Big Rapids awards study to assess fish passage at Michigan Avenue culvert with $13,000 stewardship grant
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Summary
The commission accepted a proposal to study whether the Michigan Avenue culvert can be modified to restore fish passage; the city received a $13,000 stewardship grant to fund the feasibility assessment and will involve a fisheries consultant and regulatory agencies in early stages.
Big Rapids — The City Commission approved a proposal to study options for improving fish passage at the Michigan Avenue culvert on Mitchell Creek after staff described a $13,000 stewardship grant to pay for an initial feasibility assessment.
Mark (city staff) explained the culvert sits higher than the bed of the stream and creates a barrier to upstream and downstream fish movement. He said the city obtained a $13,000 grant from the Fremont Foundation Ice Mountain Stewardship Fund to assess whether work within the stream could remove that barrier.
Mark said the study proposal would engage a consulting firm (Police and Vanderbrink, as presented to the commission) and subcontractor Marty Holmgren, whom staff described as having fisheries expertise. “We have a proposal in front of you to do some survey work, so that we have the information to look at the different options,” Mark said. He added the study would include potential cost estimates for recommended alternatives and that staff would engage the DNR and watershed partners early to assess feasibility and permitting requirements.
Commissioners and members of the public asked about grant availability for later design and construction; staff said DNR funding tends to favor actual construction projects rather than preliminary studies but that smaller-scale projects may still attract grant funding. Questions also addressed structure stability: staff explained cutting into the existing box culvert floor could undermine structural integrity, creating the need for alternative designs such as a series of pools or stepped features to allow passage without removing the culvert.
A motion to accept the proposal and move forward with the study was approved by the commission. Staff said the next phases would include more detailed design if the feasibility work indicates a practical, fundable alternative.
