Welcome the West Bank Cottages and Marina to Huron

HURON — After throwing a proverbial life preserver, a foursome not only rescued a dead marina but completely resurrected the entire property.Debuting earlier this summer, West Bank Cottages and Marina in Huron, behind St. Peter Catholic Church, caters to a primary pair of customers:• Boaters with yacht-sized watercraft; The marina offers 20 slips equipped for 40-, 50- and 60-foot-long boats.• Vacationers looking for a place to stay; The land boasts four completely renovated homes, one of which still under construction, with each featuring multiple bedrooms, bathrooms and amenities, such as laundry.In addition to a boating facility, catering to yacht-sized watercraft, The West Bank Cottages and Marina property in Huron also features four recently renovated vacation rental spots advertised on Airbnb. Each unit features multiple bedrooms as well as bathrooms and other amenities, such as laundry.With a team of workers, the company's business partners — spouses Shaun and Jane Bickley along with Robert and Michelle Shepherd — invested close to $800,000 thus far with plans on committing an additional $2 million for more improvements."We would like to see a couple of floating homes in the water on real steel barges," Shaun said.During the past year, the West Bank Cottages and Marina in Huron underwent a complete transformation, highlighted by new docks, catering to yacht-sized boats, and a new a sheet piling wall, where people can walk out toward the docks.Making over the marinaAbout a year ago, they acquired the southern half of what was Harbor North, roughly 4 acres in size.Sitting stagnant for more than a decade, boats couldn't even dock at Harbor North because of the facility's unsafe nature. Parked boats and decrepit structures completely surrounded the area, greatly contributing to its deteriorating state.Normally a multimillion-dollar project, Shaun — who owns Sandusky-based Shepherds Shoreline Construction, which has built and maintained more than 50 marinas along Lake Erie's coast — knew he could undertake this project at a fraction of the normal cost."You can get it done much cheaper when you are working for yourself and have your own employees," Shaun said. "No one can dredge cheaper than the dredgers. No one can sheet pile cheaper than the pilers."The West Bank Cottages and Marina in Huron features a maintenance garage, where workers can repair boats and complete other tasks, such as building and painting docks.So far, the job consisted of razing multiple structures, removing those inoperable boats, repurposing one building into a maintenance garage, installing new sheet piling walls and building new 41-by-4 docks.What's with the not-so-traditional dock dimensions?"Nobody has 4-foot-wide docks, but we did that for stability so people can carry a cooler out here and not worry about falling over," Shaun said. "Plus we aren't going 'skinny' on our docks. We wanted enough room for boaters and their boats. When you put two 40-foot boats on either side, you need it to be sturdy."Rather than using numbers or names, each dock distinguishes itself with a vibrant color sequence. Workers painted the foundations "cypress blue," "tower teal" and "canary yellow," visible from a few hundred feet away. Pedestrians trekking along the Huron Memorial Bridge, for instance, can easily spot them."We were going for a festive look," Shaun said.In addition to a boating facility, catering to yacht-sized watercraft, The West Bank Cottages and Marina property in Huron also features four recently renovated vacation rental spots advertised on Airbnb. Each unit features multiple bedrooms as well as bathrooms and other amenities, such as laundry.Honoring HuronThe Bickleys, who reside in Huron, took great pride in sprucing up the once-condemned site in their hometown. They even incorporated the name "West Bank" because it harkens back to Huron's roots. Leslie Simon, a local resident, suggested the name and won free dockage for 2019."West Bank: That's what this area used to be known as," Shaun said.Originally envisioned as a project they would fix then flip, all four business partners fell in love with the transformation and intend to stick around for, at least, a little while longer."We want to keep making it better and make it a nice staple for Huron," Shaun said.Added Jane: "This is a little hidden gem in Huron, and we are a team, so we support each other."Many people, including a high-ranking city official, appreciate their efforts, which should produce multiple spin-off effects benefiting the entire community."Activity on the west bank of the Huron River is another great investment in the North Main Street district," Huron city manager Andy White said. "These investments in residential property upgrades and a new marina are expected to bring more people into the downtown waterfront, create more commercial activity and contribute to continued forward progress. It's nice to see their commitment and success in our city."Among the leadership team representing West Bank Cottages and Marina in Huron: From left, Bob Shepherd, John Sprankel, Shaun Bickley, Jane Bickley and Jacob Figgins. These people and others helped transform the property into a place where people can dock large boats and also stay in one of four vacation rental homes.Reach reporter Andy Ouriel at ouriel@sanduskyregister.com and follow him on Twitter @AndyOuriel.