The Suttons Bay Village Council officially accepted a $406,016 grant through the Michigan Department of Natural Resources’ (DNR) Waterways Program at their Monday meeting, to be used on improvements at the village marina.
According to documents provided to the council by village Manager Rob Larrea, the village will match state funding dollar for dollar to reach the $812,032 total needed to include new public restrooms in the marina’s new bathhouse.
Larrea said they hope to demolish the old bathhouse after the marina closes in October and begin constructing a new bathhouse/boater services building at the same location. The DNR funds are technically not going towards the new bathhouse itself, but towards new public restrooms attached to the structure that will be open year-round.
“The goal is to get (the bathhouse) set up to tear down at the end of the season and get started on a new one. We’ll get it enclosed during the winter, so contractors can work through the process in the winter. We’re going to have a meeting with the engineers and architects to see about finalizing and moving forward on the design,” Larrea said.
Replacing the bathhouse was one of the highest priorities identified in the marina master plan that the village council approved earlier this year in March. The bathhouse was constructed in 1978, and some marina users have voiced concerns about its current state.
The village had also applied for another grant through the Waterways Program. This second request was for $453,000, to be used on a new dock project on the west end of the marina. Larrea said at the Monday meeting that the village has received notice that this request was also selected for funding, but staff need to have some questions answered before it goes to the council for approval.
If the village council approves the terms and conditions of the second grant, the village will also have to provide matching funds. Larrea did not say where the matching funds for the second DNR grant would come from. But for the public building and boater services building project, the match will come from the village’s marina fund and downtown development authority.
Also at the Monday meeting, the village council:
• Adopted Leelanau County’s 2023 Hazard Mitigation Plan Five-Year Update. According to the resolution, the village affirmed participating in the maintenance and updating of the plan every five years back in 2015.
• Appointed Dorothy Petoskey as the new village clerk, replacing the previous clerk, Shar Fay. Petoskey is also treasurer on the Suttons Bay Township board and member on the Suttons Bay/Bingham Fire and Rescue Authority board.
