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Harbor master urges shifting to 30-foot slips to match modern vessels
Summary
Harbor Master Jessica McDonald told the commission the marina redesign aims to convert smaller 24–28 foot slips to 30-foot slips to better fit contemporary boats and improve revenue potential; staff said phasing will be used to manage costs.
Harbor Master Jessica McDonald opened the marina redesign discussion by highlighting three core goals: review the 2010 master plan, increase slips below 30 feet to 30-foot slips, and create a phased, implementable plan for materials and construction.
"We're focusing on reviewing the 2010 master plan in Warrenton and increasing our slips that are below 30 feet to 30 feet," McDonald said, explaining that many existing 24- and 28-foot slips are impractical for today's vessels. She and staff said larger slips would better match current boat sizes and could increase marina income by increasing billable linear footage per slip.
City staff and the engineers emphasized phasing as a way to manage budget and operations so the marina remains usable during construction. Commissioners and advisory members raised operational questions about power and water distribution, fairway dimensions and whether converting to larger slips would materially change annual revenue projections; staff responded that converting to fewer, larger slips can maintain or increase billable footage per the harbor’s revenue model.
