Bristol boat docks and pier open
By Alex Lloyd Gross
After a bunch of speeches, the ribbon was cut on the boat docks and fishing pier for Bristol Borough. The $3 million project was paid for with grants and politicians wrangling money for the project . Last night,June 29, 2017, the waiting was over and the ribbon was cut. The pier can accommodate boats but is not designed for personal watercraft like kayaks or canoes. Now boaters can dock in the borough, shop and return. Overnight parking of boats is not permitted.
The pier also has a place for people to pull up a chair and go fishing. There are signs that bait cutting is not permitted, as the town officials do not want the surface stained. The opening ceremony was only supposed to take about 20 minutes or so, but as par for the course, everyone who gets up has to make a speech which basically is the same message as the person that spoke before them.The crowd was restless and some left early. Before long it was almost 8:00 PM and it would be dark soon. Not enough time for some people to see what they wanted to see. The so crowd poured onto the now completed docks to look around.
As boaters pulled up to the dock, the people came down to see what was going on and clamored to be in the photos of the ribbon cutting. This project was spearheaded by Former Congressman Mike Fitzpatrick, who was able to secure a federal grant of $1,500,000 . Only Maui Hawaii and Annapolis Maryland were able to get a grant like this. No tax money went to fund this project.
Work started last winter and it was completed just in time for the 4th of July weekend. just after the ribbon was cut, a large cargo liner sailed by. As attendees waved, a lone crew member could be seen on the bridge of the boat waving back.