Beaver Island Michigan

Mr Campbell, your private messenger must be very discouraged to think things will never change. I donâ??t believe I have indicated that.

John McCafferty

Mr. McCafferty, Sorry for the stutter step if I gave the impression you are not hopeful things will change, that's not my belief and I'm sure it's not yours. Reading your posts, we do not always agree but you have always put it out there and expressed your views. I wish everyone, not just a few of us, had the same courage of their convictions and would speak up. Keep the faith and stay engaged on the issues.

Ok lots of input and a general consensus that affordable/reasonable transportation cost to and from the island is key component to the survival of Beaver Island. So what can be done? What's the next move?

I personally love the idea of a ferry that runs from Charlevoix/Ironton, stops at Beaver Island, and then continues on to Manistique. That puts us on a highway, not on a cul-de-sac. It also opens up Wisconsin, Minnesota and western Ontario to us. My sister lives in western Ontario, and has wanted to visit us on the island for a long time, but a lack of scheduled transportation has been problematic.

The price of the ferry is, without question, a major deterrent to visitors. Day visits, or even weekend visits, are just too expensive for many people, and it bleeds off too much of the discretionary money that could otherwise go into a broader stroke of the island economy. For me, if I were visiting Charlevoix and wanted to visit the island for either a day or an overnight, $25 round trip would be about the upper limit, particularly if I have not been there before to know whether or not I will like it.

Ferry from St John's, New Brunswick to Digby, Nova Scotia (4 hours)
50 miles across the Bay of Fundy, saving a 14hour drive around factor
Vehicle:$89 Canadian.
Just sayin'

Mr. Bolton, Good information for comparison but what is it that you are "Just sayin'"?

Just sayin that this is a comparison of what other folks who depend on ferry service are paying
Just sayin that it appears that there are both public and private operated ferry systems that are priced lower than our ferry system.
Just sayin that if one was truly concerned that our system seems to not be In line (price wise) with other systems, further study may be warranted.
Just sayin that you can take this information for what it is and does not necessarily mean it should be used in an apples to apples comparison

Just sayin is a slang word used to bring forth information that is allowing others to make their own judgement. ( in case one didn't know this as if they have been living on an isolated island all these years and haven't heard the term before)

Just sayin'😎

Mr. Bolton, Thank you expounding on your "Just sayin'". I understood the term, just wondered about more detail of what you were just sayin'. I agree with all your points. I don't think a study will do anything other than confirm the operation of the Emerald Isle needs to improve to include bringing the cost of fares down. The figures that were shared with me verify that passenger counts have steadily declined over the past 10 years while fares have increased. If these two trends continue, tourism on the island will die forever. Contacting BIBCO will most likely have little chance of correcting this trend. BITA owns the boat and has control over the operations, if not then something is wrong. I would suggest anyone who has concerns about the future of tourism and Beaver Island that they contact BITA asking for them to address the problems of fares, operation and communicate back to the public.

Beaver Island District Library posted the contact information for BITA:
Beaver Island Transportation Authority
P.O. Box 426
Beaver Island, MI 49782
e-mail: bitaboat@tds.net
My e-mail goes out this week - Just sayin'.

My e-mail sent to BITA this evening. If you say nothing, nothing will change. I've done my part!

Thank you Kitty (for the work and very precise outline of how the plan was put together and how it will develop). I also believe the input is good to both sides of the coin and in its place. I would only like to see that we all stay to topic and not slide into the depths of other issues. It only hinders us from moving forward to greater things for our Island and getting the real input and work needed done.

The direction of the Recreation Plan should be how do we make it better now, what do we need in priority now, and how can we get there now. It is very exciting that we can get some assistance through grants that #1 we will be able to see #2 will impact the island for everyone #3 won't raise our taxes. It is exactly what we haven't had enough of in the past. People actively seeking out these opportunities on our behalf. So I want to support them fully in making progress. This does not mean that I will agree with everything but I am going to see as much positive light as possible.

There were small changes last year that some may not have noticed. I would like to point out a few and they were very important.
The brick walks were painted. The streets were cleaner. The sidewalks were edged. The flower boxes more regularly cleaned up. There was a new restroom at the beach. The blight has been disappearing.

So what they are asking is not to solve the Beaver Island problems but to start tackling just one of them.

This cannot be done with volunteers. Volunteers on a small island with limited people is stretched to the maximum, we can only work so many hours in a day, and as many know a lot say they will but you never, never, never, ever see them. So with that said real help is what we need to get it done.

I know everyone has valuable input that will help. Tax payer or not. St. James has done a great job of working on this so far and I for one applaud and support that effort.


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