People were so excited for dredging to begin under the two marinas on Detroit Lake that they expected construction to begin this fall.
And this is a year where people can leave their boats at Kane’s Marina and Detroit Lake Marina until September, much longer than in years past.
In reality, construction on the project, which will see 162,000 cubic meters of earth excavated from beneath the marinas and created a peninsula, is expected to begin in the fall of 2025, after more than a decade of planning.
The Marion County Commissioners voted Wednesday to accept $2 million from the federal Department of Housing and Urban Development through the Community Project Funding Program.
It’s another step toward extending Detroit’s recreational season.
“I think this is a long overdue project,” Marion County Commissioner Kevin Cameron said. “It’s a long way off.”
When will the Detroit Lake excavation project begin?
The first phase of the project, which involved developing the design and determining what to do with the excavated soil, was completed last year.
Marion County is now applying for permits and providing engineering for the project.
Construction is expected to start in the fall of 2025 and is expected to be completed in the spring of 2026, before the start of the sailing season.
All the land will be used to form a U-shaped peninsula measuring 736 metres long and 36 metres wide, extending to Piety Island, south of the city.
The project is designed to enable the marinas to operate when the water level is as low as 1,525 feet above sea level. It is expected that the marinas will be operational from May 1 to October 1.
The goal is to help the tourism-dependent community of Detroit earn more from the tourist season.
This year the boats must be out of Kane’s Marina by September 2nd, which is longer than in other years.
Last year, boats had to be removed as early as August 21 due to low water levels in Detroit Lake. In 2021, that was July 11.
“It’s a great investment for that community,” said Lari Rupp, an economic development specialist for Marion County.
How is the $5 million Detroit Lake project being paid for?
The $2 million in HUD funding comes from the federal government’s end-of-2022 appropriations.
That money must be used for the costs of the excavation work and transportation.
Marion County has been allocated $3 million from the American Rescue Plan Act.
It also has $60,000 in money from the Business Oregon Brownfields Redevelopment Fund. And Marion County has been allocated $50,000 in economic development lottery dollars.
The project has been discussed for years, but the delay is mainly due to a lack of financial resources.
After the COVID-19 pandemic and wildfires wiped out much of Detroit on Labor Day 2020, more money has become available to aid in the recovery.
“It takes a long time to complete projects,” said Marion County Commissioner Danielle Bethell.
Cameron said community members had asked him if the plan had been scaled back from the original plans, but were told the plan was unchanged.
“We applied for the same permits that were filed in 2017 when they wanted to excavate a certain area,” Rupp said.
Bill Poehler covers Marion and Polk County for the Statesman Journal. Contact him at bpoehler@StatesmanJournal.com
This article originally appeared in the Salem Statesman Journal: Detroit Lake Marina Excavation Project to Begin in Fall 2025
