Maysville City Manager Matt Wallingford said he will run plans to bring the Showboat Majestic to Maysville before City Commission one more time before signing a lease with the boat’s owner.
“I think we need more discussion,” Wallingford said Wednesday.
Under the lease agreement drawn up by City Attorney Kelly Caudill and approved by commissioners, the city will ask for $1 annually as a lease payment for mooring space at Limiestone Landing and will require the owners to name the city on its insurance policy for the vessel and pay for all utilities required to operate the boat.
The ship was purchased by Joe and Cortnee Brumley of Winchester, Ohio, in early 2019 and plans were to dock the boat on the Ohio River next to Moyer’s Winery on U.S. 52, west of Manchester, Ohio. But after Moyer’s was destroyed in a fire, those plans changed.
Now, Joe Brumley is the sole owner of the boat and the city recently received documentation on the new ownership, Wallingford said.
Although ownership of the boat has changed, Wallingford said Caudill believes the agreement he presented to commissioners will offer the city adequate protection.
Brumley told commissioners last month that he plans to establish a new board of local members once the boat is moored in Maysville. The approval process for non-profit status is still underway and will not require re-submission, he said.
Commissioners and Caudill asked several questions in December concerning Coast Guard inspections and learned from Brumley since the boat is permanently docked, it does not fall under the control of the Coast Guard but rather is regulated by the Corps of Engineers, which only inspects the moorings, which are owned by the city and have been approved by the Corps.
When questioned on the boat’s fire safety, Brumley said it has both interior and exterior sprinkler systems which, if an adequate water supply is available in Maysville, could be re-certified.
Brumley said he has a narrow window to move the boat before the Ohio River reaches flood stage as it often does in winter and early spring. Moving to Maysville will alleviate issues with drift surrounding and damaging the boat because of the city’s position along the riverfront and because of ice breakers near the landing.
Brumley told commissioners he not only plans to move his boat to Maysville but also his real estate and development business and said he has signed a contract to purchase property on Second Street.
The 85-foot-long floating theater was an attraction on Cincinnati’s riverfront landscape beginning in the 1960s.
The boat’s owners also approached Augusta with a proposal to dock there but the two were not able to reach an agreement.
City commissioners will next meet on Jan 28 at 5:15 p.m., in commission chambers at the Municipal Building.
