One year since Fishtown’s weathered docks and tugboat Joy starred in a national Carhartt and Guinness commercial for St. Patrick’s Day, there’s once again big action in Fishtown. Right now, the entire place is a construction site, including a historic Carlson’s Fishery demolition and rebuild and replacement of the north docks.

The Leelanau Ticker asks Fishtown Preservation Society’s Amanda Holmes what’s happening behind the construction fence (and when we all can stroll the storied fishing village with our Cheese Shanty sandwiches):

Leelanau Ticker: What work is happening on the Fishtown docks, and why?
Holmes: Right now, Biggs’ crew is installing the new hemlock decking, local wood milled at Lake Ann Hardwoods. The dock surface is as beautiful as a new barn floor.

One thing few people realize is that the docks had become so precarious that they were dangerous. When the barge and crane crews were removing the docks, we overheard one of the guys saying, ‘They actually let people walk on these?’ Had we not been able to get the work done this season we may have been forced to block them off from visitors, which would have disappointed every visitor this summer.

Leelanau Ticker: What is the scope of the dock project?
Holmes: The north side Fishtown docks, when complete, will cost around $600,000. We have had to meet strict engineering standards, [one of which] is getting the piles deep into the ground, so they can withstand how crazy the Leland River current can get when the water is high or when we get a lot of rain…and withstand ice jacking in the winter when the river freezes. The Joy and Janice Sue, as well, can be tough on the docks under all of those conditions.

Leelanau Ticker: From afar it looks like a big change from the weathered look we all recognize…
Holmes: Right now, when people look at the docks they are seeing the brightness of new wood. The surfaces will age soon, settling into the environment. We decided to keep the piles long for now, determining the right height when this round of projects is complete. And be assured that the new docks are not entirely even! It’s impossible to do anything in Fishtown and get entirely clean lines.

Leelanau Ticker: What’s it been like for the crew?
Holmes: The wind and snow blasting off Lake Michigan was a tough working environment! A satisfying part of the projects has been getting to know the crews — Matt Fogg of St. James Marine Co & Fogg Towing and Marine; Ernie Martin of KM Contractors; Tim Newman of Kasson Contracting and Bob Biggs of Biggs Construction. Many of the guys grew up visiting Fishtown and some have worked here for summer jobs. They love being here. In fact, Ernie Martin [the owner of KM Contractors, based on Beaver Island] said his family used to fish on Beaver Island until their commercial fishing operations were shut down by the State of Michigan, and he likes being a part of a place that is now working to continue that heritage.

In everything about Fishtown, it is the ground-level work and the people who do it now and who have done it in the past that add a rich layer of specialness to this place.

Leelanau Ticker: Speaking of fisheries, how is the rebuild of Carlson’s Fishery going?
Holmes: Framing of the “new” portion of Carlson’s Fishery began in early January, with the building fully enclosed by the end of February. It would have been much easier for the construction crews to just tear down that the “old” portion of the fishery shanty, too, but it was important that we retain that shanty. Now comes all the detailed work. When people enter the retail area of the fishery they are entering a tangible piece of history, and that there have been fishing operations in this shanty since it was built in the 1920s.

Leelanau Ticker: What do operations look like now — 100-plus years later — for Carlson’s Fishery?
Holmes: Nels Carlson and Mike Burda, who now operate the fishery, are relieved that they’ll be able to work and not worry that a health violation could shut them down. The goal is to get Carlson’s back into the shanty by early May, if not sooner. They’ll have a lot of work to do to get the shanty ready for business, including their final touches to the interior and getting all of their equipment back in place.

Leelanau Ticker: It’s still an active construction site?
Holmes: Definitely. We’ve been discouraged at how many people are climbing over the orange fencing and come right on into Fishtown as if it was mid-summer, somehow oblivious to the fact that there are no docks! Even when the docks are further along, we’ll still be wrapping up other projects, and ask that people refrain from the impulse to take a closer look.

Leelanau Ticker: When is Fishtown “open” for the 2022 season?
Holmes: Over the years the opening of the Village Cheese Shanty in mid-April has become like the first migrating bird returning for the season, that touch and taste of the summer ahead. It’s become a deadline of sorts for our projects because Bob Biggs and his crew don’t want to be the ones that will keep the public from their sandwiches! When they do meet that deadline, it is likely that portions of Fishtown will still be off-limits.

Leelanau Ticker: Can you fill us in on any cool anecdotes or reactions to the fishery rebuild?
Holmes: One of the most interesting discoveries: along the beams/ceiling joists were nails where the fishermen had placed the wood net floats to dry. No one had seen any of these since the ceiling had been closed off decades ago. These things are a reminder that the life of this building has ebbed and flowed with the changing industry, and yet it has remained a commercial fishing shanty.

None of this would have been possible without our donors. When the water levels began to go up in 2019, and with it extent and cost of the projects, people who love Fishtown have opened their hearts and contributed.

Photos: Left by Summer Meyer; right by Amanda Holmes