Pierre neighbors, help me out: how can the Oahe Marina not make enough money to open in 2018?
The South Dakota Department of Game, Fish and Parks (GFP), along with Oahe Tailrace, LLC, operator of Oahe Marina and Resort, announce that the Oahe Marina will not be open in 2018.
“This has been a difficult decision to close the Marina,” stated Steve Rounds, operator of Oahe Marina. “The 2011 flood dealt a devastating blow that has been hard to overcome. The Pierre and Ft. Pierre communities have been great supporters of the Marina for years and I thank them for that” [South Dakota Game Fish & Parks, press release, 2018.05.02].
How do a restaurant and convenience store right next to popular campgrounds, good fishing and boating, and the world’s fifth-largest dam (by material volume) holding back America’s fourth-largest reservoir (by capacity) not turn a profit? Is someone dropping the marketing ball, or does the outdoor recreation market around the Oahe Dam have too many players?
Downstream of the dam and off the beaten path, but what he’s really doing is looking for taxpayer financed subsidies.
Watch and wait. That marina will be re-opened by Steve Rounds, and it will be announced that he’s paying a lot less to the state for his concession. This is a choreographed move by someone named Rounds and and agency run by Mike Rounds’ former Lt. Governor/now Governor to pad Steve Rounds’ pocket a bit more before Dennis Daugaard leaves office. Look for a long-term contract offering far less benefit to SD taxpayers than the existing contract.
You should buy out young Mr. Rounds, Mr. Rorschach, or underbid him if they put this out for a new lessee. You would probably make a great restaurateur and you might even lure Mr. Lansing to that town on certain weekends as a featured guest chef or something. That would be really swell, him cooking up goat wings and other delicacies for the campers around there.
I don’t have the crony chops to make good old South Dakota co-rruption work for me, grudz. Anybody with Rounds in their name does. Watch and wait, I say. Mr. Rounds will be back in business with a long-term better deal in no time flat.
In the past week we’ve learned that …
– There’re no rules for “truth in advertising” in political campaigns in South Dakota.
– There’s no longer a blackmail law in South Dakota.
– Are there also no rules, laws or regulations about political nepotism in South Dakota?
“If it’s Rounds, flush it down.”
My vote is poor management. The last few times I’d been there the service was terrible.
I am from Pierre and was sad to hear the news. At the same time, the story becomes a little more clear when you look at the circumstances.
Steve Rounds purchase the business and started to make some great improvements, including expanding the restaurant (which often had line waiting to be seated) and adding new cabins. Shortly after those improvements were complete, the Missouri flooded and an entire season of income was wiped out. Then there were more costs associated with the cleanup. Debt + debt – income + debt = hard financial times. On top of that, there is a lack of available workers so staffing was a constant challenge.
Steve is a very nice guy and I’m sad to see any business struggle. He tried his best, but just couldn’t make it work. Definitely a loss for the community.
From what I have seen and read about the corruption in South Dakota over the past several years, it boggles my mind that a guy with connections like Rounds has somehow did not find a government tit to suck on and pad his own pockets.
Or maybe the benefits come in the form of a cushy financial landing spot when the dust settles after the flood.