Third time the charm for marina grant

A $245,741 grant will be making its way to Eagle Creek Marina in Kendall to help defray construction costs on the planned marina.

Marina owner Jim Freemesser said he had applied two times prior for a grant from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Services Boating and Infrastructure Grant (BIG) program and was denied. "We were just hitting on all eight cylinders this year and were third time lucky," he said. "We were extremely excited when we got the news that our application was successful because we are at a critical state in our expansion of the marina."

The federal money will provide support for continuing the boating infrastructure enhancements. "With the summer tourist season beginning, these dollars are great news for Lake Ontario boaters," Senator Charles Schumer stated in a press release. "It's important that we upgrade and maintain facilities so they can continue to thrive. These federal dollars will help Eagle Creek to become a destination for boaters as well as a benefit to the entire region."

Eagle Creek Marina will use the federal grant money to help with the construction of 24 new transient slips with utilities, additional new restrooms and the installation of an updated sewage system and a fuel dock. The Marina will contribute $267,756 in matching funds.

"We did research to see what boaters favored in a marina and we found that women looked for clean, state-of-the-art restrooms and that men wanted wide spacing between the docks. The last thing any captain wants is to have to thread the needle to get the boat parked," Freemesser said. "Your heart is in your throat every time you have to park and if there is a little bit of a wind or a change in current, you are playing bumper pool with your boat."

The space between docks is about 15 percent wider than boaters normally see, he said. "We want to make the boating experience as desirable as possible for the transient boaters," he said.

The marina will be open to all boaters but Freemesser anticipates it will attract many boaters from outside the area.

The close to $2 million project will offer a "boating center like no other" on the south side of Lake Ontario, Freemesser said. Once complete, it will have a swimming pool, water park, arcade room, mini theater, laundromat, 7,000 square feet of decking, a third floor meeting room and a "destination" restaurant.

"To be considered a destination restaurant you need to have a scenic view, an ambiance people will remember and excellent food," he said. "We will certainly have all of those components. The marina will drive the restaurant but together the synergy will draw in the crowds."

There will also be live music on Friday and Saturday nights. "We have invested in high quality sound proofing for the neighbors and the boaters who might not want to hear music after 11 p.m."

Freemesser said they are still looking at about four more months of construction before completion.

June 11, 2006