Marianna Borough chains off ramp to Ten Mile Creek below its dam
MARIANNA – Public access to Ten Mile Creek below the Marianna dam is now off limits without a borough-approved permit.
The borough installed a chain and “no trespassing” signs last week across a ramp to what was a popular fishing area in advance of a plan by local outdoorsmen to stock trout in the water last Saturday. The group did not have a permit for the event, council President Wes Silva said.
“They just need to cooperate with the borough,” Silva said. “We’re not trying to keep the public out of there.”
The borough has been at odds with Marianna Outdoorsmen Association over a lack of communication, which prompted council to cancel a land-management agreement in December that allowed the group to hold events at the bottom of the ramp. Council expressed concerns that included whether the association carries enough liability insurance for events below the borough-owned dam.
“They didn’t want to contact the borough,” Silva said.
The association relocated the trout-stocking event to Daniels Run, a nearby tributary to Ten Mile, it stated on its Facebook page.
The group and some local residents also have been opposed to a plan to remove the dam, which no longer serves a purpose. American Rivers, a charitable organization that works to restore waterways, has agreed to remove the dam and repair the floodplain at no cost to local taxpayers. American Rivers has sought proposals for the Marianna project and was still seeking a funding stream for the work, said a spokeswoman for that organization.
It was not immediately known if the association will apply for a permit to use the area in April for its popular small boat race or relocate the site where it will be launched.
Jason White, a former president of the association, declined Tuesday to comment about the situation.
“I’m not getting in the middle of this,” White said, adding that he did not know who at the association could speak for the organization.
“I’m a volunteer who helps a charitable organization,” White said.
Silva said the borough’s former land-management agreement with the outdoorsmen required its members to “come to us” about its events.
“We’re still willing to work with them,” he said.