August 29, 2006

N.P. Dodge Park boaters told to evacuate marina early

oaters who have their boats docked at the city-owned Dodge Park Marina must evacuate the marina by September 10th. The marina is closing early in order to start work on a $1.9 million repair and dredging project.

The Corps of Engineers announced earlier that the navigation season would be shortened by 44 days this year, ending in the Omaha area around October 10th. This means boaters who keep

	NP Dodge Park Marina slips will undergo much needed maintenance until reopening in spring 2007.

their boats in the marina will end their season a month before that.

The city plans to repair docks, dredge three to four feet and add a mechanical gate at the marina's entrance. During the off season, the entrance to the marina has been blocked by creating an earthen dam. This practice provides the minimum 5 ft. depth needed to maintain the docks once the river flow has been reduced.

The marina has not been dredged since 1991 and silt carried in from the river has been piling up.

The project is being paid for in part by a $930,000 federal grant. The remaining funds will come from an N.P. Dodge Park revenue bond. The bond will be reimbursed from money collected from

	View from entrance of NP Dodge Park Marina.  You can see earthen dam (Spring 2006) that will be replaced next year by a mechanized gate structure.

gas sales and slip rentals. Slip rentals in the city-owned marina range from $437 to $1,596 for a covered slip. There are currently 317 slips available.

Dredging of the marina will begin this year as soon as all boats have been removed. The goal is to have this task completed before the river levels are reduced in October.

Before the marina opens again next spring, the city plans to repair five docks, replace walkway panels and completely replace one dock. An old wooden dock on the northern most point of the marina will be replaced with a new dock that will have 40 slips, most of those will be reserved for temporary users with boats 26 feet or larger who are looking for a place to dock overnight. This is something that has been needed for quite some time and will provide boaters who travel the river from other cities a place to stay when visiting the Omaha area.

The mechanical gate will not be installed in time for this year so the city plans on using the earthen dam again this year to maintain the water level.

Even though the marina itself will be closed on September 10th, the public loading ramps and gas dock will remain open.