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Port of Dubuque Marina Annual Report 2016 Copyright 2014 City of Dubuque Action Items # 2. ITEM TITLE: Port of Dubuque Marina Annual Report 2016 SUMMARY: City Manager transmitting the Port of Dubuque Marina Annual Report for 2016. Staff will make a short presentation. SUGGESTED DISPOSITION: Suggested Disposition: Receive and File; Presentation ATTACHMENTS: Description Type Port of Dubuque Marina 2016 Annual Report-MVM City Manager Memo Memo Staff Memo POD Marina Annual Report 2016 Staff Memo POD Marina Annual Report 2016 Supporting Documentation THE CITY OF Dubuque DUB E i" Masterpiece on the Mississippi 2007.2012.2013 TO: The Honorable Mayor and City Council Members FROM: Michael C. Van Milligen, City Manager SUBJECT: Port of Dubuque Marina 2016 Annual Report DATE: February 13, 2017 Leisure Services Manager Marie Ware recommends City Council approval of the Port of Dubuque Marina 2016 Annual Report. I concur with the recommendation and respectfully request Mayor and City Council approval. Mic ael C. Van Milligen MCVM:jh Attachment cc: Crenna Brumwell, City Attorney Cindy Steinhauser, Assistant City Manager Teri Goodmann, Assistant City Manager Marie L. Ware, Leisure Services Manager THE CITY ODubuque AII-Americ11 a City DUBi&E r Masterpiece on the Mississippi 2007-2012-2013 TO: Michael C. Van Milligen, City Manager FROM: Marie L. Ware, Leisure Services Manager SUBJECT: Port of Dubuque Marina 2016 Annual Report DATE: February 15, 2017 INTRODUCTION The purpose of this memorandum is to provide the Port of Dubuque Marina Annual Report for the 2016 season and complete fiscal year budget outcomes. DISCUSSION The City's fiscal year ends on June 30th of each year, which is in the middle of the typical boating season. To better show how the marina is progressing, the report compares the marina performance by boating season. Ben Alden, Facilities Supervisor and Dan Kroger, Recreation Division Manager have prepared a report comparing the 2016 season (April 23rd through October 31St, 2016) to previous boating seasons. The budget section of the report is presented by complete fiscal years which the marina has been open, FY14, FY15 & FY16. The report shares information regarding highlights, marketing, financials and more. The City Council on their 2014 — 2016 Management Agenda's Economic and Prosperity Goal requests a performance report for the Port of Dubuque Marina. Monthly reports have been shared throughout the season. This report was presented to the Park and Recreation Commission on February 14th, 2016 and is recommended by the Commission to the City Council. ACTION REQUESTED I respectfully request City Council approval of the Port of Dubuque Marina 2016 Annual Report. Prepared by: Ben Alden, Facilities Supervisor attachment: Port of Dubuque Marina 2016 Annual Report cc Steve Fehsal, Park Division Manager Dan Kroger, Recreation Division Manager 1 /1 f.rS OfDUBU PORT QUE J'ar rapogP M A R I N A ANNUAL REPORT 2016 ,P7 oil PORT OF DLMB UQU MARINA STORE Y u tea. r' i' • r . s �r THEO ITY F Dubuque Report Prepared By: bVIAbd C Marie Ware, Leisure Services Manager All-America City ' Dan Kroger, Rec. Division Manager Ben Alden, Facilities Supervisor Masterpiece on the Mississippi 2007.2012.2013 02-06-2017 HIGHLIGHTS The Port of Dubuque Marina docks and store opened to the public on April 23rd, 2016, a week earlier than expected. The marina opened early in of L1'�'��'� response to boater requests and warm spring 7Y weather. The Ice Harbor flood gates were open at the start of the season and remained open for most the year. A brief closing of the flood gates in �������►a��il!;t�c,1��1t' late August caused the cancellation of slip � � = g p ` reservations during the Irish Hooley festival in the Port of Dubuque. The Port of Marina slips were at 100% Dubuque occupancy for the Saturday Marina enjoyed of America's River Festival a busy start to the boating season during America's River Festival. The marina docks were at full capacity for the Saturday of the festival, and eighty percent were rented for that Friday. Advanced reservations for this event are strongly encouraged and customers have begun reserving slips through the marina online system as soon as the festival line up is announced in January. In June two traveling replica Columbus ships,The Nina and Pinta, returned to Dubuque, docking at the marina for ten days. The ships are floating museums open during the day for customers to board and � explore as a self-guided tour. The arrival of the ships gives a boost to marina awareness and foot traffic, bringing customers - into the 1 I/ convenience store t q_1 who might C3 D otherwise not visit the marina. ` Throughout the summer the Slushy sales increased 170% can ha\pe Ont tw!) Pokemon Go mobile app populated during the week of the sale the Port of Dubuque with scores of digital Pokemon and human trainers looking to catch them. For one week the marina convenience store ran a half-price sale on slushies to coincide with the search for Pokemon characters. Advertising for this sale was done on a chalk board located 1 directly outside the marina store entrance, and through Facebook. The special increased slushy sales by 170%compared to earlier dates in the season. The sale increased awareness of the convenience store, evidenced by slushy customers continuing to shop in the marina convenience store after the sale ended. ,.- The Port of Dubuque Marina _ Two days of revenue _ - continues to have a strong over$5,000 relationship with the local Julien _. Dubuque Yacht Club (JDYC). The membership of the JDYC is lop spread across many marinas located in and around _-- Dubuque. Holding events at the Port of Dubuque Marina provides a central location where members can come together. Following the JDYC party in July the marina had its highest single day of revenue, exceeding$5,000 for the first time. This revenue mark was surpassed one month later, on the night of the Third Annual Lighted Boat Parade. The Chris Craft Commander Club (CCCC) selected the "Great place to gather with other boaters." Port of Dubuque Marina as host for an annual rendezvous in July. Boats traveled from the Quad Cities and local marinas to visit with other club members who traveled by car and stayed in area hotels. The event brought increased awareness of the marina to customers in the Quad Cities region, and some of those w customers returned to dock again later in the year. _i 019) The Third Annual Lighted Boat Parade took place during the r first weekend of August,with the parade on Saturday night. The parade theme was A Holiday in August. Members of the •. Julien Dubuque Yacht Club and other local and visiting boats filled the Marina Third Annual Lighted Boat Parade for an event y overall winner"Santa Fishing" filled weekend. AV This free community event featured a bag toss tournament and a "Rock the Dock" style concert in the evening leading up to the parade of boats. The parade leaves from the Port of Dubuque Marina and continues onto the river, where it was visible from the Mississippi Riverwalk. The Cable TV department allowed marina staff to use portable audio equipment to announce the boats as they passed spectators along the Riverwalk. Spectators were also encouraged to 2 participate in voting for their favorite boat using an - online form created by the Public Information Office. -`-' Participating boats continue to get more elaborate as _ expectations and competitiveness increase. PARTNERSHIPS Through a partnership with Fever River Outfitters the _ City of Dubuque Leisure Services Department offered classes and rentals of stand-up paddle boards and kayaks at the Port of Dubuque Marina. Registration for classes was advertised in the Leisure Services Summer Activities Brochure and on social media. 30 people participated in these new water sport classes in the first summer offered. Fever River Outfitters also provides bicycles for rent through the marina store. The convenience of bicycles ,,. allows tourists or guests of The Port of Dubuque marina explore other parts of Dubuque, or get some exercise. The Port of Dubuque Marina continued its partnership with Swift Water Adventure Tours (SWAT). SWAT river tours operate a six-passenger high performance rigid- hull inflatable boat (RIB) out of the Ice Harbor, offering hour long or specialty tours of the Mississippi river. The City of Dubuque receives compensation for each passenger SWAT takes on a tour. MARKETING The marina has a presence at three regional boat and travel shows during the off season • Exhibitor booth at the 291h Annual Iowa Boat, RV&Vacation Show at the UNI- Dome NI-Dome in Cedar Falls, Iowa. -_- _- • Exhibitor booth at the Dubuque Boat and RV show at the Grand River Convention Center February 24-26. .., �- • Purchased the cover of February issue of Scuttlebutt boating magazine, which will be handed out at the La Crosse Boat Sports,,Travel RV& Hunting Show and Dubuque boat & RV show. 3 • Ad placed in Quimby's cruising guide, a print publication directed at national boat travelers. • Ad placed in River Events Planner travel guide, a print publication focusing on the upper Mississippi . and St. Croix Rivers. a I. o Worked with CVB and Public Information Office to update the City of Dubuque + information and events page. • Google Indoor View photos taken of marina ' convenience store and linked to Google search results. o Google Indoor View feature embedded into marina website. • Google Ad Words campaign started in January to align with 200 Google Ad clicks during boat show presence. first month of adp lacement • Website: www.portofdubuquemarina.com updated throughout the year. • Marina listing added to www.marinas.com, an online resource .. for boat travelers. P0RT- 1L.'RL-QL • City of Dubuque Notify Me email newsletter now has 310 s subscribers. • Installed directional signs in the marina identifying goods and services for sale in the marina store. ,. • City of Dubuque Public Information Office promotes events ,. , and activities through electronic parking ramp signs. -- • Trip Advisor#29 of 62 things to do in Dubuque. • Ad in July issue of Julien's Journal subscription magazine, print publication distributed to area hotels and homes. • Facebook account updated throughout the year: www.facebook.com/portofdubuguemarinadocks has 11458 friends. • Facebook page updated throughout the year: www.facebook.com/portofdubuque has 654 followers. • Twitter account updated throughout the year: @PortofDBQMarina has 198 followers. FUTURE PLANNED MARKETING • Continue to purchase Google Ad Words through the summer of 2017. �- • Print advertisement in March/April and May/June issues of Big River Magazine. 4 • Partnership with Dubuque Port group to place �I'�FT� nul-��RTo� DIII�ucZ�� DUBUQUE DUt;ll(ur advertisement and information on electronic D�w (-ItOw*—RT, �DUAVDi,DfCALL aaw F(r o l-HEP;>, I _ ��sa// kiosks in four hotels in Dubuque, and one in DLJBUC),.UE TRTI SFT Galena. DURIJCZ!I _ l)11R11(ZJf Dm•, um YOUR PORT OF CALL ouw � • Install additional si na a on the marina docks °""""d�" '°`"u""`-'""``"':'':" •yr••c..D a•roa w D•wu,•�a on•! ,.�.. g g P:.RT ��,,..,.. �..:,. .«.�� q P+FT. DUI;UCZJI I)lll;ll(>`lll to help make customers aware of products °- DubuquePortcomt a� —n available for sale in the convenience store. DURUcZII �c.i. _* 11111111 t = I)lllill(`l)I DtbiVuePlrl:nn Dututwf'a:un • Print advertisement in local newspapers, magazines and advertiser circulators highlighting new events and products as they become available. • Facebook and Twitter postings to promote sales, specials and events taking place in the marina. • Monthly email newsletter sent to Notify Me subscribers. SURVEY RESPONSES 82% of customers would recommend the At the end of the boating season a ten- marina to a friend, compared to the question customer survey was sent to 533 industry global benchmark of 38% guests who had stayed at the marina during the last two years. The survey was also made available through the marina Facebook and Twitter pages. The survey received 158 total responses, a 30% response rate. The survey results reflect the positive economic impact the marina has on the City of Dubuque and area businesses. 30% Did you visit any of these Port of Dubuque businesses while docked at the marina? response rate for end of season Marina Guests Visiting Port of Dubuque Businesses customer Other i survey N Winery a� •N Restaurant m Casino 25%of marina Q Waterpark guests stayed at Museum WMII*&- oil an area hotel 0.0% 20.0% 40.0% 60.0% 80.0% 100.0% while docked at Percent of Guests the marina 5 Did you visit any downtown Dubuque retail businesses or attractions while docked at the marina? Marina guests visiting Downtown Dubuque Businesses e� Dir t 84%of guests e visit 2 or more bars or m �e� �e� ,11 restaurants .�o� �.°� •�o� while docked at the marina .0z, 0.0% 10.0% 20.0% 30.0% 40.0% 50.0% 60.0% Percent of Guests "We heard so many good things about "We used the Marina for a long this marina—as a very experienced weekend,we usually trailer our boat, boater staying at many marinas,all of but is a very nice area when you have them are true about this marina." company and don't want to take the time to put your boat in and out." MARINA STORE The Port of Dubuque Marina convenience store continues to adjust items available for resale to fit the needs of its customers. This year the marina expanded the color selection of t-shirts,tank tops and sweatshirts available for -� purchase. Boaters and visitors enjoyed the selection of b colors and prints and were eager to take home a souvenir r - from the Port of Dubuque. The marina store began "Without a doubt the retailing souvenirs best marina on the previously available only at upper Mississippi. the CVB's Welcome Center. Travelers on the large excursion boats which Thanks for building it." dock in the Port of Dubuque have a limited amount of shore time in each 6 port they visit. The closeness of the marina store to the "Transient boat going up&down docking area gave these travelers looking for a Dubuque Mississippi,great intro to Dubuque." souvenir just what they were looking for,without the barrier of having to travel into downtown. Total Marina Store Revenue by Season $40,000 — $35,000 — $30,000 — �, $25,000 — `�o $20,000 Marina store sales $15,000 totaled $36,120 in $10,000 2016, an increase $5,000 $0 of 21% from 2015 2013 2014 2015 2016 Total Store Revenue $13,157 $20,062 $29,788 $36,120 DOCKAGE The quality of the Port of Dubuque Marina docks always impress customers during their stay. Everyone who comes to the Port of Dubuque calls it the nicest marina on the Mississippi. Last summer's mid-season promotion of the buy one,get one 3-hour weekend dockage continued into the 2016 season. This was done to encourage the local boating community to use the facility and support surrounding businesses in the Port of Dubuque. Overnight Reservations by Season 800 - dr 700 Dockage revenue 600 - totaled $24,328 500 Ln during the 2016 un 400 0 300 season z L 200 100 0 2013 2014 2015 2016 Reservations 440 440 671 738 7 FUEL "love t h e convenience of The ease of access, secure location and convenient pump-out system has made the gas dock being the Port of Dubuque Marina fuel dock an attractive place to purchase fuel. in a no wake area without current." Total Fuel Sales by Season $140,000 $120,000 $100,000 N $80,000 Diesel fuel accounted - o $60,000 _ for 20%of fuel sales $40,000 - $20,000 - $0 2013 2014 2015 2016 Ewo Total Fuel Sales $62,643 $78,892 $115,354 $130,162 T T Fuel sales totaled $130,162 in the 2016 season, an increase of 13% from 2015 FINANCIALS The chart shows the ending financial figures for complete fiscal years the marina has been open; FY14, FY15 and FY16. Fiscal year 17 will end on June 30th, 2017, allowing for two more months of revenue and five more months of expense in the current fiscal year. Looking at financial data from the same five month period, February through June of 2016,the marina is projected to end fiscal year 17 at a lower net loss than in previous fiscal years. Projections are made based on last year's revenue and expense totals, and could fluctuate dependent on river level and weather effecting marina use. Change in Net Loss by Fiscal Year $200,000 42% 83,284 $150,000 $152,055 Reduction in o Tax Support J $100,000 $106,522 a) from FY 2014 z $50,000 to FY 2016 FY 14 FY 15 FY 16 Loss by Fiscal Year(Revenue-Expense) 8 GOALS FOR 2017 1. Increase awareness of the Port of Dubuque Marina convenience store and the items available for sale through increased signage and in the Port area. 2. Install bulletin/message boards at City boat ramps to promote the Marina and provide information on river travel. 3. Increase awareness of the Port of Dubuque Marina convenience store and the items available for sale through increased - , -- marketing to area businesses. 4. Promote the Port of Dubuque Marina ' r facility as a space not only reserved for boaters. 5. Continue to build the business to become more self-sustaining each day. 6. Provide Wi-Fi to guests visiting the marina, the most requested improvement from customers staying at the marina. 7. Offer a punch card or season pass for 3- hour docking. 8. Introduce new food items for purchase in the marina convenience store. Included in the fiscal year 2018 budget is a request to purchase an ice cream dipper cabinet. If approved by City Council the marina convenience store will start offering scooped ice cream in July, 2017. Scooped ice cream is the most requested item from marina store customers. STAFFING There are four seasonal staff budgeted for the operation of the marina and one full time facility supervisor. To properly cover the marina convenience store and docks during regular business days, two staff members work during each shift. Whenever possible, Marina staff is cross-trained to work at both the marina store and on the docks. The Facility Supervisor covers shifts as needed,or if the operation is exceptionally busy. Staff for the 2016 season offered concierge level service to "We love staying at your place!Very visiting boaters and the public. Seasonal staff is not only clean facility and friendly staff.Also, responsible for providing excellent hospitality to customers, because it is an easy walk to nearby but for also maintaining the cleanliness of the boater and attractions and into downtown. public facilities. Partnerships with neighboring businesses in Can't wait for next summer!" the Port of Dubuque such as the Diamond Jo Casino and the Grand Harbor Resort helped staff provide customers with nearby specials and deals. 9 HISTORY The Port of Dubuque Marina is owned and operated by the City of Dubuque, Iowa. It is located on the Mississippi River, in what is historically known as the Dubuque Ice Harbor. When entering the marina by boat, one passes through the U.S. Senator John C. Culver Floodwall. The gates of the flood wall act as the entrance to the marina, making it secure from river current. In the event of high water on the river, which could cause flooding (most common in the spring), the flood gates are closed,and all boat traffic into and out of the marina stops. The closing of the flood gates prevents fuel sales and slip rentals, however the convenience store remains open for business. The Port of Dubuque Marina opened to the public in June of 2013. The marina includes seventy-eight slips with water and electrical hook-ups,a fuel dock with sanitary pump out, a marina convenience store, a private shower and laundry suite and public restrooms. The seventy-eight slips vary in length from thirty feet to fifty feet, and can accommodate boats of up to one hundred feet in overall length. The marina convenience store offers items such as ice,drinks, snacks, ice cream, health and beauty aids, boating supplies, apparel and food. The marina convenience store is open for both boaters and visitors to the Port of Dubuque area. Along with offering products, the store and staff provide tourist information and guest services to visitors of the Port of Dubuque. 10