Storm Lake’s marina story just turned a page — and this time, the county finally has the keys.
Buena Vista County Conservation Director Greg Johnson told the county board of supervisors Tuesday morning that the Storm Lake Marina property is now officially under county ownership, marking the end of a yearslong transfer process involving the Iowa Department of Natural Resources, the Natural Resource Commission and the Executive Council of Iowa. Johnson said the county also has a separate maintenance agreement for the turnaround area that wasn’t included in the transfer.
He said the timing couldn’t be better, because major work at the marina is about to begin. The conservation board approved a pavement replacement project earlier this month, and Johnson said contractors are ready to start toward the end of August.
The project will replace all permanent gravel parking areas with concrete, add tile lines and build detention basins to improve water quality and stormwater management. Johnson said the upgrades will help stabilize runoff and modernize the site as the county prepares for long‑term use and future development opportunities.
He also told supervisors he’s drafting a formal Request for Proposals for potential private uses of the marina building — a step he said the conservation board could potentially review at its next meeting.
While the marina is moving forward, repairs to the Linn Grove dam and adjacent parkland remain stuck in federal limbo.
Johnson said the county’s long‑running Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) appeals are still pending, with no new decisions from Region 7. He told supervisors that Iowa Homeland Security may have asked FEMA to move Buena Vista County’s dam project to a different region — but there’s been no update.
He also said FEMA continues to question whether the 2024 disaster claim duplicates earlier flood damage claims. Johnson said the county has already provided extensive documentation to show the projects are separate.
Johnson said state officials and county engineers have now rewritten the DDD — FEMA’s Damage Description and Dimensions — to correct inaccuracies. He believes the corrected version has now been sent, and hopes it will finally allow the county to move forward.
