State Officials Update KP Group on Lakebay Marina Restoration

There are so many moving pieces already; if we want this to be preserved, we're gonna have to make compromises.”

State and local officials met with members of the Lakebay Marina Citizens Advisory Committee for the second time in three months July 17 to listen to KP residents’ ideas and concerns, and to update them on progress and plans to restore the marina and surrounding shoreline.

The historic Lakebay Marina on Mayo Cove has been closed since 2022 due to unsafe conditions.

The Recreational Boating Association of Washington bought the marina from owner Mark Scott in 2021 for $1.6 million in a joint effort with the Washington State Department of Natural Resources to donate to the state, with the intention that it eventually be incorporated into the neighboring Penrose Point State Park as a boating destination.

After a review of past work, Stephanie Leiendecker, the DNR project manager for the marina, explained what work to expect in the near term.

“We are applying for a grant for removal of the white house,” she said, referring to one of the later residences on the property, since damaged by a fallen tree. “We’ll be putting in some picnic tables and parking on the uplands that’s not incorporated into the current restoration, so that people can at least come use the upland portion. The current restoration is just the shoreline, with removing the creosote pilings.”

DNR received a $400,000 grant from the Washington State Recreation and Conservation Office (with a 50% match by DNR) to restore the shoreline along the bay. Bulkheads and blocks along the stream emptying into the bay will be removed starting in 2027.

The local group wants the historic pier (1926) and building (1928) saved, while DNR is assessing the costs to do so and working to preserve public access to the shoreline. 

The Army Corps of Engineers must review those proposals before plans can be made, Leienedecker said.

The original goal of completing all of this work in the current biennium, which ends June 30, 2027, will not be met, she said.

Bart Wolfe and other members of the citizens’ committee asked about plans to restore the pier building and future vendors who might operate businesses there, including a new marina.

“We need the long-term feasibility of site management and revenue for this location; I don’t know what that looks like,” Leienedecker said. “It’s great if ‘you build it and they come,’ but someone needs to be able to continue to manage the site in a way that is feasible for whoever’s involved.”

She described the 2027-29 capital budget request DNR is preparing between $1.6 and $1.9 million to fund an alternatives analysis of the site and upland restoration. DNR will also finalize reappropriation of funds previously authorized by the state legislature toward removal of the pier, and replacing it if funds are available. The initial amount was $250,000, but if undertaken, that project would be much more expensive.

Rep. Adison Richards (D-26th) asked the approximate cost of mitigation and upgrade of the historic egg co-op building at the end of the pier. Leiendecker said the initial estimate was $14 to $15 million. She also said a structural assessment indicated the building is sound, and with its windows boarded up, no other immediate mitigation steps are needed.

Hannah Blackstock, assistant division manager at DNR, said, “We did do surveys in the community to understand what the priorities are, and that will be taken into account through this analysis along with all the other things we’ve talked about — site constraints, permitting, costs, timeline — before making any decisions.”

“We cannot have too many cooks in this kitchen,” Leiendecker said. “This is a government project; DNR owns this space. I see that feelings and needs here of the historic piece are important, but if we start doing certain things, then suddenly we have disrupted a historical site. There are so many moving pieces already; if we want this to be preserved, we’re gonna have to make compromises.”

The original pier, built by Carl Lorenz in 1884 to ship lumber from his water-powered mill in Lakebay, was replaced by a 400-by-12 foot structure in 1926. It served the Mosquito Fleet and later became a center of community life after the Washington Cooperative Poultry and Egg Association built a warehouse at the end of the new pier in 1928 — the structure that remains. The facility became a marina in the 1950s, and the former warehouse was a popular restaurant and music venue until it finally closed in 2022 after multiple health and safety violations.

Lisa Bryan contributed to this report.