Ruling prevents sale of decrepit piers

A Massachusetts judge issued a court order Thursday that prevents Lawrence Mayor Martin Oliner and his companies from selling two decrepit piers on Boston's waterfront before a hearing next week at which the state could order that the properties be fixed.

The Massachusetts attorney general on Aug. 1 filed the request for an injunction to order that work be done on the piers, which the city and state officials say are in a dangerous state of disrepair. Oliner is the sole manager of two companies that own the piers at the Charlestown Navy Yard.

Suffolk Superior Court Justice Elizabeth M. Fahey issued an order Thursday that temporarily enforces the injunction until Wednesday, when the case is scheduled for a court hearing and the injunction could be formally granted. The temporary order states Oliner and his companies may not "convey, transfer, abandon, sell, destroy, encumber, or otherwise relinquish" any of the properties before the hearing.

The temporary order also requires Oliner to hire an engineer within five days to inspect the piers, known collectively as Shipyard Quarters Marina, and provide a report within two weeks.

The order states that it "serves the public interest by reducing the threat the . . . marina poses to public safety." It also says "there is a likelihood" that Oliner and his companies violated the state Waterways Act.

A spokesman for the Massachusetts attorney general's office declined to comment.

Attempts to reach Oliner, his attorney Nicholas Carter of Boston, and George A. Hall, the attorney for the companies Oliner manages, were not successful.

Oliner has said he is working on plans to replace the marina at a cost of up to $5 million.