MACON - Construction of a new 1,150-square-foot marina that will be built at a site adjacent to the boat ramp and beach in the Bloomington area of the park on Long Branch Lake will soon be underway following a groundbreaking ceremony yesterday. Numerous state and local dignitaries attended the event.

Douglas K. Eiken, Director of the Missouri Department of Natural Resources, Division of State Parks served as master of ceremonies. Other speakers during the program were Missouri District 8 Representative Tom Shively; Paul Sampson, Project Manager for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Long Branch Lake and Larry Russell, Chairman of the Missouri State Park Advisory Board. Long Branch State Park Superintendent Dustin Webb introduced members of the park staff that were in attendance.

According to Sue Holst, Division of State Parks Information Officer, the new marina should be ready to open for the 2009 season. “The marina will be operated by park personnel at first, but it is possible that the state will seek another concessionaire in the future” said Holst.

“This is a key project for us,” said Eiken. “The new marina will be a well built structure that will complement the existing buildings in the park.”

Work on the marina will be completed by the department’s Division of State Parks in-house construction crew supervised by Jack Winburn. Winburn served as Long Branch State Park superintendent from 1985 through 2004. He resides in Macon and now works out of the district office for the northern half of the state.

The new marina will carry snacks, ice cream, soft drinks, a coffee bar, lunch items as well as fishing, camping and marina supplies and live bait.

The cost for materials to construct the new marina is estimated to be $55,000, according to Eiken, and was made possible by the department’s  one-tenth-of-one-percent sales tax and with the cooperation of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.