Use Local Talent To Solve The Marina Problem, Resident Urges

The City Council Marina Subcommittee got an earful Thursday from a long-time Martinez resident who chided city officials for not using local engineering and expertise when it comes to solving the marina’s woes.

Recreation manager Mitch Austin explained to Mayor Rob Schroder and City Councilman Mark Ross that the new plan is to dredge the entrance and the A and B docks, and rebuild part of C dock. He also estimated the cost of the work, including soil engineering.

“I can get you the soil engineering for nothing,” said Blaine Bonacci, a retired civil engineer. “You keep trying to handle this in house. Why don’t you ever ask for help?”

He said there were a number of people in the community with long-time knowledge of the marina and its issues who would be glad to step up and help keep the facility open.

“It’s the one thing this city has,” Bonacci said. “It’s the only thing that’s going to bring it back. We’ll never be a city of storefronts like back in the 1940s.”

"We're always looking for help," said City Manager Phil Vince. 

Another long-time Martinez resident, Bob Kearny, said he worked for the construction firm that built in the marina in 1959. He said the city has misdiagnosed the siltation problem as being due to the broken eastern seawall.

“The problem isn’t that wall,” he said. “It’s displacement. The soil is sinking. I will bet money on it.”

He said the firm he worked for while the marina was being built knew that it would be a bad location for a marina.

“They built it anyway, because they were getting paid one way or the other,” he said.

The plan as outlined by Austin is to dredge the entrance and the three docks, try to get boat owners back into the marina, and try to generate enough income to pay for the operation. The dredging will cost about $800,000, he said, with $300,000 coming from Measure WW funds and an anticipated $500,000 donation from the Shell Refinery.

Austin estimated that the marina could generate as much as $80,000 a year with a 60 percent occupancy rate.

Last year, the marina lost $30,000 due to boaters leaving because the docks are filling up with silt, making it difficult to navigate, especially at low tide.

Park, Recreation, Marina and Cultural Commissioner John Fuller also explained his idea about creating a special district for the marina, selling bonds and attracting a developer to build a restaurant, recreational shops and enhance the amphitheater.

Vince said he has looked for a developer for the marina, and has been unable to find one.

“I didn’t say it would be easy,” Fuller said.