(Above) Boats anchored on Lake Michigan near Ohio Street Beach on May 28, 2018. (Click on images to view larger versions.)

By Steven Dahlman

8-Apr-24 – For the second time, the United States Coast Guard has singled out the organization working to keep the Chicago River and Lake Michigan safe for boaters.

The Chicago Harbor Safety Committee was presented with the Distinguished Harbor Safety Committee Award at a national conference of harbor safety committees held this year at Navy Pier.

According to a spokesperson for the Chicago Harbor Safety Committee, the award recognizes their “continual efforts to increase safety and security in the port,” including emergency planning exercises, public outreach to recreational boaters, and development of online training materials for novice boaters.

“Once again Chicago enjoys this great honor, but it is only due to the unique agency, public and industry partnerships we nurture on a continuous basis,” said Captain Mike McElroy, President of the Chicago Harbor Safety Committee. “Our port is truly a unicorn and one of a kind with its challenges but Chicagoans like challenges and we work together in committee to find solutions.”

The Chicago committee previously received the award in 2013. In 2019, the committee was named Harbor Safety Committee of the Year by the Coast Guard out of about 30 harbor safety committees nationwide.

(Left) Mike McElroy (right in photo) with Wendella Boats President Michael Borgstrom (left in photo) and Captain Richard Casier of Mercury Cruises at the first meeting of Chicago Harbor Safety Committee on July 15, 2013. U.S. Coast Guard photo by Auxiliarist Jonathan Roth.

The 19th Biennial National Harbor Safety Committee Conference on March 21-22 brought together representatives of harbor safety committees across the United States, along with the U.S. Coast Guard, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, U.S. Department of Transportation Maritime Administration, and National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).