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The Bellevue Marina is a money pit, according to City Council President Carol Blood.
The $1.1 million marina has drained city money since Bellevue built it in 1988 at Haworth Park, Blood said. The city paid off bonds for the marina in 2008, but the marina continues to lose money.
“The marina has been an albatross for years and years,” Blood said. “It's losing money, and it's budgeted to lose money.
About $590,000 is earmarked in the 2010 city budget to operate the marina, while its revenue is projected at just $225,000, leaving a $365,000 budget shortfall.
Blood wants the city council to lease the marina to someone who has the expertise to run it and will add services to it.
At her urging, the City Council agreed to solicit proposals from private firms and contractors willing to lease and manage the marina. The company would take over day-to-day operations and be responsible for improvements to make the marina more profitable.
One private contractor already has approached the city about running the marina, Blood said.
About 75 percent of the 200 boat slips now are rented, but the marina offers few on-site services. There is no convenience store, service-repair center or restaurant. Silt builds up in the mouth of the marina, creating an ongoing problem.
Blood and others have said an improved marina could offer public boat docking for overnight visitors traveling to the area for the $7.5 million Cat Osterman Champions Village youth softball complex being built nearby. The youth sports facility is expected to open for tournament play next summer.
“I do think it is a good idea to contract the services out, if we can save the city taxpayers money,” said City Administrator Gary Troutman. “It is certainly well worth taking a look at.”
Two members of the Bellevue Dock Board, Bill Radil and Barclay Stebbins, said Monday that they don't object to finding an outside marina manager, if the city provides necessary support.
They said city officials have treated the marina like a burden and have allowed regular maintenance to fall behind schedule, hampering efforts to make the marina successful.
“Our goal is to make the marina a beautiful facility that everyone can be proud of,” Radil said. “We are not interested in being a burden to the taxpayers of Bellevue.”
Radil and Stebbins said that constant whispers that the city wants to close the marina make it harder to keep slips rented, even though the Omaha area does not have enough slips to meet demand.
The Bellevue Marina is one of three large marinas near metropolitan Omaha. Stebbins said the marina at N.P. Dodge Park, with 268 slips, has an annual waiting list of 50 to 200. The marina at Sandpiper Cove has 300 slips and an estimated waiting list of 30 to 40 boaters, he said.
“People are not going to buy into our program if they think we are about to close down,” Stebbins said.
An outside marina manager would be expected to aggressively market the marina, Stebbins said.
“More money can easily be attained by renting out more slips,” Stebbins said.
About 25 slips were rented after the city posted a sign near the marina in July indicating that slips were available. The average boat slip rents for about $875 during the boating season.
Don Preister, a newly appointed Bellevue council member, said he doesn't care how many contractors submit offers to manage the marina from the city, “as long as there is one good proposal.”
Adding a full-service repair shop and convenience store might generate additional sales tax revenue, said Preister, a former state senator.
“I don't think we should be subsidizing something like a marina when most people in Bellevue don't have a boat or the opportunity to use the marina, unlike a park or a pool or a library.”
Contact the writer:
444-1056, john.ferak@owh.com
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