Ludington may consider taking over Harbor View Marina.

Ludington may consider taking over Harbor View Marina.

#LudingtonNews.

By Rob Alway, Editor-in-Chief.

LUDINGTON — The City of Ludington may be operating an additional marina in the near future.  Harbor View Marina is owned by the Michigan Department of Natural Resources and has been operated, since it opened in 1999, by Harbor View, LLC, a private company. The marina, along with the adjacent Waterfront Park, were built as a private-public partnership (the city owns Waterfront Park). Harbor View, LLC has recently informed the DNR that it does not intend to renew its lease of the 160 slip marina, which also includes a 7,000 square foot clubhouse and an outdoor swimming pool.

The DNR has approached the city asking it to consider taking over the operating lease of the facility. The city’s finance committee has discussed the request and has indicated its general support, according to a resolution that the City Council is expected to consider during its regular meeting tonight.

The resolution will give the city manager and staff to enter into “good faith” discussions with representatives of the DNR for the purposes of investigating the possible leasing of the marina by the city, including, but not limited to, the terms and conditions of such a lease, the historical operating revenues and expenses of the marina, the nature and extent and estimated cost of the repairs and capital improvements needed by the marina to bring it to a condition satisfactory to the city for public use, possible sources of capital improvement funding, and other appropriate due diligence as the city manager deems appropriate.

The city already operates the Municipal Marina.

City Council meets tonight at 6:30 p.m. at the municipal building, 400 S. Harrison St.

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