$13 Million Investment to Retrofit Mare Island Dock Could Create Hundreds of Jobs
VALLEJO (KPIX) -- A plan to invest millions into refurbishing the Mare Island dry dock could lead to hundreds of new jobs in the East Bay, officials said Wednesday.
Those jobs would come from what officials are hoping will be new contracts with the U.S, Navy. For years, the city of Vallejo has been discussing what the future of the island should look like. Now there's a push to bring more ships and more workers to the old waterfront.
"Mare Island is a very disparate bag of parts," said Thomas D'Alesandro of Southern Land Company. "You've got kind of a residential neighborhood on one side, across the street from factories and warehouses. It's kind of an interesting mix, part of that is what makes it unique."
For those plotting the future of Mare Island, Wednesday's announcement was a step forward, with a direct link to the island's past. The Mare Island Dry Dock Company announced a $13 million dollar upgrade of its facility.
That upgrade should ultimately expand its ability to repair and refurbish Naval ships, even possibly combat ships. The Navy is currently looking for that kind of space, and may have to go abroad to find it.
"This is a big big deal, not only Mare Island, not only for Vallejo and the surrounding communities," said Congressman John Garamendi. "It's a big deal for the U.S. Navy."
On the local end, the investment means the dock's current workforce could double, or even triple, so the company is now looking for hundreds of dock workers, salaries starting near six figures.
"So the issue is going to be finding enough people locally, which we will do," said Mare Island Dry Dock President Steve DiLeo. "Our subcontractor base and our local material base is going to double or triple as well."
And for the larger puzzle that is Mare Island, it means the working waterfront portion remains well anchored as developers try to bring more visitors to the growing number of waterfront attractions and restaurants.
The longer term challenge will be filling in the gaps and stitching all the pieces together.
"It is so special," D'Alesandro said. "It is so one of a kind. As long as we're attentive to how we were developed and very intentional, we're going to have a spectacular community here."
The dry dock expansion will take some time, but the company expects to have it completed -- and to start hosting more naval ships -- in about 18 months.