News Talk 94.1/AM 1600 Where The Upper Cumberland Talks
Sunset Marina continues to assess the damages and repairs needed following the explosion and fire last month.
Co-owner Tom Allen said that Sunset Marina is trying to keep to a self-imposed deadline of the marina opening again in mid-April if possible.
“We haven’t even begun rebuilding we’re still cleaning up the fire debris and still assessing the damage to see what parts of the doc are salvageable and what parts are not salvageable,” Allen said.
He said that the deadline is set because Sunset Marina would like to participate in a professional fishing tournament being hosted during that time. Allen said that one reason he’s unable to give a definite date regarding the reopening is because of unexpected snags in the rebuilding process.
“The length of time it takes to get building materials in is one of the biggest problems right now,” Allen said. “The supply chain in this country for building materials and anything as far as lumber, windows, metal, steel, everything is very slow to acquire.”
Sunset Marina co-owner Tim Allen said that a rented 74-foot houseboat ran into the marina, damaging fuel pumps and leaking gasoline across the dock. Allen said the gas ignited, causing an explosion after most staff and patrons could escape to a safe distance.
Before igniting the gasoline was able to flow to both the worker’s offices and the marina shop, Allen said. He said it was then the boat was able to be returned to the water, and the gasoline ignited somewhere between 3-5 minutes later. Following the accident, Allen said that his primary goal had been to make sure to fulfill the commitments the business had made to its customers beforehand.
“So we’ve tried to make our loss and our tragedy as transparent on the customer as we could,” Allen said. “There’s been some inconveniences when you don’t have a store and your restaurant has been unable to reopen, so a lot of things are different.”
Allen said that the support his store has received from his customer base and the neighboring marinas around him has been humbling. He said that he has greatly appreciated the support from not only his local community but the fire department as well for all their help.
