SNOW HILL – Municipal officials say the time has come to make a decision regarding the future of Snow Hill’s riverboat.
On Tuesday, the town invited the public to comment on the Black-Eyed Susan riverboat. Mayor Mike Pruitt said the council would soon need to decide whether the town should keep the boat, which needs significant repairs before it can be used, or dispose of it.
“We’ve got to do something with this boat,” Pruitt said.
The Black-Eyed Susan, purchased by the town in 2020, had a successful season running up and down the Pocomoke River in 2021. A mandatory inspection in Norfolk early this year, however, revealed that the boat needed extensive repairs in order to resume regular cruises. The inspection revealed issues with the hull, hydraulics system and paddlewheel frame. Initial repair estimates exceeded $600,000. As a result, the boat spent this past summer docked in Snow Hill.
Pruitt has spent the past several months gathering information from boat captains and maritime officials to help the town make a decision regarding the future of the Black-Eyed Susan. Though he initially wanted the council to vote on the issue this week, with the absence of Councilperson Regina Blake, Pruitt said Tuesday’s meeting would just be for discussion purposes.
Why is Snow Hill stuck with this broken down garbage scow? Because Tom Perlazzo’s mistress needed to get rid of it as it was bankrupting her family and she had to get rid of it quickly. Tom approached the County and said, “Just trust me.” Neither the County not the Town of Snow Hill did any investigating into its condition nor the funds required to operate it. Everyone involved with this debacle should be hog tied, tarred and feathered and banished to Devil’s Island.
Right on 11:59
The boat came from Haver Degrace MD. I believe the Snow Hill official (don’t remember the name) that was promoting the buy was a come here from Haver Degrace also. I thought the deal to be a bit fishy from the start, but I’m not a Snowhill resident, so …..
Typical idiotic slow hill decision making led to this gigantic mess. That why nobody wants to live there – bunch of idiots.
Scrap-Yard !!!!
It was a nice thought.
Oh please. You all screwed up big time. And you know it. Stop sugar coating it, like you people didn’t research, do your homework, or any of that. The county loaned you the money, and you got suckered. Every time I ride by that river I laugh at the stupidity that went into that. Nobody wants to tour that lilly pad blackwater ditch. It ain’t the Choptank by far. You country bumkins got what’s comin’ to ya.
Give it to the public library! They can have a floating bookmobile! oh, wait….
Scrap yard !!! Town too poor to support the boat !!!!!
Get a Biden Bail-Out !!!!
This is EXACTLY what was getting ready to happen with the sports complex, just on a much greater scale. Government needs to stay out of private sector business, they are supposed to supply essential services and fail miserably at that. Now Ocean City has Tom, another bone headed decision with them in the tourism business.
“Successful season in 2021”, how in the world can they lie anymore? It went out 3 times! Produce the books that any idiot would define “successful season”, then it went for the formidable inspection. It has not moved and just rusted and declined even further since.
Nice donation for MD Coastal Reef project!
USCG won’t pass junk , so it goes to the scrap yard !