The anchor at Lake Pueblo State Park is dropping for the last time on North Shore Marina, with Colorado Parks and Wildlife (CPW) announcing its closure slated for April 1st. The marina's current leaseholder, The O'Neil Group, is sailing into the sunset after a failure to reach a new agreement for the dilapidated dock's operation. Moving forward, CPW is taking the helm, planning the marina's demolition come July 1, seeing as the required repairs are as deep as the reservoir itself in terms of costs, according to Colorado Parks and Wildlife.
Boat owners with their vessels currently at the marina have till April 1 to find new waters, according to CPW. In an unlikely event where they can't make waves away by the deadline, they've been directed to contact park staff for assistance. Lake Pueblo State Park Manager Joe Stadterman, mired in the cost of rebuilding, as stated by Colorado Parks and Wildlife, "The extensive work required to rebuild is more expensive than either CPW or the O’Neil Group can take on," revealing the decision to demolish was anchored by public safety needs.
It's not without efforts to stay afloat, as CPW had taken possession of the marina in November 2022 and docked over $135,000 to patch up its crumbling infrastructure. They managed to keep the icy grip of winter at bay with essential electrical repairs for a bubbler system, and The O'Neil Group wasn't just treading water, they made emergency fixes to the sewage and anchor systems.
While The O'Neil Group's owner, Kevin O’Neil, saw his dreams capsized after two years and a sunk cost of a million dollars towards a new marina, he remains grateful for the partnership with CPW. "After two years of planning and a million dollars spent on plans for a new marina, it is heartbreaking to see North Shore Marina close," said O'Neil, as per Colorado Parks and Wildlife. The depth of environmental risks, from submerged boats to steel cables, reaffirmed that rebuilding wasn't a voyage worth embarking on, in financial seas.
