Maintenance work will begin at the public boat launch area at North East Marina, Erie County, starting Monday, according to the Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission (PFBC).

The boat launch ramps are currently closed and will remain closed over the next several weeks until maintenance is completed.

Contractors will move in heavy equipment to perform concentrated dredging near the boat ramps and in the channel leaving the marina, sedimentation removal and erosion control work. Visitors to the marina should use caution and avoid the active work zone.

The public boat launch area will reopen for day use starting Saturday, April 27. Boaters will be able to use two boat launch ramps, a fish cleaning station, portable toilets, and seasonal courtesy docks for use while launching and retrieving boats at the boat launch. Courtesy docks will remain in place throughout the summer and fall boating seasons, weather permitting.

PFBC closed parts of the marina basin which contained privately leased boat slips at the end of the 2023 boating season due to significant costs associated with environmental permitting requirements, as well as increasing infrastructure needs. Other concessionaire-provided services at the marina have been discontinued.

PFBC is actively working with local officials and the public to explore options to preserve public boating access at North East Marina.