Traverse City commissioners expressed support Monday for changing the intersection of Franklin and Washington streets to an all-way stop. Commissioners also approved rate increases at the city’s Duncan L. Clinch Marina starting in 2024 and approved a $1,886,553 order for the Traverse City Fire Department to purchase a new ladder truck.

Commissioners unanimously voted to have the city attorney prepare a traffic control order making the Franklin/Washington intersection a four-way stop. That traffic control order should appear on the consent agenda at the next commission meeting, where it is expected to be approved without debate. Over 60 Boardman Neighborhood residents asked to address safety issues at the intersection, which has stop signs on Franklin Street but not Washington Street. Residents said the intersection has been home to numerous near-misses in addition to multiple accidents over the years, including two witnessed by neighbors this summer. Commissioners also agreed to have a larger policy discussion in the future on intersection safety and how neighborhood requests should be handled in order to provide consistency across the community.

Commissioners Monday also voted to approve a new transient rate structure for the city’s Duncan L. Clinch Marina starting in 2024. The structure will use four different rates for different times of year. The most expensive, Rate J, will be $2.06/foot for the 10 days surrounding the National Cherry Festival (which averages roughly 140 vessels). Rate G, at $1.60/foot, will be in place between early June and Cherry Festival (average 105 vessels) and from after Cherry Festival until mid-September (average 119 vessels). Rate D, at $1.24/foot, will be in place from Memorial Day weekend to early June (two weeks, average 78 vessels) and from mid-September to early October (two weeks, average 78 vessels). Finally, Rate B – at $.90/foot – will be in place from May 15 to Memorial Day weekend (average 47 vessels) and from early October to October 20 (average 38 vessels). According to Marina Dockmaster Shane Dilloway, “adjusting transient rates during times of high demand has precedence at other marinas in Michigan and is encouraged by the Michigan DNR.”

Commissioners also approved a $1,886,553 purchase order for the Traverse City Fire Department to purchase a new ladder truck. Representative Betsy Coffia helped secure a $1.8 million grant for the truck through the Michigan Enhancement Program this year, meaning TCFD will only have to cover $86,553 of the purchase price. The new apparatus, which will have a 100-foot ladder, will replace an aging TCFD ladder truck that is almost 20 years old. According to Interim City Manager Nate Geinzer, prepaying for the apparatus will generate a $208,528 discount. The city will therefore pay for the truck in full now and be reimbursed by the state grant, which is expected to be disbursed within three months. The new Ladder 01 will take approximately three years to build and deliver to the TCFD.