Since its construction in the late 19th century, the south pier has been a centerpiece, perhaps even the main focal point, of the Grand Haven community. Its features include a heavily-cracked concrete base, a tall, bright red lighthouse, a smaller foghorn house, and an iron catwalk- the future of which is now in jeopardy.

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is preparing to make repairs on the pier’s concrete infrastructure, but cannot do so until the catwalk is raised to make room for the fix. If not enough money is raised by the city to lift the catwalk, then the iconic fixture on the pier would likely be removed during the Corps’ resurfacing process. Aside from raising the catwalk, the city says it would need additional money to repair the structure, totalling around $1.5 million.

Because of the catwalk’s iconic status, city leaders are committed to finding the funds necessary to preserve it.

“If you look on every photo and everything- letterheads, City of Grand Haven- they have that pier, they have that catwalk, they have that lighthouse,” said Dave Fritz, President of the Fraternal Order of the Eagles Aerie 925 in Grand Haven, which hosted a fundraiser on Jan. 30 to raise money for the catwalk.

The fundraiser, which raised over $40,000, was hosted by a catwalk restoration committee which included representatives from Grand Haven City Council, the Chamber of Commerce, the Community Foundation, along with community organizations, nonprofits, and private businesses.

Erin Turrell, a former member of the city’s planning commission, was asked in the summer of 2015 by City Manager Pat McGinnis to head a catwalk restoration committee.

“When you’re asked to step up, you do,” Turrell said. “It is so important for us to be able to keep this. I can’t imagine it not being there anymore- it’s an absolutely ugly picture.”

Turrell understands the importance of the catwalk to the community, including a group of people that often need the catwalk to avoid being swept off the pier- surfers.

“Photographers go out there, tourists go out there, our community goes out there, we all enjoy that there are life rings on there,” Turrell said. “But I’ve gotten personal messages from a ton of surfers that have commented that it’s so important for it (the catwalk) to be there because it has been a few times that that structure has saved their lives when waves crashed over the pier and they had something to hang onto.”

Fritz agrees that saving the catwalk is a community-wide effort.

“The community has been very gracious,” said Fritz, who is also a member of the city’s Lighthouse Conservancy Committee. “The community has really stood tall, because they care about what they have here. It’s a good community to live in- we’re very fortunate. But I think the key to this thing is we’ve got a kickoff to start the major fundraising. And now, you’re gonna see throughout the next year and a half, maybe two years or whatever it takes, but we’re gonna try to raise the $1.5 million to complete 100 percent get the catwalk back in shape to last many years.”

The first phase of the project, raising the catwalk, will cost the city an amount of money that has not yet been determined. Once the Corps’ resurfacing project is complete, the second phase, fixing the catwalk, will go into effect. Some of the 59 bends, or vertical-standing pieces that make up the catwalk, have been damaged by years of wind, waves, and ice and need to be replaced.

Fritz is confident that the community will continue to get behind the campaign, and that enough money will be raised to lift and eventually repair the catwalk.

“It’s gonna happen one way or another,” Fritz said. “When the Corps comes in, we will be ready.”