MENOMINEE MARINA STARTS DREDGING PROJECT Dredging of the Menominee Marina using emergency
Marina and city officials thought about dredging the harbor
funds from the state of Michigan began in mid-October
before the beginning of the past boating season, but the cost
and is expected to be completed in December, according
was prohibitive. Moreover, Menominee wasn’t the only marina
to news reports.
in the state that sought dredging to solve sedimentation and
At this time last year, the marina reported that record low water levels on Lake Michigan had posed a navigation threat to the large boats in the marina. While the marina notes that sediment naturally collects on the marina bottom every boating season, it usually does not pose any problems for the
silt problems. In response to the many marinas in the state that needed to dredge their harbors to stay viable, the state of Michigan approve $21 million in emergency funding for 58 projects in the state, including a $1.2 million waterways grant to the city of Menominee.
boats docked at the marina. In 2012, however, Lake Michigan’s
The ongoing dredging project is using the state funds and
low water levels reduced the harbor’s waters so much that
began in mid-October.
many of the marina’s larger boats reported hitting bottom.
NORTH TONAWANDA APPROVES LAST PHASE OF PROJECT The project will add transient slips to one of the three bays at the marina that was recently dredged as part of the initial improvement work at the marina. It will also convert a small building that was used as a garage into handicap accessible restrooms and extend a walkway already in place so that it can be used by transient boaters, according to Michael Zimmerman, planning and development coordinator, Lumber City Development Corp., the city’s economic development arm. The first phase of the marina improvement project saw an old clubhouse transformed into a restaurant with a new parking lot, lights, and other amenities added. It also saw the shoreline reinforced with steel bulkheads, new finger docks installed, and dock pedestals with electricity and running water added. Work on the final phase of a $1.3 million improvement project
To pay for the marina improvement project, North Tonawanda
at Gratwick Riverside Park Marina, North Tonawanda, N.Y.,
issued $361,350 in bonds, has received $686,619 in federal
is nearly complete now that the North Tonawanda Common
boating infrastructure grant funding, and got $300,000 from
Council has approved a $255,369 bid.
the Niagara River Greenway Commission.
LUDINGTON MARINA LOSES SOME SLIPS Ludington’s city council accepted a recommendation from
The DNR met with city officials and private marina owners
the Michigan Dept. of Natural Resources (DNR) that it reduce
to reach a compromise on the matter. As a result, the DNR
the number of charter boat slips at its municipal marina to
recommended that the Waterways Commission reduce the
8 from 12.
number of charter slips at the municipal marina.
The Michigan Waterways Commission allowed the municipal
City manager John Shay said the marina currently has
marina to set aside 12 slips for charter boats. In its most
approval for 12 charter boat slips, but there are only eight
recent action, Michigan DNR recommended that the number
charter boats docked in the marina.
be cut to eight slips after receiving complaints from private marinas in the area.
In response to the private marinas, Shay said the municipal marina does not have an unfair advantage. He said the city
The private marinas had requested that the municipal marina
charges charter boats significantly higher rates to dock at
totally eliminate all charter boat slips because they felt that
the municipal marina and some of the larger boats only do
the city had an unfair advantage over their businesses.
so because they cannot be accommodated at the private marinas’ smaller docks.
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