400-ton pavilion will be moved from eroding bluff

MANISTEE» A historic 400-ton pavilion that offers spectacular views of Lake Michigan will be moved away from an eroding bluff after a mudslide and high water levels last year threatened to destroy the structure.

The pavilion, which was built in 1940s atOrchard Beach State Park inManistee Township, is a popular northern Michigan venue for weddings, family reunions, concerts and more. It features a picnic shelter, original restrooms and picnic tables, and two fireplaces, MLive.com reported.

Fortifications at the bluff’s base are only a temporary fix for dealing with the relentlessness ofMother Nature, which officials saywould claimthe building. The decision to move the structure came this summer after discussions began last fall.

“It’s hard to fight Mother Nature,” park superintendent Doug Barry told MLive. “The best way to save that building is tomove it away from the shoreline.”

The structure currently sits about 50 feet (15 meters) back from the bluff’s edge.

Barry has said that the $1.5 million relocation project, which will be funded by the Michigan Department of Natural Resources and the park’s savings, is cheaper than armoring the bluff.

The pavilion will be moved to the park’s day-use area, which is safer andmore accessible, Barry said. But he noted that the views of the lake won’t be as impressive. Barry said the move, which is expected to happen in December, will take one or two days. Prep is underway, and the park campground was closed for the project on Oct. 19.