Fees To Affect Camden Marinas
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Tennessee Marina owners said they were worried about keeping their businesses afloat, not only because of the economy, but the new policy change the TVA warned them about. Bob Keast, owner of Birdsong Resort and Marina, said when the TVA approached him a few months ago and told him about the new shoreline fee, he was baffled. After five years of study and negotiations, the Tennessee Valley Authority announced they wanted a percentage of private marina owner’s gross income or base fee. The fee would not affect local, state, or federally owned campgrounds or marinas, but privately owned recreational facilities along the Tennessee River and Kentucky Lake. According to the TVA, private businesses along the Tennessee Riverbank are currently making money off public land. “Us mom and pop operations, family owned operators, are just barely surviving,” said Keast. Keast said not all the specifics were final yet and could change in the next year. About 450 riverbank businesses and properties are expected to be affected by this change. The new policy will be implemented in January 2013.
