Plans to move the Showboat Majestic to Maysville may have hit a snag.
Plans to move the Showboat Majestic from Manchester, Ohio, to dock on the Ohio River Limestone Landing in Maysville may have hit a snag, officials learned Thursday.
During a special meeting Thursday, Maysville City Commissioners learned the boat has changed ownership after Joseph Brumley said he bought out partners who had a 30 percent interest in the vessel, leaving him as the sole owner. That change means a change in the lease agreement the city was considering, according to City Attorney Kelly Caudill.
The 501 3c non-profit status Brumley is seeking for the boat is also still in progress and a board of directors has been dissolved after members failed to respond to his inquiries, he said.
Brumley said he plans to establish a new board of local members once the boat is moored in Maysville. The approval process for non-profit status is still underway and will not require re-submission, he said.
Although he has signed paperwork dissolving the partnership it could be a week before the agreement is official, Brumley said. All of that will be complete before the boat is moved, he said.
Caudill said it is important the city knows who it is entering a lease agreement with as the boat’s owner.
Commissioners and Caudill asked several questions concerning Coast Guard inspections and learned from Brumley since the boat is permanently docked, it does not fall under the control of the Coast Guard but rather is regulated by the Corps of Engineers, which only inspects the moorings, which are owned by the city and have been approved by the Corps.
When questioned on the boat’s fire safety, Brumley said it has both interior and exterior sprinkler systems which, if an adequate water supply is available in Maysville, could be re-certified.
Brumley said he has a narrow window to move the boat before the Ohio River reaches flood stage as it often does in winter and early spring. Moving to Maysville will alleviate issues with drift surrounding and damaging the boat because of the city’s position along the riverfront and because of ice breakers near the landing.
Brumley said he not only plans to move his boat to Maysville but also his real estate and development business and said he has signed a contract to purchase property on Second Street.
Caudill said he can have the lease “revised within an hour,” but said Brumley would need to provide documentation naming him as the sole owner before the city could sign the agreement.
City Manager Matt Wallingford recommended commissioners authorize a one-year lease for the mooring space, once the conditions are met, for a minimal fee and revisit the issue next year before any long-term lease is entered into.
Mayor Charles Cotterill said he is “100 percent in favor of this… but there are questions to be answered when it comes time to sign.” He said Brumley’s plan to purchase property in downtown Maysville “shows a real commitment to this project.”
Commissioners voted to give Cotterill the authority to enter into a lease agreement after Brumley provides the necessary documentation on ownership. Questions of possibly adding a stern-wheeler for cruises were not addressed Thursday.
The ship was purchased by Joe and Cortnee Brumley of Winchester, Ohio, in early 2019 and plans were to dock the boat on the Ohio River next to Moyer’s Winery on U.S. 52, west of Manchester, Ohio. But after Moyer’s was destroyed in a fire, those plans changed.
Brumley first approached the city with a proposal to move the boat earlier this month.
The 85-foot-long floating theater was an attraction on Cincinnati’s riverfront landscape beginning in the 1960s.
