Manistee County looks into studying impact of moving railroad line - Manistee News Advocate

MANISTEE COUNTY — The Manistee County Board of Commissioners held its first monthly meeting of the year on Jan. 18. The meeting was held completely in person, a first since early on in the pandemic.

In addition to its other routine business, county board members took action on several items, including the following:

• Submitted a Michigan infrastructure grant application form worth $400,000 that would be used to study the feasibility of redirecting rail traffic to the west side of Manistee Lake.

"The reason for the county to be the fiduciary has the impact of possibly touching five jurisdictions, so it makes sense for us working along with the city manager," said Dontz.

Initial discussion to relocate the railroad dates back to 1989.

Officials stated that they hope to use the funding to finance an environmental impact study on the plan by the end of 2024.

It was reported in 2019 that the Manistee County Planning Department had drafted a preliminary railroad relocation plan.

"Dating back to the late 1980s, (local officials) identified rail relocation as an option and ultimately built it in as a priority to open up areas around the northern portion of Manistee Lake for development," said former planning director Rob Carson in a 2019 interview. "It would also remove the need for the maintenance of those three railroad bridges -- two over the Manistee River and one over the Manistee River Channel."

If the relocation occurs, the northern part of the track, which totals around 3.5 miles, would be converted into a nonmotorized trail system.

In addition, four at-grade road crossings and three over-water courses would be eliminated from the rail route, including the swing bridge over the Manistee River channel. The rail yard north of the Manistee River Channel and east of U.S. 31, near the Monroe Street intersection, would likely be available for redevelopment.

According to the plan: "(The urban rail yard) could be transformed into a mixed-use development with residential and commercial uses, increasing tax base and land values. The amount of water frontage on this parcel is nearly 2,500 feet while the U.S. 31 frontage is around 2,100 feet... the potential taxable value of the vacated parcels could equate upwards of over $3 million per year."

At the Jan. 18 meeting, Dontz said that launching the study was an important starting point for the project.

"At some point in time, those bridges are going to no longer be usable," Dontz said. "The question for all of us becomes what about the industries on the west side of Manistee Lake not having access to rail, and do they stay competitive?"

• Authorized board chair Jeff Dontz to appoint more than one at-large position to fill open seats on the 2022 Tax Allocation Board.

The Tax Allocation Board reviews and decides on the allocation of 7.3 mills available. There were no applications for one opening on the board.

“These tax allocation boards can divvy up between the townships the county and the ISD,” said Manistee County clerk, Jill Nowak. “The schools aren't involved anymore because of Proposal A; they get their own set millage. So this board or commission will decide the divvy of that 7.3 mils.”

In the past when this has occurred, the board chair was granted authority to appoint a member on behalf of the board of commissioners.

Dontz said that communications have been sent out to various individuals for their possible appointment to the allocation board.

“Knowing we didn't get any applicants, I started scratching my head trying to figure out who to get,” Dontz said. “I do have a person possibly lined up that I think most everyone here will recognize but I don't want to name drop because they didn't say they would at this point in time.”

• Appointed Mark Fedder to serve an unexpired five-year term on the Manistee County Library board. The term will begin immediately and is set to expire on Dec. 31, 2026.

• Approved a resolution of intent on behalf of Manistee County Transportation, Inc. to apply for state financial assistance for fiscal year 2023.

The resolution also reaffirms the county’s intention to provide public transportation services and reappoints Richard Strevey as transportation coordinator for all public transportation issues in the county.

This resolution is required to be filed annually with the Michigan Department of Transportation.

• Authorized Eric Sullivan, Manistee County Veterans Affairs director, to send a letter of intent on behalf of the county to apply for additional grant funding available through the Michigan Veterans Affairs Agency in the amount of $6,237.