The Marina Groundbreaking

Mayor Johnny Piper

Jim Durrett introduced Mayor Johnny Piper to a round of applause . Mayor Piper thanked all of the individuals who served on committees over the years that worked on the project, and helped bring it to a reality. Mayor Piper stated, “It is a testament to those that are in this city who commit to a project knowing that it’s the best for the city, and that it needs to be done, and that they stayed focused to be able to get it done.”

Bruce Lundy spoke for J.J.R. Consultants, the design firm for the Marina project. Greg Batts, the private developer for the project also said a few words about the marina and the plans for redeveloping the area. Batts said “This is not just going to be a marina. This is not going to be just a place for someone with a boat, to park a boat. We are dedicated to making this a destination that people will want to come and spend lots of time at.”

The development will also include walking trails, playgrounds, ballfields, hiking, an larger dog park, amphitheater and an expanded pond for fishing and paddle boats. Long term plans also include restaurants and shops. This represents one giant step for Clarksville Tennessee,” said Mayor Piper.

Video

Part 1

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Part 2

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Photo gallery

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The public is invited to attend the ceremony, which takes place at 10a.m. at Fairgrounds Park.  Refreshments will be available to guests.

Construction on the new Marina and Fairgrounds will begin shortly after groundbreaking and the marina is set to open to the public in the fall of 2010. New amenities at the Marina and Redeveloped Fairgrounds Park will include ball fields, an amphitheatre and new recreational facilities.

The proposed marina

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The City Councilman for Ward 10, Bill Summers

As you may recall, the Marina and Fairgrounds Park rebuild was to be broken into three phases. Phase 1 was the actual digging of the marina basin and the building of an Observation facility and Arboretum. The marina was priced in the $9.1 million dollar range with the Observation facility and Arboretum costing about another $1.48 million.

The bidding for Phase 1 was conducted last week. The bid results were a big surprise. There was considerable interest in the project by a number of heavy construction companies. Sixteen companies made the list of bidders. Nine companies actually placed bids with the low bid coming at $7,987,350 from TMS Contracting, LLC of Clarksville. The next lowest bid was only $7,650 higher.

This is a considerable price savings over the original projections. Bid opening on Phases 2 & 3 will be held in the August and September time frames.

Initial construction of Phase 1 should begin in a matter of weeks. The marina portion of the project should be completed in about a year. I’ll keep you posted as events occur.

Thank you,
Bill Summers

About Bill Summers

Bill Summers is the City Councilman for Ward 10 in Clarksville, TN.  If you need help with a Ward 10, or city problem, contact him via email, or by phone at 358-3579

Clarksville Online has learned that the US Army Corps of Engineers, [USACOE], has not issued the City of Clarksville a permit for dredging operations at the Fairgrounds. Without that permit, no dredging action can take place. The corps received the city’s Clarksville Fairgrounds Marina Application in late November, but it was lacking required information. The permit process is presently on hold. The USACOE expects to receive that information and issue a public notice within the next few months. This will mark the beginning of the process to obtain the dredging permit that will signal the start of construction for the marina.

As outlined in the marina/fairgrounds redevelopment plan resolution approved by the Clarksville City Council at its December 1st Special Session meeting, the city will fund the dredging of the land, install utilities and upgrade road access to the marina development. A private business enterprise will develop the actual marina and its operations.

In November, Mayor Johnny E. Piper unveiled a new addition to the marina layout with the inclusion of a water park added to the other listed amenities of a pavilion, three sports fields, a dog park and arboretum already proposed for the marina complex. There is also a proposal for waterfront condominiums as well. With the addition of the water park, the price tag for the marina project escalated to $32 million dollars. It was proposed that the city leverage three existing loans for an additional twenty-five years, via the Tennessee Municipal Bond Fund, to gain the funds to pay for the marina project.

The marina is the most ambitious development project to have been proposed for Clarksville in quite some time, if not its entire history. Proper planning and execution will be crucial to its success. As taxpayer money is involved in this joint public/private enterprise, the public has a right to be kept informed of the progress made at every juncture of this project. That includes every delay as well. We’ve been saddled with a $32 million dollar debt stake in this project and openness of the process is essential to public trust.

In a special session Monday night, the City Council approved an amendment to the city’s capital project budget, giving the okay to $32 million in new debt and $39 million in re-structured debt for development of Mayor Johnny Piper’s proposed marina, water park and other Fairgrounds “development.” The debt package would extend loans through 2027.

In fact, the “done deal” marina has spurred boats sales, or the illusion and suggestion of boat sales, including the collage of watercraft already on display in a Riverside Drive dealer’s lot and another boat display/storage area strategically poised on the concrete slab that once housed the Fairground Pavilion.

Councilors Wallace Redd, Marc Harris and Wayne Harrison opposed the amendment, with Harris lobbying for a 30-day stay on this vote, a move that would have allowed new city councilors a say in a development project that will, in January, fall under their purview. Not all the new councilors support the marina; the current council make-up was a guaranteed win for marina advocates.

What consideration has been given to traffic flow problems on access roads (state highways) to the new development have been elaborated on. Clarksville already has significant traffic flow issues including along Riverside Drive, and water park/marina development will magnify those issues as well for the people who live, work in or travel that area.

As the new council oversees future development of the marina and the Cumberland as a recreational waterway, it is hoped that among their concerns they will consider the overwhelming noise pollution generated by powerboats and jet skis — the latter can equal the output of a racetrack in one’s back yard. The amount of oil and gasoline residue that seeps from vehicles such as jet skis, particularly older models, is a serious pollutant on many waterways; newer models have adapted to stricter EPA standards. In many forward-thinking states these “toys” have been banned on small lakes and rivers because of the noise, noise pollution, and pollution issues, and earth-friendly reclaiming of rivers and streams — or at least, do no further harm — is the most important priority.

Given that the city for years has endured the stench of wastewater treatment permeating the downtown business and residential district, it would behoove the new council to address that that issue in tandem with any new downtown and riverfront development.

If the current administration is hellbent on this form of development, it is incumbent on the next City Council to be proactive in protecting the natural resources that run through Clarksville, and ensuring that within this development, there are ample protections for the water, the shoreline and the abutting homes and businesses (including new residential development). Or hope that the pollution just runs downstream…rendering it NIMB (Not In My Backyard).