News Photo by Steve Schulwitz The docks at the Alpena boat harbor sit unused on Monday as the boating season has yet to begin. The city is seeking a Michigan DNR Waterways Program Grant to help pay for new docks and other amenities at the marina.

ALPENA — The Alpena Municipal Council knows the importance of its municipally-owned parks and harbor and is set to make sizable investments in them over the next several years.

On Monday, the council voted to commit several hundred thousand dollars on improvement projects at three parks and the harbor. The money will be allocated from budgets over the next several years and not paid all at once.

City Manager Rachel Smolinski said the parks and harbor are important amenities for residents and visitors and keeping them well maintained and updated is key to the city’s future.

“It is important for the people to have these recreational opportunities and we do need to continue to invest in our infrastructure before it becomes unusable,” she said. “In the case of the projects at the marina and Mich-e-ke-wis, those are areas that are in desperate need of repair and we want to keep them in good shape for generations to come.”

The council voted 5-0 to submit a grant application to the state for a $150,000 Michigan DNR Waterways Program Grant to replace the stationary boat docks and replace them with floating docks.

The city would have to provide a $75,000 match to the grant.

The project is listed in the city’s six-year Capital Improvement Plan and a portion of the money would also be used to install a new water system and small amenities like picnic tables and grills near the marina.

The total cost of the project is expected to be about $306,340.

Harbormaster Shannon Smolinski said in her report to council the old docks are well past their useful life and are becoming unsafe. She said some were closed last year during boating season and though some repairs have been made to buy time, it’s only a matter of time before they erode again and are forced out of commission.

The council also voted to move forward with several other projects for local parks along the Lake Huron shoreline.

It voted to apply for a Michigan DNR Recreation Passport Grant. The maximum funding available from a grant is $150,000 to use to move the volleyball courts at Mich-e-ke-wis Park and to install the first portion of parking areas and street loop through the park.

The city would have to provide at least a 25% match in order to receive the grant.

Council also approved spending $73,881 to repair the pier at Blair Street Park. The structure was damaged by high-water levels, surf, and ice and the city’s insurance company would not pay for any of the repairs.

Work could begin in April on the pier.

Additionally, the council voted to hire U.P. Engineers & Architects for $38,000 to modify the drawings and specifications for the proposed restroom and pavilion facility at Bay View Park.

The city was notified that it was awarded a $300,000 grant from a Michigan Natural Resources Trust Fund to help cover the cost of the project, which could begin in or around the summer of 2023.

The city committed $600,000 to the total cost of the project, which will be included in the next two budgets.

Rachel Smolinski said recreational areas like parks are attractive to people who may want to visit the area or move to Alpena.

“I think a lot of people look at outdoor recreation as being extremely important,” she said. “I think it is one of the main reasons they move to a certain area.”