PETOSKEY — It’s been more than five years since a one-mile stretch of the Little Traverse Wheelway failed due to erosion and slid down towards the bay.
That part of the wheelway, dubbed the “Miracle Mile” due to its scenic views, has been closed ever since. Over the years, city, county, township and state officials have discussed the best ways to address the erosion issues along the bluffs and rebuild the wheelway in a safe and sustainable manner.
The city of Petoskey contracted with W.F. Baird and Associates Ltd., of Madison, Wisconsin in 2023 for engineering services for field investigations, analysis/design, permitting and construction documents concerning the wheelway. City manager Shane Horn announced during the Petoskey City Council meeting on Thursday, Oct. 9 that Baird has submitted the basis of design report for review.
“We are at a point where, initially I had him (Baird engineer) scheduled to come for our next meeting,” Horn said. “As we met earlier this week remotely, there’s a lot of information here that having him present for a 15-minute, 30-minute presentation isn’t going to do this justice. This document, this basis of design, is 300 pages.”
According to the document, the report includes sections on existing site conditions, basis of design, design development, material sourcing and construction logistics, and opinions on probable construction and maintenance costs.
Horn suggested it might be better for council to schedule a work session or open house where the public would have a chance to review the designs and ask questions.
“I just didn’t want to try to push this presentation through and I wanted to give it enough time because this has been a long process and I want to make sure that folks have an opportunity to engage with us before we make any decisions with city council,” he said.
The council agreed that an open house, followed by a more in-depth presentation, would be a good idea. The open house has been scheduled for 4-5:30 p.m. on Monday, Oct. 20 at city hall. People will be able to stop in, review the concept boards and provide input on the designs. The city council meeting will begin at 6 p.m., where a formal presentation will take place.
“I think it needs to be noted that this restoration presentation does not mean we’re moving forward, it merely means we are looking at what was the design of the fixes,” said Mayor John Murphy. “Because the cost of this is going to be prohibitive and I think before we go deep into this, other than getting what we’ve paid for, I think we need a discussion about is it feasible financially?”
Horn agreed, noting that Monday’s open house and meeting will just be informational in nature.
“You’re correct mayor, this is really not intended to be a decision-making opportunity,” he said. “But certainly we’ll have those discussions and kind of get your feedback and guidance on how you would like to proceed. It’s certainly been an interesting project and certainly one that we would like to see, in some form or fashion, kind of resolved. It’s been a long process. I know folks are getting tired of studies and analysis and they’re ready to see something tangible happen, and I certainly appreciate that.”
The full basis of design report is available to read at petoskey.us/news_detail_T29_R265.php.
— Contact Jillian Fellows at jfellows@petoskeynews.com.
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