[StBernard] Action Report: St. Bernard marina owners still struggling to recover from oil spill

[Westley Annis]

Action Report: St. Bernard marina owners still struggling to recover from
oil spill



wwltv.com

Posted on December 19, 2011 at 10:38 PM

Updated yesterday at 10:42 PM



Bill Capo / Action Reporter

DELACROIX, La. -- The decorations are up at Sweetwater Marina in Delacroix,
and the boat launch is busy. There are even plans for a Christmas party.

"A year ago, did you still think you'd be here now? No, no, I didn't think
so," said Cindy Berry. "I didn't think we'd be able to do it. It was that
bad."

Sweetwater Marina opened one month before the oil spill, which quickly
choked off business. Then owners Captain Jack Payne and Cindy Berry were
rejected by Ken Feinberg's claims group.

"It's almost like a bad dream," said Payne.

Berry: "Yes it does. It's like a nightmare. Your dream goes to a nightmare."

The struggle continued this year as they narrowly avoided bankruptcy, with
help from friends, family members, and patient suppliers.

"This year's been tough," said Berry. "It really has been. It's been, you
know, a triple decker stress sandwich every day, every day."

They built a bait shop this summer because bait sales are a major part of
marina businesses. But Berry said Feinberg's group didn't understand.

"They had us as a model that would do $800 in baint sales a month," she
said. "That is roughly 2600 shrimp. We sell more than that in one day on the
weekend."

"Oh, he done a job on us, sure, definitely," said Sweetwater employee Ronnie
Richardson.

Richardson is one of the Sweetwater employees that just got his job back,
after Feinberg's group finally kicked out an interim payment.

"It's a lot better than, way better than it was last year," said Richardson.

A year and a half after the oil spill, Berry and Payne are still struggling
with Ken Feinberg's organization. The latest is that because they got the
interim payment, now Feinberg's folks want to reduce the final payment.

"They literally have our lives in their hands, and they're playing with
people's lives," said Cindy. "In their heads they're just playing with
figures.

"I am not giving this up."

So I'll send her data Feinberg again, and ask them to provide the aid
Sweetwater Marina deserves.