U.S. Coast Guard plans to curtail service
Service intends to convert station a Michigan City to part-time facility
MICHIGAN CITY — The U.S. Coast Guard plans to convert its station at Michigan City into a part-time facility before the next boating season, and local officials have launched a grassroots effort to have the decision reversed at the federal level.
Mayor Duane Parry said a coast guard boat in Michigan City can reach a boater or swimmer in distress within minutes, but the wait for a vessel from the next closest location would be much longer.
“That’s a matter of life and death,” he said.
Coast guard stations at other select locations also face a similar downsizing on their time clocks.
Phil Gurtler, a public affairs officer for the Great Lakes at the coast guard station in Cleveland, said a manpower shortage nationwide forced the decision to restore staffing and other resources to levels they should be in areas where service calls are highest.
“We are going to reallocate some of the personnel and assets,” he said.
On average, he said, staffing at all locations is down by about 10% from what the coast guard feels a station should have to be “optimally manned.”
He said the numbers reflect the growing challenge of recruiting people into the military over the past few years.
“It’s been a continuous issue,” Gurtler said. “It’s just kind of reaching a point now where some decisions have to be made.”
Right now, Gurtler said, the plan for Michigan City is to fully staff and equip
the coast guard station on weekends during the summer when use of Lake Michigan is greatest.
He said whether it would be open from Friday through Sunday or strictly two days on weekends has not been decided.
Currently, the facility is open 24 hours a day, seven days a week year round.
“We’re still crunching the numbers for what times it’s going to be active versus not active,” Gurtler said.
The primary coverage area of the coast guard station in Michigan City includes a good stretch of the Indiana shoreline to the west and east into Michigan, including New Buffalo.
Gurtler said the Michigan City station averages about 40 search and rescue calls a year.
He said either the coast guard location at Calumet Harbor near Chicago or the one at St. Joseph will respond to service calls when the Michigan City station is not open.
Whichever site is closest to the emergency will provide the response.
Gurtler said local first responders with access to boats, helicopters and other water rescue gear will be relied on to handle calls until the coast guard can get there in a boat or by air.
Already, he said, police and firefighters begin rescue attempts if they’re the first ones to arrive.
“It’s kind of a coin flip sometimes to see if we get on scene first,” Gurtler said.
The two coast guard helicopters that serve the southern end of Lake Michigan are stationed in Traverse City and Detroit.
Parry said he was in the process of sending a letter denouncing the idea to decisionmakers in Washington, D.C.
Help is also being sought from elected officials, including Congressman Frank Mrvan and Indiana Senator Mike Braun.
Parry said he believes there also could be a negative economic impact if fewer people don’t want to use the lake without having the coast guard nearby.
“Whether they’re coming over here to charter a fishing boat, whether they’re coming over here for a pleasure cruise or just to hang out at the beach,” he said, “there’s a comfort zone having a coast guard station close.”
LaPorte County Convention and Visitors Bureau Executive Director Jack Arnett is also involved in the effort to keep the coast guard station open every minute of every day.
He said securing federal grants for dredging Trail Creek leading to and from Lake Michigan is difficult enough, but it could become harder without a fulltime coast guard station to help lend credibility to money requests.
Arnett said dredging must be done every so often to keep Trail Creek deep enough for the owners of larger watercraft, in particular, who play an important role in the summer economy.
He said the lake is also used in the spring by commercial and recreational fishermen.
“It’s a huge deal,” Arnett said. “We got to put the full-court press on to get elected officials to understand that.”
Gurtler said he doesn’t argue that coast guard response times in the Michigan City area would suffer.
However, he said, a coast guard boat from Chicago or St. Joseph can still be there within the two-hour timeframe mandated by congress for coverage areas.
“I can say with certainty if the coast guard wasn’t confident we could meet all of the requirements and, frankly, keep the public safe, we wouldn’t be selecting these particular spots,” he said.