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<br />~ <br /> <br />late, If we could han- a little bit bt'tter t>llort from the <br />Corps (m informing- the gt>lleral puhlic up and down <br />th!;' rin.t, not only us a~ IJ(Jaters. hut also tht' duck <br />hunters in the fall and tht' fisht'rmen in the spring and <br />the fall. as to what the levels were going to do it would <br />help J;:"reatly. <br /> <br />Tht' other thing we need is a little heltN access. <br />Accesses to the .\li1<:,ouri. it was said thi:" morning, <br />there ar{' some 5F, public accesses. hut H'ry few ofthe"t' <br />art' uSPll.ble. How we get Letter IlCC{'""f'S. I don't know <br />lx>cause this would bt' a situation hf.>lw{'en tnt. Curps. <br />the statt's, and the count if';; of pro\'iding roads he fore <br />we get the ramps and tnt> parking areas. We haw a <br />coup]f' of launching ramps 1 hat art' ust'ahlt" if we had <br />decent roads to get to them. Again, that'" not a Corpfi <br />problem. but it'!i ant' that ha!"o to I>t' addresfit'd bt'fore <br />Wt' gH Ilt'Ht't accessf's. <br /> <br />In the esst'ncf' of time. the big-gf'!il Ihing thaI would <br />help us as marina opt'rators along with the other Sl'\'t'n <br /> <br />or so that try to funClion on tht' ri\'er as marinas, we <br />all know we are going to ha'l.'t' to lower our basins <br />bt'cause apparently. the river is going to keep digging <br />it"elf down. I don't think we art' going 10 see the 22 <br />to 24 foot river stages Wl"w Sf-en in the past. So we <br />all know we are going to haw to laWN them whether <br />we gf't participation or help financially 10 do this. I <br />wou]dn'l kno...... BUI 1"11 tell you one Ihing. il is t'x- <br />trt'mely eXpt'nsiv(' .....hen you slart dredging out a mar. <br />ina. Ours is 600 fe('1 by F~)() feel and Wf' lo.....ere-d il four <br />feet. and SpE'nt in excess of .~300.()(J(J (.) lower it four <br />ft'(-I. so il is an t'xpe-nsiw proposilion. A lot of the <br />smaller marinas don't haw the fund!i or asst"tl< avail- <br />ab]e to lower Iheir's and it is virtually putting Ihf'rn <br />oul of business, The Lighlhouse \Iarina at Whiting <br />was just bart'ly use-ahle- this ~.t'ar. Dt'calur \Iarina .....as <br />clost'd tolally, somt' of th(- big-/!t'r ones in Omaha likE' <br />Sand Piper ('ove-, a ~oo slip marina. was jusl about <br />clost'd dut' to Ih(' low waler. Ilhink tht;' thing we need <br />the hest is a constant river now and a bettN warning <br />sy~qt'm as 10 whal Iht' Corps is going' to do. <br /> <br /> <br />Fred Shf'rrnan. "n'.~idl'flt <br />.....C.V(j HaTH!' Lint's <br />Sl.wul.". M'.'."/JUfl <br /> <br />I Ilpprecial(' tht' opportunily to 0<. ht'r(' with you <br />tnday and lalk ahout ont' of our favoritt' subjt'cls, the <br />\tlssouri Riwr. Our nalion has Iw{'n g'oillg through <br />traumatic t'l'onomic lirn('s right now. Tht' agricultura] <br />seClor has E'xpt'ri",n(,t'd wrt'll('hing changf'~. the inter. <br />{'sts I rf'prf'sf'nt. the navigalion intt'rest.s. haw \)('t'n in <br />a depression sincf' Ihf' eRrly 19";0.... Even wilh all this <br />gloom. we art' herf' lodllY to exchan~l' views on ont' of <br />Iht' bright SpOls of our nation. the riwr systt'm of <br />which Wt' are b]f>ssed. Let us not loost' sight of the <br />!treal bt'nt'fits thai our :-'Iaker has g-i\'t'n us wilh thf> <br />\lissouri River. Tht' product in' effort Ihis ri\"N can <br />SUpport should bt>nt'fit all of us in Iht' \Iissouri Ba,.;in <br />Slates. I've hf.t'n askf'd to spt"ak aboul Ihf' na\'igalion <br />intt're,.;ls. \\"t' ha\'e four hasic concerns in rf'talion 10 <br />thf' \Iiss(luri Riwr. <br /> <br />Tht;' first i:; Ihe tonnage to lw moved. the ,.;H-'{md i,.; <br />tht' dt'plh of Iht' waler in the river. Iht' third is tht' <br />]f'ngth of Iht' navigalion "f'ason. and Ihf> fourlh is thf' <br /> <br />consistt'ncy of water lewls in the riwr during Ihe op- <br />eraling yt'ar. <br /> <br />In relalion [0 Ihe tonnage moved on the riwr. his. <br />toricII]]Y about ;, million Ions per Yt'ar wer(' mowd on <br />the river up to Ih(' early 1980:;. Since tht'll. carg'oes <br />han' dt'dinf'd 10 aboul 2.3 million tons. whi('h were <br />I ransporled by barge in 1986. 198, resu]ls wi]] \)(' ht'lo..... <br /> <br />Fred Sherman <br /> <br />Fred Shennan IS Pre5ldent 01 the Slouk City/New Orleans <br />Barge Ltles Ifl St. Louis. He IS 8 graduale 01 ttleU.S Merchanl <br />Mame AcaOemy He went 10 sea as a ()eck officef" and wor1\ed <br />for mame subsOanes 01 Bethlehem Sleel tor QUIte a runbef <br />01 years. deoded he would rellre and bel:x:lme 8 consultant. <br />but ClOl,.~n resrst the inVtt81101'l to come bad-; Ifl as Pres.oent <br />01 SCNQ Barge l.Jnes recently. and as Presidenl of liS SISler <br />company the SCNO T9OTWl8I CorporabOo. <br /> <br />45 <br />