GRAND MARAIS -- Governor Rick Snyder was in Grand Marais Monday, coming face-to-face for the first time with the harbor he helped save.

Nearly two months ago, the Governor signed a $4 million, one-time line item appropriation to build a new breakwater.  The harbor will also get another million from the State Waterways Commission. The harbor has been filling with sediment.

After winning $40,000 from Readers Digest back in February, for Grand Marais, state funding was the missing piece of the puzzle to salvage their harbor.

The "little township that could" gave a large, warm welcome to Governor Rick Snyder, starting with a standing ovation.  Even Burt Township Supervisor, Jack Hubbard, stood at attention, just six days after hip replacement surgery.

"I wasn't going to miss it; yea if I had to crawl I was going to crawl," said Hubbard.  "Until the Governor stepped in and got involved, it was getting to the point where it was going to be impossible to get it done."

But the Governor was quick to share the credit with the community, who had worked more than 40 years to fund their new breakwater, collecting small donations and applying for grants.

"This isn't about me, it's about a team effort of great people in the community, working with people throughout the U.P.," said Governor Snyder.  "It was real teamwork."

A blazing trail of teamwork that Snyder hopes catches throughout the rest of Michigan.

"We can take that same spirit to take on other issues in our state and to have the attitude, it's not about being an OK state, it's not about being a nice state, it's about being a great state," Snyder said.

It was that constant collaboration, Senator Tom Casperson said, that was able to get the governor's attention in the first place.

"We convinced him that this was really part of this community; the harbor really is the lifeblood of this entire area," said Casperson.

The afternoon was a humbling experience for all, and nobody left emptyhanded.  The Governor was awarded a key to Grand Marais, and the public who attended were treated to a picnic.

As for the harbor, construction is slated to begin this fall with a goal to wrap up by the New Year.