Hay River has completed its first lottery to allocate seasonal slip passes for new docks at Porritt Landing.

The lottery, which was opened for two weeks before closing on July 27, saw 11 boat owners apply for one of the 15 slip passes available.

Slip passes have been handed out in a lottery for the new docks at Porritt Landing. Paul Bickford/NNSL photo

Glenn Smith, the town's acting director of recreation and community services, said all 11 applications were approved at the beginning of this month.

Three other docking spots were applied for on a first-come-first-served basis after the lottery closed, leaving only one spot remaining as of Aug. 3.

"It is permission to dock for the season at the Porritt Landing facility," said Smith of the slip passes. "We did put in some new wooden docking systems that have 12 slips built into them. But also we designated three other areas for larger boats for docking, or mooring is probably a better word, at the facility."

The new docking system and the slip passes are part of a town initiative to improve Porritt Landing and better control its use. That includes the passing of a bylaw for Porritt Landing earlier this year.

Smith said the bylaw outlines the conditions for use of Porritt Landing, including the slip passes for boat owners.

With the passes, they can dock their boats at particular spots, he explained. "They get to maintain that for future years as long as they're willing to pay the fees and they have a boat."

The fee is $470 per season. However, that was prorated to $215 for the remainder of this season.

The bylaw for Porritt Landing also allows for day use by boat owners who do not have slip passes.

"There is still some other docking that is available for day use purposes only," said Smith.

The acting recreation director noted Porritt Landing was only a 24-hour facility in the past.

"Boat owners, in some cases, were not abiding by that," he said. "So you would see boats that were down there for extended periods of time. We didn't have a bylaw that supported that day use."

Now a bylaw is in place and there are fines to prevent misuse.

Smith noted all boats must be out of the water at Porritt Landing by Sept. 25, which is considered the end of the boating season. After that date, the location will be winterized and the docks will be pulled out of the water.

In addition to the new docks, other improvements have been made at Porritt Landing, such as the replacement of a concrete launch.

Other improvements are still to be made this season, including the addition of a shelter, fire pits, picnic tables, playground equipment and signage.

Smith, who is also the town's assistant senior administrative officer, is hopeful that some dredging may take place later this year.