One group has biggest role in Erie’s most valuable property. How the Erie Port Authority works
The Erie-Western Pennsylvania Port Authority promotes industrial, commercial and recreational opportunities on Erie’s bayfront, according to its website.
The authority, located at 1 Holland St., is also a landlord to both a shipbuilder and a shipping facility and is the entity that ensures public access to the bayfront.
“I don’t think people know how expansive it (the port authority) is, and how much we really do,” said Dave Zimmer, president of ErieBank and chairman of the Port Authority’s board.
“Whether it’s as a landlord or as an operating company, if you take a ride down State Street today compared to what it looked like three years ago, the amount of development we’ve had down there is substantial.”
While the port authority owns many properties on the bayfront, the majority of them are leased to individual tenants.
“We lease out the Bicentennial Tower to an individual entity, the Land Lighthouse to another,” Zimmer said. “Bay Harbor East and West as well as Perry’s Landing Marina, the port authority owns those properties, but we lease those out to businesses as well.”
Two of the most prominent leases include Donjon Shipbuilding and Repair and the Carmeuse Terminal. Donjon shipyard, 220 E. Bayfront Parkway in Erie, is only one of two dry docks on the Great Lakes capable of dry-docking 1,000-foot self-unloading vessels.
“They’re a little seasonal, but they’re doing work year-round,” Zimmer said. “Sometimes these boats are so big they’re here for over a year.”
The Carmeuse Terminal, 2 East Bay Drive, partners with other companies to bring in bulk material, lake vessels and heavy equipment for construction. In 2021, vessels delivered more than 780,000 tons of goods and materials — the equivalent of 39,000 20-ton truckloads — at the Carmeuse facility.
The port authority owns and maintains Lampe Campground and Lampe Marina, which Zimmer described as a year-round endeavor.
Go Erie
New seaway focused podcast set to launch October 3
CLAYTON, NY – Anchors Up! We’re underway… a new regionally based podcast focusing on shipping along the St. Lawrence Seaway will launch on Monday, October 3.
Downbound Discussions, a podcast hosted by Michael Folsom, also known as The Ship Watcher, will feature a unique and insightful perspective on the many aspects of the St. Lawrence Seaway, the region’s countless assets and events, as well as the people in and around the shipping industry.
Episode One of Downbound Discussion is set to be released on October 3 and will feature Port of Oswego’s Executive Director, Bill Scriber, and shipmate-turned-cookbook author, Catherine Schmuck.
Scriber, a military veteran, took the helm of the Port of Oswego in December 2017 and has helped to lead the Port to 3 Seaway Pacesetter Awards. In addition, he has been integral in securing funding for new projects at the Port, including grain storage, windmill offloading, and aluminum ingots for nearby Novelis.
Schmuck is perhaps best known for archiving her journeys aboard ships on Facebook while serving as a relief cook. In addition, she has a popular cookbook, Ship To Shore Chef, which she has toured upstate New York and Ontario promoting this year when not sailing. Her book signings have been known to consist of long lines and to date nearly 4,000 copies of the book have been sold.
“The idea is to bring ship enthusiasts another step closer to the mesmerizing vessels so often seen along the St. Lawrence, while also highlighting what the Seaway has to offer – from beautiful landscapes to exciting community events, and most importantly, making connections with the people that play a role in it all so that it can be a little more real than just a name or photo on social media,” said Folsom. “I want to be able to provide folks with that behind-the-scenes look that you might not get otherwise.”
Podcast episodes are expected to be released twice a month, though October will have at least 3.
Aside from the inaugural show, Episode Two will include an interview with an investigator from the Transportation Safety Board of Canada regarding the 2020 collision in the Welland Canal, plus Roger LeLievre, editor of the popular ship watching guide, Know Your Ships. Episode Three will be dedicated solely to former Wolfe Island ferry and Canadian Empress cruise ship captain, Brian Johnson, who has written several real-life experience stories over the years that have been published both online and in print.
Downbound Discussions will be available via Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Audible, and Amazon Music.
Information on the podcast can be found on Facebook via Downbound Discussions and/or St. Lawrence Seaway Ship Watchers group pages.
Obituary: Capt. Bruce D. Dunlap
Capt. Bruce D. Dunlap, 65 of Marysville, MI, passed away unexpectedly on Sunday, Sept. 25 at the Lake Huron Medical Center in Port Huron, MI. He was most recently captain of the motor vessel American Century for over 10 years. He joined ASC in 1979.
Bruce worked for the Great Lakes ore boats for over 40 years, 20 years as a captain. He enjoyed sailing, boating, golfing, fishing, watching / feeding birds and watching the Green Bay Packers and the Detroit Tigers.
He was born on Dec. 3, 1956 in Ashland, WI the son of Walter J. and Louise A. (Janigo) Dunlap. He is survived by his daughter, Kirsten McAuliffe of Ashland; mother, Louise Dunlap of Ashland; significant other, Karen O’Connor of Port Huron, MI; many cousins and friends. He was preceded in death by his father, Walter “Jerry” Dunlap on Aug. 25, 2018.
A Memorial Service for Bruce will be held at 11 a.m., on Wed. Oct. 5, 222 at the Mountain Funeral Home in Ashland, WI, with Father Jerome D’Souza as officiant. A gathering of family and friends will begin at 10:00 a.m. at the funeral home and continue until the hour of service. A Memorial Service will be held at a later date in Port Huron, MI.
Obituary: Ronald Raymond Ingram
Past International Shipmasters Association Grand President Ron Ingram passed away at the age of 93 on Sept. 13 after a brief illness.
Ron’s love of the water reigned supreme. He joined the Merchant Marine after exiting the Navy. While on a tugboat in Lake Erie, he also survived a sinking. He worked his way up in the wheelhouse and captained three separate ships for the United States Environmental Protection Agency, the R/V Rachel Carson, the R/V Roger Simons and the R/V Lake Guardian.
During his 19 years as captain, he also proudly served as a member of the International Ship Masters’ Association Detroit Lodge #7. He was Detroit Lodge president in 1979 and was honored to be named Grand Lodge President in 1991, the 100th Anniversary of the ISMA. He retired from sailing in 1996. In 1994, his fellow lodge members honored him with the Lewis Ludington Award.
Ron spent his childhood in the greater Detroit area but learned the lessons of hard work by spending his summers on his family’s farm in upstate New York.
After graduating from University of Detroit High School in 1947, Ron enlisted in the U.S. Navy from 1948 through 1952. A member of Patrol Squadron VP731, Ron flew as a flight engineer on PBY and PBM seaplanes and proudly served his country during the Korean War. He survived two separate plane crashes, one in the Detroit River while stationed in Grosse Ile and one in Manila Bay in the Philippines. As a result of that crash, all his flight records were lost. Decades later, however, Ron’s service was recognized, and he finally received the Navy Air Medal that completed his ribbon rack. Receiving this medal was one of his proudest moments.
Ron embarked on many business ventures with his brothers over the years. This included him spending several years mining quartz in Canada, often bringing his oldest children along on his business trips that doubled as family vacations. This stone business paved the way to his interest in the water, as he tagged along on numerous tugboat and barge trips to bring the stone back to Detroit.
The family will welcome visitors at Harry J. Will Funeral Home, 37000 Six Mile Road, Livonia, MI on Thursday, September 15 from 3 p.m. to 8 p.m. A Rosary will be said at 4 p.m. A Mass of Catholic burial will be held on Friday, September 16 at 10:30 a.m at St. Colette Catholic Church. A graveside service will follow at Holy Sepluchre Cemetery in Southfield.
In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations to Smile Train at donate.smiletrain.org or The Charles A. Main Pediatric Cancer Survivor Scholarship Program, c/o The Beaumont Foundation, 26901 Beaumont Blvd., Southfield, MI 48033.
