It may have been a foggy day down at the SS Badger dock in Manitowoc, but for those involved in the retainer wall repair project, it could not have been a better day. Many local and state dignitaries were on hand at the Badger Carferry dock on Friday to officially cut the ribbon on the new retainer wall, a project that was started in 2016, according to Lake Michigan Carferry President Bob Manglitz. “We flew over, and I was standing at the end of the dock…and it was like it was waving at you.”
Manitowoc Mayor Justin Nickels spoke at the ceremony about the numerous places funding came from in order for the project to come to fruition. He stated, “We have had both the Cities of Manitowoc and Ludington, both the States of Wisconsin and Michigan, the Federal Government and private business all involved in making this happen.”
The project was spearheaded by Foth of Green Bay, a company that offers personalized, client-centered service and smart solutions to a variety of government, industrial and commercial clients. Foth Senior Client Manager, Brian Hinrichs spoke about the importance of utilizing a local company to do the physical labor on the project. “Having McMillen and Pitz do the work was incredible. The dollars stayed here, and that’s always great. I’m sure Justin appreciates that.” He said as he gestured to Mayor Nickels, who replied with “Absolutely.”
We were able to catch up with Mayor Nickels after the ceremony, and we asked him how this improvement will affect the new focus on the downtown area, to which he replied that part of the reason the focus was shifted to the downtown area was to attract the Carferry passengers. He went on to say “We’ve consciously, over the last few years, have been trying to get people who dock here to stay in Manitowoc.”
Mayor Nickels also thanked Craig Thompson from the State Department of Transportation, and Congressman Glen Grothman for their roles in securing Federal and State funds to help complete the project. The new retainer wall was designed to last several decades.
