Walker visits Saxon Harbor, announces planning grant

SAXON, Wis - Gov. Scott Walker visited Saxon Harbor Monday, touring the cleanup effort and announcing Iron County has been awarded a Coastal Management grant to help the planning stage of the rebuilding process.

"This grant will help get the harbor - and the community - back on its feet," Governor Walker said in a release. "Providing financial aid, like the Wisconsin Coastal Management Program Grant, is just one of the ways we're demonstrating our commitment to helping northwestern Wisconsin recover from July's natural disaster."

The grant, which is for $24,450, is designed to help with planning the reconstruction of the harbor after it was destroyed during heavy rains and flooding on July 11.

The grant will primarily be used for public input surveys to ensure the community is onboard with the plans to rebuild.

"Our hope is ... (to engage) people all throughout the county - not only the users here in the boat club and the neighbors, but anyone who uses or cares about the harbor and cares about the lake - so there's a broad based consensus about what to do and how to do it," Walker told the Daily Globe while visiting the harbor.

Walker also promised the grant would not be the last funds the county would receive for the harbor's reconstruction, saying that even with the Federal Emergency Management Agency picking up 75 percent of the costs and the state picking up another 12.5 percent, the county still needs to come up with a lot of money.

"We'll make the 12.5 percent for sure - the state's commitment. What we're looking at is, 'What additional help can we (give) to help them cover the county's portion," Walker said. "I think the key for us is ... here's our goal - to get this fixed, to get this back up and going again - and how can we piece together the resources to make it happen," Walker said, adding the harbor's designation as a safe harbor for Lake Superior boaters made rebuilding all the more important.

"This is an important place to have on the lake," he said.

The cost for rebuilding the harbor is still being calculated but could cost anywhere from $10 million to $20 million depending on the design.

Walker said the state would continue to help rebuilding the entire region impacted by the storms, both financially and through using the National Guard and other state resources.

"Our next quest, after the roads and bridges are done, is how do we help clear the trails for snowmobiling," he said. "Obviously, we're not quite there yet, but we can't wait until December to get them done."