Sheboygan — Two city panels moved the Harbor Center Marina design forward Oct. 13, recommending and then authorizing a contract with Edgewater Resources to provide architectural design, engineering and construction administration for the marina and associated upland improvements.

The Marina Parks & Forestry Commission, a citizen advisory group, voted to recommend that the Public Works Committee ask city officials to enter into a contract with Edgewater Resources, subject to continued consideration of whether the existing marina administration building and DeLand Park can be retained and repurposed to save costs and a condition that a proposed restaurant/event building be built only with private funding. The commission’s chair, Peter Mayer, introduced the review and asked the panel to focus on selecting a firm to perform design and construction-administration services.

The recommendation followed nearly an hour of public comment at the commission meeting. Several residents urged caution on immediate spending and called for an independent financial feasibility study before additional engineering dollars are spent. “Do not approve another dollar for engineering or design until an independent fiscal assessment is completed and shared publicly,” resident Lisa Salgado told commissioners.

Other public speakers supported moving ahead with a design firm. Eric Cottey, a Sheboygan resident and boater, said the marina needs improved amenities and management and said he favored Edgewater. “It is my opinion that Edgewater is the best choice to manage and implement this project,” Cottey said.

Edgewater principal Mike Murphy presented the firm’s team, past Great Lakes work and a proposed multi-step process that begins with surveys, geotechnical and a fresh ice-and-wave evaluation; proceeds through design development for buildings, site utilities and docks; and includes securing Army Corps and Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources permits. Murphy said those permitting steps — and long lead times for marina electrical equipment and fabricated docks — make a 2027–28 timeline realistic for constructing a new marina basin if the city moves quickly through design and permitting.

City staff and commissioners emphasized that the Edgewater contract would respond to the existing 2024 waterfront master plan but that the firm will refine and prioritize elements during the design phase. Administrator Bradley told the Public Works Committee that grant funding will be sought to reduce reliance on tax increment financing and that the city has budgeted money in TID 21 for the project’s early phases.

At the Oct. 13 Public Works Committee meeting, aldermen voted to authorize the appropriate city officials to execute a contract with Edgewater Resources for design, engineering and construction administration services as described in Edgewater’s proposal, with the commission’s recommended conditions about evaluating reuse of existing upland buildings and limiting publicly funded restaurant construction. The committee vote approved the authorization to proceed.

Commissioners and aldermen stressed that design and permitting work does not commit the city to final construction choices and that community engagement will continue. Several commissioners asked Edgewater to include a comparison in the fiscal analysis showing the costs if the marina were removed, if it were repaired in place, and if the master-plan redevelopment proceeds — a request Murphy said the firm could accommodate within scope if the steering committee confirms the task.

The next formal steps are contract execution and the project initiation tasks Edgewater outlined: establishing a steering committee, completing surveys and ice/wave and market analyses, and returning to the public with refined designs and cost estimates. The Public Works Committee listed the item on its Oct. 27 meeting agenda for ongoing oversight and budgeting discussions.

Votes at a glance

- Marina Parks & Forestry Commission: motion to recommend that the Public Works Committee authorize city officials to enter into a contract with Edgewater Resources for architectural, engineering and construction administration services for Harbor Center Marina, subject to (1) continued review of retaining/repurposing the existing Marina Administration Building and DeLand Park and (2) only including a restaurant/event building if privately funded. Motion moved by Commissioner Rebecca Clark; seconded by a commissioner identified as Don. Outcome: recommendation approved by voice vote.

- Public Works Committee: motion to authorize city officials to enter into a contract with Edgewater Resources for architectural design, engineering and construction administration services for Harbor Center Marina as outlined in Edgewater’s proposal, with direction to prioritize reuse of existing upland infrastructure where feasible and to pursue private funding for a restaurant/event building. Motion made by Alder Bellinger; seconded by Alder Rust. Outcome: authorized by committee vote.