Hope floats for marine tourism (5/28)

Posted May 27, 2009 at 11:29 pm
Filed Under News | Leave a Comment

By ERIC CORMIER
AMERICAN PRESS

Construction began on the Bord Du Lac Park Marina project on Lake Charles on Wednesday.

Phase one of the project is the demolition of the Lady Clair Dock, to be followed by the installation of structural pilings.

The marina is scheduled to be complete by March 2010.

Lori Marinovich, executive director of the Downtown Development Authority, said the floating marina will have 52 slips and will be able to host vessels as long as 80 feet on the edges of the marina and 40 feet to 60 feet in the slips.

“It’s an historic moment for the city of Lake Charles and the region to be able to provide such a high-quality dock,” she said. “This marina will add value to the city and open up a new door to economic development.”

City officials are banking on boaters along the Gulf Coast visiting the city to use the marina. The belief is that docked maritime visitors will head to the downtown area to spend money at shops and restaurants.

Also, the marina is expected to be a prime spot during festivals and to complement the Bord Du Lac Promenade once it’s completed.

“We’re now going to be able to market the city on a national scale. Specifically, we’ll be able to market to the maritime community, and that will mean new money and new visitors,” Marinovich said.

Marina users will have access to water, electricity and Wi-Fi services. No fee schedule has been set.

Marinovich is delighted that big-ticket item projects are beginning along the lakefront.

The marina will cost an about $1.7 million. It is a project outlined in the $90 million capital bond improvement program approved by voters in 2007.

“I think again of the relative magnitude of all the government projects that the city is doing, and I feel we’re moving at light speed to get projects developed and designed,” Marinovich said of the bond project list. “We’ve had a mere two years since the public voted to allow this type of development to happen. It’s only been two years since the vote.”

At 1:30 p.m. Monday, June 1, City Hall will conduct a groundbreaking ceremony to officially commemorate the start of construction at the marina and promenade.

Rating: 0.0/5 (0 votes cast)

Comments

What's on your mind?

Use this form to comment on the article above. This box is not intended to be a forum for readers to ask questions of the newspaper staff, but to express their thoughts about the article. To contact the News department, e-mail news@americanpress.com.