News Photo by Kayla Wikaryasz A row of sailboats sit in storage at the boar harbor in Alpena on Monday. The harbor is expected to have all of its slips rented this summer and there is a waiting list for people who have requested one.

ALPENA — Last boating season was a successful one in Alpena and city officials are preparing for another busy year at the boat harbor in 2025.

At Monday’s Alpena Municipal Council meeting, Kevin Fisher, harbormaster and parks coordinator, updated the council on harbor business, as well as completed and upcoming projects.

Fisher said last year, all of the 135 boat slips were occupied and early indications show the same is likely this year. He said there is a waiting list of boat owners who want to rent a seasonal slip, which is good.

It wasn’t long ago the city struggled to fill its slips, so the rebound and the additional revenue it brings lends well to the future of the marina.

In 2024, there were many improvements made at the harbor. Fisher said the projects included removing three dilapidated boats that were in the parking lot along Harbor Drive, adding fresh paint on the marina storefront and the fish-cleaning station, and painting more of the railing on the break wall.

The Girl Scouts replaced the free little library at the entrance to the break wall, and Alpena’s second farmer’s market, the Sunrise Side Co-Op Market, moved into the marina’s shop building,

There is a long list of projects slated for this year too, Fisher said. That includes the continued repair of docks, a landscaping refresh, refinishing the flagpole, creating a social area at the marina building, and improving the green space within the marina that is ADA accessible and has picnic tables and benches.

“We are putting a lot of work into the marina to make it more usable for everyone,” he said. “We’ve already seen more foot traffic down there. We’re doing our best to offer the community as many amenities as possible so they come out and take advantage of this public space.”

Fisher said there will also be some landscaping done at the harbor to make it more appealing and add additional green space in that area of the city.

“We’re going to give it a facelift,” he said.

Fisher said Alpena historically struggled to capture transient boat traffic because of how far it is away from the primary shipping lanes. A person must drive miles into Thunder Bay to reach the harbor and for some, boaters choose to bypass Alpena and instead port at places like Presque Isle, Rogers City, or Harrisville.

To help lure more transient traffic, Fisher said the city is trying to market the downtown and other attractions to encourage more boaters to make the trek through the bay to Alpena.

“Staff is working on how the City can use its downtown charm and all the other amenities it has to offer for transient boaters,” he said in his report to the council. “There are a few companies like that we can use to further market and advertise the Alpena Marina. The marina currently has accounts with marinas.com, and ActiveCaptain that we are hoping to better utilize and are considering opening a marketing account with Dockwa to attract more transient boaters.”

Fisher said he will continue to work with the co-op, the Alpena Downtown Development Authority, and others to increase foot traffic at the marina, but also in the downtown, so local small businesses could benefit from more people popping into their shops.

Steve Schulwitz can be reached at 989-358-5689 or sschulwitz@TheAlpenaNews.com. Follow him on X @ss_alpenanews.com.