Marblehead marina wins top 'Clean Marina' designation

SANDUSKY — Some marinas in Ohio are officially certified as clean. Some are maybe a little bit dirty. And one marina in Ohio — Bay Point Marina in Marblehead — can officially claim to be really clean.Bay Point, at the junction of Sandusky Bay and the Lake Erie shoreline, is the first marina in Ohio to earn Platinum Ohio Clean Marina certification, the highest ranking available.Ohio established the Clean Marina program in 2005. Marinas can volunteer to prove they have adopted best management practices by carrying out a list of steps to help keep the lake clean, such as providing pet waste collection bins and bags, and posting signs about the marina's environmental policies.In 2018, the program was revamped to provide a tiered rating system. Marinas now are eligible for base, gold or platinum certification.Bay Point achieved a top rating by meeting the criteria of the program and also by going further by adopting best management practices in five areas: marina management, habitat and species, employee training and community outreach, resiliency and boater education.The Clean Marinas program is a joint project of the Ohio Department of Natural Resources and Ohio Sea Grant. The program also runs the Ohio Clean Boater Program, which encourages boaters to be aware of how their activity on the water affects the lake.For more information, go to ohioseagrant.osu.edu/clean or contact the Ohio Clean Marinas Program at ohiocleanmarinas@osu.edu. Reach reporter Tom Jackson at jackson@sanduskyregister.com and follow him on Twitter @jacksontom.Bay Point Marina in Marblehead has earned Ohio's first platinum Ohio Clean Marina certification. Pictured are Mark Gallavan and John Paul Dress, both of Bay Point Marina, and Jenny Roar, of the Ohio Clean Marinas Program.