SAWW.. Save Alamedas Working Waterfront will have a representative speak to the City Council about the development at the Alameda Marina tonight at 7:00. It will be short, 3-4 minutes. At the end, they will ask for supporters to stand and they are hoping for a good number of people to stand up and "be counted". You don't have to say anything at all, though certainly if you want to, you can sign up on the roster for "not-on-the-agenda" speakers and put in your two cents.

As most of us probably know, Svendsens Boatyard is now closed and the assets and most of the staff are moving to Bay Ship and Yacht in Richmond. How all this has played out over the last 6 months is really depressing. Without a boatyard in the Alameda Marina, there is much less reason to maintain all the other businesses there. Certainly Bill Polands plan to put a second floor in the building which used to house DOER Marine and stuff everybody in there makes more sense if there is no boatyard. DOER is gone, btw. They were evicted at the end of the summer.

The Development Plan has not been approved, not by the Planning Board, not by the City Council. You may know that Bay Wests current plan calls for one hoist and 75, 20 foot long dry-storage spaces. That's right, 20 feet long. That might fit a Hobie 16 on a trailer. If they build what they want to build, no Moore 24's, Express 27's, Santana 22's Melges 24's, Wilderness 21's or anything else that's there now, and races out of the Alameda Marina will be able to launch.

I know that it's difficult to get to Alameda during rush hour. I know that folks are planning on coming to the general meeting the following night, and going to Alameda twice in a week, if you don't live there, is a PITA. However, this might be a good time to put out a little bit of extra effort and make a showing at the City Council meeting.