Courtesy photo An aerial shot of the parking lot project on the Presque Isle Lighthouse park property is pictured.

ALPENA — Deforestation of a portion of the Presque Isle Township Lighthouse park property has attracted interest from concerned citizens regarding the construction of a 50 car parking lot. Presque Isle Township officials say that the township has received the proper permitting from the State of Michigan to move forward with the project.

Township Supervisor Steve Lang explained that this parking lot project has been ongoing for about two years as the township has been navigating the permitting and assessment process from the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy (EGLE) and the Michigan Department of Natural Resources (DNR).

He said after lumbering off what he said is just “shy of an acre” of land, concerned citizens have raised questions regarding the environmental impact of the project. Lang said that the State agencies involved did not cite any environmental concerns for the project.

“EGLE did their environmental study,” he said. “There are no environmental problems there. It took two and a half years to get the proper permits.”

He said the money to fund the project came from the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) of 2021.

According to Lang, the concerns raised from the community come from property owners near the park who are upset with the clear cutting of the area. He added that many people are judging the project on its current state without considering the work the contracting company will do to plant islands of trees in the parking lot.

“We are just not finished yet,” he said. “They are just looking at the raw product. Hopefully when we are done it will bring some peace.”

Lang said that the project was started due to safety concerns. He explained that when the park hosts festivals and concerts, visitors park along the road creating dangerous conditions for families with children crossing a busy stretch.

“Parking has always been a problem for our concerts and festivals,” he said. “People park on the shoulders of the road. It’s a safety issue.”

He added that in the case of an emergency, it would be difficult for fire trucks and ambulances to navigate the slew of vehicles parked for whichever event is happening.

Benita Goldman, a Presque Isle County resident who lives near the park, said that she is disappointed in the clear cutting of the trees and believes the township could have found other areas to turn into parking.

“I don’t know if they could have used other means of finding parking,” she said. “The logic of clearcutting … it’s a failure of vision.”

“I am deeply saddened by the insensitivity to the environment, and to what I consider a betrayal of the public trust to have created a massive scar on that pristine landscape,” she wrote in a text message to The News.

“I cannot fathom how officials entrusted with the public good could possibly have approved the massive clear cutting of pristine woodland for a parking lot,” she added. “There are so many ways to create parking that do not require the devastation of the exact landscape that tourists are coming to experience.”

Lang said that the township will hold a town hall meeting at the Presque Isle Township Hall on Friday at 7 p.m. During this meeting, Lang and other township officials will answer questions from the public regarding the project.

Kayla Wikaryasz can be reached at 989-358-5688 or kwikaryasz@TheAlpenaNews.com.