Locked Locks Could Spell Trouble

For years, thousands of boaters travelling the Inland Waterway have made their way through the Crooked Lake Locks, and many local businesses have profited by being in a town located at the heart of the lake chain. This year, those same businesses could be facing hard times. The Michigan Department of Natural Resources, which operates the lock under an agreement with the US Army Corps of Engineers, reported this month that the lock is shut down and will not be able to open this spring without repairs.

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Several businesses say they depend solely on the usually busy summer months to carry them through a slow winter. Genevieve lloydof Sherman's Store says, "Fifty-percent of our business that we do for the year is done in July, August, and September. About seventy-five percent of our business comes from crooked and pickeral lakes by boat." Many businesses say even jobs will be affected. "I'll have to layoff some employees that run our pontoon rentals." says Jerry Kovacs at Spanky's Marine, "I'm sure that's going to affect other businesses along the way laying off people." Businesses who solely depend on the locks for profit say they will lose about three employees each for the summer season.

Now, residents in Alanson are pressuring lawmakers to take action. A meeting about the locks is scheduled in Lansing next week with the Army Corp of Engineers. The mayor of Alanson is scheduled to attend that meeting.