City Marina To Cut 1 Job

The St. Ignace Public Marina will need to eliminate a $22,771 deficit in 2008, reported Eugene Elmer at a meeting of the Harbor Authority Wednesday, November 28.

Mr. Elmer, the marina director and city treasurer, said his plan hinges on a Dowontown Development Authority donation of $10,000 for each of the next three years, cutting one employee from the marina staff, and the assumption that fuel and dockage revenues remain the same as this summer.

This year the marina was operated with 11 employees, including the harbor master.

"We should be all right next year," Mr. Elmer told the board.

Revenue to October 31 this year was $544,347.34, with expenses amounting to $427,845. Last year's revenue was $537,809.99 and expense was $595,593.83.

The marina deficit is the result of a 2003 expansion that increased capacity from 22 slips to 136. To help pay for its share of the upgrade, the city sold $1 million in revenue bonds and is redeeming them over a 20-year period. It now pays $80,000 a year, although that yearly bill will gradually be decreased as the city gets closer to paying off the bonds.

Mr. Elmer noted that there was no marina revenue during construction in 2003 and part of 2004.

Launch ramp fee revenue dropped from $6,648.30 in 2006 to $5,374.22 this year, indicating, said Mr. Elmer, that small boat owners were more affected by the economy than large boat owners.

He does not keep records of how many boats use the expanded facility.

The marina has established itself as one of the best marinas in the state, said Mr. Elmer. Its popularity is growing in the boating realm, with new yacht associations contacting the marina each year. The demand for seasonal slips has grown, as well. Mr. Elmer said the list is 50 names long now.

Of the 136 slips in the marina, 40 of them are seasonal, meaning local boaters can rent a slip there all summer.

Regattas from Grosse Pointe, Bay Harbor, and an overflow of boats from the 100th anniversary of the Chicago to Mackinac Island Yacht Race are expected to keep the marina busy for most of July 2008.

Boats as long as 80 feet are expected to moor at St. Ignace during the regattas, which means many boats will be assigned to slips that are made for smaller boats. Assigning bigger boats to smaller slips will be easier to control if the marina staff talks with boaters directly, instead of through the state reservation system, said Mr. Elmer, so boaters will be asked to call the supervisor during weekends when the city is hosting a regatta or during the Bayview and Chicago yacht races.

Seasonal slip renters who park their vehicles in the marina parking lot may soon be issued parking stickers to allow marina staff to identify them in case vehicles need to be moved for events such as the Fish Feast, and to distinguish boaters' vehicles from tourist vehicles.

The Harbor Authority is also proposing that the city provide a courtesy vehicle to be used to go shopping. Boaters have frequently asked if one could be provided, said Harbor Authority Chairman George Yshinski.

Mr. Elmer said he has earmarked funding in the marina's capital outlay for such a purchase. A total of $7,774 is earmarked for the capital outlay for next year, double the amount from last year.

"Once we are out of the hole in our budget, we can get one," he said of the courtesy vehicle.

In the meantime, he suggested to the board that Glen's Market, which is the closest grocery store to the marina, offers a delivery service. Boaters can order groceries delivered to the marina.

Other ideas discussed for the upcoming summer included purchasing more luggage carts for boaters and bringing in sand to place at the shoreline in front of the marina to allow people to enjoy the beach.

It would be nice for visiting families if the city could place sand at the beach in front of the marina, across from Bay Pharmacy, Mr. Yshinski said.

"Right now, it's all rocky," he said. "By making it a sandy beach, it's just another thing to keep boaters here longer."

Mr. Elmer was confident that getting sand would be no problem, but hauling it would be a hefty expense.

The board agreed the light that beams from the miniature lighthouse at the end of Chief Wawatam Park should be replaced with a stronger one for navigational purposes.

Mr. Elmer suggested to purchase a strobe light to place at the end of the dock, which would "jump out at you more," but committee member Louie Leveille said that may not be allowed under state regulations, and two lights close to one another in one location may confuse boaters from the water.