The clock is ticking for a marine contractor ordered to remove an industrial barge from the shoreline of West Grand Traverse Bay.
Donald Balcom, the owner of Balcom Marine Contractors, has until a 9:20 court date Monday morning, to move the vessel which was at the heart of criminal charges lodged by the Michigan Attorney General’s Office.
For the past several years, Balcom has moved the sunken barge to locations in West Bay. This is much to the chagrin of some property owners and some state agencies.
It currently rests along the bay shore in Bingham Township.
Balcom first faced charges from the Michigan Attorney General’s Office in June 2023 for failing the move the barge, in violation of the state Resources protection Act, a felony that carries a maximum sentence of two years in prison and imposes a fine of not less than $2,500 and not $25,000. He pleaded guilty a year ago in 13th Circuit Court to a charge of water resources protection violations.
The court sentenced him to 12 months probation and ordered that, if Balcom got his barge moved during that 12-month period, the please would be reduced to a misdemeanor violation.
“As of now, Balcom has not moved the barge,” said Kimberly Bush, director of the state Office of Public Information and Education. “Unless the barge is moved to a legal location by June 2, his felony conviction will stand.”
As of press time Wednesday, the barge had not been moved.
