Lake Pleasant – AZ Second Marina adds New Summer Fun
July 15, 2008 – 1:31 am
Second marina adds to Lake Pleasant fun
The opening of a second marina at Lake Pleasant next week promises Valley boaters more opportunities for fun and lower prices at the popular water destination.
The Scorpion Bay Marina & Yacht Club opens Thursday at the lake, which drew nearly 700,000 visitors in the past fiscal year.
The marina’s debut on the western shore follows months of construction and two years of legal battles with the owners of the nearly 15-year-old Pleasant Harbor Marina on the southeastern shore.
Now, the operators of the two marinas are vying for customers.
Scorpion Bay, which will feature hundreds of boat slips and cost $25 million when it is fully built in the next two to three years, is welcoming the public with open arms. Pleasant Harbor is going private, saying it wants to provide a less-hectic recreation experience.
One way or another, the opening of Scorpion Bay is a good thing, said Peoria resident Bill Johnson, commander of the Phoenix Sail and Power Squadron, an association of sail- and power-boat enthusiasts.
“We don’t have enough facilities around here, and I don’t think competition is a bad thing,” he said.
Boaters are already seeing competitive pricing between the two marinas, representatives for each of the operations said.
Scorpion Bay still doesn’t have all its pieces in place.
A full-service fuel dock will be available starting May 5, but the grand opening for a restaurant, convenience store and deli at the marina probably won’t take place until late June.
Meanwhile, Pleasant Harbor has been upgrading aggressively.
Steve Bodas, Pleasant Harbor marina manager, said 40 wet slips, two floating restrooms, a boat-show sales dock and a clothing boutique have been added in the past year.
The marina has a new barbecue area and is improving and expanding its Waterfront Grille restaurant. Among other things, dining and entertainment are being enhanced with nicer furniture and six flat-screen TVs.
“What we’re striving for is a whole-weekend atmosphere,” Bodas said.
Starting next Saturday, access will be limited to members of the newly formed Pleasant Harbor Marina Private Members Club, which will have an annual fee of $600. People who pay to store their boats at the marina will get automatic membership.
Now, people who store their boats at Pleasant Harbor won’t have to compete with the public for use of such facilities as the restaurant and stores, Bodas said.
“It’s not that we’re locking everybody out,” he said. “We are just now trying to make it more of a family atmosphere, more friendly.”
The RV park near Pleasant Harbor is not going private, he added, and the public will still have access to the boat ramps near the marina.
In addition, the public will continue to be able to use the boat ramps in Lake Pleasant Regional Park on he western edge of the lake. Anyone who pays the park entry fee has access to those ramps.
Marinas wage legal battle
The creation of the second marina was delayed by numerous legal challenges by the owner of Pleasant Harbor.
That owner, Pensus Group, asserted, among other things, that the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation should not have issued environmental approval for Scorpion Bay and that Maricopa County incorrectly approved construction.
Sailboat owner David Weiss, a Phoenix dentist, said he has mixed feelings about the opening of the second marina. He likes the improved access but worries about crowding and the possibility of more boating accidents.
“I welcome more usage, I welcome the fact that there will be a little bit more competition, as far as the costs of things,” Weiss said. “But there’s potentially some problems here.”
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