See an aerial view of the Sheboygan Lake Michigan shoreline including the north and south Municipal Beaches, Deland Park, and Harbor Centre Marina.
* Construction for the project’s first phase could cost about $26.8 million.
* The first-phase of the project removes floating buildings but includes a restaurant/event space building.
* Gov. Tony Evers’ earmarked up to $3 million for the marina’s educational building, but it was cut from the state budget.
* The American Cruise Lines will make four stops in Sheboygan next summer.
SHEBOYGAN – Construction on new marina administration and fuel service buildings could start as early as fall 2026, depending on a design contract approval and a subsequent estimated project timeline.
The Common Council will vote Oct. 20 on entering a $3.29 million contract with Edgewater Resources, a design, planning and engineering firm specializing in marinas and waterfront projects, for design, engineering and construction administration services for the marina.
This follows a recommendation from the Board of Marina, Parks and Forestry Commissioners and a 4-1 approval by the Public Works Committee Oct. 13.
Alder Susie Boorse voted against approving the contract because she wanted to review Edgewater Resources’ Harbor Centre Marina Market Analysis conducted for Visit Sheboygan before making a decision. City Administrator Casey Bradley said it wasn’t provided to the committee because it isn’t a city document.
Boorse made a motion to table voting until the Oct. 27 meeting so members could review the study, but the motion did not receive a second and failed.
“I don’t know why anybody on this committee would not want access to all the facts and information that should be considered before we make a decision and vote,” Boorse said. “I’m disappointed to see that we can’t discuss that further.”
Bradley said a 10-person committee composed of city staff voted unanimously in favor of Edgewater during the request for proposal and interview process. The committee reviewed the decision with Peter Mayer, current chair of the Board of Marina, Parks and Forestry, and former chair, Mike Froh, who is also on the board for Visit Sheboygan.
Bradley said Edgewater stood out because it was the only firm to point out the marina’s existing dock and attenuation system is impacted by ice damage, not necessarily by wave action. This will be a large project focus.
“Doing the same thing over and over for a decade-plus has resulted in a $6 million deficit in the operations of that facility,” he said. “We’re confident in a different approach, and the approach that was proposed by Edgewater will help us address that and eliminate those annualized costs.”
Mike Morphey, project manager and engineer with Edgewater Resources, said the firm has worked on more than 400 marinas across the world, with a major focus on conducting feasibility studies or building marinas in the Great Lakes.
Edgewater Resources would partner with Collins Engineers, Maffet-Loftis Engineering and Ramboll Group for various services, including boundary and topographic surveying, site engineering support, environmental consulting, building demolition and marina electrical systems.
Design and construction work would focus on the first phase of the marina master plan with costs estimated at about $26.8 million.
Among surveying existing conditions, conducting preliminary wave and coastal condition analysis and other project tasks, Edgewater Resources would focus on design work and construction for features outlined in the first phase of the Waterfront and Marina Master Plan, shared by architect firm SmithGroup in October 2024.
Construction costs, based on the master plan, could amount to about $26.8 million. The concept plan estimated costs around $15.2 million, but some features were moved into the initial phase, like pathways, a parking lot and a 12,000-square-foot, two-story building with a restaurant and rentable public space.
Additional costs include demolition of buildings, docks, fuel systems and other ancillary structures; building new docking systems, pilings and dredging; a new attenuation system and fuel system; site utilities; upland landscape and hardscape; and the marina administration and fuel service buildings.
Floating buildings proposed in the concept plan were excluded from the first phase,
Bradley said community feedback last year indicated a desire to maximize public space and offer a food amenity near the lakefront. Some local businesses have expressed interest in partnering with the city in the space, too.
Details for design and construction of a 9,000-square-foot Great Lakes education building and two floating platforms for marina buildings are included in the alternative scopes of work, but not the first phase for the RFP.
Edgewater plans to revisit these features with the community again, Morphey said.
If the Common Council approves the contract, Morphey said much of the project timeline is dependent on permit approvals from the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources and U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, available funding and the marina schedule.
Initial estimates show construction on the marina administration and fuel service buildings could begin between fall 2026 and spring 2027. Site and upland work could begin around that time, too, followed by additional work on the marina and docks between summer 2027 and spring 2028.
Committee members, public speakers give mixed opinions on approving $3.29M contract
Several people who gave public comment and members of the Board of Marina, Parks and Forestry and Public Works Committee shared mixed opinions on contract costs and project scope. Many said the marina needs some refresh, but thoughts varied on how much change it needed.
Rebecca Clarke, member of the Board of Marina, Parks and Forestry, asked if the existing marina administration building could be saved, not demolished, to minimize construction costs.
“I am worried about the cost of this,” Clarke said. “I want us to have a marina that is safe and appealing and functional. So something has to get done. I hope it will be done with consideration to preserving as much as we have right now instead of demolishing and starting over.”
She said she felt adding a new restaurant building shouldn’t be a focus at this time, and instead the city should explore ways to support businesses along the riverfront.
Morphey said he couldn’t say at this point if the marina building is salvageable, but the team would have a better idea after site assessment and surveying.
Lisa Salgado asked for an independent economic feasibility study to be conducted showing the marina will be financially self-sufficient and there is a long-term demand for slips and transient boating before more money was spent for Edgewater Resources’ work.
Braden Schmidt also asked about Edgewater Resources’ plans to ensure the marina is financially feasible and self-sufficient, covering annual expenses and future infrastructure replacements.
Morphey said the team will look at those costs as well as direct and indirect revenue generated from the marina, like boat slips, and estimated benefits to the community, like tourism and job creation.
“When you look at marinas as a business, it’s not really a good indication of what they mean to the community, as far as revenue,” Morphey said. “What would you do if you didn’t have a marina? There’s a cost to take that marina out, and then what are you left with? A park that has to be maintained with zero revenue.”
After the marina accrued nearly $6 million in debt over its 30-year lifespan, culminating in year-to-year operational loss and challenges paying back initial cost to the county, city staff shared the marina generated revenue this past season.
Amid some deterioration, debt and critiques of mismanagement, the city is working to draw tourists, like the American Cruise Lines, which will stop four times in Sheboygan next year on the Lake Michigan & Upper Penninsula route.
Sheboygan native Eric Katte, who moved back to the city four years ago to be closer to his mom, friends and Lake Michigan, said he enjoyed the marina facilities and amenities for a couple of years until the city took over. He would like to see investment in the marina and docks and a third-party operator.
“It’s my opinion that Edgewater is the best choice to manage and implement this project,” Katte said. “It is also my opinion that Sheboygan needs to always have a nice marina. It’s part of what makes this city Sheboygan.”
City administrator again emphasizes taxpayer funding won’t be used for marina revitalization project
The city will no longer benefit from up to $3 million in funding from the Harbor Assistance Program that was earmarked in Gov. Tony Evers’ proposal for the 2025-2027 budget. It would’ve supported costs associated with the educational building, but it was cut in the recent state budget process.
But Bradley and Morphey are confident state, federal and private grants would assist with costs.
Bradley said the city could also utilize up to $17.5 million in funding from Tax Incremental District 21. The marina project wouldn’t rely on taxpayers, which was the goal.
“As we’re succesful in applying for grants, that reduces that burden less and less each time,” he said.
Morphey said Edgewater has seen some pauses in grant processes, but that’s largely been the result of uncertainty, not funding elimination. He said the firm’s projects haven’t seen any funding cut.
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