From the Helm
Dear MRA Members and Friends;
Thank you for allowing me to be your president, an honor for sure.
At our recent conference we elected Jim Behun - Sunroad Resort Marina, Barbara Galgiani - LP Insurance Services, Shelley Griffin - Bay Club Hotel & Marina, and Rusty Morgan - Oceanmax as new board of directors for our great organization. Congratulation's to all of you. I look forward to your leadership and working with you.
We just had another great conference but before we talk about that I want to thank our outgoing president Mark Sandoval. Mark had a great two year run of successful conferences and regional trainings, the back bone to our organization. On the legislative front we held our own despite challenges as state parks in essence absorbed department of boating and waterways. Mark thank you for all you have done for the MRA.
In thinking about Mark, I am struck by our similarities. We are both CPA's, enjoy boating and now we both can say we have led this great organization, MRA. Our similarities stop there though as Mark runs a coastal marina in Ventura, I run an inland marina, Bullards Bar, in Northern California. Mark is an avid Dodgers fan and I am a Giants fan, oh my.
Now, to the conference, if you missed it imagine a beautiful setting, great lunches on the veranda overlooking the ocean, great speakers and vendors and you imagined our conference in San Diego. I trust each one of you came away with at least one gem of an idea you can take to your marina or boat yard that you can implement right away to make a difference. Mark your calendar for the 2020 conference for September 28th thru 30th, 2020 in Santa Barbara. It just takes one great takeaway to pay for the conference. What will yours be?
The next big event will be the California Boating Congress (CBC) in Sacramento sometime in March of 2020. This is an important event for our organization to let our elected officials know who we are what we contribute to the California economy. As soon as we nail down the date we will get the word out.
If you liked what you saw at the conference and can imagine yourself being part of the future of your organization, Marina Recreation Association, don't hesitate to contact me.
Scott Robertson
scottr@abacus7.com
530-913-7440
|
 |
 |
|
BoatUS Applauds Legislators for Helping to Ensure
Taxes Paid by Boaters Will Fund Boating Programs
Reps. Cunningham, Graves introduce bipartisan Sport Fish Restoration and Recreational Boating Safety Act of 2019
The explosive growth of paddlesports including stand-up paddleboarding, kayaking and canoeing has local, state and federal governments working to ensure there's plenty of paddler access, including paddlecraft-only launches that make it easy to launch a kayak, increasing efforts to ensure paddler safety, and minimizing user conflicts with traditional boaters.
The question is, who pays for it?
Under a nearly seven-decade-old federal funding mechanism, the answer is recreational power, sail, and fishing boat owners. A newly introduced bipartisan bill, the Sport Fish Restoration and Recreational Boating Safety Act of 2019, aims to give the Government Accountability Office an opportunity to examine and report on the increasing use of non-motorized vessels and their impacts on recreational boat launches, and look at user conflicts and how funds are used to support non-motorized boating safety programs. It will also look at boat recycling, a concern for some waterfront communities.
The nation's advocacy, services and safety group for recreational boat owners, BoatUS, applauds bill authors Rep. Joe Cunningham (D-SC) and Rep. Garret Graves (R-LA) for their sponsorship.
"Any way you can get on the water is a good thing," said BoatUS Manager of Government Affairs David Kennedy. "However, we can't ignore the continued, successful growth of paddling participation in America and the need to have equitable funding for access and safety programs. Our thanks to Reps. Cunningham and Graves for looking to better understand today's waterway user and ensure everyone is investing in their future."
Created in 1950, the Sport Fish Restoration Program follows a "user pays - public benefit" model of funding that uses excise taxes paid on boat motors, motorboat fuel and fishing equipment to fund boating access sites, fishery and conservation programs, as well as state and local boating safety and clean water programs. The newly-introduced bill will also extend the authorization of the Sport Fish Restoration and Boating Trust Fund to 2024.
About Boat Owners Association of The United States (BoatUS):
Celebrating more than 50 years, BoatUS is the nation's largest organization of recreational boaters with more than a half-million members. We are the boat owners' voice on Capitol Hill and fight for their rights. We are The Boat Owners Auto Club and help ensure a roadside trailer breakdown doesn't end a boating or fishing trip before it begins. When boats break down on the water, TowBoatUS brings them safely back to the launch ramp or dock, 24/7. The BoatUS Marine Insurance Program offers policies that give boat owners affordable, specialized coverage and superior service they need. We help keep boaters safe and our waters clean with assistance from the nonprofit BoatUS Foundation for Boating Safety and Clean Water. Visit BoatUS.com.
|
 |
 |
|
|
|
Construction Corner
Innovative Kayak Launch Design Delights New Blu Harbor Community
Blu Harbor Marina (Redwood City, CA)
 Bellingham Marine recently designed, engineered, manufactured, and installed a 64-slip concrete floating dock system for the new Blu Harbor community in Redwood City, California.
The new marina, built on approximately 3 acres of open water, offers double-berth slips ranging from 35' to 40' long. Perhaps the dock system's most noticeable feature is the 50' x 5' low-freeboard kayak launch. The kayak launch is equipped with an ADA compliant transition plate and enclosed by an 8' zinc-coated chain-link security fence.
According to Ron Mock, Bellingham Marine's Senior Project Manager, "the new kayak launch was a very interesting concept. It was designed to allow water access for every person in the Blu Harbor community without sacrificing the security concerns of boaters who rent slips at the marina."
The kayak launch is located at the base of an 80' ADA compliant gangway. This is the marina's only point of access. When asked about placing the kayak launch here, Eric Noegel, Bellingham Marine's Manager of Project Development said, "whenever you are working with limited space, square-footage is at a premium. The dock design and layout are as important as the construction of the structure itself. Innovative design concepts allow marinas to maximize useable space without sacrificing slip count."
The security fence is mounted directly to the concrete dock system and surrounds the entire kayak launch. Boaters who wish to access the neighboring slips may do so by entering their unique code on the keyless entry lock.
 The Blu Harbor community, which includes over 400 apartments on 10 acres of land, wanted to provide recreational kayak access to everyone, not just avid boaters who have the financial means to own a boat and rent a slip. Blu Harbor's "single point of access" design nurtures a sense of community that radiates throughout the entire marina. In an industry that is often defined by exclusivity, the Blu Harbor Marina is a welcomed change from the status quo.
"This dock design allows everyone in the community to feel a sense of connection to the marina. People get excited about the possibility of going out on the water with their friends, even if they don't rent a slip. They really feel included in the marina experience," said Bellingham Marine's Eric Noegel.
In addition to the 50' long kayak launch, the Blu Harbor community enjoys a pool, spa, fitness/cardio studios and outdoor showers. The Blu Harbor Marina has become the premier destination for social boaters in Redwood City.
***Note: The Blu Harbor Community is owned by The Pauls Corp. This was the second project Bellingham Marine designed and built for The Pauls Corp. In 2014 the company completed a 32-slip marina at a 249-unit townhome project just half a block from the current Blu Harbor site. |
|
|
Trade Member Highlight
Meeco Sullivan LLC recently completed the installation of a new 802' long floating wave attenuator at the Odgen-Pineview Yacht Club in Eden, Utah.
The existing 120-slip OPYC marina was installed by Meeco twelve years ago, and was increasingly suffering from heavy northwesterly wings across an open 2 mile fetch as well as the growing onslaught from newer wakeboard and wake-surfing boats.
"The project was complicated by a number of factors," according to J. Mills, Meeco Sullivan Western Region Sales Manager. "First, Pineview Reservoir is located at nearly 5,000 feet elevation in the Utah mountains and freezes over in winter, and second, the Army Corp of Engineers, and other agencies wanted to limit the number of anchors for the attenuator. Our Meeco engineers really needed to sharpen their pencils to cut the number of anchors nearly in half while still maintaining the attenuators ability to mitigate a 4' wave."
The 10' wide, heavy-duty, galvanized steel frame dock sections were engineered and manufactured at the Meeco factory in McAlester, OK, and delivered in a preassembled condition with floatation, steel front panel attenuator, and partial composite decking attached to 44' frame sections. Meeco's crew assembled the sections in the water adjacent to the marina, installing the concrete slab attenuator panels and winch cable anchoring system before moving larger assembled sections into place outside the marina and dropping 27 concrete anchor blocks to secure the massive attenuator dock.
"In addition to the installation, our crew also worked with the marina staff to relocate the existing old floating-tire attenuator that was no longer doing the job. The project went very smoothly, despite some challenging rain and early snow, and we finished the installation a week ahead of schedule," said J. Mills. "We have built a number of these attenuators in similar conditions so I'm confident it will hold up in the coming winter and do exactly what it's designed to do next summer."
Meeco Sullivan designs, manufactures and installs several different wave attenuator systems specially engineered to handle a broad range of design and environmental concerns in both coastal and inland locations. For more information contact James "J" Mills, Meeco Sullivan LLC, Western Region Sales Manager, RME at jmills@meecosullivan.com or call (209) 452-2475.
CA-CSLB General Engineering Contractor License #1043598.
OPYC Wave Attenuator Installed in Place
Ogden - Pineview Yacht Club Attenuator Under Construction, Pineview, UT
Lucerne Valley Marina, Flaming Gorge, UT
|
|
|
Welcome New Members
With Marine Recreation Association being the largest professional organization of marina, boatyard, hospitality, and other marine industry owners and operators located throughout the western United States with additional members in Canada, Mexico, and Australia, our mission is to provide a united voice in representing the interests of the boating industry, and to help educate and inform in all areas of recreational boating. MRA would like to welcome the following companies to our association:
Commercial Global Insurance Services
Maritime Program Group
|
|
|
 The Last Word
To all of our MRA Members and Future Members
Last week's 48th Annual MRA Educational Conference & Trade Show that was held at the Hilton La Jolla Torrey Pines was a huge success! Besides your Board of Directors who helped with the planning of the topics and speakers, there are many others that need to be recognized. Pat Bagan and Megan Timms did a wonderful job of keeping the registration desk running smoothly so that I could deal with the items that tend to slow the process down in a separate area.
Bryan Plante from Marina Harbor Anchorage worked alongside RJ Lorenzi to learn the ins and outs of the annual golf tournament to make it a smooth transition and a wonderful day of golf for those who played! RJ, thank you for your many years of handling the tournament! Bryan, I look forward to all of your new ideas for future tournaments!
Barbara Galgiani from LP Insurance Services has been coordinating the Marina Tour for several years now and has a perfect record of not losing one attendee on the route! All kidding aside, I always hear great things about how she runs the tour and without her leadership, it would be impossible to include it in our pre conference events!
One of the new things at this year's Conference was the move to our New Conference App. Leith Thomas from California Yacht Marina (and MRA board member) worked diligently with the App company in creating the App. Without his many hours of work, the App would not have been as good as it turned out. I will admit that I am not very tech saavy and had a hard time during the process of it being put together, but once it was up and running could see the benefit! Thank you Leith!
There are many more that play a part in this event and to those I may have missed, I truly appreciate everything you have done to make the conference a success!
There are items being planned including California Boating Congress which will take place in March 2020. Once the dates have been set, we will send out the announcement. We are also working on Regional Training Seminars for Winter and Spring 2020.
To our trade members, please send me your press releases on new products or services you might have. The Trade Member Highlight section is a free opportunity to advertise them! I am reaching out to all of you and asking you to send me a press release when you have a new product or service that you would like for us to highlight. There will be one each month and will be placed according to submission date. This is one more way for us to promote your support and dedication to the association. We would also like to be included in your list of press release recipients.
As the association continues to grow, we will be welcoming our new members who join in each issue. If you know any of the new members listed in this issue, please welcome them aboard!
Many times the contact name for membership changes during the year and unless it is around renewal time, we may not be aware of the change. Please take a look at your profile and make sure to let us know if there are any changes in contact names, addresses, phone and fax numbers or email addresses so we can have the most up-to-date information for you. Also, if you do not have at least 1 logo and 1 photo (of your marina or product) please email them to mra@marina.org so they can be uploaded. You can now also add a YouTube video if you have one.
Thank you,
Mariann Timms
Operations Administrator
Email:timms@marina.org
|
|
|
|
|
