During a Friday, February 11, Downtown Development Authority meeting, Director Deb Evashevski told the board she is hoping to raise $30,000 from the DDA, the city, and other local sources and will seek two grants to cover the remaining costs.

The project estimate came from R.S. Scott Associates Inc. pf Alpena and includes 1,155 linear feet of boardwalk, 15 low level lights, parking for 12 cars, and signage.

A Coastal Zone Management grant, which has helped with several sections of the city’s boardwalk projects in the past, will provide up to $50,000 and requires a 50 percent match, said Mrs. Evashevski. She also will apply for a Michigan Natural Resources Trust Fund grant, which comes from the Department of Natural Resources and requires a minimum 26 percent match.

“It’s a pretty big project, so it really does require two grants,” said Mrs. Evashevski. “We have gotten both of these grants on different sections of the boardwalk before. I’m hoping that our chances are good. You never know.”

The city’s boardwalk project was started in 1982 and begins at Kiwanis Park and ends at the city marina. This new addition will include railings designed to match those on Dock Three, which is just south of the Coast Guard Station.

The new boardwalk section will lead visitors to the new lighthouse the city will be erecting this spring at the end of the old rail dock. The lighthouse will be used as an aid to navigation marking the entrance to the city marina. This replica lighthouse was acquired from the Monroe Welcome Center, where it served as a decorative landmark. The city will add a navigational light to the 52-foot-tall structure, making it a functioning lighthouse for the first time.

Future plans for the boardwalk include the addition of a park on the old rail dock and the extension of the boardwalk southward to meet up with the American Legion Park.

Mrs. Evashevski was to attend the Monday, February 21, City Council meeting to request a public hearing to be held Monday, March 7, to hear comments on the project and grant applications.

She plans to have the grant applications in the mail by Thursday, March 24, and expects to hear if the money will be awarded by the end of the year.