Grant helps handicap get closer to Lake Superior beaches

By JAN TUCKER

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Ontonagon — The lakeshores of Ontonagon and the new Lake Street Park in Ontonagon will become more accessible this summer with features bringing more residents and visitors to the beaches of Lake Superior.

With the help from a $16,900 grant through the Portage Health Foundation those in wheel chairs will be able to travel across the sands and get nearer to the beach than ever before.

Mats will be laid across the sands at key access points  from the Lakeshore road as far as possible to the beach. A third mat will be laid at the new Lakeshore Park at the end of Lake Street near the shipyard. At least two mats are expected to be laid  at the pump house  area of the Lakeshore Drive.

The mats are about 8 feet wide and in addition to wheel chair accessibility it will enable beach users a “cool” access any time of the day. During the hot days of summers, many users of the beach and in particular children, found it uncomfortable to cross the hot sand to the water’s edge.

The grant from Portage Health Foundation was written by resident Carol Maass and drew praise from Erickson and the village council. The manager said he appreciates the work of Maass in writing the grant which ties in with other related park projects begun in the village.

Erickson noted the beach access project is just one of the amenities which will draw people to the Lakeshore this summer and ties into the grant. New brighter lighting has been completed along the pathway of the Lakeshore Road . The pathway is a popular place for bikers, walkers and hikers. In addition, Erickson added, new benches will be installed along the pathway, as well as  bike racks and garbage receptacles.

A new “downtown” village park was carved out last year at the end of Lake Street within short walking distance to the Ontonagon business district. The entrance and parking area was completed and one of the mats will be established there too, Erickson added. That park is expected to get some attention as well with a mat to the lake, benches and garbage receptacle. The new park is a project of the Downtown Development Authority.

The mats are expected to be installed and in use by the end of May.