Edward M. Golson Jr. Boat Launch
and Nature Park Grand Opening

Article from the Bay City Times:

New city boat launch, park nearing completion

Wednesday, July 31, 2002

By Kristina Riggle
TIMES WRITER

A boat launch that came out of a lawsuit, and ended up the namesake of Bay City's late environmental director, is within weeks of completion. Bay City officials held a ribbon cutting at the Edward M. Golson Jr. Boat Launch and Nature Park on Tuesday afternoon, though the boat launch is not yet officially open.

Some final wrap-up items have yet to be finished, such as lighting and the special handicap access boat ramp. Community Development Planner Terry Moultane estimated the ramp could be officially open in mid-August. Though contractors are working on the boat launch during the day and the gate is closed at night, Moultane said he's seen people walking on the nature trails already.

The area is 43 acres at the end of Johnson Street on the East Side of the Saginaw River, and includes 26 acres of nature park with trails and a viewing platform that looks out over wetlands. The end of the old Belinda Street bridge now is a viewing and fishing platform that will have a small gazebo with picnic tables when work is complete.

The $1.1 million construction cost came from the $28.2 million Natural Resources Damages Settlement reached in 1998. The Saginaw Chippewa Indian Tribe, and the federal and state governments had sued Bay City, Saginaw and General Motors over contamination of the Saginaw River and bay. The money from the lawsuit settlement - largely paid for by GM - is being used to clean up pollution, restore wildlife habitat and improve public access and enjoyment of the water. Bay City's only cost in the settlement is to maintain the new boat launches.

At the ceremony Tuesday, speakers talked about how the boat launch furthered Golson's legacy as an environmentalist and outdoorsman. Golson succumbed to cancer in June 2001 at age 57. City Manager James M. Palenick said the lawsuit could have had a negative result, but Golson and others working on the negotiations turned it into a plus for Bay City. "He was quite a man, and I think this is a great tribute to what he was and what he believed in," Palenick said.

Golson's widow, Cathy Golson, addressed the crowd. Golson's mother, 88-year-old Bernadine Golson, also was present. Cathy Golson said the nature park already is home to 12 deer and some fox, plus wildflowers. "Everything that represents Michigan and everything that represents Ed," she said.

Palenick said the city will announce when the Golson boat launch is officially open. There will be no charge for use of the park and boat launch. The other Bay City boat launch provided for in the lawsuit settlement is the Cass Avenue Boat Launch, which will be much smaller in scale once it is completed.

© 2002 Bay City Times. Used with permission

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