Bridge Marina Goes High Tech With Smart Phone App

Want to know the conditions, water level or weather on Lake Hopatcong? There’s an app for that, and it comes from Bridge Marina in Lake Hopatcong.

The app, available on both the Iphone and Android platform, gives information on the water level of the lake, the water temperature and the weather at the lake. Web cameras heading both north and south on the lake will allow app users to view exactly how the lake looks at any given time.

Bridge Marina owner Ray Fernandez said he came up with the idea for the app for the purpose of customer service.

“We do a lot more for boaters than just sell boats or rent slips,” Fernandez said. “We’re all about creating a good experience for our customers.”

Fernandez said he would get “tons of questions” about the lake level, water temperatures, anything related to the lake.

“I tried to figure out how I could deliver all the information my customers want in one platform, and this seemed like the best way,” he said.

Fernandez started thinking about the app in the spring of last year. But what really sealed the deal for him, he said, was not exactly about water.

“I went to a conference last fall, and while I was in the airport, I couldn’t believe how many people I saw of all ages using smart phones. It was a huge number. That’s when I knew I had to do an app,” he said.
Fernandez spent several months finding the right company to produce the app and figuring out what would be most useful to have on it. The app finally launched in February of this year, but no formal announcement was made until early June.

The app has what Fernandez termed “a great deal of potential” for the future.  

“I plan to keep expanding it as needs arise,” he said. “I’m hoping for feedback from my customers. If they tell me they want something, I’ll add it. If they tell me something isn’t useful, I’ll get rid of it.”