Marina Del Rey tenants in Caney-Soldier Creek Township are requesting a modification

MARSHALL COUNTY (KXII) – What was once a safe place for families and boaters for decades is now unrecognizable, according to residents. Thomas Fugitt, a resident who was evicted from his boat dock nearly a decade ago, says the area needs a change.

“Caney Creek and Soldier Creek are one of the best communities on this lake, but without a world-class marina it is a dump!” said Fugitt.

Kara Stafford has been a full-time resident since 2011 and used to bring her children to the marina to play. Now the community she once knew is disappearing.

“Everyone wanted to own a home in Soldier-Creek, so we were always very blessed to be in such a good area,” Stafford said. “But with the new, newer owner, things just haven’t worked out well for our community.”

Residents told News 12 about sinking docks, unsafe boardwalks and boat slips, and a lack of properly functioning utilities. Fugitt shared that he stopped paying rent on his boat dock years ago and was evicted.

“My dock was flipped over and they wouldn’t fix it and I had no power and no water,” Fugitt said. “Why should we pay rent when we have no electricity or water to wash our boats, charge our batteries and keep them winterized? I mean, these boats require a lot of maintenance.”

Community members have collected over 340 signatures on a petition calling for all docks to be upgraded to required standards by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.

The Corps of Engineers told News 12 it is investigating the issues and working with the marina owner to resolve this issue.

Garrett Johnson, Marina Del Rey’s owner since 2016, said in a statement to News 12 that he has been visiting the area since he was 5 years old and that it is “close to his heart.” Johnson says he’s working to fix the storm damage issues.

“As many of you know, the area was hit hard by a storm which caused significant damage to the marina itself. Since that storm, I have been embroiled in a dispute over insurance coverage for the resulting damage. I have hired a public adjuster and am going through the insurance claims dispute process. This is a multi-million dollar claim and as most people know, dealing with insurance companies is never easy or quick. However, over a million dollars have been donated so far to mitigate the damage caused by the storm.”

Fugitt considers these to be empty promises.

“Everyone stand up and sign this petition,” Fugitt said. “We’ll see if we can get these owners out of here and get a new owner of the marina and get things back in the right direction. God bless America because we need help everywhere, but we need help here, y’all.”

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