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HISID considers marina lease renewal with Kriers for 2005

The room was packed with no seats available Monday as several property owners showed up to the Holiday Island Suburban Improvement District work session. Several complained about services at the marina. The operation lease with Allan and Brenda Krier was a commissioners' discussion item and will most likely be on the agenda next week. CCN / Kathryn Lucariello

By Kathryn Lucariello, Holiday Island editor

Although the current lease with the marina operator in Holiday Island is not up until January 2005, the Holiday Island Suburban Improvement District (HISID) had the item on its agenda for discussion Monday.

The meeting room was packed, with no vacant chairs left, as several people complained about services at the marina.

The lease agreement with Marina Concessions, LLC, owned by Allan and Brenda Krier, has been in effect for five years, with an option to renew for another five years.

District Manager Kevin Crosson said there are a number of changes to the lease, and staff had compiled a comparison of leasing the marina operation versus the district running it.

The comparison shows little difference in net profit between the two options, with the district coming out slightly ahead of the leased option by $468.

The lease provides for the lessee to receive 47 percent of the gross receipts for 2005, 2006, and 2007, and 47 percent in 2008, capped at $57,500.

When Chairman Boyce Williams pointed out the figure cannot be capped because in the third year, receipts for 172 slips would be $59,000, Crosson explained his reasoning.

"The intent was to cap it, not knowing what the district is going to do in slip increases," he said.

Krier said the cap was placed because the district could increase slips by $100 but the marina might not be full. He said he gets 47 percent minus 2.2 percent, which goes back to the Corps of Engineers for a lease fee.

The new agreement has a section specifying housekeeping duties. It includes a provision for keeping spiderwebs off the main walkways, light fixtures and overhead beams at least once a week. A complaint about this was made last year by boat owners.

Boat owners are responsible for keeping spiderwebs off the finger docks adjacent to their slips.

Snow removal will become a joint venture of the district and the lessee, and both will also move the docks if water levels fall outside the range of 909-917 feet.

Property owners had several comments. In response to an inquiry about nesting geese on a property owner's boat, he was informed it is not the marina's responsibility, and the Department of Game and Fish has strict requirements about trapping and hunting.

Another property owner asked whether the contract had been offered to other parties to get a better percentage.

"We are required to negotiate with the current lessee before doing anything else," Crosson said. "If we can't come to an agreement, then we can go outside."

"How do you know whether you can get a better percentage if you can't go outside?" she said.

In addition to the 47 percent of 172 slip rentals, the lessee gets all the income from eight covered and 12 uncovered slips at the marina and concession income, which includes boat rentals and fuel sales.

Several property owners were unhappy about fuel not being available in the winter months. The marina concession is closed from Oct. 15 to April 1. Boat owners asked to have a "narrow window" when fuel would be sold, such as other marinas do.

"I fish all winter long, every month," said one person. "I think it should be open to use in the winter when it's reasonable. Other marinas do provide some sort of winter hours; they may close in January."

Krier explained that according to Corps rules, fuel cannot be brought to the dock; property owners have to bring their boats to shore for fueling. Recounting figures of how many boat owners use their boats in the winter in Holiday Island, he said there are maybe 22 boat owners out of 172 that would use fuel in the winter.

"I understand their problem," he said. "Many of them have small boats with 5-gallon tanks. But it's not feasible to be open for that small amount of boats."

One property owner praised the Kriers for their operation of the marina and said they have "added a dimension that no other marina has."

"We've been coming here 33 years," he said. "In the last five to six years since the Kriers have taken over, we have really enjoyed coming here. You have a terrific setup at the marina."

The contract will be on the agenda for the business meeting next week, but the board may not vote on it.

In other business, HISID board members:

Discussed at length and finally indicated they would reject any attempt to legislate requiring no fewer than two people to ride in a golf cart on the golf courses.

Discussed ways to increase revenue from the golf courses in order to keep assessments down. The use of "promotional periods," such as July of next year or certain hours per day to open up the course to public use to bring in prospective buyers was considered. Several property owners were opposed to public play on a regular basis and expressed support for promotional months.

Discussed the animal services intergovernmental agreement with Carroll County. Crosson said Ed Rambo, owner of Oak Hill Kennels, would not agree to contract terms that require him to carry his own liability insurance and also prohibit carrying a firearm. Crosson said he will approach other cities in the county about going in on a joint venture to hire an animal control officer.

Discussed Reg. 35, which allows the district to pave the area between the district's road and a private property line and bill the private owner at cost. Crosson said contractors install driveways only to the edge of the property line, which may not be to the road, and several property owners had requested such paving be completed by the district. A cost estimate will be made. As an example, a 4-foot by 20-foot separation would currently be billed at about $80 for a one-hour job. The regulation will not specify prices, as those change, Crosson said.

The district will hold its business meeting Monday, May 24, at 9 a.m. at the district office.

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HISID considers marina lease renewal with Kriers for 2005

Although the current lease with the marina operator in Holiday Island is not up until January 2005, the Holiday Island Suburban Improvement District (HISID) had the item on its agenda for discussion Monday.

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