The Founders Landing pier consists of two piling structures, which are the remains of the Spear Merchant Dock complex that was constructed in the late 1800s. The city acquired Founders Landing, a 29-acre parcel of property along Lake Superior shoreline that was formerly owned by the Wisconsin Central Ltd. Railroad, in 2001 to foster private redevelopment and increase public access to the waterfront.

The conceptual plan includes building a new boardwalk, which would incude earthen fill, steel substructure with wooden decking, and floating finger docks in the Spear dock location.

City Manager Mike Angeli said the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality and Department of Natural Resources requires that the city either reuse or remove the old pier’s pilings — which are essentially long wooden cylinders driven to bedrock — within a certain timeframe. Being located in Lake Superior, the structures are technically on state property, though the DEQ has a bottomlands lease and use agreement with the city. Once the funds became available, the city decided to move forward with a concept of reusing the pilings in the form of a public pier.

About $6.4 million in funding for the project has been secured through a brownfield plan and the Marquette Brownfield Redevelopment Authority.

Renderings near the ore dock show people enjoying the Lake Superior shoreline along the boardwalk. (Courtesy photo from GEI Consultants)

“The commission does have the option of not doing anything and removing the pilings,” Angeli said. “However, that’s not the road we’ve been following to this point.”

Angeli said it would cost about $3 million to remove the pilings.

In June, the Marquette Community Services Department issued a request for qualifications — which was awarded to GEI Consultants in August — to evaluate the current condition of the structures and potential reuse scenarios.

George Meister of GEI Consultants said the piles and crib structures of both docks were found to be in good condition after an extensive study was conducted. However, the top 2 to 3 feet are in poor shape due to weathering and decay.

“The concept is to push a light aggregate stone mix down the center of the dock. The fill material would be built up into a flat-topped berm. The berm would then have a layer of mixed stone placed along with a larger stone armor layer which together would act as a reverse filter containing the material within. The bottom extents of the berm matching the overall dock footprint could provide an approximate 30-foot pad for public use along the entire dock,” according to the summary report.

Alongside the berm, wooden decking would provide additional space and dockage for small to large vessels, the document states. The wooden decking would sit atop a steel substructure. This substructure would be supported by new steel piles driven into the lake botton within the historic dock footprint. Floating, or fixed finger docks with electrical and water services would extend from the main dock to support recreational vessels.

According to Meister, it became apparent during the budgeting process that driving new steel piles for deck construction would be less expensive than cutting and extending existing wooden piles.

Debbie Cook, who was representing the local rowing club, said the plan is exciting.

“We are still very much interested in being able to store boats still and launch from that site on that protected water behind the breakwall,” Cook said.

Commissioners agreed that a launch area for non-motorized vehicles needs to be a priority, as well.

Angeli said if approved by the commission, he’s hoping construction can occur in conjunction with the Presque Isle Marina project. In November, the city commission unanimously approved a resolution to amend the 2019 Presque Isle Marina budget to reallocate $40,000 and approve the Michigan Department of Natural Resources Waterways Program grant agreement to reconstruct a new floating middle pier, finger piers with utilities and utility pedestals. The contract for professional design services and construction oversight was awarded at an October meeting to Coleman Engineering Co., a multidisciplinary consulting engineering firm that has offices throughout the Upper Peninsula and Green Bay, Wisconsin.

Angeli said the Presque Isle Marina project is about $300,000 over budget and that if dredging spoils could be used for the project, it would work well because they could be transported by barges via the water, which could save the city about $400,000 since they wouldn’t dispose the materials.

“The intent would be to do the demolition of the Presque Isle Marina this fall, take that material over, have the same contractor worker, the mobilization, the same material fees, and then the following spring drop the new docks in place at Presque Isle, or this fall if the weather participates,” Meister said.

Angeli said he anticipates getting a plan to the commission for approval soon.