Harbor Advisory Committee set to finalize recommendations

Phase Three of the Presque Isle Marina Renovation Project prompted the Harbor Advisory Committee to hold a special meeting. Completion of the project is being relied upon by a grant from the Michigan Department of Resources Waterways, and the due date is approaching.

Established by the Marquette City Commission, the Harbor Advisory Committee advises on harbor development regarding pleasure craft, commercial vessels, marina operations, and launch facilities. Included in Phase Three of the Presque Isle Marina Project is rebuilding the Presque Isle South Pier and demolishing the North Pier, which will be renovated in Phase Four.

“The biggest thing we are doing is, we are going with a different structural system for the docks themselves. We are moving away from the bin wall construction they have in the marina now and we are looking at moving toward a floating dock system similar to what we have in our Cinder Pond Marina,” said Harbor advisory Committee Chair, Robert Frazee.

Phase Three will cost approximately $1.5 million . The grant application is for half of that amount. All four phases of the marina renovation total $4.5 million. Harbor committee members say the improvements are an investment in the future of the Marina.

“We’ve obviously learned some lessons with the bin wall system, we’ve had a lot of issues with it. It hasn’t held up over the years. We’ve also had more significant issues with icing with that system. Our goal with these docks is to have it last longer and hopefully be less maintenance,” continued Frazee.

Deadline for the Harbor Advisory Committee to get its finalized recommendations to the Marquette City Commission for approval is later this week. The grant application is due April 1st.