Two residents in Quinte West are asking why there is no accountability when it comes to Trent Port Marina and the high financial costs surrounding it.
Recently Ed Santos and Dennis Flintoff spoke with Quinte West City Council and staff. In fact, Santos has had discussions and questions in council meetings and behind closed doors.
“It is a beautiful piece of land, the marina building itself is very well maintained and constructed.”
They both say they believe the marina is truly beautiful, however, with the heavy damage to the marina’s breakwall, it is time to stop throwing good money after bad.
Following meetings with council and staff, Santos and Flintoff spoke to Quinte News about their concerns.
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A quick backstory.
Trent Port Marina is a 375-slip marina located on the Bay of Quinte at the mouth of the Trent-Severn Waterway.
It opened in June 2016, at a cost of $13,000,000. The owners of the marina land are Eben James Sr. and his son, Eben Jr.. They generously leased the land for free ($2/annually).
Almost everyone you talk to would agree that the building, slips, and view are world class. That being said, it has been expensive for taxpayers.
Even after user fees are included, the marina has never made money. Very few Quinte West residents dock their boats at the site. It would be around 100 residents annually.
However, there are a lot of downtown businesses that economically benefit from the marina. Any time you take a walk at the mouth of the Trent, you can see boats from across Ontario, Canada and the United States and other international destinations.
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The issue at hand? The cost
According to documents provided to Quinte News, the municipality does not break even on the marina, with reserves being used more than once to offset the cost of operation. The municipality’s portion of the marina price is being paid out over a 25-year lease.
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Damage to the breakwall
In a report to council in 2022, waves and ice caused significant damage to the breakwalls, which are used to protect the docks and boats from waves. The breakwalls are made of a dense styrofoam, with an outershell of concrete.
Santos says the breakwalls need open water. He says ice freezing and thawing has broken chunks off the breakwalls and now the municipality is going to have to spend millions more, at taxpayer expense.
Various styles of breakwalls cost between $5,000,000 and $9,000,000.
Santos says ice eaters were installed to keep water moving, however, the municipality disconnected them. He says he consulted engineers on this decision.
“The breakwall suffered deterioration because of the decommission of the ice suppression system.”
“There doesn’t seem to be any accountability. If I made a mistake for a major corporation that I worked with of $10,000,000, I’d be out in the street.”
We asked Santos and Flintoff if the marina should be fixed or fall into disrepair?
“Over the span of a $7,000,000 repayment for a new breakwall, taxpayers would pay about $3,000,000 in interest. That is on land that the municipality doesn’t own.
“My personal opinion is that they should shut it down. It’s not making money, it’s losing money. They used money from the reserve fund. We concur that the property is beautiful, it’s well maintained, it’s state of the art.”
Dennis Flintoff feels it is time for a change, especially with the high OPP quote coming forward and the high cost of infrastructure.
“Our roads are deteriorating, our sidewalks are crumbling, they’re (municipality) trying to keep ahead of things with patch work.
Question: So would you like to see it closed as well?
I would like to see it change hands, be run independently. There are other breakwalls out there that could be put in cheaper.”
We have not received a comment from city staff on how the breakwall was damaged.
One source to Quinte News says the municipality did not have a warranty from the contractor who built the breakwall, however, officials with the municipality have not confirmed that detail.
A marina update is expected at the November 20 meeting of Quinte West City Council.
Part 1 of Ed Santos and Dennis Flintoff can be heard below.
Part 2 of Ed Santos and Dennis Flintoff can be heard below.
