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Visitors to the L’Anse Waterfront Park have some new attractions to enjoy. The Village recently completed over a half million dollars worth of upgrades to the marina and the nearby water park.
Improvements include new water and electrical utilities, access to the village Wi-Fi, a new Harbormaster house complete with public restrooms and private restrooms and shower facilities for people who have slips at the marina, and an expansion for the splash pad for children to play.
Village Manager Bob LaFave says the upgrades make for a more open and walkable waterfront that he hopes people will enjoy. “We’ve gotten a lot of great feedback from the public about how nice the area looks so we want to invite all of the folks in the region to come down and check it out and hopefully enjoy their summer,” said LaFave.
An opening ceremony was recently held at the marina, completing a multiyear effort to bring the project to reality. The upgrades were funded in part through the Department of Natural Resources Waterways Funds and DNR Passport grants.
LaFave says boat slip usage is up for the season but there are other ways to tell that visitors are happy with the changes. “Any nice day you go down there, you can see that splash pad is packed with people and you see people coming down even to do birthday parties and whatnot, just to utilize the park, and that’s the whole reason why you have a park like that so people in the area can have a place to go and recreate and enjoy their afternoon,” he said.
The Village of L’Anse is not done. These improvements were just part of Phase 1 of an overall plan which include more space for boaters and additional amenities in the future.
LaFave said, “Getting fuel going back down there as well, pushing the break wall further south towards the Falls River, some boardwalking going up so people can go with a fishing pole or get an ice cream cone and walk down the length of that and enjoy some of the scenery, but also it would get a neck that’s currently in the marina that is an obstacle for some boaters that would remove that altogether which would make it easier for boats coming in and out of the marina, as well.”
