Waterworks Building

In 2022, City Manager Heffron established a special advisory committee that assisted in determining reuses for the former waterworks building on Teal Lake. The committee spent a year collecting information on this historic building, including its history, structural integrity/deficiencies, rehabilitation costs, and providing possible reuses for the structure. Provided is a short video (non-narrated) of the buildings’ history and renderings of what the building could look like, as well as the committee’s full report.

Waterworks Study - Click Here

City Manager Nate Heffron is pleased to announce the completion of the Teal Lake Waterworks Building Special Advisory Committee’s work. The committee was charged with several core duties related to the old waterworks building located on Teal Lake. These include the review of the structural exterior and interior components of the building, determining a reuse for the building and its grounds, determining the scope of work and estimated costs for reuse, rehabilitation, and occupancy, and presenting their findings and recommendations to the City Council.

The committee presented their findings to council on January 12 of this year. The presentation included a brief history of the waterworks budling from its conception to its current status. The committee also presented an informative video of the waterworks history and renderings of what this building could look like if restored for public use.

“The property in question is encumbered by an agreement signed with the Michigan Department of Natural Resources (MDNR), this happened when the city was awarded a grant for a fishing dock located on the property in 1996”, City Manager Nate Heffron said.

The encumbrance locks the city into an agreement, guaranteeing the property will only be used for public recreational purposes, barring any thoughts for private or commercial uses.

The committee suggested that the building might be used as a historical/welcome center about Teal Lake, Negaunee, native inhabitants, and the iron ore industry. The committee also recognized that there could be issues centered around any reuse, such as lack of parking, access to the current boat launch, and whether or not any of the buildings’ grounds would need to be used for future safety enhancements at the intersection of Teal Lake Avenue, Croix Street, and US-41.

Council has not decided to take any action as of yet, the report presented was only to provide the committee’s findings. Future decisions concerning the building will be made at a later date.

“I thank this committee for their hard work and professionalism they have put into this project. They have gone above and beyond, providing the city with a great product and have shown great potential for this historic building”, City Manager, Nate Heffron said.

Those interested in reviewing the full report or viewing the informative video can find them on this page. 

Questions concerning this release may be directed to the attention of the City Manager, Nate Heffron at (906) 475-7700 ext. 11.