The winter storage area at Lahti Niemi marina is already preparing for a reduction in the area. In the future, the waterfront and parking facilities will take up part of the docking area.
The city is reducing the number of winter storage places for boats in the Niemi marina. At the moment, all winter storage spaces are occupied.
In the future, as the construction of Niemi harbour progresses, the area for boat storage will shrink even further. Mr Hämäläinen hopes that in the future the private sector will be better able to meet the winter storage needs of boats in Lake Vesijärvi. Ultimately, the responsibility lies with the boat owners.
– I have to be a mean city representative and say that it’s then the boater’s own concern, Hämäläinen says.
Winds of change
Hämäläinen says that part of the area used for winter storage will be used as a parking lot in the summer. This means that you have to find another storage place for the boat trailers and boat clothes for the summer.
– I hope that there are private entrepreneurs who see some kind of business in it. For example, it is difficult for an apartment building resident to find a place to store a trailer for the summer. And on the other hand, where will he put that boat for the winter season? But these are all those winds of change. Not yet for this winter, Hämäläinen reflects.
In the future, the coastal path that follows the Lahti coastline will reach the Mukkula end of the Niemen marina. There is no exact schedule for the construction of the extension of the beach track yet. However, efforts are already being made to place fewer ships near the shore in Niemi’s marina.
Will some vessels leave Lake Vesijärvi altogether?
– Päivi Hämäläinen has sided with the boaters in this matter, says Kovanen.
Hämäläinen says that he brought up the concern about the movement of boats and ships when deciding on issues.
– For example, the ships that operated in Enonsaari this summer are the ones that should be lifted out of the water for the winter. Certain places must be found if we want to remain a summer city with boat and ship traffic, he says.
Traditionally, there has been a lot of industry in the Nieme region. Now the industry is at least receding. For example, Viking Malt is moving to the new Pippo-Kujala industrial area.