Snow, ice dragging down aging Pasco boat docks

Pasco city officials are looking to spend $172,000 on a temporary fix for the aging docks at the Pasco Boat Basin.

At least four of the 70 covered wooden docks are unusable, because over the years they’ve taken the brunt of waves from the Columbia River.

Earlier this month, city council members seemed to favor making the repairs. But this week the weight of accumulating snow and ice caused severe bowing of one dock roof.

Rick Terway, Pasco’s Administrative and Community Services director, said Friday that he is not sure if that dock can survive the winter.

No one can assess the damage right now because part of the dock is under a layer of ice on the water. Terway said they have to wait until everything melts.

In the meantime, he is going forward with his request for a Band-Aid fix, hoping that the western dock will bounce back and be just fine after the thaw.

The marina dock repairs are part of Tuesday’s consent agenda — scheduled for approval without discussion.

Councilman Saul Martinez noted at a previous council meeting that the docks were not in very good condition last summer, and said the city needs to keep the marina alive for both balance and variety in the community.

“It’s imperative that we continue to improve this area,” he said. “… Just like other amenities that we provide for the community, this is a vital part of that recreational program because it brings opportunity for even more things to come in, especially on that side of town where it is located.”

Pasco has been leasing the Boat Basin from the Army Corps of Engineers since 1976. The city sub-leases to Columbia Marine Center and its private operator Jim Toroni.

The two covered docks in the Boat Basin have 35 slips each. They were built in the late 1940s and “have come to the end of their useful life,” Terway said.

A third uncovered dock is to the east.

The covered slips typically rent for $165 a month, generating a potential revenue of $69,000 annually, said a city report.

One slip is reserved for the Pasco Fire Department’s rescue boat.

The city gets $18,000 a year in rent from the lease that goes through 2022. There’s an option for a 20-year extension.

Routine repair and maintenance historically has been the responsibility of Columbia Marine Center.

Terway noted that the operator has spent about $300,000 to improve the marina docks, along with a $90,000 investment in the office, showroom and shop.

A windstorm in the winter of 2015-16 severely damaged the docks, “rendering the structural integrity and the use of the slips into question,” the city report said.

“The river is by far the biggest thing the Tri-Cities has, and just access to it is a premium price,” Toroni said at the last council meeting. “It’s an asset that you guys have that you can build from, and I’ll commit that I will help out.”

Pasco provides facilities for many types of recreation, and there are some who are accustomed to having their docks in the boat basin, Terway said.

The Columbia Marine Center is unique in that it’s the only facility in the Tri-Cities where boaters can motor up and get repairs or service, he added.

The city already is awaiting the outcome of a grant application for $450,000 to $500,000 to improve the boat launch and move the public restrooms at Schlagel Park closer to the facility. The actual marina is not eligible for a grant because it is a fee-based operation.

Last year, the city added a new boat pump-out station as part of a $300,000 project.

“I think that the docks are an integral part of the Pasco Boat Basin. They have been for years ...,” Terway told council members. “This is just another step in that. These repairs would add two to three years of life to the docks while we decide what we want to do for the long haul.”

It could cost about $1.7 million to replace the two covered docks with steel docks that meet current standards. That is a part of Pasco’s capital improvement plan, but is not in the budget.

Mayor Matt Watkins said he appreciates “squeezing every bit of life out of these as possible,” but had hoped they would be prepared to sink the money now into improvements.

He agreed with Martinez and Councilwoman Rebecca Francik that Pasco is a community of the river, and said it will be a lost opportunity if the council does not support spending the money on the short-term fixes.

This story was originally published January 14, 2017 at 1:56 PM with the headline "Snow, ice dragging down aging Pasco boat docks."