For immediate release: November 11, 2014  |   Download News Release PDF  |   Download Fact Sheet PDF

Collective effort is restoring “Michigan’s most beautiful mile”

Muskegon, Mich. – After years of decline, new funding will support the efforts of federal, state and local agencies, veterans groups, and the Northside Lions Club to rehabilitate Veterans Memorial Park, located in the cities of Muskegon and North Muskegon. The collective effort will restore “Michigan’s most beautiful mile,” the title coined by the park’s founders when it was created in 1934.

Veterans leaders joined agency representatives today at the park to commemorate Veterans Day and celebrate more than $3 million being invested to upgrade and modernize the park, including new walkways, parking lots and lighting; improved water quality and habitat for fish and wildlife; a handicapped-accessible fishing pier; and restoration of rare, World-War-I-era cannons and other monuments at the park. The announcement comes on the 80th anniversary of the park and the 100th anniversary of the start of World War I, which the park was created to commemorate.

Local veterans advocates and the Northside Lions Club were the catalyst for restoring the historic park, and their efforts leveraged engagement from the cities, the Muskegon County Veterans Advisory Council, and groups working to clean up Muskegon Lake. Dennis Cobler, a Vietnam veteran and former president of the Northside Lions Club, emphasized that “the members of our club could not be happier with the combined partnerships that have restored the park. It is a testament of support for the sacrifices of all our veterans.”

The newest investment comes from the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative, under which the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and the Great Lakes Commission (GLC) will provide the West Michigan Shoreline Regional Development Commission (WMSRDC) with $2.3 million to restore critical habitat for fish and wildlife at the park by re-establishing the hydrological connection between the Muskegon River and the park’s ponds, removing unnatural fill, and restoring shoreline habitat and wetlands. More than 15 acres of habitat will be restored and 19,000 metric tons of fill will be removed from the park’s shoreline areas. With completion of this and several other projects in development, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (U.S. EPA) now expects to remove Muskegon Lake from the list of Great Lakes “toxic hotspots” by 2019.

Other investments include

• $1,089,000 in federal funds from the Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT) to upgrade and modernize Veterans Memorial Park by providing accessible pedestrian mobility improvements, including Americans with Disabilities Act-compliant paved walkways, paved parking lots, pedestrian lighting, additional signs and benches;
• $45,000 from Muskegon, North Muskegon, Muskegon County, the Muskegon County Veterans Advisory Council and the Muskegon Northside Lions Club as match for the MDOT project;
• $73,000 from local veterans groups and the Northside Lions Club for the project’s initial design and engineering;
• $21,164 raised by Muskegon County Commissioner Bob Scolnik to restore World-War-I-era cannons, which are being returned to the park shortly after Veterans Day with a re-dedication ceremony planned for spring 2015; and
• $10,000 from Consumers Energy for preliminary design of the habitat restoration activities. The contribution is part of the company’s community transition commitment related to the planned retirement of the nearby B.C. Cobb generating plant.

In addition, the Northside Lions Club is raising funds to build a handicapped-accessible fishing platform at the park. Planning is underway now and the location for the platform will be incorporated into the designs of the other restoration projects.

Architectural and engineering services for the MDOT project were provided by Hooker Dejong and Callen Engineering, which substantially reduced their fees to support the project.

A permanent endowment is being established with the Community Foundation for Muskegon County to support future projects at the park. The MDOT project is expected to be completed by the end of the year and the NOAA-GLC habitat restoration project is anticipated for completion by summer 2016.

“The restoration of Veterans Memorial Park will make it a valuable amenity for veterans and other residents,” said Buck Sutter, director of NOAA’s Office of Habitat Conservation. “This project will restore 15 acres of habitat and re-open fish passage—benefiting key species like northern pike and largemouth bass—while also supporting local communities and their economies.”

Muskegon Mayor Stephen Gawron said that “without cooperation, how much success can we ever expect in our communities or our shared lives? Because of cooperation we can celebrate this initiative, this honoring of heroes. We will continue on in this spirit with a common goal so as to never squander what has been secured for us by our veterans.”

GLC Executive Director Tim Eder emphasized that “local leadership is critical for restoring environmental and economic health in Great Lakes coastal communities.” He added that “the Great Lakes Commission is honored to support Muskegon’s veterans and other partners in restoring this historic park and making it a valuable asset for the community.”

WMSRDC Executive Director Erin Kuhn stated: “The habitat restoration work to be completed at Veterans Memorial Park is significant not only for Muskegon, but the West Michigan region as well. This project will improve the region’s quality of life and work toward the delisting of Muskegon Lake as an Area of Concern. Our successful partnerships here will restore this park to be Michigan’s most beautiful mile. We are proud to be a partner in this project.”

“MDOT is grateful to partner on this community building project, which will improve safety and access for the Veteran’s Memorial Site and restore the site as a gateway for two cities,” said MDOT Muskegon TSC Operations Manager LeighAnn Mikesell. “Thanks to the efforts of the veterans of Muskegon County and the collaboration of the City of Muskegon, the City of North Muskegon and Muskegon County, the M-120 causeway will once again be a magnificent mile.”

Muskegon County Commissioner Terry Sabo stated: “I am proud of the commitment that our three governmental agencies have shown in working together in the past, present, and future in maintaining this park to recognize the sacrifices made by our veterans.”

In addition to the funding for restoration at Veterans Memorial Park, the partnership between NOAA, the GLC and WMSRDC will also provide more than $2.5 million for removal of mill debris and restoration of aquatic habitat in Muskegon Lake. Recent restoration actions on Muskegon Lake build on more than 25 years of work by federal, state and local agencies, in cooperation with landowners, businesses and community groups, to restore environmental quality in the lake and along its shoreline.

The lake was designated an Area of Concern in 1987 under the Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement due to historic filling of open water and wetlands, and pollution discharges that contaminated the lake bottom. The Great Lakes Restoration Initiative (GLRI), which began in 2009 and is coordinated by U.S. EPA, has cleaned up five Areas of Concern – the most contaminated sites along the Great Lakes – including White Lake and Deer Lake in Michigan. A new plan to guide the GLRI over the next five years aims to complete cleanup work in 10 additional areas, including Muskegon Lake and six other contaminated water bodies in Michigan.

Contact:

Matt Doss, Great Lakes Commission, 734-971-9135; cell 734-474-1985
Kathy Evans, WMSRDC, 231-722-7878, x17; cell 231-903-7442
Terry J. Sabo, Muskegon County Commission and Veterans Advisory Council, cell 231-740-2724
Dennis Cobler, Northside Lions Club, 231-206-1991
LeighAnn Mikesell, MDOT, 231-777-3451

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The Great Lakes Commission is an interstate compact agency established under state and U.S. federal law and dedicated to promoting a strong economy, healthy environment and high quality of life for the Great Lakes-St. Lawrence region and its residents. The Commission consists of governors’ appointees, state legislators, and agency officials from its eight member states. Associate membership for Ontario and Québec was established through the signing of a “Declaration of Partnership.” The Commission maintains a formal Observer program involving U.S. and Canadian federal agencies, tribal authorities, binational agencies and other regional interests. The Commission offices are located in Ann Arbor, Michigan. Learn more at www.glc.org.