Real Estate & Property Law

Marina Liability

By Alan Ackerman

The Facts

Economic Development Corp. board members soon will address the docks and sprinkler system required for the Freeport Marina’s completion, but the president of the board says they could run out of money before both items are completed.

Dan Tarver, the new board president, said after the corporation’s meeting last week that the board and the developer, Briarwood Holdings, have yet to agree on who will foot the bill for all items past the $6.5 million projected cost of the marina. Mayor Larry McDonald said the contract signed between the two entities called for the corporation to pay for all costs up to that number, and the developer to pay for anything more.

“I don’t think he embraces the idea,” Tarver said of the developer, Walker Royall. “I think it’s a situation where the reality of the situation has not set in yet, of what the cost overruns are.”

Messages left at Royall’s offices were not returned.

Officials believe a completed marina will help jump-start a revitalization in the port city. But since the project’s inception in the early 2000s, people in town have debated its need. The marina survived six years of political power struggles and court battles. Many opposed the city’s attempted use of eminent domain to secure dockfront property for the marina.

In the ensuing turmoil, former City Manager Ron Bottoms left and former Mayor Jim Phillips was defeated by McDonald. During the summer, City Council turned over the former corporation board, whose members then fired Lee Cameron as executive director. Cameron had overseen the project from the start…

Freeport always is a bonus for this blogger.  The continuing foolishness of the community which gave rise to Carla Main's Bulldozed is at it again.  Heck, Freeport makes it easy to write about good old time eminent domain skullduggery.  I sure miss it in Michigan now that Hathcock is in force!

Full post as published by National Eminent Domain Blog on December 04, 2008 (boomark / email).