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"We've received the permit from the Army Corps of Engineers for dredging so now we have all of the permits," said Tom Cannon, city parks director.

The Army Corps of Engineers' permit was a long time coming and city staff did not know the reason. Cannon had recently contacted U.S. Sen. Carl Levin and U.S. Rep. Bart Stupak for help when the permit finally arrived.

"About 30 percent of the entire harbor was unusable this season," Cannon said. That was due to low water and sand. "With us being able to dredge it will open up all of the slips for availability."

That won't matter now, however because of the time of year. But Cannon said the city will put the project out for bids yet this year and plans to begin dredging as soon as the ice leaves next year. Bidding will take about three weeks and the dredging is expected to take about two to three weeks.

"The harbor may have lost up to $40,000 this last season in revenue," Cannon said. "It's hard to get new customers when they know you're having a problem."

A grant promised from the state's Waterways Commission will pay up to 50 percent of the cost of dredging the harbor. Cannon did not have a total cost estimate for the project, but said the city's grant application requested up to $90,000 from the state.

The city's tax dollars will not be used for the project, but the funding comes from boater registration and dock fees. The public marina has a total of 60 slips.