BAY CITY, Mich. – Regional tourism officials have proposed the construction of a building near the Veterans Memorial Bridge with an observation tower to welcome travellers to Bay City.
The Bay City Visitors Bureau currently operates out of an office at the Doubletree Hotel downtown. It previously occupied the Pere Marquette Depot and the Delta College Planetarium.
The Bay City Times (http://bit.ly/28MCiUL ) reports that Annie Rummel, chief executive officer of the Great Lakes Bay Regional Convention and Visitors Bureau, gave details of the proposal at a Bay City Commission meeting Monday.
The 4,400-square-foot building would feature a 1,200-square-foot tower with panoramic views. The building, without the tower, is estimated to cost about $1 million and would be paid for by the bureau. The height of the tower has not been determined.
Rummel said that if it could be afforded, the building would have elevators.
Commissioner David Terrasi praised the proposed building and asked for more development near the site. He thinks there is an opportunity to work with the farmer’s market in that area.
The project would also include major renovations to the bridge’s off-ramp that are estimated to cost $1.2 million. Sara Dimitroff with the city’s economic development office said the city would pursue a Michigan Department of Transportation grant to pay for as much of the project as possible.
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Information from: The Bay City Times, http://www.mlive.com/bay-city
