SILVER POINT – Center Hill Lake’s oldest marina is in the midst of a two-part expansion project that will boost the number of slips available for boating enthusiasts.
Hurricane Marina, located on Floating Mill Lane in Silver Point, started a project this winter to add more than 80 boating slips to its current offering, among other improvements. Terrie Patterson, store manager, said the marina is spending several million dollars on the improvements, which also included a renovation to its restaurant and relocation of its ship store.
“We’re at capacity. And I think it’s because of our location and that we offer a higher quality of service,” Patterson said. “Most of our tenants are from Nashville, Franklin, that area, and it’s easy to get here from there. With our golf cart service, boaters don’t have to haul their stuff down (to the dock). And the restaurant as well, it’s pretty popular. People come here just to eat.”
The expansion was set to take place in two phases. Phase one includes the addition of 40 new houseboat slips and more than two-dozen 30-foot slips. Forty more houseboat slips will be added in the second phase. Work has already been approved by the Army Corps of Engineers, which manages the lake. Patterson said they’re targeting a May completion date, give or take any more weather delays, to be ready for the summer season.
Center Hill Lake attracts more than three million visitors each year, according to the Corps.