EDC goes after marina grants for city

Marina grants could provide the catalyst for revitalizing Moore Haven

 

   The Glades County Economic Development Council, with help from member businesses Johnson Prewitt Engineering and River Forest Yacht Center, compiled two Florida Boating Improvement Grant applications with the Florida Wildlife Commission in May worth $400,000 to aid the City of Moore Haven in dredging the existing Moore Haven marina, which was severely damaged by Hurricane Wilma, and installing 200 linear feet of floating dock, a sea wall, 40 ft. of accessory dock for smaller boats, restrooms and a "ships store" to house a dock master.

 

  River Forest donated the assistance of their engineers, Environmental Services Inc. and filed a  DEP permit application for the project, which has been received and the city has simultaneously applied for a clean vessel act grant from DEP to build a pump out station for the boats.

According to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers website, 9,000 watercraft lock through the Moore Haven locks each year.

According to Glades County Economic Development Council Executive Director Tracy Whirls, Moore Haven is the natural midway point between Ft. Myers on the west coast and Stuart on the east for those transiting Lake Okeechobee.

 

  “It normally takes a yacht entering the Caloosahatchee River at Fort Myers a day to travel to Moore Haven and a second day to travel on to Stuart and the Atlantic,” Ms. Whirls said.

 

 “Most vessels will not transit the State with out both fueling and stopping for a slip and dinner.  The smaller boats crossing the State without accommodations will require lodging. “Assuming we get the grant to redo the marina, we hope to contract with a vendor to truck in fuel which we'll sell at a discount. Our dock rates will probably be lower than those on the coast. Currently, the EDC director noted, the only dockage/service location between Ft. Myers and Lake Okeechobee is Roland Martin’s at Clewiston.

 

  “For a number of reasons if a suitable marina with fuel and services was available many of the transiting boaters would stop in Moore Haven. With the lower lake levels Moore Haven would become a destination from the western part of the State and when the lake level returns to normal, Moore Haven would continue to be the marina of choice as boaters transit the State. “Via our relationship with River Forest Yacht Center, in Ortona, we'll publicize the availability of our facility--maybe even host a yacht parade during. Christmas on the Caloosahatchee Dec. 11.

 

   “Once the big boats start coming, we expect that it will be easier to attract a buyer for approximately eight waterfront acres adjacent to the city marina where we want to site a hotel and restaurant. Those then would serve as the anchor tenant for a redeveloped downtown,” the economic development director and part time Main Street Moore Haven program manager said.

             

  According to River Forest owner and yachtsman, Joseph T. Charles, the overnight dockage customer pool for Moore Haven is 5-7 boats per night, 3000-4000 vessels per year in the 30-plus foot range. “One foot of dockage with power and water has the potential to generate $1000 per foot annually,” Mr. Charles said. “The City dock at Ft. Myers has 600 feet of transient dockage and generates $600,000 annually.”

 

  Even with a predominantly vacant waterfront, last year the City of Moore Haven collected $11,816 from docking boats at the city's 300 linear ft. dock in front of city hall, at a cost of $1.25 per ft. The economic development director says the new docks will serve as an economic catalyst for the city and new EDC director Charles agrees.

 

  “Many overnight boaters will be looking for a drug store, a hardware store,  fast food or an upscale  restaurant for breakfast and dinner,  a convenience grocery store, auto parts store to purchase  oil, oil filters, fuel filters, hoses, wipers, a ship store and in some cases a clinic or doctor. The day boaters will be interested in a place for lunch and or snacks and cocktails,” Mr. Charles said. “Keep in mind these boaters do not have transportation so the services will have to be within walking distance, or have access to a shuttle or cab, or bicycle rentals.”

 

  Ms. Whirls sees lots of potential for new businesses spring up, as entrepreneurs recognize the possibilities afforded by the project.

“A recent marketing and feasibility study that Florida Main Street funded for Main Street Moore Haven demonstrates that 9400 live within 20 minutes of downtown Moore Haven and a further 29,000 live within a half hour drive,” Ms. Whirls said. “That population has tremendous spending power, as the majority of them have incomes in the $40,000-60,000 per year range.”

 

  “That base market means that a drug store on the river in downtown Moore Haven could generate $300,000 a year in revenue, just by selling pharmaceuticals. When you add medical supplies, or gifts or an old fashioned soda shop, the revenue rises exponentially. The City of Moore Haven and its environs has the capacity to support $2.18 million in revenue from food eaten away from home, and we have no where near that many restaurants.”

Based on that market potential, both the yachtsmen themselves and tourists who might be attracted to the revitalized downtown are “gravy.”

 

  “First you have the base market who live in Moore Haven, Glades County, Clewiston, LaBelle—anywhere around us within a half an hour drive, where folks are constantly looking for something to do—a new place to go eat, a new place to shop, something different without having to drive to the coast,” Ms. Whirls, who has lived in the area nearly fifteen years observes. “Then you have the 3000 or so boaters that will visit a year, who can not only dock at the City Marina, but at the 300-plus foot City Dock on Riverside Drive, or the 400-plus ft. dock at the River House, or at any one of the seawall to Lake  the 4 finger docks that line  Hickpochee which are open to the public, although most folks don’t realize that.

 

 “Once those big boats start docking, and motorists can look down off that bloody bridge that dwarfs downtown and see those boats, they’ll say, ‘Oh, gee, lets go check that out,’ “ the EDC director said. “Now you’ve leveraged your base market, with yachts people, tourists and motoring tourists.

Once the new River Forest Yachting Center is on line, they will be storing in the first two building $150 million dollars worth of vessels.

“The owners of those assets will be looking for many of the services described above,” Mr. Charles pointed out, concluding,  “It’s the old story, build it and they will come works with boaters. Advertise and they will stop, provide the service and treat them well and they will return, treat them fair and they will tell the entire boating community.”