Damages on the closed off Harbor Point boat dock on June 25, 2016 in Garland. (Ting Shen/The Dallas Morning News)

There’s nowhere to dock at Harbor Point, Garland’s lakeside development jump-started with $23.7 million of public money to develop a site for Bass Pro Shops to move into as anchor tenant.

The 20-slip boat dock Bass Pro built south of Interstate 30 at Lake Ray Hubbard split in half more than a year ago and has been closed this spring after falling into disarray. And neighbors at Harbor Point are not pleased.

“Scenic overlook provided by T.L.C.” the sign reads on the patio at Texas Land & Cattle. But instead of an active place where boaters tie down for a visit, that overlook now includes empty slips, marked with yellow tape.

Patrons dine on the patio of Texas Land & Cattle Steak House as the boat dock is seen in the background emptied due to closing from damages on the dock at Harbor Point in Garland. (Ting Shen/The Dallas Morning News)

Storms over the 10-year life of the dock are to blame, said Bill Megelich, general manager of Garland’s Bass Pro. The staff there realized in February that routine maintenance was no longer enough, the dock was dangerous and experts needed to be called in for the fix.

“Our thought was though it was inconvenient to many, shutting it down was still the safer route to take,” he said.

A 2004 bond election gave Garland the money to buy and improve the land. It also offered tax incentives to Bass Pro, which provided the docks as courtesy to allow boaters to tie down, dine and shop.

“It is part of who we are and part of one of the unique things of our organization as we came into the community,” Megelich said. “So we’re eager to get that up and open.”

Maybe not as eager as the bars and restaurants that share the shoreline.

“Not having these boat docks up and running is a big problem for the Point in general,” said Daniel Parks, general manager of The Flying Saucer. “Just the other day, we had a to-go order called. They were on a boat, but canceled their order when they arrived. No slips were open for them to park.”

The dock structure split in early 2015, so half the slips have been closed more than a year. It’s hard to tell how much business has been lost, Parks said. Workers say it’s about once every 15 minutes that somebody’s customer is lost because there’s nowhere to dock.

Shannon Phillips verified that from his nearby condo late Sunday afternoon, counting four times in one hour when a boat pulled near the slip, then left. He’s a member of a group that calls itself the South Garland Lakeside Development Committee and threatens to boycott Bass Pro Shops.

Michael Scales of Rowlett ties his boat up to the Harbor Point boat dock despite the boat dock being closed off due to damages on parts of the dock. (Ting Shen/The Dallas Morning News)

“We welcomed you to our neighborhood and provided you fiscal incentives,” the group wrote the company. “However, we do not take lightly to you taking advantage of our tax dollars by breaking your promise to maintaining the property.”

The only agreement concerning the dock, and all docks on Lake Ray Hubbard, is with the city of Dallas, which owns the lake.

Megelich said nobody is more committed to the repair than Bass Pro. He told the group the work would start by the end of next week. It will take a few weeks, he added, to repair and strengthen the structure so there isn’t a repeat.

“It’s such a unique structure, it’s not like anybody local could repair it for us,” he said. “It’s underwater, on top of water and out in the water. It takes special people, and we’re in the middle of Texas.”

The dock has nothing to do with Garland’s investment or its Harbor Point development agreement.

“They’re a totally independent amenity for the businesses that are there,” said Stephen Stanley, who represents the area on the Garland City Council. “Would it be in everybody’s best interest if that was up and operational? Absolutely.”

Separately, Garland’s Plan Commission on Monday night looked at a proposal to help redevelop a former Sonic and lay the grounds for a new business on one of two sites never developed at Harbor Point.

The entire Interstate 30 corridor is a focus for Garland, targeted as the city’s next catalyst area for economic development.

Time may also be of the essence now that Rowlett has a stake in the game. Dallas’ Robertson Park was for decades a quiet entity one exit eastward on I-30. Rowlett purchased the property and is now partners in Bayside, a $1 billion planned development that will create another level of destination -- and competition for Harbor Point.

“Hopefully we’re doing our thing, what’s in our own best interest,” Stanley said. “We’re never going to have what Rowlett will have or what Rockwall will have on the lake. Our only marketing sales piece is this little piece of real estate.”

And it hasn’t always been profitable. Until a hotel and fourth restaurant site recently came to Harbor Point, Stanley said the development was in the “deep red.”

“We’ve been almost a million dollars in the hole,” he said of the voters’ 2004 decision. “Now it looks like we’re finally going to see some light at the end of the tunnel and see that development be more on a self-sustaining path than we ever had.”

Twitter: @RayLeszcynski