I’m starting this article, like my Marina Timeline, to help me (and hopefully you) understand the enormity of the task of upgrading the core functions of the Marina. This is all Marina Floor. No Steps, no Beach Park, no 223rd Streets, no Midway, no Redondo, no nothing.
| Project Name | Zone/Fund | Source | CIP# | Tier | Segment | Timeline | Cost | Complete |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bulkhead replacement | Waterfront (G/F) | Tier 1 | 2023 | $12.5M (combo) | Y | |||
| North lot restroom replacement | Waterfont (G/F) | Tier 1 | 2023 | $12.5M (combo) | Y | |||
| Guest dock electrical services upgrade | Marina | Tier 1 | 2023 | $250,000 | Y | |||
| South Parking Lot LED Lighting | Marina | Tier 1 | 2023 | $20,000 | Y | |||
| Replacing L M and N docks and infrastructure | Marina | 2023 Bonds | Tier 1 | a | 2022-2026 | $14,000,000 | I | |
| Tenant Restroom Replacement in south Marina lot | Marina | Tier 1 | a | 2022-2026 | $950,500 | N | ||
| Planning and design for Adaptive Purpose Building | Marina | Tier 1 | b | 2025-2028 | $500,000 | N | ||
| Planning for new Small Sling Hoist | Marina | Tier 1 | c | 2024-2028 | $170,000 | N | ||
| Marina infrastructure upgrades (power and water) | Marina | Tier 1 | c | 2024-2028 | $1,200,000 | N | ||
| Construction of Adaptive Purpose Building | Marina | Tier 1 | d | 2024-2030 | $4,000,000 | N | ||
| ------------- | ||||||||
| $20,820,500 | ||||||||
| 2024-2030 | $6,820,500 | N | ||||||
| Electrical backbone replacement from CSR South | Marina | Tier 2 | a | 2032-2037 | $600,000 | N | ||
| Seawall replacement south of CSR | Marina | Tier 2 | a | 2032-2037 | $12,600,000 | N | ||
| Pedestrian walkway extension south of CSR | Marina | Tier 2 | b | 2032-2040 | $1,500,000 | N | ||
| F G H I J and K docks replacement | Marina | Tier 2 | c | 2035-2045 | $30,000,000 | N | ||
| Fuel Tank upgrade | Marina | Tier 2 | d | 2032-2040 | $750,000 | N | ||
| ------------- | ||||||||
| 2032-2040 | $45,450,000 | |||||||
| A B C D and E docks replacement | Marina | Tier 3 | a | 2035-2040 | $25,000,000 | N | ||
| Guest moorage restrooms and Marina office upgrade | Marina | Tier 3 | a | 2035-2040 | $3,300,000 | N | ||
| Travel lift replacement | Marina | Tier 3 | a | 2035-2040 | $700,000 | N | ||
| ------------- | ||||||||
| 2032-2040 | $29,000,000 | |||||||
| El Gran Total! | $95,270,500 | |||||||
| Remaining: 2025-2040 | $81,270,500 | |||||||
Discussion
I’ll begin by putting this in the context of the time/cost of money. If we had started building all these projects in 2007 dollars, adjusted for inflation, they would have cost us about a third of what they would today. That’s the time/cost of money.
The costs below, the projects left to do, are a little over $81M in in 2023 dollars. As we now know, inflation is fickle, but one must at least try.
Assuming inflation rates stay at the current three percent, and assuming we complete all these projects to schedule by 2040, and nothing else fails before then, the real final cost of the projects not yet active, will end up being more like $130 million dollars.
And get this sports fans: we have zero money set aside for that.
Yes, we’ll (slowly) pay down that debt over twenty years. We may be able to reserve some small profits every year from moorage. That’s another unknown, but fine. How close will we come to $130,000,000?
Another unknown is wear and tear. It’s not just that everything is wearing out, it’s that many items are at or near end of life. Proof?
- 2018: Redondo Fishing Pier fail (original cost, $2.9M, current cost $6M)
- 2022: Small boat launch fail (original cost?, current cost?)
So other things are likely to fail ahead of schedule, we don’t have the money to handle those unplanned events, and everything will get crazy more expensive the longer we wait. Just look at the cost overruns we’re trying to cope with on the last two projects (Marina Steps, Redondo Fishing Pier.) And fifteen years will pass very quickly.
I attended my first City Council meeting in 2008 and the Council was arguing over the sling launch removal. Time flies.
Regardless of any other capital projects, and regardless of what people want or feel entitled to, I believe we need to make these items the top priority and stop kicking this can down the road. The Marina is the waterfront business. It powers everything else people love about our waterfront.
Sources:
Current Questions
- So… we have 15 years to come up with $81M in 2025 dollars? Go!
- What will that be in 2040 dollars? (the current inflation rate for construction is 5%, making that $168,000,000 in 2040 dollars.)
- Are there any Marina profits can we reserve? (probably not)
- How much new debt can we issue as old debt is paid off?
- What exactly does the Tier 1a (L.M,N) cover?
- Does that also include any aspect of the boat launch?
- It currently covers demolition, but not replacement. City is attempting to add that ability to the current permit.
- Does that also include any aspect of the boat launch?
- Is there value in replacing the boat launch beyond dry stack?
- Yes. We will need some form of hoist or fork lift to service the Marina. Building a negative lift launch would facilitate all use cases and provide the most flexibility.
Hi JC, Yes, that is confusing about the small sling. If they’re doing dry stacks, they need a negative lift forklift, right? Not a sling. They could get a negative lift even before the dry stacks are complete and start getting revenue from launches and trailer parking. If they have a negative lift available to the public, having a small sling seems redundant. They could get a swing-out davit boat lift like Friday Harbor where the defunct small sling is now, which would also help the commercial fishers bring up their crates during low tide and also kayaks that use the marina often. Should be cheaper than a sling, too. Thanks, and good luck.
Thank you for such a thoughtful comment. Yes. This will sound snippy, but I think someone decided that ‘sling’ means any kind of boat launching system, which is unfortunate. We have a permit to remove the small boat launch, which we should, as part of the L,M,N demo. The next step would be to get a negative lift added to the L,M,N permit — also possible. What I’ve struggled to explain to the City and to my colleagues, is that we -must- have some sort of launch and hoist or fork lift there for many reasons — not just dry stack. It’s an expected function and an opportunity. We should build that along with the dock replacement while we have this unique chance. People can fight about the building later. 😀
I see, they mean “sling replacement”, whatever that may be. I offer one more idea to consider, and that’s a ramp. That way it doesn’t require any staffing, can still gain revenue from launch fees and trailer parking, and the bulkhead needs rebuilding anyway.