No decision on the Keuka Maid’s future has been decided, but the gallant and aging queen of Keuka Lake is being tucked away for another day.
Town of Urbana Supervisor John Webster said tour boat owner Jeremy Fields notified him last week the boat would be carefully dismantled and moved to Fields’ business in Canandaigua.
Fields will meet with the Urbana Town Board at 5:30 Wednesday for more discussion on the once-popular boat, Webster said.
“He talked to (Councilman) Jim Presley, he spoke with me,” Webster said. “By Friday, all the issues were resolved.”
Board members were clearly unhappy about the boat at their regularly scheduled meeting last week.
At that time, Webster warned the board Fields had not responded to town officials’ calls for several weeks, or paid the $1,000 due the town as part of the lease agreement.
Webster said the town now has received the money and was reassured on other matters, too.
Fields, CEO of Fields Construction in Canandaigua, paid $26,000 for the once-popular tour boat during an auction last October. By the terms of the sale, he was given a week to pull the boat on to shore or move her.
But Fields told the board an inspection of the three-story pontoon boat by his marine construction firm showed the boat was in surprisingly good shape, and asked for an extension until Jan. 31 to allow for a more detailed inspection of the hull.
He also agreed to pay $500 per month in rent.
Once a popular summer attraction, the Keuka Maid’s exterior has deteriorated since 2006, when then-owner Robert Pfuntner was unable to have the boat inspected for potential safety issues. Those issues led to years of court battles, and a civil jury last August said the boat had to be moved. At the same time, the Keuka Maid was seized, along with other Pfuntner property.
Pfuntner then put the boat up for auction, with Fields making the only bid.
Webster said officials were satisfied with their discussions last week with Fields, and hope more information will be available Wednesday.
“At this point I can’t say any more about the future, because we really don’t know what that is,” Webster said.
No decision on the Keuka Maid’s future has been decided, but the gallant and aging queen of Keuka Lake is being tucked away for another day.
Town of Urbana Supervisor John Webster said tour boat owner Jeremy Fields notified him last week the boat would be carefully dismantled and moved to Fields’ business in Canandaigua.
Fields will meet with the Urbana Town Board at 5:30 Wednesday for more discussion on the once-popular boat, Webster said.
“He talked to (Councilman) Jim Presley, he spoke with me,” Webster said. “By Friday, all the issues were resolved.”
Board members were clearly unhappy about the boat at their regularly scheduled meeting last week.
At that time, Webster warned the board Fields had not responded to town officials’ calls for several weeks, or paid the $1,000 due the town as part of the lease agreement.
Webster said the town now has received the money and was reassured on other matters, too.
Fields, CEO of Fields Construction in Canandaigua, paid $26,000 for the once-popular tour boat during an auction last October. By the terms of the sale, he was given a week to pull the boat on to shore or move her.
But Fields told the board an inspection of the three-story pontoon boat by his marine construction firm showed the boat was in surprisingly good shape, and asked for an extension until Jan. 31 to allow for a more detailed inspection of the hull.
He also agreed to pay $500 per month in rent.
Once a popular summer attraction, the Keuka Maid’s exterior has deteriorated since 2006, when then-owner Robert Pfuntner was unable to have the boat inspected for potential safety issues. Those issues led to years of court battles, and a civil jury last August said the boat had to be moved. At the same time, the Keuka Maid was seized, along with other Pfuntner property.
Pfuntner then put the boat up for auction, with Fields making the only bid.
Webster said officials were satisfied with their discussions last week with Fields, and hope more information will be available Wednesday.
“At this point I can’t say any more about the future, because we really don’t know what that is,” Webster said.
