The Fox Waterway Agency has purchased the historic Bauske’s Boat Marina for $2.4 million, largely from two capital grant appropriations through the Illinois Department of Natural Resources. The marina will be used to clear a “chokepoint” for debris and sediment that flows into the southern Chain O’ Lakes and Fox River areas.
The nearly nine-acre site, featuring boating launches and repair services, has been operating in Fox Lake since 1959. It formally became available to buyers with signage on Route 12 after the municipality created a tax-increment financing district in 2022. Fox Lake officials designated 40 acres within the TIF boundaries, hoping to stimulate business.
A tax-increment financing district effectively freezes an equalized assessed valuation rate for up to 23 years. Any tax monies collected above the rate are placed into a fund for use in upgrades or infrastructure improvements. The village did re-route an interconnect infrastructure piping project to Trinski’s Island in 2021, as opposed to the original drawings.
The FWA had targeted the property for its strategic location along Governor’s Channel, or “the high side,” of the two Route 12 Bridge access points. The southern opening, known as “Beer Can Bridge,” does not have the clearance for larger boats.
“Keeping this area free of debris and built-up sediments during times of flooding is paramount to the safety and well-being of this system’s users and the residents that live on and around it,” said FWA executive director Joe Keller, in a statement. “The FWA needs regular and efficient access to the Governor’s and Nippersink channels.
The critical times are before, during, and after flooding, Keller said, for maintenance and emergency debris work. Silt and other navigational hazards migrate down the Fox River from Wisconsin and into the Chain O’ Lakes system. Grass Lake and the Rt. 12 Bridge areas are collection points, with the bridge separating Nippersink and Pistakee lakes.
“The section of the Fox River that flows under Route 12 … has been a critical trouble spot, during times of flooding,” Keller said. “This has been the case due to the width of multiple lakes narrowing from over 3,400 feet wide to about 166 feet wide. Our skilled team has been called to assist our first responders at this location when boaters’ lives were in danger.”
Following the second “100-year flood,” with the first being in 2013, the FWA has worked closely with IDNR for funding. The agency’s mission statement is to maintain and restore the Chain O’ Lakes-Fox River systems covering 7,100 acres. As a non-taxing entity, revenues are derived from the sale of annual boating stickers.
It also gets funding from the sale of reclaimed topsoil harvested from the waters, after channel and bottom dredging, at its Lake Villa processing plant.
The IDNR grant monies played an important part in acquiring the marina. The initial phase of the purchase closed on January 25, with a $1 million reimbursement through the grant. Another $1 million reimbursement was forwarded to the FWA last month.
Whether the FWA will take advantage of the TIF financing advantages is not known, as it was designed for a developer to make an initial outlay and be reimbursed from the TIF account funds.