Design Revealed for Revamped Mackinaw City Harbor
'Green' Marina To Use Solar and Wind Energy
By Paul Gingras

The Department of Natural Resources revealed the Mackinaw State Harbor site plan at an open house at Mackinaw City Village Hall Wednesday, February 20. The project is considered the most environmentally friendly design under the DNR Parks and Recreation Division, said district planner Keith Cheli. The department plans to complete the $10 million facility by summer 2009. Construction will proceed this summer. (Drawing courtesy of the Department of Natural Resources)

Most harbor projects are designed to cater exclusively to boaters, but not the Mackinaw State Harbor. Making use of solar and wind energy as well as the historical features of the old state ferry dock site, the redeveloped marina area will also be designed for use by the general public, reported the Department of Natural Resources (DNR) Wednesday, February 20, at a well attended open house at Mackinaw City Village Hall.

The state presented the design for its $10 million-plus facility, which will include more than 20 environmental features, including eight small wind turbines to provide power.

This will be the "greenest" facility owned by the DNR's Parks and Recreation Division, said district planner Keith Cheli, who helped conceptualize the project in 2000.

Bids will be requested this spring and, if all goes well, the marina should be ready by summer 2009, he told The St. Ignace News.

The marina has 104 slips and will be expanded to 129. In recent years, construction of a breakwall, boat launch, shoreline improvements, and preparation for electric lines have steadily re-sculpted the old state ferry dock area. This summer, work on the final two stages of the project will begin simultaneously. Buildings, walkways, slips, park- ing areas, and power facilities will appear over the next year, said John Schlak, engineer for United Design Associates of Cheboygan, which is involved in the project.

"One of the really unique characteristics of this project is how it encourages use by the broader public, Mr. Cheli said. "Many harbors are relatively isolated, not necessarily woven into the fabric of [their communities]. In this case, the site is a key component."

People will be drawn to pathways bordered with rain gardens, narrow strips of native grasses and wildflowers that will help return rainwater to the soil and will not require mowing.

Once construction is finished, the village fishing and viewing pier will be reopened.

An on-site electronic weather display station provided by the United States Geological Survey will offer information on air temperature, water temperature, and wind speeds.

The DNR is working with Consumers Energy on the power generation plan. Posters at the open house showed eight wind turbines, which will be used to power the facility. Four 45-foot-tall turbines and four 45 foot turbines will produce up to 6,000 kilowatts of electricity each to provide 80% of the facility's power, including the facility's ice-suppression bubbler system used during the winter.

Bubbler systems use a lot of power, Mr. Cheli said. During the off season, they will require as much power as the facility will use during the boating season.

Depending on the amount of energy produced and consumed, the DNR may be able to sell some of its turbine power to Consumers Energy, recouping costs for the marina, he added.

Interpretive displays will explain the history of the area, notably the old railroad dock. Signs will explain the environmental (or green) initiatives on the site. They will include the use of recycled materials in the comfort station floors, walls, and insulation, as well as the furniture, carpets, and furnishings. Buildings will use natural ventilation, natural light, and solar power. Water-saving technology will be used in showers and urinals.

Solar power will light the buildings, parking lots, and walking areas and will even be used to power water heaters.

Biodiesel fuel will be available at the fuel station. Considered a sustainable form of energy, biofuels are made from plant material and can be used in any diesel engine.

With these and several other features, the harbor is eligible for designation as a Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design project, the DNR reports. This means Mackinaw State Harbor may fit the criteria of the environmental rating system used by the United States Green Building Council, which provides standards for sustainable construction of environmentally-friendly facilities.

The DNR is collecting ideas for development of "the triangle" at the east end of the dock. The triangle is the former loading and unloading area for car ferries that transported vehicles across the Straits of Mackinac before the Mackinac Bridge. It will be developed when the harbor is complete, Mr. Cheli said.

At the open house, residents suggested several ideas for the site, including a Michigan lighthouse museum or a Great Lakes fish species aquarium.

The triangle is the only deep water dock owned by the DNR and, with improvements, could be used to accommodate large cruise ships, Mr. Cheli said, although the DNR is not actively pursuing this idea.

Noting marina projects in St. Ignace and Mackinac Island, the Mackinaw State Harbor project represents one component of a major state investment in the Straits area, Mr. Cheli said.

"I think it will be a tremendous asset. It fits into area investments," he said, "and residents have patiently waited to see this come to fruition."