Clark Township's Hessel Municipal Marina will open for the season Friday, May 26. Residents and visitors will now pay fees to use the boat launch ramps in Hessel and Cedarville. Boaters using the launch ramps in Cedarville and Hessel will now pay $5 a day or $30 a season under a new program to earn revenue for Clark Township's marina and two boat launches. The fees will be implemented when new signs and payment envelopes are made available at the ramps, most likely by July 4.

The township board unanimously adopted the fees Thursday, May 18, on a recommendation by Treasurer Katie Carpenter, who manages the marina and docks, who noted the launching fees are the same as in St. Ignace and Mackinaw City.

A survey last summer found that the launch ramp is used up to 30 times a day. Between July 1 and July 4, marina staff counted 128 launches. From July 14 to July 31 there were 246 launches, from August 1 through August 31 there were 536 launches, and from September 1 to September 7 there were approximately 114 launches.

Mrs. Carpenter suggested Clark Township can collect an average of $85 a day at $5 a launch. That money could offset the cost of repairs and purchases, like new windows at the Hessel Marina office, a new radio antenna, hand-held marine radio, and electrical upgrades at the docks.

"It's one of the best facilities we have, but there's also no money set aside for improvements there," she said of Hessel Marina.

Fees can be paid at the Hessel Marina office, Clark Township Hall, or in envelopes that can be deposited in the payment container at each launch ramp. The permit can be torn off the envelope and must be placed on the driver's dashboard. Seasonal passes can be purchased at Clark Township Hall or at the Hessel Marina office.

Until 2001, the township charged $1 per launch and $8 per season on a voluntary basis and earned about $2,000 a year, but compliance was erratic and enforcement was deemed impractical so the fee was discontinued.

Mrs. Carpenter proposed a $3 daily launch fee or $20 seasonal pass last year, but public criticism caused the board to drop the idea.

The board also discussed the possibility of a commercial rate for charter tour boats, barges, construction transports, kayak tours, and others who use the marina and boat launches for business, but decided against it.

"There's only so much you can do and so much the taxpayers can take," Mrs. Carpenter noted. "I'm not prepared right now to differentiate between commercial and (other) users. People can only swallow so much at a time."

Trustees will buy new signs to post the fees at each launch ramp and a new swimmers warning sign for the public swim beach in Hessel for no more than $530 from UP North Studio in Hessel, which submitted the lowest bid on signs. Trustees accepted the low bid from The St. Ignace News Print Shop for 2,000 user fee envelopes, not to exceed $300.

In other action, the township will now charge $100 to use the Hessel Marina grounds, regardless of whether the user is private, commercial, or a nonprofit organization. Usage fees were being waived for nonprofit organizations using township facilities, and trustees said it is illegal to differentiate between individuals and organizations when determining fees. A $100 security deposit will accompany the $100 usage fee, and is being imposed because in the past, township facilities have been damaged or disrupted during some of the events hosted at the marina. Clark Township will keep the deposit if users leave a mess or destroy the property.

Clark Township will also charge a docking fee to commercial boats like ferries or passenger boats that use the Hessel Marina and pier to pick up passengers or bring passengers into Hessel. The fee previously has not been charged consistently. Clark Township will charge the rates set by the Michigan Waterways Commission transient slip rate schedule, including $25 for a 25foot boat, $59 for a 50-foot boat, $142 for a 100-foot boat, and $107 for a 75-foot boat.

The township will hire nine employees for the Hessel Marina's summer season starting Friday, May 26. Marina manager Gail Dreisbach will return for her eighth season and will receive a 25-cent raise to bring her salary to

$10.25 per hour. Ron Nordquist will return for a sixth season and received a 50cent raise to $9 per hour. Terry Nordquist, Curtis Sides, Kiley Thompson, Courtney Cruickshank, Andrew Horsburgh, Kate Rudolph, and Peggy Patrick were all hired for their first season for $7 per hour.