While state officials say they are scrambling to find a management firm to operate North Point Marina this boating season, they certainly had plenty of time to find one. Since April of last year, it appears.
In a letter to Natalie Phelps Finnie, director of the Illinois Department of Natural Resources, dated April 10, 2025, James Frye, vice president of governmental relations for Suntex Marinas, spelled out that the company was seeking to mutually end its state lease at North Point in Winthrop Harbor. The pleasure-boat marina, with some 1,500 boat slips, is the largest on the Great Lakes.
“Due to the poor financial performance of the marina, we have determined that it is no longer feasible for us to continue occupying and operating the premises,” Frye states in the company’s “formal request” to bail on the contract. “Given the current circumstances, I believe it would be beneficial for us to discuss the potential terms for termination.”
The letter, with copies to four other IDNR officials, also indicates preliminary talks about terminating the North Point lease were held well in advance of the April letter. Indeed, Frye wrote: “In our discussions with IDNR staff, we have suggested that the best way forward is for the IDNR to secure a new third-party manager.”
On April 25, 2025, folks with the IDNR’s Concession and Lease Management office signed off on the contract termination, “effective no later than the 31st day of October 2025”. This means the contract with Suntex ended several months before the IDNR notified area elected officials that it was seeking a new marina operator.
Seems like communication is the key here, as Winthrop Harbor officials have complained of “minimal communication” with those at IDNR. Area lawmakers, too, seem to be caught off guard by the turn of events and the increasing possibility that North Point will not be ready for slip holders for the marina’s summer boating season, which should kick off May 1.
Dallas-based Suntex is the largest marina operator on the globe, having management contracts with some 90 marinas on both coasts and everywhere in between. So far, IDNR officials have not released information as to where the process stands to secure a new operator of the marina, which has been a fixture of the Fresh Coast since 1989.
Boaters, along with Winthrop Harbor officials, are concerned this coming season may be lost without a third-party management team in place. Winthrop Harbor is hoping for an opening in order to save some 150 jobs at the marina.
On LinkedIn, David Alarcon, Winthrop Harbor village manager, wrote: “The Village of Winthrop Harbor is addressing recent developments at North Point Marina. We are collaborating with state representatives to ensure smooth operations and safeguard local jobs. Your support is vital as we work towards a successful 2026 boating season in Winthrop Harbor.”
Boaters who have used North Point as their homeport are irate over the possibility of a lost season, pointing out the state needs to inject funding into the marina’s needs. They complain that some of the slips are in rough shape; the fishing pier needs to be rebuilt, and, importantly, the marina entrance needs to be dredged of accumulated amounts of sand. Securing a costly dredging permit from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers could take an estimated six months.
It took the state several years to realize that facilities at Illinois Beach State Park, which anchors the Lake Michigan shoreline from the far North Side of Waukegan north to Winthrop Harbor, needed an influx of investment. That occurred with the completion in fall 2024 of a $73 million shoreline stabilization project, which included hauling some 35,000 truckloads of sand into three sections of the park, one of the state’s most-visited natural recreational areas.
Granted, worries over a marina being open during the summer season and used by sailors who can afford pricey pleasure boats and slip fees certainly is a first-world problem. But it’s not like the state doesn’t have funding for recreational pursuits.
The IDNR announced on Jan. 14 that three Lake County parkland projects were given grant funding through the Open Space Land Acquisition and Development program: the Lake County Forest Preserve District, $600,000 for accessibility site improvements at Lake Carina Forest Preserve in Gurnee; $600,000 for phase two work at South Park in Lake Forest; and $573,000 to Waukegan for a dune and beach access plan along the city’s Lake Michigan shoreline.
More than funding, though, is needed transparency by IDNR functionaries with marina boaters and Winthrop Harbor officials. Both want answers about the North Point season before the snow melts.
Charles Selle is a former News-Sun reporter, political editor and editor.
sellenews@gmail.com
X @sellenews