Michigan gives boost to summer boating with $3.8M for local marina projects

• The Michigan Department of Natural Resources awarded $3.8 million to 11 communities to improve public boating access. 
• The grants require a 50% local match and are open to local governments and state universities. 
• Grants include $1.5 million for Ludington, $750,000 for New Baltimore, $50,000 for Frankfort

Just in time for summer, several Michigan communities are receiving state funding to upgrade their public boating facilities and expand recreational boating opportunities. 

The Michigan Department of Natural Resources announced this month it has 

awarded $3.8 million to 11 communities for a dozen projects, including dock upgrades, marina repairs, engineering studies and more. 

The largest recipient is Ludington, in Mason County, which will receive nearly $1.5 million to replace a dock and upgrade a facility at the city's Harbor View Marina on Pere Marquette Lake near Lake Michigan.

New Baltimore, in Macomb County, will receive a combined $750,000 for a two-phase project to expand and repair a breakwall, pier and boat slips at its marina on Lake St. Clair. 

The city is expected to put $2,365,000 of its own money into what will ultimately be more than $3.1 million in marina upgrades. 

That will benefit residents and help bring in outside guests, said Adam Abraham, New Baltimore’s director of parks and recreation. 

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He predicted a ripple effect, with visitors coming to access “the waterways, to come into our downtown area, hang out in the park, go out to dinner (and) explore one of our many shopping opportunities.”

In Benzie County, Frankfort is getting $50,000 to inspect the structural makeup of docks and conduct an engineering study to assess the need for future repairs at the city’s municipal marina on Betsie Bay near Lake Michigan. The city will spend another $57,000 for the $107,000 project. 

“Essentially, at the end of this, there will be an engineering report that will allow us to be in a position to request additional funding from the Waterways commission to (achieve) some of the goals that we have for the facility,” said Joshua Mills, superintendent of Frankfort. 

Eventually, the city hopes to improve floating docks at the marinas to make them easier to access, Mills said. “This grant is going to help us come up with a better plan on how we want to address that.” 

The funding is part of the DNR's Waterways Grant Program, which aims to improve access to the state's lakes and rivers using money generated from boat registration fees and a portion of the state gas tax. Local governments are asked to pay for at least 50% of the project themselves. 

“Michigan is home to great boating and fantastic freshwater recreation opportunities,” said Kristen Kosick, parks and recreation division chief for the DNR, in a statement announcing the latest grants. 

“Our beautiful state offers outdoor recreation opportunities and picturesque views not found anywhere else, so it’s critical that the DNR helps invest in and fund Michigan’s harbors and boating access sites for the benefit of all.”

The funding will support projects in Alger, Baraga, Barry, Benzie, Charlevoix, Cheboygan, Huron, Mackinac, Macomb, Mason and Sanilac counties. See the full list here.