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Total Disrepect for Boat Owners!

Submitted by TJ Southard on Sun, 09/04/2005 - 1:59pm.

Trashed BoatsMontclair's process for cleaning up the boat racks at Lake Montclair has major flaws. No call to my house, no letters in the mail, no notification WHATSOEVER!

Saturday morning I received a call from a friend, who was taking his boy out for a day of fishing at West Beach. He told me he didn't see my boat where we had left it. After breakfast I went up to the lake and found my lock cut and my boat under this pile of disrespectfully stacked kayaks, canoes and paddle boats. It was posted with a sticker saying it had been improperly parked.

I own a paddle boat, and we had locked it next to a rack by a tree, upside down on the ground so it would not collect any water. My small paddle boat doesn't fit on the racks, it simply isn't long enough. Most paddle boats are on the ground locked and neatly placed, as mine was, and my tags were legal and up to date.

Trashed BoatsI have NO PROBLEM with being told to move my boat to a more proper area. I JUST WAS NEVER TOLD! I asked the lifeguard at West Beach what's going on, and she had no idea. So I went to the office and asked the receptionist on duty. This was very frustrating. She was the one that the warning sticker copies were given to and was the one responsible for contacting the violators. When I asked her why I didn't get a call she replied "I usually call everyone"... USUALLY? I asked her again if there was a reason why the calls weren't made to my house, why I never received any violation in writing and she replied with the perfect answer, "I don't know". Suppose that I had never heard from my friend. My boat would have been sold at auction and I would have never known anything until I went with my family to West Beach to enjoy a day on the water. There is something severely wrong with the management when they can take your boat and sell it with no call or written warning to the owner!

Trashed BoatsI plan on calling John Folliard and Larry Ellis on Tuesday to be given an apology and also a new lock and for my boat, and I want it to be placed back where I had left it. And a little warning to the small boat owners of Montclair, check your boats often and keep and eye on the Montclair Boat Sale racket. If you don't, you might be enjoying a day at West Beach looking over the water and saying, "Hey honey look, that person has a boat just like ours."

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You should have gotten a call
Submitted by Chris Casey on Mon, 09/05/2005 - 11:05am.

In the September issue of The Montclarion, in the General Manager's Corner on page 5, Larry Ellis writes:

During the course of the summer we have removed a number of abandoned boats on the lake and without a sticker we don't know who to call.

It seems to me that infers that any boat that has been confiscated for any reason that DOES have a sticker should expect a phone call before they find their lock cut and their property taken. I don't think a call is enough. You should receive written notification before MPOA can confiscate your boat.

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Follow Up
Submitted by TJ Southard on Thu, 09/08/2005 - 2:13pm.

Well, I got my boat back after talking to John Folloard. I met him Tuesday morning at the office and explained the situation. I said, "How can you take my property and put it in a trash pile without a letter or phone call?" He replied, "Well, we should have exhausted all means in getting in touch with you." Sorry John, You didn't. We went in to his office and he pulled up my information, Yes my Phone numbers were correct and yes, my tags on my boat were up to date.

So Why? answer my question. Why did this Happen? - Still no answer.

After work I met a security guard at West beach and He was VERY helpful. He dove right in with me pulling boats off mine and unlocking the handle from the other boats that were tethered together. We put my boat on the back of his truck and he helped me unload it and lock it up to a rack. BUT, After he left and when I was walking back to my car, I noticed he had left all the boats unlocked. I called the office to let them know. They thanked me for informing them on that and they would have someone down right away.

Anyway, the only thing I am still upset about... everything that happed Tuesday, I never received one "Sorry".

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Boat Auction
Submitted by TJ Southard on Thu, 09/29/2005 - 2:45pm.

I hear that the first weekend in October is the boat auction. If anyone needs a deal on a boat, I'm sure that they will be there for the bidding. Check with the MPOA office just to make sure it's still on before you go.

Cheers -

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Missing Paddleboat
Submitted by thebyrd on Sun, 03/30/2008 - 4:23pm.

I went to check my paddle boat today only to find another paddle boat parked in its spot. I have received no contact from MPOA office. There are only two things that could have happened. One, it could have been stolen as it was quite a nice paddle boat. Or two, the MPOA management company during their normal check of the boats, cut my cable wire and put it up for auction. So much for registering your boats. A lot of good that does! Boat owners beware. If you have one down there at the beach, you might want to check it often. I have not visited mine since last summer, so I guess that is where I went wrong.

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