Public/Private Partnership Will Bring New Marina to Oklahoma Lake

Lake Murray, a 5,700-acre lake in south central Oklahoma, will be getting its second marina in 2021.

The existing marina, a state concession built decades ago, has been highly successful. “The Oklahoma Tourism and Recreation Department felt there was enough public demand to open up an opportunity for an additional public marina facility,” said Patrick Cox, co-owner of Starboard Marinas, which submitted the winning RFP to build and operate the marina. Cox has run State Park Marina in Table Rock Lake in Missouri for 25 years, and is joined in the Lake Murray venture by the owners of the Keystone Harbor Marina in Tulsa.
Oklahoma Starboard Marina Partners will not only develop a 225-slip marina but also 100 acres of the adjacent property for lakeside cabins, a retail restaurant and dry storage.

“Our vision is for this to become a destination not only for slip holders but also for day visitors who are currently visiting Lake Murray State Park and are interested in some of the other facilities that we are putting in,” said Cox.
The work on the water and the land will be completed in three phases over five years.

The initial phase will include 225-covered slips for the marina. The partners have tapped Meeco Sullivan to install state-of-the-art, fixed anchorage docks that will rise and fall with the water. “That will be very applicable here, because there’s not a lot of fluctuation on the lake,” said Cox. There will be plenty of transient slips for people coming for the day or staying at one of the cabins.

“One thing that we’re being extremely mindful of is that we are really going to keep a green zone around the shoreline. It is exceptionally beautiful with a lot of sand and small pebbles and grass. So we are laying our docks in in a very low-impact way,” he said.

These slips, a ship store, a slip holder bathhouse, a restaurant and paved roads and parking will all be ready by the marina’s grand opening next May, Cox said. By 2022, the partners expect to have some cabins and floating cabins available for rental.

The 150-boat dry storage facility will be a single-story boat barn and will include concierge service.

The marina will likely offer boat rentals and the partners may add a floating water park and beach as development continues, said Cox.