Council asks staff to study dry‑stack boat storage; raises questions on location, height, financing and pedestrian safety

Harbormaster Scott Wilkins presented options to remove the closed small‑boat launch and to study a dry‑stack boat storage building at the Des Moines Marina during the Feb. 13 council meeting.

Wilkins told council the small‑boat launch has been closed since June 2022 for safety reasons and that removal of the existing timber superstructure and creosote pilings is estimated at about $350,000; if contractors cannot complete removal within the city’s current permit window, mobilization and demobilization could add roughly $134,000.

Wilkins presented an engineer estimate for a new steel‑pile concrete deck launch (roughly $1.2 million for piling and deck) and described a model dry‑stack building similar to facilities at Bayside (Everett) that could be about 60 feet by 270 feet and roughly 35 feet tall. He said such a building could hold an estimated 70–200 boats depending on the mix of boat sizes and suggested rack‑rental prices in a broad range (approximately $275–$788 per month depending on unit size and indoor/outdoor options). Wilkins said a negative‑forklift system costs about $1 million alone; a total project estimate…