Rundown Lakebay Marina will get a $1.7 million facelift. Here’s who’s paying
A public-private partnership has received a $1.7 million grant from the state Legislature to restore the long-neglected Lakebay Marina, an historic landmark on the Key Peninsula.
The state Department of Natural Resources and the Recreational Boating Association of Washington, which bought the marina last year, are undertaking the project together, according to a DNR release.
The two entities received a $1,776,000 boating facilities grant from the Legislature in the 2021-2023 capital budget to acquire and renovate the historic but rundown marina.
The marina, next to Penrose Point State Park, has been a community fixture since the 1880s, but has fallen on hard times. Three of the most dilapidated buildings were demolished in January under a Pierce County abatement order.
DNR will use the grant funding to acquire 17.5 acres of upland and tideland property surrounding the marina, and will work with the boating association’s nonprofit Marine Parks Conservancy to restore the docks and main building, once a popular cafe and dance hall.
New facilities planned
New facilities at the marina will include recreation and picnic areas, public restrooms, recreational moorage and vessel pump-out and fueling facilities. The DRN grant will also protect important beds of kelp and eelgrass that support juvenile salmon in Mayo Cove, the agency said.
“We are delighted to be able to acquire this historic marina, keep it in the public domain for generations to come,” said Bob Wise, president of the boating conservancy. Wise said the RBAW plans to deed the marina over to the DNR.
In addition to the recent funding allocation, the Lakebay Marina purchase and renovation has received $250,000 from Pierce County, a $100,000 allocation from the 2020 Supplemental Capital Budget and tens of thousands of dollars in private donations through the boater’s group.
The dilapidated marina with its decaying buildings and scuttled boats has been a major eyesore on the Key Peninsula. Its latest owner, Mark Scott, has struggled with maintenance and numerous regulatory problems since acquiring the property in 2013.
Haggling over price
In December, 2019, the boating association agreed to pay $1.24 million for the property, which includes the pier, the warehouse and cafe, and five parcels of land surrounding Mayo Cove. But the sale was held up for months while the RBAW haggled with Scott over terms. At one point, Scott raised his price to $3.135 million., but later backed down.
The property sale is expected to close this summer, Wise told The Gateway in November of 2020.
If all goes well, Wise said, work can begin replacing the rotting pilings and boat docks. The main pier and its building are in fairly good shape already, he said.
“We need to get those docks and pilings out of the water right away, and then there will be a bidding and rebuilding process that may take two or three years. This is not a short-term project.”
Mosquito fleet dock
Once a 19th Century timber-loading dock, a stop for the famed “Mosquito fleet” of small steamers, and later an egg warehouse, the Lakebay Marina is one of only two public marine facilities on the Key Peninsula, and one of the few fuel docks in the southern part of the Sound.
Scott has struggled to keep up with electrical and structural problems dogging the deteriorating pier and warehouse. At one point, the entire facility was closed by Pierce County until it was brought up to fire and safety codes.
Over the years, county and state cited Scott in a slew of investigations, including operating an illegal RV park and campground, improper food handling, water and sewer violations, allowing illegal live-aboards, illegal clam and oyster harvesting, and illegal scuttling of boats. Scott complained last year he was being red-taped to death and considered abandoning the property following months of violation notices and issues.
Three of the most run-down outbuildings at the marina were demolished Jan. 20 under a county abatement order that termed them a danger to the public. Scott posted an appeal on Facebook for public protests, but none materialized, and the buildings were torn down without incident.
Doug Levy, a lobbyist who represents the boating group in Olympia., told The Gateway in November 2020 that the RBAW had applied for a grant under DNR’s Boating Facilities Program, which provides grants to acquire, develop, and renovate facilities for motorized boats and other watercraft, including launching ramps, guest moorage, and support facilities.
“Under the terms of the application, if funding is allocated, the RBAW Marine Park Conservancy would deed its ownership of Lakebay over to DNR and work with DNR on the planning effort,” Levy explained. “We and DNR think that ultimately, the most logical owner of the property may be Washington State Parks — and there will be time later to explore that idea.”
This story was originally published May 29, 2021 at 1:52 PM.