During the regular Munising City Commission meeting on Monday, November 20, commissioners voted on the adoption of the finalized five-year city parks and recreation plan, a proposed fee increase at the Munising Tourist Park Campground, and the planned replacement of a water main along Varnum Street.
Pat Gariepy, campground concessionaire at the Munising Tourist Park Campground, proposed a $5 per site fee increase for all campsites starting at the beginning of next season. His proposal cites the need to cover routine operational expenses, maintenance, and investment in park infrastructure to ensure that the park “remains an attractive and welcoming destination for campers.” Gariepy added that prices haven’t been adjusted since before the COVID-19 pandemic. The proposal met unanimous approval.
The Commission voted to adopt the finalized 2024-2029 city parks and recreation plan that was previously intended to cover 2023-2028.
“Due to us not having a pending application, and the overload of the DNR last year, the DNR did not review or take any action on the plan,” elaborated City Manager Devin Olson. He further explained that, “if the city approves a new adoption resolution, and then provides a revised plan with updated dates, our fiveyear plan can be carried out through the five-year approval process.”
Several routine votes passed unanimously, including approval of Anderson, Tackman & Company, PLC’s 2023 Audit Scope and Objectives letters, and the payment of three invoices issued for Coleman Engineering Company’s Washington Street project for a combined total of $24,075.75.
Commissioners also selected one of three bids for the Varnum Street water main replacement project slated for next year. The plan is to excavate and replace the current 6” main with new 12” pipe along Varnum Street from Lynn Street to Park Street. The improvements will allow the city to bridge the gap between the city’s central tank and the tank in Brown’s Addition.
“With that in place,” says Olson, “we’ll actually be able to take our water tank above Brown’s Addition offline. So we’ll be able to actually move away from having three tanks on our system, go down to two, and then with the wells out at the Tourist Park be self sustaining that way, because we have to keep the tank online to feed the campground at this point as well. This is the culmination of about 15 years of planning.”
