County to temporarily close Dockton Marina

Published 1:30 am Wednesday, July 9, 2025

King County recently posted signs warning of the impending closure of Dockton Park and Marina’s dock area, including the boat ramp and floating dock between Aug. 1 and Sept. 30 — prime boating season.

The reason for the just-around-the-corner closure? Phase 2 of the county’s multi-year project to improve the marina will take place during that time.

The playground and picnic area of the park will remain open and accessible throughout the duration of the project, but parking may also be reduced due to construction activities, according to King County’s website description of the project at tinyurl.com/mrcmt4js.

Phase 1 of the project — which started in 2019 and finished in May 2022 after supply chain issues delayed its completion by just over a year — replaced various piles and finger piers internally on the dock. Other improvements included a new swim dock, fire suppression system, sewage pump out station, hardware replacements, nonskid coating and fixed pier cross bracing replacement under the park’s bathroom.

The new dock was constructed with plastic grating that lets light through and created a better habitat for sea life.

Phase 2 of the project will include replacing the breakwater; upgrading the boat ramp dock and replacing the floating dock at Dockton Park’s moorage.

According to the county’s website, the timing for Phase 2 of the project is limited by federal and state environmental permits, which restricts work to a narrow window between August 1 and September 30 to protect local endangered species. The website states that the county recognizes that the timing overlaps with prime boating season.

“However, any delay would postpone construction until the same window next year, as this type of in-water work is not permitted outside this seasonal window,” it says. “Both the boat ramp dock and the moorage breakwater are in urgent need of replacement. Further delays could lead to worsening structural conditions and longer, unplanned closures that could not be addressed until the next summer construction period.”

Islanders react

On social media and in The Beachcomber’s email inbox, islanders have voiced complaints about the county’s timetable for the project and its short notification to those who use the dock.

One longtime islander, Darren Fox, shared his July 3 correspondence with the county, which detailed that neither he nor other islanders with whom he had spoken recalled any other public notice or communication to the Vashon community that the marine portions of the park would be shut down during peak season. A sign posted during the last week of June was the first he had heard about the decision.

The Dockton Marina, Fox told the county, is the only launch on Vashon that can handle larger boats between 18 and 30 foot in length, as another launch at Jensen Point Park, in Burton, is for small boats only.

“There is much concern about public safety if larger boats were to try and launch from this site,” Fox said. “… In addition, people with disabilities who rely on wheelchairs, walkers or canes cannot use the Jensen Point launch as there is no dock.”

Taylor Sidoine, a King County Parks customer service staffer, responded to Fox’s request to delay the project in order to give more time to boaters to adjust their activities.

“This work must be completed during a short in-water work window set by federal and state permits to protect local endangered fish species,” Sidoine told Fox — agreeing that the project’s timing was unfortunate.

“The project was already delayed for one year due to the long lead-time associated with obtaining materials,” Sidoine added. “Delaying the project again would push it to the same time next year and increase the risk of longer unplanned closures due to worsening conditions of the breakwater and dock structures in the interim.”

For the safety of marina users in the years to come, the work must be done now, Sidoine said.

“The dock floats have exceeded their anticipated lifespan and are in need of replacement before they deteriorate further,” she wrote.

The planned work on the dock, she said, will include replacing finger piers for 16 boat slips that were previously removed for safety reasons. Existing creosote-soaked piles supporting the breakwater will also be replaced with steel piles to improve aquatic habitat by removing toxins from the environment.

In response to Sidoine’s email, Fox has now written back to the county with a proposal to divide the project into two phases. By performing the upgrades to the moorage dock and piers in August, and beginning the boat launch work on September 1, he suggested, the boat launch could remain open for the month of August — a plan he characterized as a “win-win” for both boaters and the county.

The Beachcomber reached out to King County Department of Natural Resources and Parks for comment, and on July 7, media relations specialist Doug Williams confirmed details of the project as described on King County’s website and in Sidoine’s correspondence with Fox.

For more information about the project, visit tinyurl.com/mrcmt4js or King County’s “Backyard Fun Finder” at tinyurl.com/utmx8ms7. Subscribe to a Vashon-Maury Island specific email newsletter from the county at tinyurl.com/32vsmhh2.