As gas prices continue to surge ahead of summer holidays, Minnesota marinas navigate pain at the pump
BAYPORT, Minn. -- As Minnesota's average price for gasoline maintains a price near $4.75 a gallon heading into the heart of summer, marinas along the St. Croix River are averaging prices up to $2 more.
"What we thought might be highs last year are considered low this year," said Kori Derrick-Cisewski, the Bayport Marina Association's general manager.
Derrick-Cisewski says an early procurement of the marina's gas for the season means they're able to sell it for $5.69 a gallon. Up the road, she says other marinas are forced to charge a dollar more.
Still, the high prices are already leaving their mark on the industry this year.
"I would say there's still people who are actively using their boats, they're probably just making shorter trips verses lthe onger ones," she said.
Marina owners say the next two weeks are responsible for much of their overall business for the summer. With high fuel costs, they're trying to find other ways to make sure business stays afloat.
"It's increased our cost dramatically," said Chris Onken, who owns Beanies Marina. "We've got, you know, boats that aren't particularly fuel efficient in the first place, and then you double the gas prices in the span of a year and it's caused us to have to increase our rental prices and even add a fuel surcharge just to be able to keep pace."
"It's huge," said Branden Welch of Minnetonka, who visited the St. Croix to fish with his father Thursday. "It limits, too, how many trips you want to take, how far you want to go. You know, the prices have doubled."