GRAND HAVEN, Mich.– An act of vandalism sparked concern and a debate over closing the pier until the completion of the Grand Haven catwalk. But it’s been decided that the pier will remain open on the weekends and closed during construction hours.
The King Company, contracted by Grand Haven to install that catwalk, wanted to shut down the pier after finding two names and a smiley face in wet cement this week.
The pier was shut down and the catwalk was removed in 2016 for a $2.6 million rebuild. Now crews are finally working to reinstall the catwalk. They originally hoped to keep the pier open during the process, but the defacing caused the city and the company to think twice.
“When we saw it, we immediately got out to the contractor and said, ‘you guys need to be responsible for the concrete while it cures,’” says City Manager, Pat McGinnis.
The foreman working on the project told FOX 17 he was planning to shut down the pier to prevent it from happening again. But, as temperatures warm up, McGinnis wanted to keep the pier open to the public. So it’s been decided that the pier will remain closed while crews are working, giving families the chance to enjoy the pier on the weekends and during the crew’s downtime.
But, high water levels and waves crashing onto the Grand Haven pier continue to delay construction on the catwalk.
“You look out there, they’re about halfway and we’re in the middle of June, so I was, we were a little ambitious,” McGinnis says. “They have been getting out there whenever they’ve got calm waters and clear skies and have made quite a bit of progress, they’re just about halfway done and we’re sure it’ll get done this summer.”
The catwalk is now expected to be done in mid-August. McGinnis says there will be an announcement and celebration along with its opening.
