BY SCOTT SULLIVAN EDITOR
Douglas will have a new kayak and stand-up paddleboard rental vendor at Wade’s Bayou after 18 years.
Council Monday approved granting St. Joseph-based Third Coast Surf Shop a 3-year lease to operate out of the waterfront park after its $5,000-per-year minimum bid to provide the service came in more than four times as much as longtime site vendor Running Rivers’ did. It was the first competitive bidding ever for the service.
Running Rivers owner Mike Philippe, who council remembered in past years paying between $800 and $1,000 for his yearly lease, bid $1,200 for each of the three years and a two-year option after, should the city choose to extend it.
Third Coast, which contracts at three other west Michigan municipal sites, offered 12 percent of yearly gross operating site profits and a guaranteed $5,000 per year.
Monday’s action came after council tabled choosing Jan. 17 to the city attorney to present what member Neal Seabert called “a clean contract.”
It also gave the Downtown Development Authority time to evaluate and score both proposals Jan. 26 based on six criteria as to which would be most advantageous to the city with Third Coast coming out tops in each.
For overall proposal, at 50 points weighted most heavily, Third Coast tallied 50, Running Rivers 26. For résumé Third Coast tallied a perfect 10 points, Running Rivers 7.4.
For financial (10 points) it was Third Coast 9.4, Running Rivers 4.8, for description history it was Third Coast 8.4, Running Rivers 6.6; employment opportunities (15 points) Third Coast scored 13, Running Rivers 11.6; and proposed payment (5 points) Third Coast 4, Running Rivers 0.2.
The combined totals — Third Coast 94.8, Running Rivers 56.6 — made the new vendor a clear choice in DDA eyes.
Third Coast co-founder/president Ryan Gerard told council Jan. 17 his business, launched in 2005, now operates similar kayak and stand-up paddleboard rental and retrieval services for municipalities in New Buffalo, Benton Harbor and Berrien County on the Silver River. It also runs a brick-and-mortar shop in St. Joseph and e-commerce store.
Its all-new rental equipment at Wade’s would include 12 single-person kayaks, 18 two-person kayaks, nine paddleboards, corresponding paddles and U.S. Coast Guard-approved life jackets.
Rental customers would kayak or paddleboard for their designated time, starting and returning to the Wade’s Bayou launch site, eliminating the need for a shuttle and parking arrangements for it.
“We are also fully prepared to offer shuttle pickups at other sites, if that’s what Douglas wants,” Gerard told council.
His wife Erin is a key business player and its co- founder. Other leadership team members include a retail general manager, bookkeeper and assistant retail manager marketing.
“We would recruit, hire, train and supervise up to eight local residents as rental site staff who would undergo a background check and work on-site to provide an excellent customer experience,” Gerard told the city.
Operating here as Third Coast Paddling, staff will work on a seasonal basis (estimated May through October) starting at $11 per hour plus customer tips.
Kayaks, paddleboards et. al. will be stored in an 8×40-foot self-contained module in the gravel area adjacent to and parallel with the existing tree line, the same area Running Rivers has used along the far north end of the park.
Customers will be encouraged to reserve rental equipment in advance online, although walk-up customers will be also welcome. Rates will be $25 per hour for both Perception Tribe single kayaks and Glid stand-up paddleboards, and #30 per hour for Perception Tribe Double (2-person) kayaks.
Staff will check customers in, prepare equipment, discuss safety information and help them launch. They will paddle for their designated times, then return to the Wade’s Bayou launch site.
Partnering with Third Coast, Gerard told the city, will benefit Douglas by:
• Providing a high-quality recreational amenity for local residents and visitors that complements the city’s existing businesses and natural areas;
• Investing in digital advertising that will raise awareness of rentals at Wade’s Bayou Park and, in turn, help new customers discover Douglas’s unique dining, shopping and lodging options;
• Creating new job opportunities at the rental site for local residents; and
• Helping to contribute toward community goals through profit sharing, Gerard said.