ESCANABA – As the temperature rises, residents begin to break out their summer attire and head to the local beaches.

According to seatempature.info, the temperature in Little Bay de Noc is consistently rising, touching the 50’s on Wednesday.

The warmer weather allowed for local marinas, Escanaba and Gladstone, to welcome back patrons and their boats.

The Escanaba Marina opened on May 1, and requires some maintenance according to Escanaba Recreation Director and Harbor Master Kim Peterson.

“We have some slips that will need to be repaired to make them level.¬† We are working on a lot of landscaping this summer,” Peterson said.

She added that the Harbor Advisory Board along with local citizens are in the process of creating a 5-year plan where they will prioritize certain projects.

The department is also ordering new buoys for the North Shore and Aronson Island boat launches.

Peterson also said the kayak launch will also be available soon.

As for the Escanaba beach, Peterson estimates it to open in the middle of June.

The hours are expected to be from 12 to 7 p.m., seven days a week.

She said the beach will close the week before the U.P. State Fair as the lifeguards head back to college.

The department has a beach director and four life guards on staff for the summer, but Peterson said there is room for more.

“Certifications are done through the YMCA Red Cross course.¬†The city has changed things up recently and will pay for the certifications if lifeguards work for us.¬† We will reimburse their course costs at the end of our lifeguarding season,” Peterson said.

The Hannahville Indian Community, through Hannahville 2 percent grant, provided funding for the lifeguards this summer.

Beach goers in Escanaba may also notice more beach area this year, as the water levels are currently low.

“We are looking forward to another great year with warm weather.¬† I believe it will be warmer this summer than in the past from what I am hearing,” Peterson said.

In Gladstone, the marina officially opened on May 15 according to Gladstone Parks and Recreation Director Wendy Taavola.

The beach is scheduled to open for the season on June 25.

The hours are expected to be from 12 to 6 p.m., Wednesday through Sunday.

Gladstone contracts lifeguards from Northern Lights YMCA, and they will be active during the beaches open hours.

“We are hoping to open the concession stand at the beach this year, we have had great success recruiting summer help so I thought we will try to open the concessions again,” Taavola said.

With warmer than expected temperatures, both directors are optimistic about a booming beach season.

“I am looking forward to a successful beach season,” Taavola said.