Bay Port dredging project may finish up this month
Although he doesn’t consider himself a full-time resident of Bay Port, Bill Nagy’s actions speak louder than his words. He has shown a tremendous interest in the community since becoming a seasonal resident in 1973. A recreational boater, Nagy became involved in a project early in 2006 that has led to a $1 million-plus dredging project going on right now in the Bay Port harbor.
More than five years ago community minded people, led by members of the Bay Port Chamber of Commerce, decided to try and find the funds needed to improve the harbor. It hadn’t been dredged since 1992.
“A group spearheaded by the Chamber of Commerce got together,” Nagy said. “The first meeting was held on April 21, 2006.”
Local, regional and state officials worked with each other to help make the project come together. Ultimately, they were informed that Bay Port would indeed be the recipient of funding designated for the dredging of the Bay Port harbor.
“Senator Barcia was involved,” Nagy said, “as was Candice Miller’s office. Terry Brown and John Horny, too. Everything had to be in order . . . permits from the state, the DEQ . . . everything had to be lined up.”
One snag in getting the project off the ground was to find a place for debris from the dredging. Soil tests were performed and it was determined that the only significant contaminant was a fairly high level of phosphorus.
“There were no heavy metals,” Nagy said, “only the phosphorus, and that basically comes from fertilizer. The DEQ really regulates phosphorus. If the spoils were to be spread on open land, because of the phosphorus, it could only be a quarter of an inch thick, so it would take over 1,200 acres.”
That really wasn’t an acceptable solution, so Nagy, in conjunction with then State Rep. Terry Brown and Huron County Commissioner John Horny, set about trying to nail down a suitable location for the sludge and other debris that would inevitably be dredged from the channel. After numerous discussions, the Wallace Stone Quarry, just outside Bay Port, agreed to take the spoils.
Since the harbor has been designated a Harbor of Refuge, the project is being carried out through a collaboration of two government entities — the Michigan Department of Natural Resources and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.
“The first 1,000 feet is the DNR’s responsibility,” Nagy said. “The next 5,700 feet is the Army Corps of Engineers responsibility.”
Working with two large government bodies can create a number of communications problems. Fortunately there was sufficient interest within the community to be diligent in trying to land a dredging contract. Nagy and others kept in continual contact with government representatives and eventually the details were worked out.
“One person I really want to give credit to is Mr. Bill Boik,” Nagy said. “He’s head of programs and grants for the DNR. He was the one I did a lot of my contacts through . . . because it would have been wasted if the Army Corps of Engineers did their part, but the state didn’t do theirs. It took a lot of coordination, and Mr. Boik really did a lot to bring it together.”
The Bay Port harbor dredging project was a long time in coming, and it wasn’t cheap. The first time the harbor was dredged, in 1967, the cost was $63,000. In 1992, a similar dredging project cost $238,000. The 2011 version, which includes the harbor itself and 6,700 feet of channel, was funded by monies from the Omnibus Appropriations Act of 2009. Bay Port’s share came to $1,032,000. The village’s acceptance as part of the project was announced at a meeting of the Small Harbor Collation, at Soaring Eagle Casino, in Mount Pleasant, on May 12, 2009. On Nov. 3, 2010, it was announced by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers that Malcolm Marine, Inc., of St. Clair, was awarded the contract for dredging.
“Removing the shoals that have built up over time will make Bay Port harbor much more navigable, to the benefit of local boaters and anglers,” said Lt. Col. Michael Derosier, district engineer, of the Detroit District of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. “We’re pleased to be a part of this harbor revitalization.”
The dredging project is scheduled to be completed some time this month. Nagy and other Bay Port residents are already planning additional improvements to the Bay Port harbor.
“The chamber plans to put docks on the south end of the harbor,” Nagy said. “It’s above and beyond this project. We’d also like to get buoys out, but that’s also another project.”
The community of Bay Port is sure to benefit greatly by the dredging project. In fact, Nagy has already noticed some differences.
“Last Saturday afternoon I took my dog down to the harbor for a swim,” he said. “I counted 22 vehicles with trailers. It’s been a long time since I’ve seen that many vehicles down there.”
As the dredging project nears completion, Nagy and fellow Bay Port residents are sure to look back on this summer as a time when community-mined individuals, local, state and regional officials, through hard work and perseverance, are witnessing the fruition of their efforts.
“It was a challenge,” Nagy said. “It was hard, but it was fun. As a volunteer, I could have quit, but I believe you should always do one big thing for your community.”
He can proudly say the 2011 Bay Port harbor dredging project was a big thing.
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