Buena Vista County keeps conservation offices at county park, opens marina to private leases

Buena Vista County chose stability for its conservation staff and opened the Storm Lake Marina to outside business. At its April 7 meeting, the Buena Vista County Conservation Board decided to keep offices, naturalist programming and day-to-day operations at the county park near Peterson, while inviting private proposals for long-term leases at the lakefront.

The decision ended months of debate over whether the marina should become a county office hub or a more commercial gathering place. Conservation Director Greg Johnson said the board settled on the county park because it is the better long-term base for operations, while the marina is better suited to public-facing uses and future development. The board is now reviving earlier park plans that were put on hold, including ideas for more office space, environmental education space, a shop and storage for equipment.

At the marina itself, the county is looking for private operators to step in. The list of possible lease uses is broad, including a restaurant or bar, event or rental space, bait and tackle sales, concessions and marine-related services such as boat repair. County leaders said any proposal will be judged on long-term viability and whether it offers a fair return based on the local market and real-estate guidance. The move points to a more public-private model for the waterfront, with the county keeping its conservation work inland and businesses carrying more of the marina’s daily activity.

The stakes are larger than one building. Buena Vista County is preparing to assume full ownership of roughly 17 acres at the marina, a property first acquired in the 1960s for public marina development. The title transfer still needs final approval from the Iowa Department of Natural Resources, the Iowa Attorney General’s Office and the State Executive Council, and it is expected to include a revertment clause requiring the land to remain a public park and recreation area or return to state control.

The county has already poured money into the site. Supervisors set aside $1 million in American Rescue Plan Act funds in December 2021 for marina repairs, and county plans later called for more than $1 million in work, including dock replacement, a new roof and parking-lot improvements. Buena Vista County Conservation manages 17 areas totaling more than 1,200 acres, so where staff work and store equipment matters far beyond Storm Lake Marina. After years of argument involving Supervisor Kathy Croker, Greg Johnson and board member Jeff Kestel, the county appears to have settled on a split path: keep conservation functions at Peterson, and let the marina compete as a waterfront destination for private investment.