GRAND HAVEN, Mich.--A piece of Grand Haven history is in need of some serious repairs, and a community member with family ties is setting out to make it happen.
The Dewey Hill Anchor has been a staple in Grand Haven for years. But Brad Boyink says rotten wood and missing shingles have left it in need of big repairs and he’s up to the task.
"It's in really rough shape, but it's not beyond the point of being fixable," says Boyink. "This has been an important part of our family and the community. I don't want to see the thing just rust and fall a part."
Brad is the grandson of Bernie Boyink, who he says proposed the anchor in the first place. Boyink says it just needs a little TLC, work he says he's willing to do.
"I'm putting together a proposal, what needs to be done, how we can go about doing it, how the community wants to pitch in," Brad adds.
Boyink posted about the damage on Facebook to see if anyone thought it was worth the effort and got hundreds of comments many people saying to not only save it, but keep it up all-year round. Now he’s hoping the community will help with the $4,000 price tag.
"If the city council says 'yep let's move forward.' My goal is to use absolutely no city money whatsoever to fix it. I'll go to the Grand Haven Community Foundation. We'll set up an official mechanism for it to allow people to start doing it and then my goal would be in the spring to start making the repairs," says Boyink.
Boyink says the city is on board with the project but wants to see a formal proposal before giving the official go ahead.
We'll keep you updated on this story as it develops.
