SOUTH PADRE ISLAND — A budding idea may lead to a deep water marina for this coastal city.

On Wednesday, the South Padre Island City Council approved a $53,300 budget amendment from excess reserves to fund a market feasibility study for a deep water marina.

The SPI Economic Development Corporation (EDC) has been spearheading this project.

In late March, SPI EDC board member Gayle Hood presented the idea of forming a committee to research the development of a deep water marina.

Hood, SPI EDC executive director Darla Lapeyre, Richard Franke, SPI Shoreline Director Kristina Boburka and Texas International Fishing Tournament (TIFT) president Daniel Bryant are members of the city and community who are serving on the committee.

According to Lapeyre, the committee has already met several times to discuss the deep water marina idea.

“Daniel brought to our attention the power lines that go across the bay are too low for the big boats that we want to attract,” Lapeyre said. “We had a meeting with AEP and talked to them about the new grid they’re putting in.”

Lapeyre said it was a productive meeting and what came out of it is that AEP is going to raise the power lines. She added that it was perfect timing because AEP was planning to replace the power lines.

The EDC created a request for proposal to seek a company that will help with finding out items, such as seeing if the project is viable and where’s the best location to put the deep water marina.

“I think we had heard from three companies originally, but only two came back with proposals and we really like Edgewater,” Lapeyre said. “They have great experience.”

TIFT tournament director Kristi Collier gave some reasons why there is a need for a deep water marina.

“As we enter our 81st year of TIFT, we are really focused on growing what has been a long standing tradition of TIFT and we’ve realized that in order to grow we need more availability for some of these big boats to be able to come and enjoy TIFT and bring their families to South Padre Island,” Collier said.

Bryant also voiced his view on a need for a deep water marina.

“I’ve been here since 74’, 75’ and we still have the same marina that’s holding 35-foot boats instead of 55 and 65 foot boats,” Bryant said. “I think this study was really going to help with demographics.”

President of Friends of RGV Reef Gary Glick said the deep water marina could increase the economic impact TIFT makes for the Island.

“When you round out the pieces that people need to generate a fishing destination and South Padre Island has many of those pieces, this just generates that synergy,” Glick said. “We have to have a marina to have all of those pieces.”