City is Seeking A $500,000 Donation From Unnamed Corporation For Marina Repair

Long considered a jewel in the city's crown, the Martinez Marina lately seems more like a thorn in its side. Siltation has made more than half the berths unusable and getting in and out of the place in a boat very difficult, depending on the tide.

But repairing the marina —which would include dredging and fixing the eastern wall to keep river mud from re-entering quickly — is a costly prospect, and the city is hoping the cavalry will come in the form of a $3.1 million loan from the state Department of Boating and Waterways. But the state is not exactly awash in funds these days, either, and it is not as easy as it used to be to convince state officials that the city's marina deserves financial attention. The city also is in arrears for state marina loans that go back decades.

But Recreation Manager Mitch Austin has devised a plan that he hopes will restore the marina to its former glory. It involves using all of the state money, but also pulls in funds from East Bay Regional Park District grants, federal grants and a mysterious $500,000 donation from a corporation whose identity the city will not reveal. Austin will ask the City Council at its Wednesday meeting to apply for grants. 

The plan would involve several years and millions of dollars, and at least one councilman has expressed exasperation over the amount of time and money the city has put into the Marina project to date. Councilman Mike Menesini said last week that the city has poured enough resources into the facility with nothing to show for it and it's time to rethink the entire plan.

"We haven't been very successful," he said. "It's time for us to see if we've been approaching this issue in the right way."

If the city does get the state loan for $3.1 million, and is successful with the EBRPD grant of $1.6 million, the federal grant of $1.5, and the donation of $500,000, it would bring the amount of marina repair dollars to $6.7 million. The project, as Austin has outlined it, would involve replacing the eastern wall and dredging, at a cost of $4.5 million, to be completed by 2014. More dredging and wall repairs would take place from 2014 to 2017 at a cost of $2.5 million. Finally, the entrance to the marina would be reconfigured at a cost of $2 million, and would be complete by 2019. 

The council meets Wednesday at 7 p.m. in the City Hall Council Chambers, 525 Henrietta St. A special meeting will take place at 6 p.m. with the Planning Commission to discuss the city's general plan update.