Northport Marina Improvements
Posted: Sat May 20, 2023 6:06 am
The G. Marsten Dame marina at Northport, Michigan, has significant construction work in progress on the boat launching area. The level of the parking lot is being raised about a foot or more, and a new concrete launching ramp is being constructed. The cost of this project is about $1,000,000, with the village contributing about half and federal or state funds providing the rest. I visited the marina on May 10, 2023, and I found there was still a lot of work to be done.
In 2020-2021 the level of Lake Michigan rose to nearly record high-water levels, with the lake rising to about four feet above its long-term average level. The result at the boat launching ramp was the lake was able to spill over the top of the ramp and flood parts of the parking lot. The parking lot flooding was also complicated by the existing drainage system, which instead of draining rain water from the parking lot into the lake, was now permitting lake water to flow into the drain and rise into the parking lot. For several months in the summer of 2020 the parking lot had a few inches of water sitting atop the asphalt in low spots in the lot, and to reach the launching ramp one had to wade through about 30-feet of shallow the water. To prevent this from occurring again, the Village of Northport is raising the parking lot level. The improvements are also supposed to create 34 additional trailer parking spaces. Added trailer parking spaces will be much appreciated, as there has been considerable contention for the limited number of trailer parking spaces at this busy ramp during Summer.
As part of the overall project, the existing concrete boat launching ramp is being replaced. The old ramp was formed by several large slabs of concrete, but over the years the gaps between the slabs had widened. While this was not particularly harmful for the tires of boat trailers, it was quite a hazard to your foot if you had to walk down the ramp into the water to attach a towing line to the bow tow eye of your boat. Stepping into the gap between slabs was a hazard and could cause falling or worse outcomes.
In early May the launch ramp and parking lot are were not accessible, and the work looked like there was still a lot to be done. The Village indicated that mid-June was the anticipated date for completion of the improvements. Until then, the boat ramp won't be available, nor will the parking lot adjacent to the ramp be open.
Normally in late April and early May the launch ramp and parking lot are at full capacity every day due to very good perch fishing in Northport Bay. I am sure a lot of anglers were disappointed this Spring to find the ramp closed.
More details about the project can be found at
https://www.leelanauticker.com/news/northport-marina-readies-for-upgrades/
In 2020-2021 the level of Lake Michigan rose to nearly record high-water levels, with the lake rising to about four feet above its long-term average level. The result at the boat launching ramp was the lake was able to spill over the top of the ramp and flood parts of the parking lot. The parking lot flooding was also complicated by the existing drainage system, which instead of draining rain water from the parking lot into the lake, was now permitting lake water to flow into the drain and rise into the parking lot. For several months in the summer of 2020 the parking lot had a few inches of water sitting atop the asphalt in low spots in the lot, and to reach the launching ramp one had to wade through about 30-feet of shallow the water. To prevent this from occurring again, the Village of Northport is raising the parking lot level. The improvements are also supposed to create 34 additional trailer parking spaces. Added trailer parking spaces will be much appreciated, as there has been considerable contention for the limited number of trailer parking spaces at this busy ramp during Summer.
As part of the overall project, the existing concrete boat launching ramp is being replaced. The old ramp was formed by several large slabs of concrete, but over the years the gaps between the slabs had widened. While this was not particularly harmful for the tires of boat trailers, it was quite a hazard to your foot if you had to walk down the ramp into the water to attach a towing line to the bow tow eye of your boat. Stepping into the gap between slabs was a hazard and could cause falling or worse outcomes.
In early May the launch ramp and parking lot are were not accessible, and the work looked like there was still a lot to be done. The Village indicated that mid-June was the anticipated date for completion of the improvements. Until then, the boat ramp won't be available, nor will the parking lot adjacent to the ramp be open.
Normally in late April and early May the launch ramp and parking lot are at full capacity every day due to very good perch fishing in Northport Bay. I am sure a lot of anglers were disappointed this Spring to find the ramp closed.
More details about the project can be found at
https://www.leelanauticker.com/news/northport-marina-readies-for-upgrades/