There’s been no headway to stave off a standoff that curtailed ferry service to North Manitou Island all summer, and now the National Park Service (NPS) is threatening to revoke its concession contract with Manitou Island Transit.
At issue — still — is whether a milliondollar temporary dock built by the Park Service specifically to provide passage to the island is safe under most weather conditions for loading and unloading.
NPS engineers say it is. But Jimmy Munoz, a captain of the Mishe Mokwa ferry boat, says it isn’t because an open design below the dock provides little protection from waves.
The loggerhead may become permanent. The NPS is expected by Oct. 1 to ink a contract to build a permanent dock farther north along the island shoreline in a location that historically has hosted berthing. The island docks — temporary now and eventually the permanent structure — are the focal point of what is expected to be a $32 million allocation for improvements on South and North Manitou islands.
Compromise at this point seems out of reach.
“The only way I can prove my point is to hurt somebody,” Munoz said. “Now if I take that boat over there and hurt or kill someone, I’m right. But I won’t do that.”
Scott Tucker, superintendent of Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore, says facts are on the federal government’s side.
“I am not a boat captain, but this design was made by maritime engineers using sound science,” Tucker said. “I can’t speak to the future of the Manitou Island Transit concession contract right now. It’s in place until 2029. If that changes we will have the opportunity to look at what our options are.”
The temporary and proposed permanent docks are designed in open “T” shapes. They rely on post supports that allow water to freely flow under their decks. That’s a priority for the National Park Service, which wants to avoid dredging in the future. The cost can add up to $500,000 per application, and be required annually.
However, Munoz is a proponent of the present dock when properly maintained. Its biggest detriment is a propensity to trap sand.
The Mishe Mokwa clearance was deemed unsafe at the dock for all of the 2020 season, causing MIT to sue the Department of the Interior for lost revenue. The South Manitou dock was also unusable because of high water levels. MIT won, only to have most 2023 trips to North Manitou canceled due to the shoaling problem. Similar litigation has been filed.
Munoz said the temporary dock — and by extension, the soon-to-be-built new dock — is only safe during a rare west wind. Most wind directions come at least partly from north or south. With no wave protection, he said the 100,000-pound Mishe Mokwa may start to rock with winds as slow as 5 knots. The boat’s tipping could increase until eventually one or more mooring lines snap.
“They have an impressive dock that no one will use. We’re in violation because I won’t put someone’s life at risk. Neither will Michael (Grosvenor). If that’s the path we’re taking, we’ll just have to deal with it,” Munoz said.
The Grosvenor family of Leland has been providing mail service and water transportation to the Manitous since 1917. Munoz is married to the former Megan Grosvenor. Their son, Jack Munoz, recently received a captain’s license and sometimes skippers the Mishe Mokwa on summertime daily runs to South Manitou. The Munoz’ business partners with MTI are Michael and Sara Grosvenor. Their son, George Tracy Grosvenor, is a senior at U-M and also spends summers working on the ferry service.
Having transportation to the islands originate from the Leland Harbor is important to the community, opined Leland Township clerk and Harbor Commission member Lisa Brookfield.
“I don’t know much about the negotiations or the hang up. But the Grosvenor family has been running that service for generations, and that service is important to the township and the community,” she said.
The issue of how best and from what location to provide island ferry service has been debated before. An expensive Park Service study in the 1980s determined that the Leland Harbor provided the best option when compared to building a docking system at Glen Haven.
Although Munoz said his concerns and suggestions for dock design were ignored when expressed early in the process. Tucker said MIT withdrew from the conversation as decisions were being made.
“MIT specifically refused to meet with our dock designers,” Tucker said. “MIT also did not comment when the permitting process was out from EGLE (Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes and Energy). In addition, they did not engage when the dock design was out for contract.”
With so much money ready to be spent, Tucker does not expect a delay in choosing a contractor even though federal and MIT attorneys are holding talks toward a solution.
“We anticipate a contract being signed by Oct. 1. The dock has been designed. We are now finalizing the construction contract that will have work happening in 2025 and 2026,” Tucker said.
Of the negotiations, he said, “The federal government has made MIT aware that they are in violation of their contract. Per that, the government has the option to pursue termination. Our hope is that we can come up with a mutually agreeable solution. But that is a topic for this fall.”
Included in the overarching project is construction of a new dock in a new location on South Manitou Island, and new solarpowered electrical, water and septic systems at village centers on both islands. Any uncommitted funds will be used for historic preservation on island buildings.
The monies stem from the Great American Outdoors Act passed in 2020.
Manitou Island Transit annually provides ferry service to about 10,000 island visitors. Most are now restricted to recreating on South Manitou Island unless they arrange alternative transportation to the north island.
The rugged north island is preferred by backpackers.
Munoz and his brother-inlaw Geoff Niessink own the only other license to commercially transport visitors to the islands through a company called Manitou Passage LLC. Their boat, which resembles a landing craft with a front door that swings down to the beach, can hold 12 people. It’s named The Bear.
