The development of New Buffalo’s waterfront will be a hot topic later this year thanks to the city receiving a $51,000 grand from USDA Rural Development to cover nearly all the costs involved with developing a master plan and do preliminary engineering work. City Manager Dave Richards tells WSJM News the city wants to hear from as many residents as possible once they begin holding open houses and putting out online surveys.
“After Labor Day, after we get past the high season here so that we can get interested residents and businesses as well who are currently focusing on the tourist industry (to take part),” says Richards.
He says the clock began ticking to get the first part of the work done on Monday when the grant was received.
“We have one year from the date the award was signed,” to wrap up the public input portion.
Richards says the credit goes to Mayor Lou O’Donnell for his work the past three years getting the city to this point for putting together a plan for how the waterfront will be for the next several generations. Any actual work, however, he says is years away as this is just the start of planning.
