With the reopening of the Rafferty Dam Marina approaching this May, the committee is getting ready for the opening of the the old dock, in addition to a new one, to accommodate continued growth of the marina’s popularity.
A crew of dedicated volunteers regularly performs maintenance and updates to the facility, with whatever resources they are able to gather. Recently, the group held an annual meeting where plans were drafted up for what updates and repairs are needed, as well as the costs those things will incur.
“We’ve got to repair one dock, the big dock down there. We just built another dock and have some work to finish up on it. We have a new security camera system coming in, too,” said Barry Dies, one of the team members who prepares and repairs the marina for the season every year.
The dock repairs will be one of the most important and significant tasks to be done, Dies noted, since each is 48-feet long, and in three sections, on metal skids.
“Last summer, we had 60-plus mile-an-hour winds and that didn’t do our docks any good, so we had quite a bit of damage on them,” said Dies. “There will be tires on the side for bumpers and we have to replace some of those. The new dock needs a metal skid to be built and I’m working on that with a guy, over the next week or two.”
Dies noted that with the growth in number of people using the marina every year, the security system is one of the most important new developments to be implemented.
Lamentably, the security cameras were needed due to several incidents of vandalism that have taken place over the last few years. Dies noted that some of that vandalism has made everyone concerned, averse to the idea of implementing updates to the facility that might, again, be vandalized or damaged. Incidents include percussive damage to an electrical box, and the dock being towed unnecessarily out of the water with a truck.
Other developments include the installation of new LED lights and sea cans. The sea cans were brought to the marina, in part, to protect against further vandalism to important equipment and, in part, to serve as general storage for docks, tools and other assorted items.
Dies noted that the biggest delay for work this season on the marina is the wait for “the weather to smarten up.”
“The season doesn’t open until May 5, so we’ve got to finish off the work and get things done before then,” said Dies.
Dies said that he’s seen “quite a bit of increase” in the use of the marina over the last few years, and that he and the other volunteers have been making a steady effort to get things clean and ready.
Dies expressed gratitude to the many groups and businesses in the community that donate and help out, noting that those donations include those of the financial kind, as well as equipment like a mower donated last year, which he intends to put to good use.
“We’ve been cutting the grass, and improving the facility. That’s been our goal the whole way, to improve it and make it user-friendly,” said Dies. “We put up a couple of benches last spring. We want people to want to come out here and
spend an afternoon.”
