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Water Ways Ray Pendleton |
Mixed opinions on work
of WestrecFor a small, but often vocal group of recreational boaters, the prospect of the state turning over the marina management of Hawaii's Small Boat Harbors to the private sector is obviously frightening.
And, as California-based Westrec Marinas has been the company that has shown the most interest in assuming that management, it has correspondingly been the company most vilified by those same vocal boaters.
Over the past seven or eight years, I have heard and read testimony accusing Westrec of everything from rent-gouging to crimes against nature.
So, you may understand why I found it interesting to see that a Westrec-owned facility -- Harbour Towne Marina in Dania Beach, Florida -- has been named Marina Dock Age magazine's Marina of the Year for 2003.
In an article in its March 2004 issue, the magazine points to the marina's proactive dedication to service of uncompromising quality and variety, along with tremendous customer satisfaction, as major reasons for its award.
According to the article, the marina was purchased by Westrec almost 14 years ago and under its ownership it has evolved from an eyesore of docks in disrepair to a sparkling facility.
The marina has grown more than 700 percent over those years and now encompasses 165 slips, dry storage for 454 boats and a haul-out yard that features an 88-ton travel lift.
The article also speaks glowingly of the marina's employees as energetic, enthusiastic and passionately involved due to Westrec-inspired standards.
"Every employee at our facility goes through a Westrec-run training seminar," the marina's dockmaster told the magazine.
"Our employees are trained in fuel-spill cleanup, emergency-response and hurricane-response training, and more."
Although the marina's docks were totally replaced when Westrec took ownership, the magazine reports the company continues to explore expansion options, such as the recent construction of a new "super-yacht slip" that is able to handle boats up to 130 feet.
That same ongoing review of its facilities apparently works off the water as well. The dockmaster told the magazine that some of the indoor dry-storage racks were reconfigured to accommodate larger boats up to 47 feet-- with the use of a 27,000-pound marine forklift -- as the demand for them has increased.
Along with tenants that provide marine-related businesses, such as a restaurant, a ship's store, brokerages, engine-repair shops, woodworkers and yacht detailers, the marina management organizes special events and activities that include seminars on fishing, CPR, or hurricane preparedness.
"We have a barbecue every Memorial Day, Fourth of July and Labor Day," the dockmaster says."These are customer appreciation parties."
Marina Dock Age concludes that Harbour Towne Marina, as its Marina of the Year, is a role model for all marinas.
So here is a challenge for anyone who has an interest in Hawaii's state-run marinas: Take this column with you on a walkthrough of the marina of your choice and do a comparison.
Take your time to look at the total facility -- docks, moorings, slips, launching ramps, dry-storage areas, surrounding amenities and, perhaps most importantly, the employees' attention to customer satisfaction. (And don't forget to ask about customer-appreciation parties.)
Then, try to explain to me why marina privatization by a company like Westrec is so frightening.
See the Columnists section for some past articles.
Ray Pendleton is a free-lance writer based in Honolulu.
His column runs Saturdays in the Star-Bulletin.
He can be reached by e-mail at raypendleton@mac.com.