PORT HURON

City, townships may share canal dredging cost

Jackie Smith
Times Herald
Kayakers paddle along the Black River canal during Paddle and Pour Saturday, September 12, 2015 in Port Huron.

The city of Port Huron could be getting some help keeping the Black River Canal open.

Port Huron City Manager James Freed has proposed Port Huron Township and Fort Gratiot help foot up to half of the cost of the dredging, and in return their residents get access to Lakeside Park at city rates.

Freed said it costs the city about $25,000 to $30,000 a year to dredge the canal, although it could be more or less depending on weather. When the canal fills with sediment at its Lake Huron end it becomes impassable for boaters.

Under the proposed agreement, the townships would each pay 25 percent of the canal’s dredging costs, with a cap at $8,500. The city would cover the remaining cost.

Steve Bruen, a member of the Black River Boat Club in Port Huron Township near the canal, said he’s glad the townships and city are looking at covering costs to dredge together.

“They do dig it out, but then it fills in, depending on how the winds and storms are out on the lake. Sometimes it fills in pretty quickly,” he said of the canal. “It’s used a lot. If you were ever out there particularly on a weekend on the lake near the mouth, there’s just a steady stream of boats.”

All three municipal boards will have to approve it for it to go into effect.

“This should make members of the boating community very, very happy,” Freed said. “It’s these types of collaborative efforts (that show) what good things can come from us working together and how we can find solutions to common problems.”

Kayakers paddle along the Black River canal during Paddle and Pour Saturday, September 12, 2015 in Port Huron.

Black River dredging was previously paid for with tax increment finance authority funds. But Freed said that account stopped collecting funds in 2001 and ran out of money last year.

Without the shared agreement, he said dredging costs might have to come from Port Huron’s general fund.

Freed said he doesn’t anticipate a huge revenue loss if residents from the townships can park at Lakeside for the cheaper rate.

Current Lakeside yearly rates for parking stickers are $5 for city residents and $35 for St. Clair County residents. County residents without passes are charged $5 a day. Out-of-county residents are charged $10 a day and cannot buy passes.

“That canal is not only used by boats and kayakers,” Freed said. “It’s part of the island national (water trail) loop. It’s also a safety exit off the lake.”

The Black River is the border between the townships. Port Huron Township’s Bakers Field Park includes a public boat and ADA-compliant kayak or canoe launch on the Black River. Fort Gratiot’s North River Road Park also has an ADA-compliant kayak or canoe launch on the river.

“I think it’s a real fair question for the city of Port Huron to ask,” Fort Gratiot Supervisor Jorja Baldwin said. “We want to make sure (everybody) has the same access to the lake as everybody else.”

The proposed contract would run through December, but automatically renews annually unless terminated by the municipalities.

Baldwin said the agreement could come before the township board in early April.

Port Huron Township Supervisor Bob Lewandowski wasn’t certain about a time line for the agreement, but said if it’s approved, he’d expect residents to see the benefits this summer.

“They approached us first about cost sharing,” Lewandowski said, “and then of course trying to get a little something in return, I asked what would be their thoughts about allowing Lakeside (access for) our residents to use the same rate.”

Fort Gratiot resident Chris Belanger said the township should its own boat launch on the lake, similarly to other communities.

“In my opinion, if there is going to be a collaborated effort to keep the canal free flowing, we should be looking at the possibility of a harbor,” he said in a message. ”Having a harbor would almost eliminate the need for constant dredging.

“Being that the canal is connected to a large lake there would be no other way to keep the canal from filling with sand.”

Contact Jackie Smith at (810) 989-6270 or jssmith@gannett.com. Follow her on Twitter @Jackie20Smith.