Work is progressing on two adjacent milestone projects on Union Street in downtown Traverse City. City commissioners received an update Monday on FishPass, the $23.3 million reconstruction of the Union Street Dam underway – which should remain “fully funded” despite federal funding freezes on various infrastructure projects, according to the Great Lakes Fishery Commission. Meanwhile, downtown officials will host an open house Thursday at the City Opera House to get public feedback on the design for the new Rotary Square.

FishPass
Construction of FishPass is on schedule and set for a spring 2026 completion for the first two phases, covering all in-stream components, according to Principal Engineer and Scientist Dr. Dan Zielinski of the Great Lakes Fishery Commission (GLFC).

Zielinski appeared before city commissioners Monday to provide an update on FishPass, which has been under construction since May 2024. Phases 1 and 2 include the removal of the existing dam, construction of a new labyrinth weir and dam, and installation of a natural bypass channel and fish-sorting channel. The bypass channel will mimic the natural flow of the Boardman/Ottaway River in its upper stretches where other dams have been removed, Zielinski said. The sorting channel – a 400-foot-long, 30-foot-wide flume designed for adaptability so different technologies can be tested on fish and assessed in real-time – will use barriers like size sorting, lights, bubbles, sounds, and leaping obstacles to allow desired species to pass into the watershed and keep undesired species (primarily the invasive sea lamprey) out.

Work on the weir is underway now, while construction on the other side of the river – where the fish-sorting channel will be located – is slated to begin later this year. A water main relocation and construction of a new pedestrian bridge are also planned by next year. Phase 1 and 2 has a $23.3 million price tag, with funding sources including the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative ($14.3 million), GLFC ($5.1 million), Michigan Department of Natural Resources (DNR – $1.65 million), State of Michigan ($1 million), Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy (EGLE – $1 million), and City of Traverse City ($285,000).

Zielinski said contract negotiations are underway now for Phase 3 – the final phase covering “all the upland activities,” he said. Those include a new research and education center, landscaping, stormwater management, parking and sidewalks, park amenities, boardwalks and river access points, and electrical work. That price tag is still being finalized pending negotiations, but Zielinski estimated it would be $7-8 million. He noted $5.4 million has already been committed through the original bid package from GLFC and another $2.9 million secured in grants,  meaning the project should be “fully funded." Commissioner Jackie Anderson clarified that “none” of the FishPass funding is anticipated to be impacted by federal freezes or cuts. “That is correct,” Zielinski replied.

The entire FishPass site is expected to be fully complete by early 2027, Zielinski said. Project partners – including GLFC, the city, the DNR, and the Grand Traverse Band of Ottawa & Chippewa Indians – are finalizing an operation and maintenance memorandum of agreement (MOA) outlining who is responsible for which sections of the park once work is complete. Under the proposed terms, the city will operate the dam and non-research components – essentially the “status quo” of what the city’s been responsible, Zielinski noted – while GLFC will operate the research components. However, GLFC will do so under the direction of the FishPass Advisory Board, a group that will include representation from all project partners.

Zielinski added that outreach is a key component of FishPass. GLFC has hired a full-time local public affairs specialist – Leah McCallum – and is in the process of hiring a fisheries technician, he said. Outside groups have been interested in the work happening at the dam, he noted, as the project is meant to provide research that can be replicated at other sites. There have been 10+ site visits by groups so far, while GLFC has made over 20 presentations on the project – including at a special event at the Shedd Aquarium in Chicago. GLFC will host its annual meeting in Traverse City this year, while the International Conference on Fish Telemetry is also coming in June. The public can watch progress on FishPass from a 24/7 live webcam on the property, Zielinski noted.

Rotary Square
The Traverse City Downtown Development Authority (DDA) and consulting firm Progressive Companies will host a public open house Thursday at the City Opera House from 5:30pm to 6:30pm as part of “Imagine Rotary Square,” a public input process to create a design for the new civic square on the corner of Union and State streets. Though separate from FishPass, DDA Executive Director Harry Burkholder previously told The Ticker that the close proximity of the two projects provides “an opportunity for great collaboration” – a relationship that could be explored in the design process to ideally create a flow between the two properties.

Workshop attendees will get an overview on responses so far to a community survey that’s been gathering design ideas, plus “participate in interactive activities to share their ideas for Rotary Square and ask questions about the site and process,” according to the DDA. More workshops and informational sessions are expected to follow this spring, with a preliminary conceptual design completed by June. Rotary Square has been identified as one of the highest priority projects by DDA board members for the funds remaining in the tax increment financing (TIF) 97 fund before its planned expiration in 2027.