State Representative John Kivela (D-Marquette) hosted three members from the Marquette Waterfront Safety Task Force at the Capitol last week. The task force members traveled to Lansing to give a presentation on the Marquette waterfront safety plan to the House Tourism Committee.
“I am thankful to both the city of Marquette and Northern Michigan University for allowing them to travel down to present before the House Committee on Tourism,” said Kivela. “The task force members gave an informative presentation on an issue impacting my district, as well as communities around the state.”
The city of Marquette established the Marquette Waterfront Safety Task Force in 2010 -2011 after a series of tragic accidents. Since implementing the findings from the task force, drowning accidents and other water-related injuries have decreased. City officials have also shared the findings with other coastal communities across the Great Lakes.
“Marquette is a great example of a community noticing a problem and finding ways to address it. In this case, a solution was needed to protect our residents and tourists,” Kivela said. “It is my hope that other local government units facing similar water safety issues will see what Marquette has done to improve water front safety conditions and implement these practices in their own communities.”