MANISTIQUE - Reconstruction of the Manistique Marina may soon become a reality. A resolution sending the first of five applications for the project to the Waterways Grant Program has been adopted by the city council.
The grant is expected to help pay for the Downtown Development Authority project, which totals an estimated $4.2 million.
Before approving the application, council recently discussed the process and the five phases in which it will take place.
"This is a DDA grant, it has already been through the DDA board. They have been working with Tony Schomin from AECOM (an engineering firm) for the reconstruction of the marina," explained City Manager Sheila Aldrich. "The DDA authorized the first phase to be submitted and wanted council approval for AECOM to submit this application."
Aldrich pointed out the state Waterways Commission has been accommodating to the massive reconstruction project and the amount of funding needed. "The reconstruction site plan would run through fiscal years 2010 through 2020," she said.
According to DDA Director Bill Hentschell, the extensiveness of the project is the main reason it was broken up.
"The marina project has been divided into phases, as the costs are too high to be able to attract grant monies at an amount sufficient to do it all at one time," he explained.
In an effort to save money and streamline the bidding process, the DDA is planning to dredge the marina at the same time as the Army Corps' dredging of the Manistique River. The river dredging will be done to eradicate certain by-products previously found in the city's drinking water and the DDA wants to take advantage of a possible combination of the two dredgings.
"Currently the DDA and city are looking at dredging the marina harbor basis and entrance," said Hentschell. "As it appears the Army Corps of Engineers will dredge the navigational channel of the river. We hope to do our project at significant cost savings if we can do it concurrently."
The DDA has also taken into consideration movement in the marina while the reconstruction is taking place.
"Future phases involve riverside bin walls and docking berths," explained Hentschell. "This will enable transient boaters to dock while actual improvements begin in the marina basin itself."
While the majority of updates will be made to the waterways, the DDA has also planned updates to make the grounds more accessible to visitors. "This fall, there are also plans to rebuild the boat launch facility on the west side of the river between the new fishing piers," said Hentschell. "[These] will include a widened and better pitched ramp, new bathrooms, improved parking and a launching area for canoes and kayaks."