News Photo by Steve Schulwitz Tom Hart looks out over Thunder Bay while visiting the Blair Street Park pier on Friday. The pier is again open to the public after being closed for more than two years because of damage it suffered from the high water levels several years ago.

ALPENA — After being closed due to damage for more than two years, the Blair Street Park pier opened to the public on Friday.

High water levels, coupled with high surf, and shifting ice caused significant damage to the pier, forcing it to be closed for safety reasons.

Alpena Engineer Steve Shultz said the city, who owns the park and pier, wanted to wait to repair the pier after water levels subsided, so it wouldn’t become damaged again.

He said the waters have receded enough over the last year to move forward with repairs.

Shultz said the pier was constructed in 1989 and the city has done routine maintenance on it when necessary. He said Mother Nature finally took its toll on the structure and caused wooden railings and portions of the walking deck to become damaged.

Shultz said the park, and especially the pier are popular spots for residents and visitors who want to get a good view of Thunder Bay or to take a swim.

He said the city fielded many phone calls from people wanting to know when the pier would be fixed. Shultz said in his opinion, standing on the pier is the premier spot to take in the sights and sounds of Lake Huron.

“You have the harbor and breakwall, but there are a lot of surrounding docks and boats and things like that,” he said. “When you get out on the end of the pier, and there is nothing but you and the water. You have a great view that isn’t interrupted by any structures and it is a beautiful spot and many people use it. It is good to have it back open.”

While waiting for the water levels to drop, Shultz said city staff tried to acquire funding to pay for the repairs.

He said the city’s insurance company wouldn’t pay for them and efforts to acquire grants to help offset some of the costs were unsuccessful. He said finally, the Alpena Municipal Council decided to take the $73,000 to pay for the project out of its savings, of which it has more than $3 million.

Shultz said the project could have cost a lot more, but a local contractor, Meridian Contracting Services, cut the city some slack after the price of lumber increased significantly.

Shultz said Meridian stood by its initial bid on the project, which was given before the prices of wood climbed.

“They really worked with us and didn’t charge us what they could have after prices went up,” he said. ” It could have cost us more than $100,000, but they just added a little bit for overhead and a slight profit.”

Another new addition to the park there is a lifesaving ring situated at the foot of the pier that can be used to help a swimmer in distress.

Shultz said it was donated to the city from District Health Department No. 4.

Shultz said swimming at the park and near the pier is allowed, but said people should do so at their own risk and jumping off the pier into the lake is not advised.