The Marquette City Commission previously approved a grant application through the US Department of Transportation (USDOT) Maritime Administration for a $2.3M dredging project at the July 26, 2021 meeting. This proposed project is located at the mouth of the Dead River near the upper harbor ore dock. The dredge material is proposed to be re-used for shoreline protection and stabilization along the Lake Superior shoreline between Hawley Street and Fair Avenue. Any remaining or unusual material would be placed on the northern portion of the Cliffs-Dow site and at a disposal site in the LS&I railyard. The City is partnering with Cliffs Natural Recourses on this project with Cliffs funding the required non-federal match portion. The USDOT has tentatively awarded this grant to the City of Marquette.
In order to initiate the grant agreement between the City of Marquette and the USDOT, the dredging and potential re-use sites must be reviewed per the requirement of the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA). Cliffs has agreed to cover the cost of this work.
The City issued a request for proposals for the two major components of the NEPA work. This includes an Environmental Analysis (EA) and a State Historic Preservation Office (SHPO) consultation. The City received two proposals for the EA work and one proposal for the SHPO work. This information is summarized below.
SHPO Proposals
- GEI Consultants of Michigan: $31,358.00
EA Proposals
- GEI Consultants of Michigan: $56,956.00
- SWCA Environmental Consultants: $97,190.00
Staff reviewed all proposals and recommends that GEI Consultants of Michigan be selected for both the EA and SHPO work based on price and the completeness of their proposal.