UNITED STATES COAST GUARD AND ODNR TO SHARE ASHTABULA WATERCRAFT STATION

COLUMBUS, OH -- The Ohio Department of Natural Resources (ODNR) has accepted an invitation by the United States Coast Guard to share space at the federal agency's station on the Ashtabula River. The agreement will allow the state boating agency to assign two state watercraft officers there by June 2000.

"We are grateful to the Coast Guard for extending this offer to join them in Ashtabula," said ODNR Division of Watercraft Chief Jeff Hoedt. "We have been considering stationing officers at northeastern Lake Erie as a part of our long-term field restructuring plan and this opportunity allows us to act now."

Presently, state watercraft officers in the division's Cleveland office handle boating emergencies in Lake and Ashtabula counties. The new officers in the Ashtabula location will now include those counties in their coverage area, which means more time patrolling on the water and quicker response to critical boating situations. For the Coast Guard, the decision to offer space in the facility was a matter of logistics.

"Extending an invitation for the Division of Watercraft to join us offered a win-win situation ultimately benefiting Ohio's boaters," said Admiral James D. Hull, Commander, 9th Coast Guard District. "We are pleased to have an immediate tenant in our existing facility and with our missions being so similar, it helps us to supplement our coverage in the area."

Initially, the agencies will share space, but the Division of Watercraft will become the sole tenant when the Coast Guard moves into a new station just upstream in mid-2000. At that time, the present facility will be offered first to federal agencies and then to state agencies interested in the site, at which time the Division of Watercraft intends to make a bid for the property.

According to Hoedt, the facility will also benefit Ohio's boating program on a statewide basis. "Additionally, we can use this as a facility to train our staff as well as local law enforcement agencies from all over the state. This opportunity greatly impacts our abilities to manage Ohio's boating program."

One of the first officers assigned to the Ashtabula location is Watercraft Officer Matt Zlocki, presently assigned to the division's Cleveland field office. The new assignment is especially fitting for Zlocki, since he served 11 years with the Coast Guard, including a tour of duty to Saudi Arabia during Operation Desert Storm. "I feel honored to have the opportunity to work so closely with fellow Guardsmen," said Zlocki. A new watercraft officer cadet will also be assigned to serve with Zlocki when the division completes its hiring process for eight additional cadets.

The Ohio Department of Natural Resources, through its Division of Watercraft, administers Ohio's boating program. The division oversees boat registration and titling operations, provides funding to local communities for education, enforcement and boating facilities, educates the public and enforces boating laws on Ohio's waterways. These programs are user-funded through boat registration fees and through a portion of state and federal motor fuel taxes.

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For Further Information Contact:
Dennis Evans, Division of Watercraft
(614) 265-6695
-or-
Chris Murray, US Coast Guard 9th District
(216) 902-6021