DUNDALK, Md. — A refrain heard across the expanse of the former Key Bridge site. For Alex Delsordo, the bridge collapse was a life-changing event on top of a life-changing event.
“My wife and I bought this business eleven days before the bridge fell.”
They own the Hard Yacht Cafe and Anchor Bay Marina in Dundalk.
"So we expected a more stable restaurant business and a tried-and-true simple marina that relied on work from the inner harbor," says Delsordo.
But then the Dali dropped the bridge. For the first 45 days, Alex and his new employees did what Marylanders do best. They jumped in and helped.
“I got a call at four in the morning saying you need to open up and fuel the police boats.”
In addition, they provided over eleven hundred free meals to first responders. But as cleanup and demolition began, the full reality of their situation hit.
“We started seeing revenue going down,” Delsordo says.
WMAR-2 News spoke to Alex last November as he was about to use part of an SBA loan to expand his indoor restaurant space to make up for lost marina revenue. That strategy didn't happen.
"Because of issues getting permits, we had to rebuild the current deck that we had. What are we going to do now to generate income?"
So Alex and his wife pivoted again back to the marina business.
"Instead of relying on really big boat traffic, which we're seeing less of on the Chesapeake due to all the stuff that's happening, we want to work on boats that are a little bit smaller," Delsordo states.
"In order to do that, you've got to have covered space."
So far their revenue has been flat, and in just the last few weeks it has started to grow. Slowly.
"So far we're making headway, but there's been some roadblocks with the county and the state for us to be able to do what we wanted to do."
This is the message he brought to the governor today. Alex said he needs state and county officials to clear red tape so businesses like his can achieve their goals.
"That's something that's really important for us to see growth, and I felt he heard us loud and clear."
What is clear is the flow of boat traffic and the cash flow that comes with it will need to keep cruising into the marina somehow.
