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A Boatload Of Responsibility(Tampa Tribune (FL) (KRT) Via Acquire Media NewsEdge) May 17--DAVIS ISLANDS -- Richard Achey works in one of the most scenic locations in the city: the Marjorie Park Yacht Basin. As the city's marina coordinator, Achey oversees slip rentals, fuel sales and other activity at the 81-year-old basin along Seddon Channel. The city completed a $5.1 million renovation of the marina in 2005. Achey said a lot of boaters who remember the old marina "are just amazed by the transformation." Achey also oversees slip rentals and dock maintenance at the Tampa Convention Center and Bayshore Boulevard across from Tampa General Hospital. He was named marina coordinator last year. The 37-year-old Tampa native has worked for the city for 17 years, including five years as the on-site park superintendent at Picnic Island Park in Port Tampa. Achey and his wife, Leann, have four children and live near Lowry Park Zoo. Q. Are you a boater? A. Yes, I've been a fisherman and a boater all my life. I have a 19-foot Mako with a center console. Someday I'd like to upgrade to maybe a 26-foot to 32-foot cabin cruiser. Q. How many slips are available for rent and what's the price? A. There are 36 permanent slips at Marjorie Park. The rent is $12 per foot per month for city residents; $13 per foot per month for noncity residents. We have 19 transient slips. The cost for those is $2 per foot per day. At the convention center, there are 26 transient slips. The cost is $2 per hour for the first 10 hours and $1 an hour afterward, with a $25 minimum. There are 37 slips at Bayshore. We charge $7 per foot per month for city residents and $8 per foot per month for nonresidents. Q. How much is boat fuel these days? A. Midgrade unleaded is $4.67 per gallon; diesel is $4.66. Q. With so few fuel docks around Tampa Bay, you must see a lot of boaters who aren't renting slips here. A. Yes. Most of the people that come here are people who are not docked here. They are mostly from around Hillsborough County. We don't see many people from Pinellas. Q. What's Gasparilla like here at the marina? A. It's a very hectic day, but it's a neat day. It's a spectacle you'll never see anyplace else. When you look out at the channel, you can't even see the water for all the boats. Q. Is boating activity picking up for the summer? A. This is our busy time. We've been light during the week, but now we are starting to pick up. We only have three slips that are vacant, and we are seeing more transient boaters. We got a 92-footer here, which is larger than we normally see. Last week a boat club from Naples was up here with 17 boats. Q. How about hurricane preparation? A. Just before the season, we send out notices to all our tenants telling them to check their lines and their equipment. In the event of a storm, we have procedures to board up the building and remove the computers. We have a lot of seasoned sailors at this marina, and they are pretty much caught up on what they need to do. Q. So how great is it working at the marina? A. It's very peaceful. I'm dealing with people that are very friendly and polite. Where else could you go to work in a setting that is this beautiful? Reporter Mark Holan can be reached at (813) 835-2102 or [email protected]. To see more of the Tampa Tribune or to subscribe to the newspaper, go to http://www.tampatrib.com. Copyright (c) 2008, Tampa Tribune, Fla. Distributed by McClatchy-Tribune Information Services. For reprints, email [email protected], call 800-374-7985 or 847-635-6550, send a fax to 847-635-6968, or write to The Permissions Group Inc., 1247 Milwaukee Ave., Suite 303, Glenview, IL 60025, USA. |