The U.P.'s had two beautiful summers in a row, but the ideal weather of last summer was overshadowed by the number of drowning deaths in Lake Superior
MARQUETTE -- Six people drown in Lake Superior in the summer of 2010; four of those within the city limits of Marquette.
"It was a shock for everyone, and really, at that point, the staff, the city, the community really at large recognized that this could be a problem, and it was time to do something about it," says Marquette Fire Chief Tom Belt.
So the Marquette City Commission created the Waterfront Safety Task Force to reevaluate the 11 miles of coastline. Over the course of a year, new techniques were implemented to make the beaches safer.
Education and awareness in the community, extra signage, more lifeguard stands, and additional beach patrols, are just some of the changes that could have contributed to no drowning deaths at the city's beaches his past summer.
"We get constant reports of people swimming in non-swimming areas," Chief Belt adds. "And just your average citizen or person that lives in the community will go up and warn [them] and tell people of their own accord, 'Hey, this is a dangerous place, don't swim here, people have drowned.'"
City officials put an additional $40,000 into creating what they're calling a new 'waterfront culture.' Much of that money is a one-time expense pulled from the city's general fund.
"And when we look at the saving of a life and changing the culture of the community, the commission was very supportive of that and realizing that it was a priority for us," says Assistant City Manager Karl Zueger. "Especially when you look at how our waterfront has become such a destination for tourism and for our public, I think it was a good investment for the community."
Although summer is technically over, all beach safety devices will remain in place through October 1.
As for the future of waterfront safety in the city of Marquette, new ideas will continue to be brought up.
At Monday night's City Commission meeting, the commission planned to look at the possibility of a gate at the north break wall on Presque Isle.
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