Michigan City council still in fight to block change by Coast Guard
MICHIGAN CITY — The Michigan City Common Council is trying to block plans to convert the U.S. Coast Guard station in the lakefront community into a part-time facility.
The council unanimously approved a resolution Dec. 19 to ask federal lawmakers representing the area to try to have the decision reversed.
According to the resolution, the coast guard station has been operating year round, 24 hours a day, seven days a week since 1888.
“It’s definitely something critical for our lakefront with the amount of tourists we have annually and just the amount of people that frequent that lakefront,” Council President Sean Fitzpatrick said.
“It adds to the safety and security of our community,” Councilman Dr. Vidya Kora said.
The resolution announcing the city council's opposition to the plans will be sent to 1st District Congressman Frank Mrvan of Hammond along with both U.S. Senators from Indiana, Mike Braun and Todd Young.
The resolution, which requests the coast guard to reconsider its decision, will also be submitted to the U.S. Coast Guard office in Washington, D.C.
Phil Gurtler, a public affairs officer at the coast guard station in Cleveland, said there's been no change in plans since elected officials started being notified about two months ago about the intent to downsize the Michigan City facility.
The plan remains to fully staff and equip the coast guard station on weekends during the summer, when use of Lake Michigan is greatest.
He previously told The Tribune that whether it would be open from Friday through Sunday or strictly two days on weekends during the summer has not been decided.
Gurtler said a labor shortage nationwide is forcing the decision to downsize a select number of coast guard stations across the country 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, Gurtler 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.”
The Michigan City station averages about 125 search and rescue calls a year, according to figures provided by the coast guard.
The primary coverage area of the coast guard station in Michigan City, the sole Lake Michigan station in Indiana, includes a good stretch of the northwest Indiana shoreline and east into Michigan, including Grand Beach and New Buffalo.
Gurtler 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, he said.
He 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, Gurtler 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,” he said.
Councilman Don Przybylinski expressed concerns about longer response times in a city that has a lot of boaters using the lake to fish in the spring, summer and fall and for recreation primarily during the summer.
He said the decision would be like police and fire departments becoming part time.
“To me, this is a very serious situation,” Przybylinski said. “They need to be there. They have to be there.”
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 on the calendar.
He previously told The Tribune that securing federal grants for dredging Trail Creek leading to and from Lake Michigan is difficult enough, but it could become harder without a full-time coast guard station to help lend credibility to funding requests.
“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 in November that he doesn't argue that coast guard response times in the Michigan City area would suffer.
However, Gurtler said, a coast guard boat from Chicago or St. Joseph can still be there within the two-hour time frame 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.
Councilman Bryant Dabney suggested a pay increase for coast guard officers should be given first to see if that would help draw more recruits
Dabney said higher wages for lifeguards in the city worked to restore staffing levels at the public beach.
“I think we should be asking if they can solve that issue,” he said.