Serving Gogebic, Iron and Ontonagon Counties
Serving Gogebic, Iron and Ontonagon Counties
FOUR NEW floating docks were installed in Saxon Harbor's north basin this summer as part of the Iron County Forestry Department's effort to improve the harbor.
SAXON, Wis. - Visitors to Saxon Harbor may have noticed a new sidewalk and several new docks this summer at the harbor's north basin.
The improvements are part of the first phase of an effort by the Iron County Forestry Department to upgrade the harbor.
Four docks were replaced on the south side of the north basin - the basin closest to Lake Superior - and a sidewalk was poured near the new docks, making the boats that use the renovated slips easier to access.
The new docks are not only longer and positioned farther apart, according to Forest Administrator Eric Peterson, they are also floating docks, meaning they will be able to be removed during the winter and should sustain less wear than the old wooden pier docks.
"(The project is) a good improvement, especially when folks get to see what the new docks look like," Peterson said. "You don't realize how old the other docks look until you see something new sitting next to them."
Intended to match the harbor's south basin, the upgrades, completed over the course of this spring and summer, were done by forestry department employees, led by Tim Krall. That led to a significant cost savings to the county, Peterson said.
"(The south basin's design plan) is the same exact process that is being used on the construction of the north basin. The difference is it has been done in-house by the forestry department," he said. "If you do them yourself, you can normally do them cheaper."
The project cost around $70,000 and also included replacing the power and water towers at each dock.
Some have criticized the appearance of the work, Peterson said, but he stressed the quality was the same as the rest of the harbor at a cheaper rate.
The timeline for extending the work to the remainder of the harbor depends on whether the county receives a state grant for improvements to the Lake of the Falls campgrounds, Peterson said, but a minimum of four new docks would be installed next summer.
If the county doesn't get the grant, the summer could have all nine docks replaced to complete the side of the basin.
The north basin would also be ringed with sidewalk, connecting the basin to the rest of the park.
A rough timeline calls for all the upgrades to be complete by 2020, Peterson said, although that depends on future budgets.
The new docks will range from 24 to 28 feet and be spaced roughly 30 feet apart, depending on the locations of the old dock pylons.
As the south basin is still relatively new, Peterson said the improvements are limited to the north basin.
The Saxon Harbor Boating Club, which operates the campgrounds and harbor, has also been making improvements to the park, including the installation of a new concrete floor in the gazebo over the summer, Peterson said.
Saxon Harbor isn't the only park the department is working on.
Regardless of whether the county gets money from the state, a prospect Peterson said isn't likely, the county will spend around $100,000 on adding showers and bathrooms to parts of the campgrounds. The project would be increased to $200,000 if the county receives the grant, he said.
"(The Lake of the Falls grant is) going to help determine the scope of this next year's project, whether its four or five docks, or whether its nine, and we should know that within the next three weeks," Peterson said.
Forestry employees also continue to work on maintenance along Trail 77, between Montreal and Iron Belt.
"Sometimes people don't realize that stuff is being done by us," Peterson said, regarding the frequent trail maintenance.
