Virginia Marine Infrastructure Needs Assessment

Murray, Thomas J

Item

Virginia Marine Infrastructure Needs Assessment

Murray, Thomas J

Abstract

In an effort to support Virginia's application for federal grant funds under the Department of Interior's "Boating Infrastructure Grant Program" (Grants), the Marina Technical Advisory Program (MTAP) at the Virginia Institute of Marine Science has undertaken assessment of the state's recreational boating infrastructure needs.1 A total of$32 million has been authorized over four years to fund this new program. It is designed to help states develop and maintain facilities for transient, non-trailerable (26' and over) recreational boats. The Virginia Department of Health (VDOH) is providing overall leadership in the Boating Infrastructure Grants process, supported by the Virginia Sea Grant College Program in completion of this needs assessment. The completion of a boating infrastructure needs assessment, in furtherance of the state's eventual application, was to follow the guidelines for surveys and survey instruments presented by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service in their proposed final regulations published January 20, 2000. The survey was to be conducted in a way that included facility providers that serve boats of 26'in length and over as well as facilities that serve boats of less than 26'. In view of the fact that it was not known initially which marinas - or how many - comprised the two groups, a single survey instrument was considered most efficient and was drafted to follow the "Grants" Proposed Rule and associated survey document found in the Federal Register. The survey instrument included the required questions for both size classes of boats. The selection of marinas to be surveyed began with the evaluation of a list of marinas in Virginia provided by VDOH. The list was further evaluated and sorted to target marinas located in zip codes corresponding to Tidewater Virginia. Focus upon the coastal and estuarine region permitted evaluation of the most extensive component of the marinas sector in Virginia, and that region with potentially the greatest demand for growth in transient boater access.