By Jim Bloch
Port Huron City Manager James Freed has proposed a new strategy to pay for a rebuilt Tainter gate on the Black River Canal: Let the people who use the canal pay for the bulk of the repairs.
Freed outlined the strategy in a letter dated April 10 to Bob Lewandowski, the supervisor of Port Huron Township, and Robert Montgomery, the supervisor of Fort Gratiot Township.
The gate, a moveable dam used to regulate water intake from Lake Huron, was damaged by debris in a flood, January 2024, and the canal has been closed to boat traffic ever since. The gate is situated west of the mouth of the canal on Lake Huron and just east of Gratiot Avenue.
The city recently opened bids for the construction and installation of a new Tainter gate. The high bid was $6.5 million. The low bid was $4.7 million, about $900,000 below the city’s estimated project cost of $5.6 million.
“The low bid of $4.7 million is cheapest this repair will ever be,” Freed said in the letter.
Freed said that he would lead a 30-day campaign to raise $1 million in private contributions for the new gate. That would cover just over 21 percent of the cost.
“A large bronze plaque will be installed on the new Tainter Gate wall permanently honoring the individuals and businesses whose generosity makes this project a reality,” Freed wrote.
The city would bond the remaining $3.7 million at an estimated interest rate of 4.343 percent per year over 30 years. The resulting annual payment would be around $225,000 per year. The city would pick up 73 percent of the payment, or $165,000. Port Huron Township would pay 16 percent or $35,000 per year. Fort Gratiot Township would pay 11 percent or $25,000 per year.
“To cover these contributions, each municipality would sell seasonal Canal Watercraft Permits to residents with motored watercraft,” Freed said. Nonmotorized canoes and kayaks could use the canal at no charge. “You would set the rate that worked best for
your communities. Any revenue exceeding your annual contribution would be sent to the city to help offset our remaining debt service.”
If the plan works, boaters will pick up close to 78 percent of the cost of the new gate.
Freed would ask the city council to pass an ordinance requiring motorboats to have a permit to use the canal. The marine division of the police department would enforce the requirement. Day passes would be available at city hall and various retail outlets.
“This approach significantly shifts the burden away from general taxpayers and places it primarily on the users of the canal, a key concern I heard from all of you, your boards and residents,” Freed said.
On March 16, Freed asked the Fort Gratiot Board of Trustees to contribute $1 million to the project, but the board took no action.
On April 6, Freed’s appearance before the Port Huron Township board was canceled. Lewandowski said at the meeting that residents appeared to favor a special assessment of property owners on the Black River to help fund the new Tainter gate.
Jim Bloch is a freelance writer based in St. Clair, Michigan. Contact him at bloch.jim@gmail.com.
