Tribe, Corps End Marina Lease

The Nez Perce Tribe and U.S. Army Corps of Engineers have agreed to cancel the tribe’s lease to operate the Big Eddy Marina behind Dworshak Dam.

The 23-year lease gave the tribe control of operating the marina, and the Nez Perce subleased the concession to Gary Medley in the mid1980s.

But financial problems dogged the marina operation under both tribal management and Medley. Then a 1992 windstorm destroyed the docks and with them apparently the last hope for running the marina at a profit.

Dworshak boaters have been without boat slips or gas pumps since then as wrangling between the corps and tribe continued over who would replace the docks, and how.

“The lease between the tribe and corps restricted the Nez Perce Tribe from operating any of the marina facilities for a profit,” Nez Perce Tribal Executive Committee Chairman Charles H. Hayes said in a prepared statement issued Wednesday.

Corps attorney Jim Brent said resolution of the lease dispute would allow the agency to proceed with replacing the docks and make the rest of the marina available for the public by Memorial Day.

The corps offered a lump-sum settlement to compensate Medley and the tribe for terminating the lease early, Medley said. The amount of the settlement was not available.