High school rowing team qualifies for national championship
The eight-person crew trained on the estuary before dawn all summer
The Port Ellery High School rowing team will compete at the national championship next month after winning the regional qualifier by less than a boat length.
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The decision follows months of public meetings in Port Ellery, where residents pressed officials for a clearer timeline and a firm budget. Council members said the final plan reflects most of that feedback, although two of the seven seats voted against it.
"We heard the same thing at every meeting: people want to know what happens next and who is accountable," said Samuel Okafor, who chairs the committee that reviewed the proposal. "This document answers both questions."
Officials at the Port Ellery Chamber of Commerce said the change will be phased in over the next eighteen months, starting with the neighborhoods closest to the waterfront. A second phase, covering the rest of Marrow County, is expected to begin next spring.
A season on the estuary
Not everyone is convinced. A group of business owners along Front Street argued that the schedule leaves too little time to adapt, and asked for a longer transition period. The request will be discussed at the next public session.
The numbers behind the plan are modest by regional standards, but significant for a city the size of Port Ellery. According to figures released this week, the program will cost about $4.2 million over three years, with roughly a third covered by state grants.
For Samuel Okafor, a resident of the East Harbor district for more than two decades, the announcement was overdue. "We have been asking for this since my kids were in school," she said. "I am glad it is finally moving, even if it is later than it should be."