' OLD COLLEGE TRY ’:
First grants launch work on Menekaunee Harbor revitalization
City of Marinette leaders and residents had talked over several decades about the need to bring Menekaunee Harbor back to its former glory , but because such a project would be complex , the costs were prohibitive .
As they explored ways to seek funding , City leaders discussed their Menekaunee Harbor challenges with Scott Wilson , Ayres ’ vice president of development services . Wilson listened and heard a compelling story that he thought should be shared , and he arranged a meeting in a Madison state office building between Marinette leadership and representatives from numerous state agencies that could potentially contribute support for the Menekaunee Harbor project .
“ It was really that ‘ old college try ’ sort of axiom that if we don ’ t ask , they ’ re not going to come and give it to us , so let ’ s go ask . And we did ,” Wilson said .
Although the potential funders at that first meeting loved the concept , all indicated they could not support the project for various reasons . Despite that disappointing initial response , Wilson encouraged City leaders to remain positive and keep pushing forward .
Fast forward several months , and Wilson was visiting a state office building on another matter . He encountered one of the funding representatives who had attended the earlier meeting with Marinette leadership . The representative said to Wilson , “ I suppose you ’ re here to discuss the Menekaunee Harbor funding .” Wilson replied no , and he was surprised to learn that all those agency representatives had met again that morning to discuss funding for the harbor project .
“ I was delighted to learn that what they had heard about the Menekaunee Harbor project resonated with them , and they collectively found the majority of the funding that would be needed to push the project into full gear ,” Wilson said .
The harbor ’ s location in an area earmarked for cleanup by the Environmental Protection Agency ( EPA ) was among the aspects of the City ’ s story that helped it to secure funding , said Brian Miller , Marinette ’ s city engineer .
“ The harbor was part of a region that for years had been listed by the EPA as an Area of Concern , and the WDNR had a strong desire to delist the area as an AOC ,” Miller said . “ So the dredging of the contaminated materials in the harbor became an integral part of the attempt to delist the area .”
Ultimately , the WDNR and the EPA provided the largest grants in support of the Menekaunee Harbor restoration project . Grants of $ 1.1 million and $ 3.8 million were awarded through the WDNR from federal dollars that were part of the EPA ’ s Great Lakes Restoration Initiative . Along with City funds , those grants supported the replacement of Menekaunee Harbor ’ s failing retaining walls and the dredging of the harbor , the necessary first steps in revitalizing a oncethriving area of Marinette .
– Juliana Poquette
6 | TRENDS Ingenuity , Integrity , and Intelligence .