Oswego County Business Magazine

Wednesday March 25, 2009

Port Authority Takes Over Operations of Oswego, International Marinas

Agreement ends with Grawal Enterprises after 18 years

By Lou Sorendo

The Port of Oswego Authority has taken over the operations of the Oswego and International marinas.

The port, which owns the facilities, had leased the marinas to Grawal Enterprises for the past 18 years.

“We’ve had a great relationship for about 18 years with Grawal Enterprises and Robert Walters,” said Jonathan Daniels, director of the Port of Oswego Authority.

The Oswego Marina, located on the east side of the Oswego River adjacent to the port’s main facility, features approximately 60 slips. It has estimated sales of $440,000. The larger International Marina on the city’s west side features about 90 slips.

Daniels said a “mutual agreement” has been reached where the port is not going to continue with the longstanding relationship it had with Grawal Enterprises.

Grawal Enterprises was started in 1988.

“We’re now putting a plan in place to be able to put the first boats in the water right around April 1,” Daniels said.

The port has hired Bernie Bacon, who will serve as manager of marina operations on a full-time basis. Facilities will be maintained by Bacon as well as part-time seasonal staff.

“This really meshes very well into our mission,” Daniels said. “These facilities are now going to be integrated into our overall operations.”

The building at the International Marina, located adjacent to Wright’s Landing, has been subleased to the Oswego Yacht Club. Daniels said the club will maintain a presence there under a new agreement with the port.

“This will be a seamless transition,” he said. “What we have done is looked at being able to provide the next generation of services.”

The port has acquired a 40,000-pound hydraulic boat trailer. Daniels said the equipment will allow for effortless transfer of boats from storage into water and also service vessels which cannot be accommodated by the existing hoist. This would allow for prop or hull work on these particular vessels if required at Wright’s Landing.

Strong assets

Daniels said the facilities have potential, and when combined with the city-owned Wright’s Landing, provide a great asset for the community and tourism industry.

He said the lack of traffic over the past several years has been impacted by the slow economy, high fuel prices and the credit crunch, which has limited the number of new vessels in the water.

Daniels said the port is going to take a “holistic” approach to operating the marinas.

With the aid of an outside consultant, the port will develop a marina master plan and conduct a marina market study.

“We’re going to take a look at the marinas in Oswego and some of the outlying areas and see what services are provided and what gaps can be filled,” he said.

The marina master plan will specifically determine what the port needs to put in place in order to provide “world class” service over the next 20 years, Daniels noted.

Part of the arrangement calls for the selling of docks at the International Marina by year’s end.

The consultant’s task will be not only to help develop a master plan and market study, but to also develop a new dock concept. The concept will take into consideration factors such as wave attenuation and the level of amenities provided.

Daniels said a bid specification package will be developed in the fall in efforts to purchase the new docking system, which is earmarked for installation for the 2010 season.

Daniels said “tourism is a large component of what we do in this region, and oftentimes, marinas are the backbone of that.” Continual slip rental opportunities, gas, additional marina services and accommodating the flotilla of boats that come in for Harborfest are examples of what the port has to offer, Daniels noted.

“We want to provide service and make sure people come back year in and year out,” he added.

Short-term goals this year involve making sure the port provides at least the same level of service that has been provided in the past. Also, it wants to set a vision on how the facilities should be managed in attempts to provide the best service possible.

Operating the marinas effectively will aid in the region’s ability to keep drawing tourists.

“I’ve talked with people throughout the country and they know Oswego,” Daniels said. “They know it for recreation, charter boats captains and the great fishing on Lake Ontario.”

“We’ve got a significant amount of charter boat captains at the eastside Oswego Marina, and we are responsible basically to provide the front door of their small business,” Daniels said.

He said if successful, their business will improve and the port will become more competitive and appealing for people coming in to hire charters.

One of the challenges for the port involves its status as not being a year-round marina operation.

“We have to squeeze our season between April and October, making sure transient boaters experience the great level of service that seasonal boat renters and slip renters are provided on a daily basis,” he said.