New moorage credit card pay boxes

Parts of historic downtown La Conner are sporting a 21st century look these days.

Four new solar-powered credit card pay stations have been installed to collect boat moorage and launch fees along the waterfront, replacing the old cash boxes that were vandalized.

The town council opted earlier this year to invest in the digital payment collection system rather than spending about $1,500 for repairs when cash boxes were robbed.

Cost of the credit card pay units was just over $38,000.

“The other ones were getting robbed all the time,” lamented Mayor Ramon Hayes. “It wasn’t an investment we wanted to make, but one we had to make, and they’ll pay for themselves over time.”

The Town used a portion of the revenue realized from its sale of the former Kirsch waterfront property on North First Street to cover the cost. They are similar to one that had already been in operation at the South Third Street parking lot.

“The revenue from them is just starting to come in,” Town Finance Director Maria DeGoede told the Weekly News on Friday. “The big thing is it’s nice that we don’t have to worry about theft anymore.”

The break in of the cash box at the Benton Street-End in January was the final straw.

“We’ve had the same issue with other pay boxes at the (Sherman Street) boat ramp as well as the utility drop box at the post office,” Town Administrator Scott Thomas told council in February.

Thomas said the Town had collected $12,183 for vessel moorage in 2021. He estimated that another $2,500 would have been collected at the boat launch if that cash box was in operation.

Town Public Works Director Brian Lease proposed switching to solar-powered digital pay stations.

Going solar, noted Thomas, avoids costs of extending electrical service to meters.

Since the pay stations are integrated, DeGoede said it is easy for staff to collect data from them.

She shared the same optimism as Hayes in assessing both the short and long-term benefits of the new system.

“They will pay for themselves,” she insisted.