Officials: Clelia II visits successful
By GARRETT NEESE, DMG writerHOUGHTON - Houghton city officials are pleased with the first run of cruise ship visits this summer, and say next year will be a chance to work out kinks.
"Overall, it was a great success," said Police Chief John Donnelly.
The Clelia II made 12 visits to the city this summer, the last of which came Sunday. The 290-foot, 4,077-ton ship is owned by the Great Lakes Cruise Company of Ann Arbor.
The ship carried about 75 passengers. Tickets for the cruise typically cost between $5,000 and $10,000.
Donnelly said most crew members made a beeline up M-26 to Walmart, which was followed in popularity by the Dollar Store and OfficeMax. But many of them also ate at downtown restaurants.
"There was a tradeoff," he said.
City Manager Scott MacInnes said the biggest beneficiaries had been the Quincy Mine Hoist and the Keweenaw National Historical Park, to which passengers were bused for historical tours. With donations from increased traffic, the Mine Hoist was able to do improvements, MacInnes said.
Initially, the visits to the park took up most of the passengers' time, Donnelly said.
The ship is scheduled to come back 10 times next year - four times in June and six in September.
Donnelly said the captain said there wouldn't be a problem docking by Dee Stadium next year, which would put the passengers in the center of downtown, allowing them to reach the shopping district more easily. This year, he said, the biggest boon to business was seen on the west end of Shelden Avenue.
Donnelly said the security training done in advance of next year provides them with a head start for next year. He said they also improved at processing passengers through the checkpoint over the course of the summer.
Mayor Bob Backon suggested when the ship's crew first comes in next year, they should be driven through downtown to show them what businesses are there - and that torn-up streets aren't.
"We should get the word out that we are completely done," he said.
Donnelly said he had spoken with the person in charge of scheduling the trips. She told Donnelly she could accommodate a change in the schedule to allow the visitors more time for downtown shopping.
"All these things help us as far as getting them downtown," he said.
Garrett Neese can be reached at gneese@mininggazette.com.
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Chrisworkingmom
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09-16-09 4:18 PM
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It actually is part of a three-tiered system of Marine Security, initiated by 9-11. If I remember correctly I remember seeing an article in the paper about Donnelly having to go and become certified in order to properly deal with possible threats. If a boat goes through international waterways (i.e. Superior) it ups the level of security necessary. People have to check on and off of the boat. It may seem like a bit much considering it is a boat coming on a tour of the U.P., but it is part of the homeland security package, and if someone came off of that boat and bombed Houghton, all anyone would say was "why didn't the government do something to stop it?". So while they are not transporting prisoners, everyone going off and on are essentially treated like it's a possibility.
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snowbound
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09-15-09 5:36 PM
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Why does Garrett keep asking the cops about the Clelia. Is it moving prisoners or something? Donnelly sounds like a chamber of commerce official analyzing shopping patterns. I assume the Clelia isn't taking up too much of our police attention and he knows this just because its a small town.
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lostmyshovel
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09-15-09 5:24 PM
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I suppose. It still would be nice to know if they consider it a roaring success or if it was borderline. Backon seems to think it's important that they know downtown is finished.
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Islander84
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09-15-09 3:54 PM
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It appears as if the cruise line agrees with the city officials, seeing as they've scheduled ten more trips next year.
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lostmyshovel
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09-15-09 12:32 PM
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"Officials: Clelia II visits successful" Houghton officials, that is. What does the cruise line think?
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