This page is updated with the latest news about Online Mooring.

March 24, 2010 at 4:03 pm by Lincoln Millstein in blog.ctnews.com.

First, the bad news.

It took me two times to get it right – the online registration system offered by the town for renewal of our mooring permits. Click here for Greenwich Time article

The online mooring site was slowed to a crawl when I attempted to use it. And there was some confusion as to which buttons to hit. I’m not sure whether it was a DNS (domain name system) problem on my end or a problem with the site. But a nice man named Brad Hurley at FandOTech, the Manchester vendor for onlinemooring.com, got the problems resolved after I called the company.

In the end, it was a rush to be able to do everything online, and I believe this is where the town needs to go for everything – from beach cards to golf and tennis permits – but more on that later.

One precaution: Get your paperwork in order before sitting down in front of the computer. You will need copies of your registration and insurance detail page. You also will be asked for information such as length, beam, displacement, draft – information that I had to dig up from my files. Also, if you have no ability to scan your registration and insurance pages into images to be uploaded, you will not be able to complete this online. Luckily, I have a scanner and was able to upload the images.

The first time I registered, the application was completed but without a payment option. Brad told me that I had filled out an application for a new permit and not a renewal. He erased my first attempt, and I had to do it a second time. The good news though was that the system had saved all my entries so I didn’t have to start from the beginning.

I was charged a fee of $3.55 to pay by credit card online. The total renewal fee was $103.55. I’m still not happy about the increase in mooring fees from $35 two years ago to $100, and I am still not clear how all this extra cash is being used.

But the online registration did work and I prefer it to the old system. I believe the town should consider using the same technology platform for all our permit registrations – the concept of a “single sign-on” for all things Greenwich – from our beach permit, to library cards, to dump permits, to golf and tennis permits.

Brad Hurley at FandOTech said the company is providing exactly such a service for eight New England towns, including Jamestown, R.I. and Waterford, CT.

Imagine being able to scan your utility bills into this system and be able to claim your residency once a year to be used for multiple departments. And I would charge for this service so that the town does not have to pay it through public coffers. Would you pay for this convenience? I know I would.

[ Read the original blog post at blog.ctnews.com ]

by Frank MacEachern, Staff Writer, Greenwich Time (www.greenwichtime.com)

Published: 09:46 p.m., Sunday, March 21, 2010—A new online registration system for boaters who moor vessels in town waters will be more efficient and safer -- and will also help track down who hasn't paid their mooring fees, said officials backing the plan.

The online mooring registration was unveiled recently at the Greenwich Boat and Yacht Club on Grass Island by the First Selectman's Coastal Resources Advisory Committee.

John Craine, committee chairman, said the online registration is a step forward for the committee which spent last year getting organized and establishing a fee structure.

"This year -- now that we will have factual and accurate data -- we will be able to transition to a safety and enforcement issue," Craine said.

The introduction of the $100 mooring fee last year, an increase over the previous year's $35, angered some boaters who believed it was too high.

This fee does not include the boaters who tie their boats at one of the four town-run marinas.

There are approximately 700 moorings in waters off Greenwich split almost equally between four town-managed mooring fields and four private yacht clubs, said Craine.

Last year, the three largest private clubs: Riverside, Belle Haven and Indian Harbor, handled the fee and data collecting of their members and paid the mooring fee to the town, Craine said. He estimated the fourth club, Rocky Point Club in Old Greenwich, has about 15 moorings.

Boaters moored in the town-managed marinas have to pay their own fees. They can continue to register by mail, Craine said.

There are also possibly 50 of what Jonathan Asch, the state-appointed harbor master for the town, dubbed "recreational moorings."

These moorings fall into a gray area, he said since there is little official knowledge of where they are.

"There has been no supervision of where these moorings are being placed and who permitted them," he said.

Craine said it may have been boaters who had the mooring installed years ago and never informed the town.

Asch said those boaters, and others who didn't pay last year, will have to this year. 

"Everyone has to be registered and everyone has to pay the fee," he said.

As harbor master he has the power to pull moorings out of the water. Boaters can also be issued $250 tickets for failing to comply with a harbor master.

Craine's enthusiastic about the system.

"It's basically terrific. I will have a laptop (computer) with me and it allows me to see if there is a deficiency or a violation," he said.

If the mooring doesn't show up in the system he will place a sticker on the mooring buoy notifying the boat owner it could be removed.

Craine said the data collected from boaters could be a life-saver.

Boaters can include on their online application form information about medical issues or who to contact in an emergency, Craine said. The town's marine police have access to the information and in an emergency can quickly access a boater's information, he said.

Craine said that information can only be accessed by the harbor master, marine police, and workers in the First Selectman's Office who are administrators of the system.

The software was developed by Manchester-based Fuss & O'Neill Technologies, Craine said. He said it's paid for by $5 from every mooring fee. Last year, it was about $3,500, Craine said, and he expects it to be the same this year.

There is no cost to the town, he said,

John Sanna, a committee member and boater, said a map will be created of all the moorings using Google Earth, an online mapping tool. He said that will allow them to more efficiently allocate space. He said gaps could be found that would allow a boater on a waiting list to put their boat in the water.

Boaters who decide to pay online have to cough up an additional $3.50, for the credit card transaction, Sanna said.

He said the committee is open to rolling that charge into the $100 fee but said no decision has been made on when.

Boaters also have the option to register online but mail in a check to the First Selectman's Office if they didn't want to pay that charge, Sanna said.

The 2010 boating season begins April 15.

Staff Writer Frank MacEachern can be reached at frank.maceachern@scni.com or 203-625-4434.

[ Read the original article on the Greenwich Time site. ]

3/10/10—The First Selectman’s Coastal Resources Advisory Committee has announced the implementation of a new leading edge on line mooring management system.

With over twenty seven miles of coastline, seven harbors, three Federal Navigation channels, four Town leased boating clubs, four private yacht clubs, and more than 700 moorings, Greenwich represents one of the largest, most diverse and beautiful yet challenging coastal resources in the State.

This new software system, developed by Fuss & O’Neill Technologies, is in use today in Shelter Island, NY, Waterford, CT, Falmouth ME, and Portsmouth. It is designed to meet the challenges of mooring management. The system includes permits, renewals, wait lists, online payments, mooring coordinates, vessel information, and emergency warning capabilities. It has been modified by the vendor with no additional cost to include a number of suggestions received from the committee, Jonathan Asch, the Harbormaster, and the boating public.

The new system was demonstrated to the boating public at the Coastal Resources meeting held Monday, March 8, 2010, at the Greenwich Boat and Yacht Club. The many safety features of the system include the ability of the Marine Police and the Harbormaster to quickly identify the owner or an emergency contact designee provided by the boater, in critical situations. A paper work option and help desk will also be available.

The system is linked to Google Earth and that will aid the Harbormaster in optimizing critical mooring field assignment locations. The Town’s mooring wait list will be accessible to the boating public for entry of new requests and viewing of existing wait list status. The system includes significant security, access, and backup features. It also facilitates and tracks two-way communication via email and regular mail.

The nominal cost for the system has been built in to new mooring fees that were recommended by the Committee and unanimously approved by the three Selectmen at a public meeting in March 2009. The cost for all other taxpayers is $0.00.

The Coastal Resources Advisory Committee is composed of 15 members representing a very diverse set of credentials and a strong commitment to volunteer their time and talents to enhance our waterways. The Committee has spent countless hours and invested hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of volunteer experience on behalf of all town residents to improve our coastal resources.

For additional information, please contact John Craine at jcraine@optonline.net or 203-698-0118.