Beach, lighthouse and community center monies sought
By Barb Pert Templeton
Members of the Marine City Commission recently gave City Manager Scott Adkins authorizations to complete several grant applications to fund several projects in the city.
The first is a DNR Trust Fund grant for a Beach Restroom Replacement, Adkins said the submission for the DNR Trust grant will be in early 2024, noting they have applied for similar funding in the past. The DNR grant has a cap of $350,000 maximum to apply for with a 25% match.
The second grant is for the Michigan Lighthouse Assistance Program may be a bit more challenging as the city, Adkins said. There are some maintenance needs for the lighthouse because some state historical preservation office work has to be done. Applications will be taken starting in November. The grant has a $60,000 maximum request for funds and the city is looking at a $50,000 project and the grant requires a 50% match, so the city would be responsible for $25,000.

Marine City Manager Scott Adkins explained the upcoming grant opportunities for the city at a regular commission meeting on Aug. 17, 2023.
The Michigan Community Center Grant is similar to the “Public Gathering Space Initiative (PGS) grant application the city filed in late April seeking $2 million to update Marine City’s original city hall at 300 Broadway which dates to 1884. The grants, from the Michigan Economic Development Corporation (MEDC), offered awards from $750,000 up to $2 million with
There’s a minimum matching dollars clause that would require a 10% match to the grant amount awarded. In this case that would be $200,000 and officials approved that expenditure from the city’s general fund months ago.
“We do not yet have an answer from them, no awards have been given,” Adkins said, noting that those grants are supposed to be announced on Aug. 31.
Adkins also noted that the current grant is a little better because it’s a $2.5 million grant that doesn’t require matching funds but if the city could come up with say 10% of the funds, some $250,000, the application would look that much better when a committee is scoring the paperwork.
Adkins said he was simply seeking permission to begin working on the individual applications and then when they are ready to be submitted the paperwork would come back to the commission table.
He said the community center grant came in late and had to be applied for by Aug. 31 so the city can meet the deadline, so he’d wanted to move on that one now. Adkins noted that the grant is a good opportunity for the city because it doesn’t require matching funds although he’d recommend offering some type of match just because that would be looked on more favorably by the grant awarding committee.
Commissioner Brian Ross said he actually felt the Michigan Community Center Grant is better than the one the officials are waiting on from the MEDC for 300 Broadway because it will not forbid the city from utilizing it as a profit center that could pay for itself.
“If there could be a better grant I couldn’t think of it,” Ross added, then asked Mayor Pro Tem Lisa Hendrick is she had any issues with the new grant opportunity.
“I think this is a better one because it doesn’t have those restrictions,” Hendrick said.
Commissioner William Klaassen asked what might be possible with restoration at the lighthouse?
Adkins said the grant probably wouldn’t qualify the city for the light portion of the structure but painting, sand blasting and concrete repair for restoration would be okay.
“It’s starting to show wear and tear,” Adkins said. “This would be maintenance based to preserve the historic components of the structure.”
Hendrick added that years ago a lot of rewelding had to be done on the braces inside the structure to try and restore it.
The commission then discussed whether they’d have $250,000 in matching funds from a budget standpoint for the Michigan Community Center Grant and Adkins said he felt they would be able to cover it.
“I do believe that we’re going to have some excess funds from some of the ARPA pieces that could qualify and some of our costs have come in lower than we anticipated,” Adkins replied.