Wawatam Park Project Passed Over for State Grant
Proposal Scores High Marks, but No Funds
By Karen Gould

Families and visitors will have to wait a little longer to enjoy the community park planned for the Railroad Dock in St. Ignace. In a surprising move, the city's grant application was turned down by the state, even though 14 projects with lowerrating scores were approved in other communities.

"There will be no development," Deb Evashevski, Downtown Development Authority (DDA) executive director, told her board Friday, December 14. "As you can see from the scoring, there didn't appear to be any reason we should have been turned down."

The board agreed to resubmit the application for the coming year. The application is due at the end of March. Decision on that application will be received a year from now. If approved, work would begin in 2009.

The planned waterfront park would be on the old railroad dock that now is home to the Wawatam Lighthouse. A children's education area geared toward railroad and Great Lakes history is planned for the grass-covered park. Also included in the project would be a fishing platform on the south side of the dock and signs noting the history of St. Ignace and the waterfront area.

The DDA had applied for $134,000 from the Michigan Natural Resources Trust Fund Development grant program. Of the 108 applications received from around the state, the St. Ignace project ranked 21 from the top. More than $9 million was awarded to 34 grant applicants.

St. Ignace's application was the highest scoring development grant from the Upper Peninsula, but no Upper Peninsula projects were funded, although seven other Upper Peninsula development projects scored higher than the lowest scoring funded project.

Projects are scored on specific objectives to ensure grants are not awarded arbitrarily. The Trust Fund staff rates communities and provides them with an interim report, which gives the applicants an opportunity to see how they can increase their score before final numbers are issued. Grant decisions are made by the Trust Fund board.

Mrs. Evashevski said she spoke with two Trust Fund board members to determine why St. Ignace did not receive the funds. They spoke of "gray areas" in the final decision making process, including considering communities that have not been able to get funding in the past.

The Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ), said Mrs. Evashevski, has committed $25,000 to the Chief Wawatam Park project. The DEQ has agreed to hold the funds, knowing St. Ignace is going to reapply for the Trust Fund Development money.

In other business, the DDA will donate $1,500 to support the arrival of the tall ship Pride of Baltimore II to St. Ignace for the Fish Feast July 26. The ship will be docked at the St. Ignace Marina and free deck tours will be offered to the community during the day.

Representing St. Ignace Hospitality Growth, which has brought tall ships to town in the past, Dave Swope asked the DDA to help defray costs. The group has committed to bring the ship to the community for $10,000. The Tourist Association, he said, has donated $2,500 and the Sault Ste. Marie Tribe of Chippewa Indians has donated to a fireworks display to be held that night.

The ship will sail in Moran Bay and tickets will be sold for an evening sail during the fireworks.

DDA already contributes to the Fish Feast, said Mrs. Evashevski, and asked the board to consider putting a cap on the amount of money it contributes to the event. Discussion of funding support for the second year of the event is planned for a future DDA meeting.

"I'd like to see the special events become self-supporting," said Mayor Paul Grondin. "In the beginning, they're going to need some help."

The ship is a memorial to the original Pride of Baltimore, an 1812-era clipper ship. Owned by the citizens of Maryland, the ship is used to promote Maryland trade and tourism and educates visitors about the maritime sciences.

St. Ignace Hospitality Growth is an organization that works to bring events to the area, including bringing the Pride of Baltimore II here over Labor Day 2007 and docking the tall ship Roseway in St. Ignace in 2005. Members of the group include David Swope, Jack Swope, Howard Cole, Mike Doud, Tim Harrington, Mark Sposito, David Goldthrope, Robert Goldthorpe, and Larry Belonga. The DDA next meets January 11 at 8 a.m. in City Hall.