Copyright M Live Michigan
MUSKEGON, MI - Muskegon’s city manager fielded a variety of questions Tuesday night all about the proposed land swap between the city and Mart Dock port company. The presentation, followed by a question-and-answer session, was held from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 21, at Muskegon High School. More than 75 people took seats in the auditorium. City Manager Jonathan Seyferth answered questions on a screen – up to 54 questions were seen submitted through the virtual program during the session. As questions were virtually submitted, users could up-vote them, indicating that multiple people had the same concerns. There were more questions that the city didn’t get to, which Seyferth said would be answered on the city’s project page. Next month the Muskegon City Commission will vote on the proposed deal, which would close Fisherman’s Landing campground and allow Mart Dock to move port operations to that space on the east end of the city on Muskegon Lake. The city would acquire neighboring land from Verplank Co. for a public park, as well as some property on Third Street downtown next to Mart Dock’s current operations. Slides shown Tuesday of a development along the Black River in Green Bay, Wisc. – a wooden boardwalk with buildings along the water – serves as an inspiration for the city’s future design. The city has had several discussions on the land swap proposal in recent months. City leaders said they wanted to give the public a chance in this week’s meeting to ask questions in a space that could hold more people. Questions ranged Tuesday from what parts of the project will cost, environmental concerns and long-term plans for the properties. “This has been an objective of the city for 30 years,” Seyferth said. “And at this point in time, we have ownership at West Michigan Dock that is willing to have that conversation and seeing how that can work for their business model - and then it works for how the city has envisioned its redevelopment for its community going back decades.” Chuck Canestraight, president of Port City Marine Companies, the parent company to Mart Dock, was in the front row and provided input a couple times throughout the night. Several sitting city commissioners were seen in the audience, as well as candidates running in the Nov. 4 election. Seyferth, in his presentation and while answering questions, went over much of the project details that have already been presented. He stressed the benefits of the swap, which, he said, include the creation of a nature preserve on the city’s east side, restoration of the area where the south branch of the Muskegon River meets Muskegon Lake and, overall, protection of local wetlands. Seyferth said the public park planned for the space between Fisherman’s Landing and Richards Park would have boardwalks like the Muskegon Lake Nature Preserve in North Muskegon, which connects via bike path to Richards Park. More details were discussed, including that the swap would create a “handful” of new port operations jobs that don’t require a college education but would require special training. A previous study has stated that the overall increase in port activity and waterfront business would see an increase in several hundred new jobs downtown, many in the service industry. JoAnn Dornbos has lived downtown Muskegon, across from Fisherman’s Landing, for the last seven years. She said she enjoys seeing the ships come in on Muskegon Lake and understands what the swap could mean for her current view of the campground. “So instead of trailers and camping during the seasonal summertime, we’ll be seeing piles of aggregate or material instead, which isn’t going to be anything that’s going to be detrimental to us,” Dornbos said, adding that she still needs to hear more information to have a firm opinion on the matter. “We’ve just been curious and watching, paying attention to what’s going on, trying to determine if that’s a viable situation or makes sense … I know the drawback is for the people that are camping there now, they’re going to lose all that. But I think that I need to hear more to see for sure what the timeline might be, what their plans really, truly are as far as that conversion.”
