Island Marina To Receive Complete Overhaul in Spring
By Karen Gould

Work on the Mackinac Island Marina is expected to begin next spring.

A complete renovation planned for the Mackinac Island Marina is in the final design stage and work is tentatively scheduled to begin next spring. The than $3.3 million project isn't new, say state authorities, but a shift in focus following two unsuccessful attempts in more than a decade to upgrade boating facilities at Mackinac.

Plans for the 76-slip recreational boat basin include a comprehensive infrastructure upgrade and structural renovations, said Keith Cheli, district planner and local project manager for the Department of Natural Resources.

"The state is committed to doing this project," he said. "This is one of the most popular state harbors."

The project includes repairing the beams on the fixed dock, replacing the entire electrical system, including the electrical pedestals used by boaters, and replacement of water, sewer, and fuel lines.

Decking on the main walkway and finger piers will be replaced. Some mooring slips will be made handicap accessible.

Three cable moorings will be eliminated and replaced with three new fixed pier slips. Although the change will increase fixed pier slips, the total number of slips available will remain the same.

"The cable moorings take a lot of abuse from the ice at Mackinac Island, particularly in the spring," said Mr. Cheli.

The marina's old ice suppression system will be replaced with the latest technology in bubbler equipment, he said. Minor dredging also is planned to improve depths in the docking area.

During the 2005 yacht races, several boats hit bottom as sailors attempted to reach their assigned berths.

Shore work includes electrical and ventilation projects in the marina building, which will not change in size, said Mr. Cheli. A small building will be constructed between the bathrooms and the dock to hold an office and maintenance room, he said.

The walkways and the viewing platforms on Main Street will be reconstructed. The hill between the lower walkway and the walkway on Main Street will be regraded with a limestone based retaining wall. Picnic tables and grills will be incorporated into the new landscaping, and the lawn area will include an upgraded irrigation system.

Pedestrian turnouts that overlook the marina from the street will be updated with a simulated limestone block material and treated timbers, and seating will be added.

Mr. Cheli said the fabricated limestone was chosen since the stone is native to the Island and the simulated material is easier to work with, "offering tighter design and construction controls."

As design is completed, permits have been received from the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality, and the DNR plans to advertise for contract bids this winter. Work is anticipated to begin in early spring and will continue until the Memorial Day holiday, when it will be stopped for the summer boating season.

After Labor Day 2007, construction will continue and run through the winter, with completion slated for spring 2008.

"The area offers very challenging weather conditions and very challenging ice conditions and this is a relatively large project," said Mr. Cheli. "Also, this is a very popular state harbor facility and we will try to minimize the impact to boaters during construction. We're trying to find that balance."

The state estimates the project will cost between $3.3 million and $3.7 million and, if bids come in higher than the money budged, the work may have to be split into two phases.

"Our intent is to complete all of the project, but we realize we may have to go to two phases," he said.

The project sprung from a failed attempt by the Michigan Waterways Commission to build a second marina containing 122-slips near Mission Point Resort om 1999, after failing for 10 years to enlarge the present facility. Both were thwarted by the City of Mackinac Island, which opposed any expansion of the state facilities. A second plan to enlarge the existing marina with an additional 83 slips was the proposed, but that, too, collapsed from a lack of local support.

For those projects, the state was prepared to spend approximately $15 million for a new marina and then more than $16 million to enlarge the current facility.

Funds from both failed projects were diverted to marinas around the state, including Beaver Island and Mackinaw City.

Since 2002, when plans for the Mackinac Island marina expansions dissolved, the state has constructed a 136slip marina in St. Ignace, is working on building another 125-slip marina in Mackinaw City, and plans to improve the 80-slip marina in DeTour.

The DeTour project is estimated to cost $4 million and work tentatively is scheduled to begin in 2008.

The Mackinac Island marina has 76 slips, with 13 earmarked for local boaters and 63 reserved for transient boaters.