Marina Dock Age

A tiny mouse on the state and federal government’s endangered species list has put a monkey wrench into Martinez Marina’s proposed  $23 million modernization and renovation plans, but there is light at the end of the tunnel, according to Mitch Austin, Martinez, Calif., city manager, in an August 3 report in The Mercury News.

Salt marsh harvest mice were found at one of four disposal ponds where sediment from the dredged marina is to be dumped. Before it can continue to dump sediment in the pond, the city, which owns the marina and leases the land from the State Lands Commission, will have to trap and relocate the mice, then replace the removed habitat.

Once the mice are removed and relocated, marina consultants said the city needs to remove the pickle weed from the existing pond, shore up its walls and make it deeper so that it can hold more sediment. If the pond’s capacity is not increased, the city will have to dump more dredged sediment into the bay, which will increase renovation costs and require additional permits.

The salt marsh harvest mouse is just the latest in a long line of stumbling blocks the city has faced in its quest to turn the marina into a first-class destination on par with modern marinas in Antioch, Pittsburg and other shoreline communities. The city had been trying to negotiate a long-term lease with the state regarding the property but has been unsuccessful until this March, when it secured a 46-year lease for 70-acre property.

With the security of a long-term lease, the city and Martinez Marina LP, the firm that manages the day-to-day marina operations, announced an ambitious $23 million marina makeover. The renovation and modernization project calls for repairing the existing breakwater, dredging of the harbor, installing new concrete docks and upgrading the utilities. In addition, plans call for a restaurant, boat repair shop, and new boat and tackle shop.

Austin said the first phase of the marina renovation project, which includes maintenance dredging, replacement of the eastern breakwater wall and improvements to the disposal ponds, should began in fall 2011.