Vista Fleet Owner: City’s Delayed Seawall Project Still An Issue For May Opening

Justin Steinbach Says Safe Harbor In Minn. Slip Is Still Not Possible For Two Boats; City Disagrees

DULUTH, Minn. — Justin Steinbach, owner of the Vista Fleet in Duluth, told FOX 21’s Dan Hanger Thursday that promises by the city to have the Vista fully operational by the first week of May for tourism season don’t look so promising after all, which all centers around the delayed seawall reconstruction project.

Steinbach says the city did do good to get water and power extended behind the DECC to operate his two boats on time for the season. But it’s the safe harbor docking promised inside the slip that Steinbach says is back up in the air — just days before Vista’s season begins Monday.

“I haven’t been updated by any city officials of what my status is in there,” Steinbach when referring to access for safe harbor in the Minnesota Slip.

Steinbach said he hasn’t heard or gotten responses from the city for roughly three weeks.

According to Steinbach, he will be down one tour boat after all because he believes the city has not followed its promise to fix the proper temporary safe harbor docking for both the Vista Star and the Queen inside the Minnesota Slip where the delayed seawall reconstruction project is underway.

“I haven’t been invited or involved with the construction meetings as it’s pertained to our operations, so assumptions get made of what we can and can’t do. And our boats are unique. We are the only U.S Coast Guard passenger-vessel- inspected company in the Twin Ports area.

With the seawall project expected to be complete in mid-June, Steinbach says he’ll have the Queen vessel out of service for at least May at a cost of roughly $50,000 of lost revenue.

And he says it’s his understanding he’ll have to find safe harbor for both boats outside of the Minnesota Slip come June when construction of the seawall moves down to Vista’s docking location.

“We’ll be forced to move out of there and that the city and the DECC don’t have  other options, or they are not considering any other options for our safe harbor — that we’ll have to find safe harbor somewhere else in the port,” Steinbach explained.

In response to this story, Jim Filby Williams, the city’s director of public administration, said he disagrees with Steinbach and says there will be temporary safe harbor for both boats as soon as the Slip Bridge re-opens from its paint job come Friday.

The following is the complete written statement from Williams:

“The City of Duluth and the DECC are following through on our long-stated intention to provide temporary boarding facilities behind the DECC for both Vista Fleet vessels by May 1 and provide temporary safe harbor in Minnesota Slip for both vessels as soon as the slip bridge reopens. The City and the DECC previously notified the Vista Fleet of one potential exception: there may be a few days in May and June when seawall reconstruction work may require the Vista Fleet to use alternative safe harbor.

To help the Vista Fleet secure alternative safe harbor, the DECC gave the Vista Fleet contacts for five potential alternative sites and arranged for the Duluth Seaway Port Authority to directly assist with finding a free or affordable alternative. The DECC has also offered additional assistance.

The City, the DECC, and Vista Fleet personnel have discussed that the temporary docking facility in Minnesota Slip need not be fully reconstructed to allow use of the site as a safe harbor mooring because no members of the public will be embarking and disembarking at that site. To enable Vista Fleet crew to board at the safe harbor, the City and the DECC will provide a simple wooden walkway. The City and the DECC are committed to work with Vista Fleet to make modest changes that will make embarking and disembarking easier for staff but it does not appear to be necessary to completely reconstruct a boarding platform that was designed to accommodate large numbers of passengers.”

Meanwhile for Steinbach, he remains feeling out of the loop on a project he calls “poor planning.”  “The communication has not been great,” Steinbach said.

“Maybe I am hopeful that Pier B will continue to do us some favors and when we need to we can pull down there. And if I have to figure out something with the Port Authority, I will, because I’m not just going to let our operations sink, and we got to get things going for the year,” Steinbach explained.

The Vista gift shop opens on Monday, with the Vista Star ready for operation on Wednesday, according to Steinbach.

Will this also mean the Queen in operation on Wednesday? Time will only tell.

Previous Stories:

May 1, 2018: Charter Season Feeling Cramps With Seawall Reconstruction Delay

April 27, 2018: City: Irvin Can Fit Through Slip Bridge; Seawall Construction Timeline Released

April 25, 2018: Halted Duluth Seawall Project OK’d After Historic Preservation Concerns

April 23, 2018: DECC Official Updates Status Of Irvin, Vista Affected By Seawall Project

April 20: 2018: City Releases Statement Of Confidence For Seawall Project, Vista Fleet Operations

April 19, 2018: Exclusive: Construction Halted On Already Delayed MN Slip Seawall; Irvin, Vista Affected

January 25, 2018: Some Summer Tourism Uncertainty For Irvin, Vista With Delayed Seawall Reconstruction