Portland Outdoors: Duckworth Dock One Step Closer to Moving

It was a good idea that went astray.

The Kevin J. Duckworth Memorial Dock on the Eastbank Esplanade was intended for short-term overnight and day use tie-up for recreational boaters.

Great idea.

But not how it turned out.

Squaters and self-proclaimed "pirates" - have taken over the dock, making it pretty much unusable for the paddlers and recreational boaters it was intended for.

Now, Daimler wants to move the dock some three miles downstream to Swan Island where the company has its headquarters complete with a new greenway trail that the company helped build there.

The city would still own the dock but the company would pay for security and maintenance.

Portland asked the Oregon Marine Board for approval of the move, which the board granted Tuesday.

The next step is for Portland Department of Parks and Recreation and the the Portland Bureau of Transportation to sign sign off on the deal.