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Lake Stevens council backs plan to move police dock from crowded North Cove to Davies Beach
Summary
After years of planning, city staff won council consensus to relocate the Lake Stevens police dock from the swim area at North Cove to Davies Beach, citing safety, lower near‑term cost and faster timeline; staff will include $54,000 in the next supplemental budget and return with quotes for fencing and electrical work.
The Lake Stevens City Council agreed April 28 to let staff proceed with relocating the law enforcement dock from North Cove to Davies Beach, saying the move would reduce safety risks and costs and could be completed sooner than expanding the North Cove Marina.
Parks and Recreation Director Sarah Garceau told the council the existing LE dock sits in the city's swim area and constrains emergency response because officers must back into crowded water. She said North Cove Marina is a longer‑term, $4 million capital project with design funded by grants, while Davies Beach requires only resurfacing and modest supporting work so the LE dock could move “as soon as we get the decking done,” with $54,000 already budgeted for the project design.
Garceau outlined estimated near‑term costs for the Davies option: relocating the boat lift (~$5,000), fencing options (about $26,500–$28,000 from an initial quick quote), a placeholder electrical estimate (~$19,000) and minor security camera and lighting costs. “If the project was to exceed the $54,000 already budgeted, it really would be due to the fencing material choice or the electrical,” she said.
Council members pressed on safety, public access and aesthetics. One member noted North Cove’s crowded swim area and paddleboard use and said mixing swimmers and motorboats creates unacceptable risk; a police representative and staff stressed that Davies is closer to fire and police facilities, improving response time. Staff said the four slips requested for Davies cover two police boats, a fireboat and a recovery slip used for towing disabled vessels, and that those four slips at Davies are “very rarely used by the public.”
Garceau said the old LE dock would be demolished and used as mitigation when the North Cove Marina expands. She also described fencing design choices intended to preserve sight lines — offering a wire mesh option and a picket option — and suggested artistic panels as a later enhancement to soften the visual impact.
Council reached consensus; staff will include the $54,000 reallocation and the Davies LE dock line in the upcoming supplemental budget and return with firm contractor quotes and design options. No formal vote was required this evening.
The next immediate public step is a North Cove Marina open house scheduled for May 5:30 p.m. in this building, where staff plan to present updated concept plans with or without the LE dock element depending on final direction.
