One marina poised to become two
One marina poised to become two
But not without challenges
By JILL DENNING GACKLE
First, there was not enough water to keep the old Garrison marina afloat.
Now, if all goes as planned, that marina is soon to be operational with as many as 40 boat slips, and another 60 boat slips are filled at the new $13 million marina.
But every stroke of the paddle to get to a 100-slip capacity has strained the stamina of those involved.
Dick Messerly, Fort Stevenson State Park manager, has been at the helm of the efforts for the past 10 years. He recently pointed out toward deTrobriand Bay and said, “Remember when we were going to dredge that?” He recalled the first idea nearly a decade ago was to dredge and revive the old marina. It took until 2008 when U.S. Sen. Byron Dorgan pushed through congressional funding for the new facility on the west edge of the state park.
Today there were still challenges: namely paying for $382,000 in docks in the new marina and then finding another as much as $400,000 for electricity to accommodate the big boats that call the marina home during the summer.
