Marina sought at Bennett Bay
<p>A marina with a 74-slip community dock is being sought for this spot on Bennett Bay. Some residents of the bay have expressed concern about the marina because of potential effects to water quality, as many residents depend on the bay for their domestic supply.</p>
COEUR d'ALENE - A company calling itself Eastlake Village Marina submitted an application to the state of Idaho as it seeks to construct a marina at Bennett Bay.
The application document says the marina would have a 74-slip commercial community dock. Opponents of the project say there would be too great a risk to water quality because of the boats, a floating convenience store and sewage pump-out station.
The applicant is listed as Jillian Cooper, of Humpty Doo, in Australia's Northern Territory. Cooper couldn't immediately be reached for comment Thursday.
Cooper owns apartments at 6889 E. Coeur d'Alene Lake Drive, near Tony's restaurant, at Bennett Bay.
The April 29 application was submitted by HDB (Harrison Dock Builders) Marine to the Idaho Department of Lands.
"It's early in the process," said Mark Wagner, vice president of HDB Marine. "There's already a few objections."
He declined further comment.
Bennett Bay is approximately three miles southeast on Coeur d'Alene Lake Drive from Sherman Avenue.
Comments about the proposed marina may be submitted to the Department of Lands through June 2.
Roger Johnson, resource specialist for the department's Mica Supervisory Area, said no public hearings have been scheduled relating to the application.
Glenn Eaton, who has lived at Bennett Bay with his wife and sons for nearly 13 years, said residents there rely on the bay for domestic water.
"My first concern is that people have clean, safe water to drink," said Eaton, who has filed a formal objection.
He said kokanee fishing in the bay and use of the North Idaho Centennial Trail would be affected. He said he has talked with eight other bay residents who oppose the marina project.
"The bay is very quiet and a lot of people enjoy recreating here," Eaton said. "That would change with a large marina."
"Most of the homes in the bay are pulling their water from the lake," said Dan Stubbs, who lives next door to Cooper's apartments. "Asthetically, (the marina) would change the entire bay."
He said it's too high density of a project for a small area, and there would not be enough parking to support a large marina. He has filed a formal objection.
"A new 80-slip marina is unnecessary for the east side of the lake, as Silver Beach marina meets the need of their waiting list each year," said Adrienne Cronebaugh of the Kootenai Environmental Alliance.
The Bennett Bay site is not suitable for a marina of that size, Cronebaugh said.
"Not only is there no parking available to accommodate users, but the benefit to the public does not outweigh the negative effects it will have on water quality and aquatic life," she said. "Hundreds of people draw their drinking water from that bay, and fisherman and eagles frequent the area for its rich kokanee population."