# Muskegon Lake Fishing pier completed



## Hamilton Reef (Jan 20, 2000)

Fishing pier completed at waterfront park 

http://www.mlive.com/news/muchronicle/index.ssf?/base/news-7/112169790493400.xml

Monday, July 18, 2005 By Randy Rogoski CHRONICLE CORRESPONDENT

Major improvements for North Muskegon's Waterfront Sports Park, also known as Block 58, are one step closer to completion. 

The fishing pier is finished, and other aspects of the project are moving ahead. 

The remainder of the project is "going out for bids in August," said City Manager Dennis Stepke.

The fishing pier that extends about 200 feet into Muskegon Lake was completed in the spring, according to Bill Danly, project engineer from Williams &amp; Works, the company hired by the city to design the project. 

The $40,000 fishing pier is mounted on floats and moves up and down with the water level of Muskegon Lake, Danly said. 

Next spring, a "historic viewing pier" will be built to the east about 110 feet into the lake. It will be in the vicinity of pilings of a former lumber mill. 

The improvements are part of an ongoing project to pave the parking lot, build a lakefront picnic shelter, add playground equipment and increase the size of the soccer field. 

Danly said the soccer field would be lengthened 50 feet this fall. After expansion, the field will measure 175 by 360 feet, which is not a regulation-size soccer field, but suitable for practice. 

As part of the work planned in the fall, brush will be cleared in the vicinity of the fishing pier to open a "clear line of vision from the soccer field to the end of the pier in Muskegon Lake," Danly said. 

Playground equipment to be installed in the park will be designed to appeal to children 5 to 12 years in age, he said. 

Also planned to be built is a light-duty lake access ramp suitable for sliding light boats from trailers into the water. "There won't be a seven-to-one slope like for launching heavy boats," Danly said. 

A paved parking lot at the head of the ramp will have 89 spaces. 

The total budget for the project is $320,000, according to Stepke. The money will come from a combination of local sources and the Michigan Department of Natural Resources.


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## Hamilton Reef (Jan 20, 2000)

Waterfront site on track to be reborn as a public park 

http://www.mlive.com/news/muchronicle/index.ssf?/base/news-10/116929183891940.xml&coll=8

01/20/07 By Susan K. Treutler CHRONICLE STAFF WRITER

Come late spring, North Muskegon's Waterfront Sports Park will no doubt be a busy place as it attracts sporting teams, water lovers, picnickers and civic events. 

The five-acre Muskegon Lake waterfront site, known locally as Block 58, will be used by youth and recreational athletes and by people just looking for a pleasant place to sit and watch the lake.

The longtime recreational site is nearing the end of a major transformation project, funded by the city and state. 

The parking lots and drives at the park, between First and Second streets, are paved. A walkway is in. The picnic shelter with its close-up view of the water has been built. 

Regulation baseball and practice soccer fields are completed, and all that is left to do is spread topsoil and seed the grounds. 

"It is 90 percent done," said City Clerk Ann Marie Becker. 

City officials said the improved park will be ready for the public by Memorial Day if the landscaping goes as scheduled. 

The park, bordered on three sides by homes and the remaining side by the lake, is the result of longtime planning. 

The city spent $447,800, plus engineering costs, on the park. Of that amount, $208,000 came from a Department of Natural Resources grant. 

The fishing pier and boardwalk, built with a $65,000 grant from the Michigan Coastal Management Program, are handicapped-accessible and a restroom facility also has been built. 

The park includes a "boat access area," which will allow people to walk canoes or small boats out into the water, but is not a traditional boat launch. 

North Muskegon Schools will use the park for girls softball this spring and for soccer practice, but soccer games still will take place on the school's own fields. 

Block 58 has long been used by the schools and youth athletic programs. Now, its new amenities will attract many more people for other activities. 

"The difference is this is (now, mainly) a waterfront park," said John Weaver, principal of the high school. 

Mayor Chris Witham said the public will better enjoy events like softball games now that there are sidewalks and lights. 

But the major improvements are focused on the waterfront with its facilities, such as the picnic shelter, for family activities, weddings, reunions and other gatherings. 

And a big attraction will be the playground equipment for young children, Witham said. 

In addition, fishermen will benefit from the year-round lighting at the paved parking lot. "There is no more dust and gravel," Witham said. 

The city has no immediate plans to take reservations for the picnic shelter, but instead will see how much demand there is for its use. It might be that there will be a need for people to reserve it for special events just as the gazebo at Custer Park across from city hall can now be reserved for weddings, he said. 

The park's layout is the result of much compromise and many ideas offered by a wide range of residents, including nearby homeowners. The scoreboard for the playing fields has been repositioned so it detracts minimally from residents' views. Likewise, Witham said the lighting will be adjusted if it is deemed too bright. 

While a crowd is expected for a July triathlon at the park, the city is considering some sort of dedication ceremony to be held before that, Witham said.


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## Hamilton Reef (Jan 20, 2000)

Muskegon Lake has had a great open water fall and winter fishery through mid January. This block 58 area shoreline is one area to wade after dark when the walleye are feeding near shore.


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