ESCANABA — Escanaba is one step closer to having a distillery in the downtown area. The Escanaba City Council approved a request to have an on-premises tasting room at the facility at its meeting Thursday night. The city’s approval was a requirement of the Michigan Liquor Control Commission.

The request was made by Lake Effect Distillery which recently purchased the old Escanaba National Bank building at 723 Ludington Street. The distillery is a partnership between three local residents — Ryan Brayak, Travis Brayak and Jesse Randall. The trio plans to do an extensive renovation of the building and redesign. It will feature a production and bottling area on the first floor, along with a tasting room. The second floor will feature a conference room. The third floor will be an office setting with rented spaces, along with a kitchenette and restrooms.

With the additional room in the front of the building, the owners plan to install a small coffee shop. In the late afternoon and evening, the tasting room would be opened for the public to sample products such as vodka, gin, whiskey and other spirits, along with craft cocktails.

“Currently we have engaged architects and various engineers to undertake the design of the property and will be looking to make the distillery a great addition to our community and a travel destination for visitors. Our goal is to source ingredients from the local community for grains, botanicals and fruits and to create as sustainable a business as possible in terms of its operation,” the owners said in their proposal to the city council. “To accomplish our goal we will be hiring people to help with production, tasting room operations, sales and marketing. We will also be partnering with Michigan State University for the development of maple sap to be used in spirit productions as a value added product for maple producer.”

The owners hope to start construction later this year.

In other business council:

– heard a favorable audit report of the city’s finances by the firm Rehmann.

– approved purchase of a breathing air compressor by Escanaba Public Safety for $25,985.

– approved a water department request to hire Master Electric to remove an old generator at the Ludington Lift Station and install a new one for an amount not to exceed $7,433

– approved a water department request to hire Master Electric to install a generator at the 23rd Avenue Lift Station for an amount not to exceed $7,911.

– approved a water department request to hire Richer’s Refrigeration for HVAC/AC upgrades at the wastewater treatment plant not to exceed $53,379.