Harbor Commission Meeting — 2025-05-14

Detailed briefing

Harbor Commission Meeting — May 14, 2025 ATTENDEES: Greg Fischer, Bill Brown and John Baker were identified during the roll call. Lisa Nickel, Sharon Mahal and Tails Stevens attended by Zoom but were not eligible to vote. The commission had a quorum. • The commission approved the February special-meeting minutes with corrections. One correction changed the presiding officer’s title from “chairman” to the gender-neutral “chair.” Another addressed an attendance reference from an earlier meeting. • Harbor staff reported that the state DNR reservation computer system had been installed and was live internally. The system was scheduled to open to public reservations the following Monday, allowing boaters to reserve Harbor Springs slips through the state system. • The Harbor Springs Area Historical Society outlined plans for the 13th annual Blessing of the Fleet. It requested the end space at the pier for boarding around 4:45 p.m., disembarking around 7 p.m., and spectator viewing while the boat is away. A donor will cover the reservation cost. Organizers also described plans to organize participating boats by fleet. • Harbor staff supported use of the same dock area for a Harbor Springs Schools senior event aboard the Harbor Princess on May 22. The commission was told that a formal motion was not required as long as the harbor master and commissioners had no objections. • Ironwood Construction was selected for the Harbor Master building project with a bid below $1 million. Construction is projected to begin after Labor Day and continue into mid-May. The building and its bathrooms will close during the work. The city plans to notify slip holders in early August and direct users to beach or Ford Park bathrooms. Ford Park’s heated bathrooms are expected to remain available through winter. • The commission reviewed fishing, sightseeing and commercial marine-license applications. Members handled applications separately because of disclosed business connections and abstentions. The transcript does not clearly establish the final result for every individual license. • The commission recommended approval of a transfer of an existing bottomlands lease. The applicant said the transfer would change the name on the lease but would not change use of the basin area. The matter is expected to proceed to City Council. Worth watching: 1. City Council still must decide how Harbor Master building costs will be divided among city funds. 2. No construction change orders had been reported, but the project had not yet started. 3. Commissioners may revisit a proposal to use dye in boat holding tanks, although no recent local discharge incidents were reported. Upcoming: DNR reservations were expected to open the following Monday; the school senior event is planned for May 22; Harbor Master construction is projected to start after Labor Day. Why it matters: The decisions affect harbor access, seasonal events, commercial operations and public facilities during a major waterfront construction project.

No open public follow-ups are linked to this meeting yet.