POLK CITY, Iowa– A year that started with disaster at Saylorville Marina has spiraled into growing frustration among boaters, some of whom say they are considering leaving the lake for good.

In January, a fire destroyed ten boats that were dry-docked for the Winter, marking a rocky start to the season.

But for long-time marina customers, it was just the beginning.

“I’m just hoping for the best. I love the marina. It’s a great place for central Iowa, and I would like to see the prices reduced,” said Carla Wallace, who said she has been a customer off and on since 1987. “I think we’re being charged too much, and it’s going to run people out of boating — it already has run many out. So the boaters are concerned about that. We don’t want to see the marina deteriorate again.”

Wallace is one of many customers raising concerns about the out-of-state company that manages the marina, Suntex Marinas. Complaints range from rising costs and missing amenities to untrained staff and poor communication, and have been growing over the past couple of years.

Many owners previously told WHO 13 that they only learned that there would be no restaurant at the marina this Summer after lease payments were due.

According to one estimate by a longtime slipholder, the marina is currently only 57% occupied, with numerous slips left empty- a visual sign, boaters say, of growing discontent.

A public meeting held by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers on Thursday drew a heated crowd and several dozen attendees, including state leaders.

During a tense exchange, State Senator Adrian Dickey (District 41) challenged the Corps’ handling of oversight.

“Please tell this group of people where you defended them,” he said. “I don’t think anybody here (sic) has heard a single thing come out of your mouth to say you defended the customers… the taxpayers.”

Moments later a park ranger had to step in, asking Dickey to calm down.

“Listen up! Let’s keep it civil here, ok? We’re not raising our voices,” the ranger instructed.

State Senator Mike Bousselot (District 21), who represents part of Polk County, was also in attendance but left the meeting early. Representatives from the Iowa Attorney General’s Office were also on hand, and representatives from Congresswoman Ashley Hinson’s office reportedly attended via livestream.

USACE owns the land and the lake, which operates as a flood control reservoir.

Paul St. Louis, from USACE’s real estate division, acknowledged the complaints but stated that the Corps found no violation of the lease agreement during their recent investigation.

“We followed our own process, our normal process of investigation, and ultimately determined there was not a lease violation,” he told WHO 13’s Katie Kaplan.

The news was disheartening to many, especially after it was revealed that Suntex had recently extended its lease on the marina through 2041. An attorney for the USACE, who was present at the meeting, explained that it was an option Suntex had already written into a pre-existing legal lease agreement.

Boaters said they believed they would likely need to seek Congressional intervention to create any meaningful change.

The controversy mirrors problems reported at another Suntex-managed site: Red Rock Marina, with several people who owned boat slips there attending the meeting.

Several Saylorville Lake Marina managers, employed by Suntex, were also on hand and defended their efforts, stating they were trying their best to turn the situation around and fix some of the issues that had been addressed. They declined an interview with WHO 13 afterward.

It is clear, for many regular customers of the Saylorville Lake Marina, their patience is wearing thin.