No major changes coming for Ellis Boat Harbor

The city's River Recreation Commission voted Thursday to maintain the boat house community at Ellis Harbor as it long has been rather than support a multimillion plan to change it or move it to a cove across the Cedar River, Tom Furnish, commission chairman, said last night.

The commission's recommendation will go to the City Council for its future discussion about the harbor. Council member Chuck Wieneke, the council's liaison to the commission, earlier this month agreed with commission members that the city didn't have $6 million to follow a consultant's recommendation and move the community of about 130 boat houses from the west to east side of the river.

Furnish last night said the existing harbor needs work, but he said the commission voted to make repairs over time rather than seeking to spend millions to make repairs immediately. About 60 percent of the harbor's sheet piling needs fixed, Furnish said.

The Ellis Harbor community has a few people on a waiting list to put a boat house in the harbor, but there are slips available for people to park houseboats in the harbor.