Crooked River Lock Passage Fees

[Hamilton Reef]

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE, 23 FEB 05
Contact: Colleen Steinman, 517-373-0399

Crooked River Lock Passage Fees Announced

State recreation officials today announced fees will be collected from all watercraft that pass through the Crooked River Lock on northern Michigan's Inland Waterway when the facility opens for the 2005 boating season April 23.

All recreational watercraft, including jet skis, will pay $4 to pass through the locks and commercial vessels will be charged $8. A $30 annual pass is available for recreational watercraft and $60 for commercial watercraft. Law enforcement craft are exempt from paying the fee.

The Crooked River Lock is one of two sets of locks operated by the Department of Natural Resources Parks and Recreation Division along the Inland Waterway. The same fees are levied at the Cheboygan River Lock near Cheboygan.

"Collecting the same fee at both locations will make it consistent for boaters along the Inland Waterway and raise revenue to cover the lock's cost of operation and make necessary future repairs to keep this popular recreation opportunity available," said DNR Parks and Recreation Chief Ron Olson.

The fees were supported by the state Waterways Commission as part of the 2005 fiscal year budget including transient slip rates, access fees and lock rates.

[Hamilton Reef]

Allen resolution urges Army Corps to repair Crooked River Lock

State Sen. Jason Allen, R-Traverse City, has introduced a resolution urging the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to make the necessary repairs to the Crooked River Lock system and get them completed before the start of the 2007 summer tourism season.

http://www.petoskeynews.com/articles/2007/03/22/news/news02.txt

[Hamilton Reef]

State, feds must unlock the problem in Alanson

http://www.record-eagle.com/2007/mar/23edit.htm

03/23/2007 Editorial

Every year thousands of boaters travel northern Michigan's Inland Waterway, a combination of lakes and rivers that connects Crooked and Pickerel lakes near Petoskey to Cheboygan and Lake Huron.

Now, spring has arrived and the boaters won't be long behind. But the lock at the mouth of the Crooked River, which allows boats to pass into the rest of the waterway, is closed and there doesn't seem to be a deadline for fixing it — or even a deadline for setting a deadline.

http://www.record-eagle.com/2007/mar/23edit.htm

The issue:
The Alanson lock

Our view:
Something has to give

See related story:
Locals await lock repairs - March 11, 2007

[Hamilton Reef]

Crooked River lock repairs begin, but more work is needed
Nearby business owners express concerns

http://www.record-eagle.com/2007/apr/11alansonlock.htm

04/11/07 By CRAIG McCOOL cmccool@record-eagle.com

ALANSON — Some repairs to the Crooked River lock are under way, though officials believe more work is needed before the lock can open to boaters cruising northern Michigan's Inland Waterway this summer.

Wayne Schloop, Chief of Operations for the Army Corps of Engineers Detroit District, said federal and state officials inspected the lock last month but weren't able to see it operate.

The state Department of Natural Resources had removed and shipped some parts for repair, he said.

"Some of the reduction gearing had been sent out … prior to us actually inspecting the lock,” Schloop said. "We'd like to go back to see the lock operating and do another assessment after” the repair is finished.

"We think as a minimum there're probably some electrical upgrades, or even wholesale replacements of the electrical motors,” Schloop said. The 40-year-old facility is owned by the Corps, but the DNR operates it under a lease agreement, running the lock at an annual cost of about $30,000. State officials said the lock experienced a host of problems last season and would need an overhaul before reopening this spring. That worries waterfront business owners who depend on Inland Waterway traffic. The lock at Alanson connects Crooked and Pickerel lakes to the rest of the 40-mile waterway, which flows across the tip of the Lower Peninsula and empties into Lake Huron at Cheboygan.

Wayne Blomberg, on the board of directors for the Pickerel-Crooked Lakes Association, owns Ryde Marine on Crooked Lake near the locks. "Virtually 100 percent of the pontoons we rent go up the waterway at least as far as Burt Lake,” Blomberg said. "I've already got reservations on boats for this summer. When those people get here, if they find out they can't do the trip, they're going to be disappointed.”

Bill Boik, head of the DNR waterways planning unit, said gears are being repaired in a Detroit-area machine shop. Boik said the DNR "didn't get any indication” when repairs would be completed.

Also unclear is who will pay the tab. Schloop, of the Corps, said the state was footing the bill though Boik could not confirm it.

To concerned locals, the apparent disconnect is frustrating. "You have two parties trying to operate it and neither one knowing what the other party is doing,” Blomberg said. "Realistically, the heavy use doesn't occur until the middle of June, but we're starting to run out of time.”

[Hamilton Reef]

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
May 14, 2007

CONTACT: Gary Ellenwood 906-293-5131 or Richard Morscheck 517-373-9265

Michigan State Waterways Commission Approves Fee Increases
for Alanson (Crooked River) and Cheboygan Locks

State park and recreation officials today announced the Michigan State Waterways Commission has approved a fee increase for boat passage through the Alanson (Crooked River) and Cheboygan locks.

The two locks are located on the popular Inland Waterway, which runs 38 miles from Crooked Lake near Petoskey through Mullett and Burt Lakes to the mouth of the Cheboygan River at Lake Huron.

Effective for the 2007 boating season, the seasonal pass for these two locks will increase from $30 to $45, and the daily passage fee will increase from $4 to $6.

The additional revenue will help fund needed repairs, and operational and maintenance costs of the two locks. The Alanson Lock is owned by the United States Army Corps of Engineers and is operated by the Department of Natural Resources Parks and Recreation Division under a lease agreement.

The Cheboygan Lock opened for the season May 1. Following extensive repairs to the motors and drive shaft that operate its gates, the Alanson Lock is scheduled to reopen on weekends only beginning May 12 and will begin daily operation May 26.

The Inland Waterway winds through wetlands full of wildlife and several communities that offer a wide variety of amenities, including shopping, restaurants and sleeping accommodations, all within walking distance of local dockage. Staying overnight or day travel is a convenient, popular and pleasurable experience along the waterway. For more information, contact Gary Ellenwood, supervisor of the Parks and Recreation’s Gaylord District at (906) 293-5131.

The DNR is committed to the conservation, protection, management, use and enjoyment of the state’s natural resources for current and future generations.