"Pleasantly surprised" seems to be the key words these days when people talk about Lake Sakakawea.

First, there was the unexpected influx of water this spring which has helped rejuvenate fishing on the big water.

Numbers-wise, fish being caught also are on the rise, and more importantly, the fish are healthier than they have been in recent years.

Add to that a new $10 million marina at Fort Stevenson State Park on the north side of the lake and things indeed are looking rosy.

Dick Messerly, manager at the state park, said that while the completion date for the project may now fall closer to sometime in mid-October, people from all over are getting pumped up.

"We get calls every week if not every day from people who want to know how the marina is coming along," Messerly said.

Originally, the marina was scheduled to open around Sept. 19, but because of the 18 feet or so of new water in the reservoir, that target date has been pushed back a little.

But that's not a problem for Messerly.

Fishing's good, the new boat ramp up to an elevation of 1,825 feet is operational and crews will begin paving the parking lot and main road starting Monday.

Martin Construction of Gladstone started turning dirt on the project back in March of this year, and other than a few minor snags, things are mostly on schedule.

Messerly said the rising pool level forced workers to build a coffer dam to hold back water from the main bowl of marina while excavation takes place.

The bottom of the bowl will be at an elevation of 1,790 and Messerly said now crews are down to around 1,810 or 1,805.

"A week or two was dedicated to that … but we are still pretty much on schedule."

Another minor setback crews are dealing with now, Messerly said, is the removal a of coal seam from around the edge of the marina.

He said it's estimated that around 40,000 cubic yards of material will have to be removed.

On the upside, Messerly said most of the marina shoreline has been rip-rapped on the east and south sides to act as a breakwater.

The marina also will feature parking for about 200 rigs and trailers, a concession area and slips to accommodate around 70 boats.

So even if the completion of the project does happen to get bumped back a few weeks or more, Messerly said he's not sweating it: "We've been working on this for six years."

He said over the course of those six years, questions on funding, changes in design and other delays now seem like a long-forgotten dream.

It's almost surreal, he said, now that he can see the light at the end of the tunnel.

"It's really exciting to finally see it come together."

(Reach reporter Brian Gehring at 250-8254 or brian.gehring@bismarcktribune.com.)