Marina Lost Money Last Year Due To Siltation - Poll: Should It Stay Open?

The news continues to get worse for the . At this week’s Park, Recreation, Marina and Cultural Commission, the private operator that runs the day to day operations at the marina reported a 7.5 percent decrease in revenues in 2010-2011, due mostly to the fact that charter fishing boats and pleasure boats have left.

The reason? A down economy to some extent, but largely due to the collection of silt in the harbor, making it impossible for boats to enter and leave the marina during low tides.

Loss of business

Jim Hayes, vice president of marina operator Almar, told the commission that the company has lost a total of $40,000 this year due to the loss of six charter fishing boats and 16 pleasure boats. A commensurate drop in bait sales helped add to the marina’s money woes, he said.

“It’s not going to get any better until we do some dredging,” Hayes said. “If we can’t get boats into the marina, we’re going to continue to have issues.”

Water mains break frequently

The marina currently as 151 boats. One of those boat owners, Rose Martin, lives aboard her boat. She told the commission that there have been recent incidents when the water lines break, and it sometimes takes hours to get the water shut off.

“That’s a lot of fresh water just going out into the river,” she said.

Recreation manager Mitch Austin agreed that the siltation buildup is causing more frequent breaks in the water pipes, which are now lying in mud.

“Almar is aware of these problems, and they’re going to have to move faster to stay on top of them,” he said.

Dredging at least two years off

But the ultimate solution – dredging the marina -- is at least two years away, he added.

“We’ve applied for a grant with the state Department of Boating and Waterways,” Austin said, “but the soonest they can act is 2012. We won’t be able to do any dredging until at least 2013.”

Meanwhile, the city is missing a great marketing opportunity, Hayes said. He estimated that the city and its merchants receive about $700,000 a year from spending by boat owners.

“If we could get closer to 300 boats in there, it could add over $1.5 million to the local economy,” he said.

Is Carquinez Strait a federal channel?

Austin said it would cost about $1 million to dredge the first three fingers of the marina. In response to a question from commissioner John Fuller about having the marina dredged by the Army Corps of Engineers, he said that the city would need to apply for designation as a federal channel, and that process takes seven years.

Speaker Mike Alford, a longtime critic of the city’s handling of the marina, said the waterway is already designated as a federal channel. He also said he has spoken directly with the director of Boating and Waterways, and she informed him that there is no money in state coffers for the Martinez Marina. A spokeswoman for the department could not be reached for confirmation on Wednesday.

“The state is taking a very conservative stand on the funding of all projects,” Austin said.