Mosquito Creek Marina has been a Squamish economic development since around the mid-60's, say's Donny Mekilok, Marina Manager. "We recently reacquired the lease on Lynnwood Marina and Light Industrial Estates, which is our Second Narrows property. The Mosquito Creek site contains 500 slips and the facilities are sold out at both marinas, although there is room for valet storage and dry storage at each location.
"The Squamish marinas are busy because of location and because we promote it as the best choice to moor a boat with good services attached, including eight yacht brokers, boat trades, marine systems, and other business operations like Platimum Marine." Mekilok says, "We offer one stop shopping to boaters where they can do fibreglas work, engine work, electronics, and canvas," services available at both properties.
"Squamish Nation Marine is the construction end supplying high density polyethylene welding, dock building, float Home construction, float shed construction and boat shed construction for both marinas. At the Mosquito Creek facility we've built 15 boat sheds in the past year from 60' to 90 feet in length."
Squamish Nation started float home construction, and presold 12 float homes at a recent home show in Vancouver, and "We sold over 2,000 feet of new dock, welded in the high density polyethylene that is favourable to the environment.
With the Olympics around the corner, "We are transient moorage for the Olympics," said Mekilok, "and we have commitments from 30 boats and that number is probably going as high as 60. We are presently coming up with the plan for our Olympic waiting list. We've got a list of those who will take boats out and do revenue share on their slips." This puts the Mosquito Creek Squamish owned facility into play for the 2010 Olympics/Parlympics extravaganza on the west coast this February and March.
Both Squamish facilities are on the North Shore and Mosquito Creek Marina is 10 minutes from Lions Gate Brisge, says Mekilok, "The perfect location to fuel up, 15 minutes to fish Capilano and 25 minutes to the Georgia Strait," basically traffic-free. The facilities have always been the property of the Squamish nation.
He says, "We have approximately 25 employees year-round at Mosquito Creek and another 12 at the Lynnwood facilities, personnel working in everything from administration to security, boatyard workers, dock builders and repair personnel, lift operators, and high density welders."
He notes they had a good year in 2009, "I think we're doing well in the recession with two full marinas, boats for sale, pre-sold float homes going under construction." The idea behind float home construction came about a year ago, "when we did a joint venture with the City of North Vancouver called the Spirit Trail. It won national awards for refurbishing the waterfront and we started looking at what we could do further. Reasonably priced float homes were designed by an architectural firm and design people.
"We're ready to start building 800 to 1600 sq ft homes ranging from $275,000 to $475,000. We were pleased to pre-sell 12 homes in four days. We will build them in a reconfigured area of the Mosquito Creek facilities, and we bought a used BC Ferry that is going in as the break-wall, and soon will be converted into a restaurant.
The float home facility has the capacity to build eight more in this phase in the development. Owners will moor the homes at $1000 a month along the North Shore, connected by brand new docks, with natural gas connections for furnaces, and city water and sewer." Squamish is turning over every rock to make the future smooth sailing in an uncertain economic time.
