After crunching the numbers, the mayor’s office presented Ironton City Council an estimated cost for work at the city’s marina.

Wednesday, July 18, 2001

After crunching the numbers, the mayor’s office presented Ironton City Council an estimated cost for work at the city’s marina.

The project estimate was presented after council’s finance committee requested the mayor show a budget for the project.

Committee members said they do not want to see the marina become a debt to the city.

At Thursday’s council meeting, mayor Bob Cleary submitted the projected revenue and expense sheet for the project for this fiscal year.

The mayor’s office has calculated the marina will generate $5,356 in the next four months or $6,695 for five months. The figure was based on 29 boaters using the facility.

The expenses to make repairs and some additions to the site has been calculated at $6,413.32. The mayor advised council that the expenses are estimated and may fluctuate. He added the cost of labor – using city employees – was not factored into the estimate, citing difficulties in estimating the number of hours employees will be at the marina.

The work estimates will pay for lighting at the marina as well as a water line extension, portable restroom units, minor deck repair and insurance for the facility. The price also includes paying property taxes for the last half of fiscal year 1999 and all of 2000.

This money, according to the mayor, is due by August 10 of this year and must be paid because the city did not operate the property. Now that the city has assumed control over the property, the city will not be liable for any more property taxes.

The projected work planned for the marina is a step forward in bringing the city’s plans for the marina into focus.

Recently, council adopted an ordinance giving the mayor the go-ahead to seek a Waterways Safety Fund Grant from the Ohio Department of Natural Resources-Division of Watercraft that will provide funding to the first phase of a three-phase project that will develop the site.

Cleary said the total cost of the project will be over $1 million, so the project has been broken into three phases.

The first phase will be to dredge the waterway to make the channel deeper and to add some docking. He said the project is estimated to cost around $300,000.

The second phase of the project will go to develop more docking, construct restroom facilities and to develop access roads to the site.

The final phase of construction will develop parking, camp sites, picnic areas, other recreational areas and complete the docks.

The city applied for the same grant last year but was denied funding. City Engineer Joe McCallister speculates the grant was denied because the project was funded by grant money in the previous year.

McCallister said the grant will be submitted to the state agency and he said it will be some time this summer before the city learns if the grant is approved. If the state grants the funding work on the first phase is expected next spring.

So far, the city has not received word if the state has approved the request for the grant.

Cleary said he expects to hear from the state soon. He said the agency normally releases the grant awards at the end of July or the first part of August.

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