Lake St. Clair Fish Cleaning Foundation okayed

Algonac council recognizes it as a civic group

By Barb Pert Templeton

Members of the Lake St. Clair Fish Cleaning Foundation are a few steps closer with their plans to raise $250,000 to put a new fish cleaning station in Harrison Township.

Jim Felgenauer, president of the Lake St. Clair Fish Cleaning Foundation, addressed the city council during the public comments portion of the July 5, 2023 meeting. 

He told officials the foundation needed the approval of the local municipality in order to be approved for charitable gaming activities such as raffles and millionaire parties by the state and federal government. 

The purpose of the Lake St. Clair Fish Cleaning Foundation is to raise funds for and oversee the construction of a fish cleaning station at the Clinton River Cutoff at the St. Clair DNR Boating Access site in Harrison Township. The fish cleaning station will be free to the public and will be donated to the Michigan DNR upon completion. 

“We have fishing stations throughout the state of Michigan but none on the most fished lake in the state here, so we’re trying to fill a gap,” Felgenauer said.

The reason they are doing thing as a non-profit is that DNR access sites, including the one they want to establish in Harrison Township, are funded through a Waterways Account that has restricted funding.

“You will notice for example that right down here at the Algonac DNR launch there’s not even a picnic table there because there’s no funding available for that,” Felgenauer said.

He said his foundation negotiated with the DNR and they found a funding source to fund a fish cleaning station, the ongoing operation and maintenance of a station, if the foundation will pay to have it built. 

“I started a non-profit corporation, we’re going to raise about a quarter of a million dollars, a very expensive proposition, and we’re going to build a fish cleaning station on Lake St. Clair,” Felgenauer said.

He told officials having the station is important because it will be the first time the state of Michigan will have a fish cleaning station at a DNR boating access site in Michigan.  

“If we can break that barrier, it might make it possible to maybe have one here in Algonac or in Marine City or in other DNR boat launch sites throughout the state,” Felgenauer said. “It’s a great project and I would appreciate your consideration in recognizing us for that.”

Once the item came up on the council’s agenda Councilman Michael Bembas made a motion to approve it and was seconded by Councilwoman Dawn Davey.

Councilman Corey Blair asked Felgenauer if the foundation is in Algonac but the fish cleaning station will be in Harrison Township?

Felgenauer said that’s correct and the state said the municipality where the foundation address is located, in this case in Algonac, is where officials must approve the organization not in Harrison Township where this first project will be located. Blair asked it there will be a similar station in Algonac.

Felgenauer said this will open up the possibility of having them in local municipalities. In this case the fishing station in Harrison Township will duplicate one that currently exists at the St. Clair Harbor Club on the Pine River in St. Clair. There are also stations in Marysville and Port Huron. He explained those are on municipal property not state property like the one he’s working on.

“There’s nothing to stop Algonac from having one, it’s an expensive project, and I would certainly be willing to work on that when my time is free,” Felgenauer said.

Another thing that’s important is that people are asking for stations in Marine City and Algonac and there’s already a DNR access site so putting it there would certainly be of interest, he added.

The council then unanimously approved the motion to recognize The Lake St. Clair Fish Cleaning Foundation as a local civic organization.