Dear Mayor Smith and Mr. Alison,

This past week I learned from a fellow boater in Port Elgin that the town has decided not to renew Peter Roedger's contract for 2011. I am absolutely stunned by this, and can't help but wonder why someone who has so clearly increased the number of boaters in Port Elgin and has shown so much interest in improving the harbour would be let go.

We moved to Port Elgin at the end of 2010 for the most part, because of the hospitality shown by Peter on our travels to the North Channel from our home port further south in Ontario in past years. This is no small decision -we have a cottage in the same town, and can reach our previous home port from our home in 50 minutes. Port Elgin takes us 2 hours and 20 minutes.

We were very unhappy with the customer service and general marina operations at our previous port and Peter was like a breath of fresh air. He was concerned about our comfort, our safety, the safety of other boaters, and was proud of the marina. He was someone that seemed to always be looking after something or helping someone. The list goes on, but these were things we just did not see in our previous port and we loved his customer-centric focus.

Now for my real concern.

Port Elgin does get its fair share of storms. We have had three occurrences this past year alone where our boat has sustained some damage due to the poor docks in Port Elgin.

The first occurrence was when the cleats pulled right out of the dock, thus our lines came free and we swung sideways into the slip and did some minor bow damage and had damage to the swim platform davits.

The second occurrence, after better securing the cleats, was that the dock was ripped apart and our boat was once again free in the slip where more extensive damage occurred.  The third occurrence was similar to the second, but less damage done.

The reason I mention these occurrences, is that in each case, Peter had monitored our boat and saved our boat from severe damage (especially in the second occurrence). He informed us right away, and really, put his life on the line in severe winds to try to re-secure the boat. I believe that the town should be responsible for the damages sustained (which was denied by the town), but the important note is that Peter was right there to deal with it before it became severe, or the unthinkable, where our boat sustains a hole from hitting the other dock and sinks in the harbour.

Another occurrence of where Peter has been very accommodating is that your docks do not currently have 50 AMP service. We requested this of Peter but he was unable to have it done. Instead, he has arranged for a boat that does not require power to be beside us in our slip so that we can use both power outlets, thereby being able to power the boat. We cannot power the boat on 30 amps alone unfortunately. Obviously, we would like someday to have 50 AMP service, but he did what he could to help us and it helped in making our decision easier to come north. Will a new harbour master have our same interests in mind? Who knows?

Peter was always there for us to help out.

Port Elgin has become a second home to us, and we are very fond of our boating neighbours, the town and our Harbour Master. Our son and daughter even got summer jobs in Port Elgin this summer, and hope to next summer.

We would strongly request that you reconsider your position on renewing Peter's contract. I would be happy to discuss further or help mediate or facilitate in a meeting as necessary.

We remain dedicated to Port Elgin, but Port Elgin to us really includes Harbour Master, Peter Roedger.

I would appreciate a personal response back with your plans. I cannot imagine wanting to leave Port Elgin, but we will have to consider the overall safety of our boat and that of the boats around us that could sustain damage as a result of potentially having someone not as attentive as Peter running the marina until the docks are replaced.

Bottom line: Why did you not renew his contract?

Regards,

Cameron Stevens

the Sea Clef