BY JIMMY LAWTON
North Country This Week

OGDENSBURG – Ogdensburg Mayor Jeffrey Skelly said he’d like to see the Ogdensburg Dobisky Center and City Marina leased to a private businessperson.

He floated the idea Monday, Feb. 24, at the regular city council meeting.

Skelly said he believed that with city’s assets at their disposal a businessperson could run a restaurant and offer adult beverages and create a more attractive draw for people using the river for recreation.

Skelly said it could also draw more Canadian traffic to the city.

The kitchen in the center was leased in the past, but the city has not been able to find someone interested in running it since 2013.

Because the Dobisky Center was funded through grants, there could be some concerns to leasing the entire facility and restricting access to the community room.

City Manager Sarah Purdy said the city might need to allow access to the community room in order to lease the facility, but had not yet fully explored the issue. She also added that a restaurant might benefit from the added traffic of a community room.

Skelly’s plan also called for the city’s boat slips to be leased along with the Dobisky Center.

Purdy said that the slips generate more than $40,000 in revenue for the city, so any lease would need to bring in that amount or more at a minimum.

Under his vision, care for the facility and modifications would be the responsibility of the renter, but added that he was open to ideas from his fellow councilors and the public.

No action was taken by the council.