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Date: 5/10/2023
SOUTHWICK — Before the town filed an appeal of the dock installation permit issued by the state to Ken Eggleston, who is in the process of renovating Crabby Joe’s and building a 40-slip marina, he had hoped to resolve some of the issues raised by the town.
“We could have resolved this before the appeal,” said Eggleston, who has spent nearly two years securing town and state permits to renovate the Congamond Road restaurant and bar that for decades was a hotspot on South Pond of Congamond Lake.
When Eggleston met with town and state officials for a May 5 remote meeting about the town’s appeal of his state dock installation permit, he was once again prepared to negotiate to reach some middle ground.
One of the suggestions in the town’s appeal was to swap the planned uses of his two docks. Town officials asked that the transient dock, which was approved by the Department of Environmental Protection to be located on the northern side of Crabby Joe’s shoreline, be moved to the southern side, and the permanent dock to be installed on the northern side.
The transient dock, proposed for 20 boats, would allow boaters to park temporarily while visiting the restaurant and bar. Eggleston said he would be willing to make the change.
“It’s wrong, but I would do it,” he said.
He explained that the primary reason he proposed the permanent dock on the southern side of his property was for the convenience of those who rent the slips.
There are 10 parking spaces allotted for the slip owners on the south of the building’s lot and having them there makes it easier for slip owners to get the gear they might take for a daily trip, ice chests, swim toys, even pets, to their boat.
The town’s appeal of the permit also proposed removing six slips from the permanent dock.
The two docks Eggleston proposed installing would extend 150 feet from the shoreline and would have five pairs of “fingers” along each.
The appeal also requests, if the swap is approved, to shorten the permanent dock by about 25 feet, which would reduce its 20-boat capacity to 14 boats.
Eggleston said no one has offered any options on where those six slips lost on the permanent dock might be replaced, but he preferred not addressing it, yet.
“I don’t want to have that discussion now,” he said.
About the issue of removing both docks at the end of boating season, Eggleston said that for right now, he will abide by the conditions set down by the town Conservation Commission when it issued him its special permit for the project — both had to be pulled out.
“Let’s get the docks in the water before we have that fight,” he said.