Glens Falls Chronicle Serving the Glens Falls/Lake George region; Warren, Washington and northern Saratoga counties since 1980
By Mark Frost & Zander Frost, Chronicle Editor & Staff Writer
What once looked like a gamble — public purchase of Norowal Marina in Bolton Landing in a $4.5-million deal in 2005 — has worked out quite nicely.
Norowal remains a key boating access point to Lake George, and the Bolton Local Development Corporation expects in 2024 to finish paying off the $2.5-million loan it took out from Glens Falls National Bank to help pay for the purchase.
“We had a lot of public hearings, and a lot of people thought we were out of our mind,” says Scott Andersen, who was a Bolton Town Board member then.
Now he is president of the volunteer board of the Bolton LDC that the town created to buy and operate Norowal.
When Buzz Lamb put it up for sale, there was fear the marina might end up disappearing altogether. Mr. Lamb worked with the town and state to assure that didn’t happen.
On a busy weekend, 150 boats enter and exit the lake through Norowal and 42 boats rent seasonal dock space (with a long waiting list), LDC Board Secretary Tom Hall said.
Back in 2005, says Mr. Andersen, “we had a very, very strong original advisory board. We had Buck Bryan, Dusty Rhodes —”
“Dick Bartlett,” Mr. Hall added.
“And they all saw our vision. And we ended up getting a lot of public support,” Mr. Andersen said.
State: $2-million for public easement
Of the $4.5-million price, he said, the LDC “borrowed $2.5-million commercial money from Glens Falls National…And we sold an easement to the state of New York for the remaining $2-million.
“In very brief terms that easement says this shall remain a public access facility and a marina in perpetuity.”
The state also received use of one building and the side of one dock.
The LDC operates independently of the town board.
And Mr. Andersen says of Norowal, “We run it as a private business” that he says costs taxpayers nothing.
“We pay our own employment taxes, we pay income taxes, we pay our own land and school taxes. So I’d like to think we really benefit Bolton in a lot more ways than I think a lot of people realize.
“And yet we’re quasi-government and it’s access for the public forever, and there’s no more access [available].”
“Other than the Million Dollar Beach, the state run facility, this is really the primary access point for the rest of the lake,” said Mr. Hall.
Mr. Andersen said the marina’s budget is around $800,000 a year and that they’ve invested $2-million in upgrades.
They’ve improved and redone the buildings and drainage, put in a new ramp and bulkhead, installed new coin-operated showers.
Mr. Andersen said they’ll spend “close to a million dollars on all new docks. We just did an $80,000 pavilion…We bought a house and tore it down [to enable more boat trailer parking.]
“We bought property that now the LDC owns, and we leased back to Norowal.”
They have more expansion plans, too.
Boosts business in Bolton
Mr. Andersen says the LDC is an “outstanding part of the community and brings a lot of business.”
He said a 2005 survey conducted by the Town reported the marina brought $12.4-million to the community annually. “Now we’re trying to extrapolate that and get a current number based on all the factors that they monitor,” he added.
Norowal is “the gateway to the islands because we are the last public launch,” said Mr. Andersen. “We’re the largest asset for EnCon [state Department of Environmental Conservation], because we bring people to the islands.”
Mr. Andersen long managed nearby F.R. Smith & Sons Marina until its sale last year. He and Mr. Hall said Norowal is conscious not to compete with private businesses.
“In terms of pricing, we target right in the middle of the market,” Mr. Hall said. He said they call other marinas to set launch costs, “purposely charging in the middle because we’re really catering to Joe Public, not the five-star class.”
Mr. Andersen said they do the same with gasoline prices.
Goal: ‘Get the day users out there’
“We’re looking to the average guy, who by definition is supposed to be able to launch here,” Mr. Hall said. “That conservation easement was purposeful to get the fisherman on the lake, to get the day users out there, virtually everybody.”
“From a pricing standpoint, we don’t want to out-compete our private sector neighbors,” Mr. Hall said.
This also goes to products they sell.
Mr. Andersen said, “We sell some very small items in our store. And our purpose from day one was to bring people to Bolton, but not compete.
“We could sell fishing poles fishing line, but people in town do. We used to sell beer and tons of soda when it was private. Now, we sell a little bit of water, and very select items…to keep the launch ramp moving: bilge plugs, ropes, batteries. Everything else we stay away from on purpose, so they have to go into the community and spend their money.”
Mr. Hall added, “No boat rentals, no boat repairs, no boat sales like used to happen here when it was private.”
More investment; Norowal donates
Mr. Hall said the LDC board members “truly care, none of us get paid. When our mortgage is paid off to Glens Falls National, we’re in the process of developing plans to do nothing but improve Bolton.”
“As an LDC, we want to be able to do that — our group pick the project or projects. Our goal is always to provide public access wherever we can,” he added.
Mr. Hall noted that the LDC “as a local public authority can’t give away money, or it would be kind of antithetical to our mission. That’s not exactly economic development when we give away money.”
But Norowal Marina, Inc. can. Mr. Andersen estimates Norowal Inc. donates $10,000 to $20,000 each year to very “local-fixated” entities, like the health committee, Bolton food pantries, and Heat to Home. “Last year, we gave some money to the Sembrich [Museum], they were doing some things of benefit in town,” he said.
Mr. Hall said they still have goals to further upgrade “to make this a five-star public access Marina. We’re at about a three and a half now. We’ve moved up at least a full star from operations.”
“First-class, that’s our goal,” said Mr. Andersen. “We say five star. Lawns, flowers, place to sit and eat, clean restrooms and washrooms” plus new parking lot fencing to separate cars.
“We want people to come here and it’s not an image of an old marina that’s run down and dirty,” he said. “All that’s in a grand plan, but it’s years away because we pay our own bills.”
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