Changes coming to Tourist Park

There could be some big changes coming to Tourist Park in Marquette.

A community forum was held in Marquette Thursday night to discuss improvements and upgrades to the park.  A land use plan was presented by Sanders and Czapski Associates, an architecture firm from Marquette.

Bill Sanders, one of the architects behind the plan, said they tried to stick to three points for upgrades to Tourist Park:  actionable, sustainable and universally accessible.

One of the main changes will be to separate the day use portion and the campground portion.  Cars would not be allowed to connect between the two portions; there would be two separate entrances.

Other plans include expanding the campground improving the beach area,  and building a new playground.

However, the plans are still in the beginning stages.  The cost for improvements to Tourist Park, both the day use area and the campground, is estimated to be around $1.7 million.  Saunders said it’s only a preliminary estimate, and the numbers could change depending on various costs and what projects are ultimately chosen.

The land use plan now goes to the Marquette City Commission for review and approval.

A draft of the land use plan is available on the Marquette City website, www.mqtcity.org.