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Residents and yacht-club members urge cooperation on harbor and lease talks; some criticize city staff communication
Summary
Public comment at the Feb. 19 Escanaba council meeting highlighted the Boniface Art Center’s fire recovery needs and a lengthy set of remarks from Escanaba Yacht Club members urging collaboration on harbor programs and criticizing how lease negotiations were handled in staff communication to council.
Escanaba — During general public comment at the Feb. 19 City Council meeting, Chelsea Hart of the Boniface Art Center asked the city to continue partnership and annual support as the center rebuilds after a May fire, and multiple speakers associated with the Escanaba Yacht Club described long-standing community programs and asked for clearer city‑club communication in ongoing lease negotiations.
Chelsea Hart, executive director of the Boniface Art Center, said the center remains in reconstruction after last year’s fire but continues to operate programs including a music-Mondays series and the waterfront art festival. "We are still in the midst of our reconstruction and unsure of what the final cost of this tragedy will be," Hart said, and she thanked the city for past support while asking continued partnership.
Several yacht-club members spoke at length about the club’s community work. Jim Hansen recounted decades of volunteer activity: hosting disabled and mentally challenged individuals on boats, fundraising that helped secure grants for harbor improvements, and youth sailing programs. He urged continued cooperative work between the yacht club and city staff on harbor issues and on restoring community programs in 2026.
Tyler Anthony, identified as a director of the Escanaba Yacht Club, criticized the city manager’s handling of recent lease discussions, saying the club provided membership and financial snapshots to City Manager McNeil in October but that the information was not shared with council or included in the meeting packet. "It is a fact of record that we have been sharing this information with mister McNeal since October... it is clear that the city manager never saw it useful to share any of that information with you or to include it in the meeting packet," Anthony said. No staff response was recorded in the meeting minutes.
A subsequent public commenter, Sarah Shipman Myers, defended the yacht club and urged direct, collaborative meetings between the club and city representatives. Myers said she would "defend Mister McNeil," describing the situation as possibly a misunderstanding rather than intentional omission, and she encouraged both sides to hold face‑to‑face discussions to reach resolution.
Council did not take action on lease matters during the meeting; public comment concluded with a brief set of announcements and adjournment.
