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Health & Fitness

DID YOU KNOW that existing floating home communities pay back the Public Trust?

Floating home communities have historically been located on what are called Public Trust lands and waters which means that somehow they must pay back or effectively give back to the community.

Movie director and producer, Marianne Dolan, has been hard at work finishing her documentary “Houseboat Wars” www.houseboatwars.com  about one Sausalito community, Galilee Harbor’s, successful fight to exist.  As she wrote me, these are some of the things Galilee Harbor has done to give back.

“In the case of Galilee Harbor in Sausalito, the idea was to give back to the community an institution for preserving its maritime and artistic heritage.  To this end Galilee restricts membership to maritime workers and artists.  It is an ongoing commitment which bears fruit over time.  A former member is now building a tall ship and sharing the process with the public.  www.educationaltallship.org.  Three current members are developing a community boating center and hosting an annual Herring Festival. www.cassgidley.org. Every August Galilee invites the public to commemorate the destruction of Bob’s Boatyard, its seminal founding event, with Maritime Day a showcase for boat building demonstrations, artists and music.  

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Public access to the water is vitally important for waterfront communities.  Galilee provides a dingy dock and mail service for anchor-outs, and wheelchair access to the docks, a paved bike lane and a public shore trail.  The restoration and maintenance of the adjacent Mono Street Marsh, a joint project with the city, has created a hang-out for great blue heron and great egrets much to the daily delight of visitors.

 Then there is the matter of civic engagement. One Galilee member was elected to City Council and then went on to become Mayor, and eventually a County Supervisor.  City committees are easy to join, but participation does require persistence. Galilee members often serve on the Arts Council, Parks and Rec, the Historical Society, the Design Review Board and the Visioning Committees.  Every election cycle Galilee hosts meet and greet coffees for all the candidates.  www.galileeharbor.org.”

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Did you know that for over ten years already Docktown floating home community residents have been cleaning Redwood Creek? www.romancingthecreek.org  So great has this commitment been that the Redwood City City Council gave Creek-master David McCallum, a Docktown resident, an award at their October meeting.  Did you know that for over thirty years already Peninsula Yacht Club members and Docktown residents have been preserving and maintaining the historical water tower located on the shores of Redwood Creek?  www.pycboating.org  Have you attended one of Docktown’s summer music and boating festivals?   These are just some of the ways that Docktown floating home community residents have been paying back the Public Trust.




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