9 & 10 News
February 22, 2021
Traverse City leaders will have to determine whether to repair, replace, or relocate portions of the city sewer line – particularly the line that runs along the Boardman River.
A stretch of the sewer line just north of the alley off of East Front Street, is just downstream of where the city saw overflows just last summer. Three times in three months – heavy rains and flooding triggered the release of untreated sewage: in June, July, and August. The wastewater spilled into the Boardman and flowed to Grand Traverse Bay… and the county health department cited high water levels and aging infrastructure as reasons for the spills.
Credit Peter Payette
A years-long effort to build an experimental fish ladder on the Boardman River in Traverse City is in jeopardy. That’s all because of a man who decided to sue the city to protect a place he loves.
The well-known project is called FishPass. For supporters, it’s the key to restoring the Boardman River and tackling a worldwide problem for dammed rivers. To critics, it’s a looming disaster for downtown Traverse City.
Also, thousands of ducks have been gathering close to shore in West Grand Traverse Bay recently. The group of birds is called a raft. They re common this time of year but are usually hard to spot.
9 & 10 News
FishPass Project Will Go to Trial, Construction Halted We were hoping to move forward with construction of FishPass several weeks ago.” - Marc Gaden, Great Lakes Fishery Commission
February 17, 2021
Construction of the $20 million FishPass project is on hold – and will be for months – now that the issue will go to trial.
FishPass construction was supposed to start in January. Now a judge says there’s enough evidence to argue it might need to go to a public vote.
Traverse City Resident Rick Buckhalter is behind the lawsuit, and says he feels “a lot of relief. It’s probably not over. I think the city is probably studying, along with the Great Lakes Fishery Commission, their options at this point.”
A judge halted the construction of the FishPass project at the Union Street Dam park in January. The delay will continue until a trial in May, or a public vote on the project.
Credit Lexi Krupp / IPR News
Construction on the nearly $20 million FishPass project in Traverse City is on hold until May, at the earliest.
That’s when a circuit court judge will hear a case about whether city residents need to vote on the plan to replace the Union Street Dam with a high-tech channel, where researchers could test how to sort fish swimming upriver.
The holdup is centered on the question of whether the project amounts to “disposal of parkland“ or changes outside of “park purposes.” In either case, city residents would need to approve the project by a 60 percent majority, under city charter rules.
DETROIT – A U.S. Army Corps of Engineers contractor is set to commence construction on the FishPass Project in Traverse City, Michigan the week of January 18. The contractor will begin by installing fencing, removing trees and preparing the site.“This,