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A draft of drawings and preliminary plans will be presented to commissioners at their Tuesday, Feb. 20 meeting at City Hall. Harbormaster and parks director, Tom Cannon, will conduct a presentation with information provided largely by Gourdie Fraser, a Traverse City engineering firm. The firm has completed several marina projects in northern Michigan, Cannon said Friday.

The estimated $1.3 million marina renovation would include 30 additional slips, up from the current 67 slips. One dock would be designed to accommodate a 75-foot boat. The present marina's longest dock fits a 60-foot boat. Shoppers' docks would be increased to make room for approximately 15 boats, up from four.

The seasonal waiting list for docking showed 10 boats in 2006. Plans also include a new break wall, utilities updates, new gas tanks, and an improved walkway along the rocky shoreline. Steel sheet piling will be constructed around the pierÕs exterior to control sand and wave motion. Dredging is necessary, Cannon said.

Updated features, especially utilities, are important because the newer boats need more power than older boats, he said.

"With my experience with harbors, I know that to be competitive we have to offer more modern facilities," Cannon said.

Broadside docking is anticipated alongside the city park, making for easy access to downtown businesses, he said. Broadside docking would likely accommodate another 75-foot boat.

Fishing spots will remain in the same as currently. The city received a state grant for $5,800 for engineering services.

A total of $11,600 has been paid to Gourdie Fraser, thus far, for consultations, drawings and a preliminary engineering study. The harbormaster is applying for another grant to cover a feasibility study. The focus is infrastructure and electrical upgrades needed at the marina. "It will be a yearÕs worth of work," Cannon said. Ò"The city will phase in the work to allow the harbor to stay open all season."

But before work begins, the city must be approved for a grant by the state. An application must be submitted to the state by April 1. If awarded, the grant will assist in the cost of engineering services and physical labor for the project.

State grants for marinas come from the state's Waterways Commission, a part of the Department of Natural Resources.

Cannon is hopeful the state will approve the city's grant request to help with the estimated $1.3 million cost. He cited a new regulation that allows grants to exceed a 50 percent matching fund.

"Under the regulation, the amount of the grant could very well be more than 50 percent,Ó"Cannon said. The regulation takes into account the smaller, rural communities that do not necessarily have the resources to finance major marina projects.

Whether or not the city receives a higher level of funds, it is unlikely local taxpayer money will be used for the marina, Cannon said. All marina funds come from boaters in the form of registration and other fees. Aside from repairs made in June 2006 because of ice damage to the docks, the marina has not received significant repairs or improvements since the early 1980s, Cannon said.

Public hearings will be scheduled to provide an opportunity for commissioners to hear residents' comments and questions about the marina.