New Docking System at Des Moines Marina

Gray’s Lake Park in Des Moines, Iowa, now offers improved water access and trail connectivity thanks to recent marina and upland improvements. Ice damage to the original paddling dock in the 2021-2022 winter season prompted the renovations. Marina Dock Age reported on the city’s acquisition of funds for the project and preliminary plans in early 2024. The project went through a formal design and bid process that year, but all bids were ultimately rejected on cost, with the lowest bid landing 45% over the city’s estimate.

After repackaging the project with the parking lot improvements bid separately, the city went to bid and awarded the marina construction to Cushman Excavation, LLC as general contractor. The overall cost of the project, including upland improvements, came in at just above $2.6 million.

The project design group included Des Moines Parks and Recreation, the Des Moines Engineering Department, Shuck-Britson, SmithGroup, city engineer Justin Miller and park planner Colby Fangman. The new docking area includes 16 paddle-craft slips, a universally accessible kayak launch and an upland elevated viewing deck of 1,800 square feet with watercraft storage beneath.

The project included other improvements for enhanced ADA access and better trail connectivity. Missouri-based Tiger Docks supplied the marina’s docking system. The 12-inch galvanized box truss floating dock system is topped with Trex composite decking and anchored with Seaflex’s elastic mooring system.