gneese@mininggazette.com
HOUGHTON — After funding delays due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the project to build a new pier in downtown Houghton is back on.
Wednesday, the Houghton City Council committed a $951,600, 25% match for the project, which involves building a pier and improving parking between the Portage Lake Lift Bridge and Michigan Technological University’s Lakeshore Center. The rest of the $3.732 million cost comes from the Michigan Economic Development Corp. The MEDC had given the city a letter of interest in 2019, and the city had been ready to bid out the project the following March.
COVID intervened. The state then redirected the pier funding toward COVID relief. MEDC asked Houghton in November to update its proposal.