Our Position Statements

Our position regarding Monroe Harbor is simple - Monroe Harbor must remain a beautiful, open harbor available to citizens and visitors to enjoy safely and freely. The purpose of our organization is to ensure this position.

Open Harbor

Monroe Harbor must remain an open harbor with boats, mostly sailboats, and most ranging in length from 25 - 35 feet on average, on moorings. These boats are not densely packed together and they should be allowed to swing to the wind. Because of the size and density of the boats, there is always a view of Lake Michigan, Navy Pier and the Chicago Lighthouse. The moorings go away and the harbor is completely empty for 7 months of the year. There must be no permannent slips, pier, or floating washrooms built on the docks.

Public Space

Monroe Harbor must remain a Public Space for the people of Chicago to enjoy. A commercial marina would impede the general public's use of Grant Park and Monroe Harbor. The Mayor and the taxpayers have spent many millions of dollars to beautify the City; installing planters and flower gardens, and cleaning up the parks. Grant Park has received a great deal of attention as its formal spaces have been updated and refreshed. Mieg’s Field is to become a new parkland and nature center. Monroe Harbor must remain consistent with the City's continuing program of making the open spaces of Chicago active and accessible to citizens and visitors alike.

No Fuel Docks

There must be no fuel docks in the harbor. A fuel dock would be very dangerous, especially on weekends. Fuel docks bring the potential for dangerous spills. They result in pollution of the water. They smell because they put fuel into the air. They bring congestion - many boats waiting to get fuel. They bring noise. They bring personal water craft (jet skis) which are noisy and can be a safety hazard.