New London – Stalled by a lack of resources of its own, the city’s Port Authority will be seeking professional help to market and manage the city’s docks and moorings.

The idea is to subcontract the management of the docks to a company that could staff the waterfront and eventually generate interest from future revenue sources — perhaps the mega yacht or charter industries, according to Mayor Michael Passero.

Passero said the waterfront has the infrastructure to welcome marine commerce activities, but it remains underutilized in part because of a lack of money. Passero said that all too often he sees empty moorings even at the height of the boating season.

“We’ve been stalled out for years. It’s a lost opportunity. We need a public-private partnership,” Passero said. “With activity on the waterfront will come secondary economic benefits for our businesses. We can’t afford to sacrifice that resource any longer.”

There is a similar partnership at Ocean Beach Park, which is owned by the city but operated by a private company.

Details of how a future partnership with a company would work have yet to be hashed out and are not part of the request for interest being prepared by the Port Authority. It is likely, however, that the city will allow the company to keep revenues and pass on to the city a percentage of all the fees collected.

Barbara Neff, the city’s dockmaster, said that since the city and port authority don’t have the funds to properly market the waterfront, the idea is worth a try.

Neff is the contact person for all vessels looking to moor or dock in the city, and she is paid $5,000 a year for her work. The city also pays for a part-time help on the weekends during the busy boating season when the pump out facility is in demand.

Neff said the city took in about $31,000 this year from fees collected from visitors. She said there are several boating groups slated to come in next year — groups that dock 10 or 12 boats at a time.

The city is permitted to maintain 41 moorings and charges $35 a night. The city also has an array of floating docks, Custom House Pier, City Pier and Amistad Pier. Rates for stays vary from $2 a foot for vessels less than 40 feet to $4 per foot per night for vessels greater than 60 feet. The city allows four hours of free docking, and there are varying rates for off-season and events.

The Port Authority is expected to meet again during the second week of January and finalize the request for interest. Passero has named three new members since October, following a string of resignations. Both Chairman Jesse Marshall and member Steve Schneidermeyer cited personal reasons for their resignations. Member Melissa Root took issue with what she said in a resignation letter was Passero’s characterization of the group as ineffective.

Passero responded with his own letter to Root on Oct. 14, telling her it was regretful that she took his comments personally.

“Unfortunately, the success of the City’s waterfront is much too important to our economic success for me to sugarcoat the message I needed to deliver yesterday evening. I took great pains to express my appreciation for the individual efforts of members of the Authority, such as yourself,” Passero wrote.

Others at the October meeting said there was some friction when Passero, who acts as the chief operating officer of the Port Authority, argued against charging the Flock Theatre a fee to conduct a portion of the Burning of Benedict Arnold Festival at Custom House Pier.

The Port Authority now consists of five members with one vacancy. Members are: Kenneth Edwards, Acting Chairman Jefferson Harris, John S. Johnson, Karl J. Saszik and James Stidfole.

g.smith@theday.com