Township News
Eagle Harbor State Marina Upgrade
September 2023 update:
Supervisor Probst met with MJO and DNR to walk through the site and point out all the improvements. The lease agreement to be signed with the state was also discussed; ideally the management agreement will be received this fall and the township will begin management in Spring 2024. The project is right on schedule.
August 2023 update:
MJO is wrapping up their $2.8 million dollar project with improvements to the marina, comfort station, grounds, and the addition of seasonal slips on the east side of the launch ramp - the Marina Committee is meeting to discuss the management agreement that the Township and DNR will enter into.
Winter 2022:
The upgrade to the Eagle Harbor State Marina has begun. They have been working through the cold weather and the plan is to work until winter takes over and resume in the spring. They have focused on the current seawall and infrastructure and they have built the new seawall to the east of the boat launch ramp. Work on expanding the docking to the eastern side of the boat launch will resume in the spring/summer. The project will likely go through the entire boating season in 2023. The two most frequently asked questions are - "will they remove the tree in the middle of the road?" (NO!), and "will the boat launch remain open through construction?" (Yes, except for a very brief time when they place infrastructure underground to the eastern improvements). We will update as we know more. Below is part of the bid plans, the entire plan is printed at the Township Office and is available to review.
Fundraiser for the Community Building
You have probably seen these around for a few years, but we are getting down to the last of them. We will look at doing another run of plates in the future, design and look to change, but we need to sell the remainder of these first. The money raised goes to the operation and maintenance of the Community Building. Stop in the office to purchase! $10 each
Silver River Bridge Replacement
August 2023 - The Silver River Bridge replacement is complete - MDOT finished up some painting details and the overall project is really good looking! The Township board approved a resolution of appreciation and sent it to MDOT and Davis Construction, LLC on a job well done and ahead of schedule.
July 26, 2023 - No more stoplight. Traffic has resumed in both directions on M-26 at Silver River.
June 30, 2023 - Woo hoo!!! No more detour. Traffic will resume eastbound and westbound on M-26 at Silver River in the afternoon of Friday June 30. One lane of alternating traffic will be maintained at the bridge using temporary signals.
The project is expected to be fully completed at the end of July. Thanks all for your patience during the closure.
Read the MDOT Press Release here.
June 27, 2023 - The bridge deck/cap concrete has been poured and they are working on the side walls. Optimistically speaking, we are anticipating an early opening for at least one lane of traffic before the July 8th target date. As we know more we will update here.
We are all out of Grant Township bags at the Solid Waste Facilty and Township Offices. You will need to buy your own for their service, or wait another week for the bridge to open!
June 7, 2023 - The east side abutment and return walls are in place! The construction company is excavating for the west side footing, backfilling the east side, and placing riprap on the east side of the channel. Next up is pouring the west side footing and placing the abutment on the west side. The projected closure dates are still in effect.
****M-26 is still closed. Please continue to use the detour shown here.****
May 14, 2023 - The construction company is on track. The east side abutment is being formed. At this time, the projected closure dates are still in effect.
April 23, 2023 - On the evening of Saturday, April 22, the south side head wall of the Silver River Bridge failed - the spring thaw waters were just too much for our old friend. M-26 will be closed at the bridge until further notice. Please use the Eagle Harbor Cutoff Road and US-41 to travel between Eagle Harbor and Copper Harbor. See Animated Detour here
April 2023 - M-26 will be closed at the Silver River Bridge by the end of April and will remaining closed until around July 1st. Letters regarding solid waste services in Grant Township have been sent to township residents living east of the closure. The Township realizes that it will be inconvenient for those residents, and really the only thing we can help with is the weekly trash run. 911 services have been discussed with neighboring communities and we all will cover each other during the closure.
March 2023 - If you have driven between Eagle Harbor and Copper Harbor in the last year, you would have noticed the barriers, stop lights, and general "out of placeness" of what is going on at the Silver River crossing, right before Brockway Mountain Drive. Michigan Department of Transportation has notified the Township that the crossing will be replaced next year with a new bridge! The excitement will fade when you learn that the crossing will create a timeframe of roughly 10-12 weeks where you will not be able to cross the bridge.
Pets to Breathe Easier in Eagle Harbor
March 3, 2020—The Eagle Harbor Volunteer Fire Department received a donation that will help prevent pets from falling victim to smoke inhalation due to fire.
Through Project Breathe, Invisible Fence of the Upper Peninsula donated oxygen recovery mask kits for pets to the Eagle Harbor Volunteer Fire Department this week.
Project Breathe is a pet oxygen mask donation program designed to provide oxygen mask kits to fire departments and other first responders. Each kit includes a small, medium, and large mask.
“We hope that by donating oxygen mask kits that we will contribute to saving more pets and hopefully protect pet owners that may risk their own life to save a pet in a fire,” said Kyle Miller, owner, Invisible Fence of the Upper Peninsula.
Although the number of pets that die in fires is not an official statistic kept by the U.S. Fire Administration, industry web sites and sources have cited an estimated 40,000 to 150,000 pets each year that die in fires; most succumbing to smoke inhalation.
In most states, emergency responders are unequipped to deal with the crisis. The donation of these specially designed and potentially lifesaving animal oxygen mask sets will enable Eagle Harbor first responders to efficiently administer oxygen to a stricken animal.
“We want to thank Invisible Fence for their generosity. These kits will be another valuable tool we have available to assist the residents and pets of the Eagle Harbor area in the event of a fire.” said Mike Radigan, Fire Chief, Eagle Harbor Volunteer Fire Department.
For more information on the Invisible Fence Project Breathe Program: https://www.invisiblefence.com/why-invisible-fence/project-breathe
