Terri Castelaz/Daily News, Iron Mt. Part of the herd Tuesday in the deer pen in City Park. The Iron Mountain City Council voted Monday night to shut down the longtime park attraction rather than invest more money to correct several deficiencies in the enclosure and care of the animals.

RON MOUNTAIN — “None of us feel good about it, but it has to be done,” council member David Farragh said after a vote Monday to eliminate the iconic but troubled deer pen at Iron Mountain City Park.

The decision was more than a year in the making after citizens in January 2025 encouraged the council to close the pen and allow other uses such as community gardens, trails, birdwatching stations, pickleball courts, an ice rink, a sledding hill or even an outdoor theater.

The pen had supporters as well, including Mayor Dale Alessandrini, who backed the idea of converting the enclosure into a breeding facility under supervision of an Ingalls veterinarian.

But in a 5-2 vote Monday, the council rejected that plan, giving permission for the entire herd to be culled and processed into venison for food banks. While a year ago the pen had as many as 24 deer, the herd is now down to about 17.

“This is not a financial decision,” said council member Pam Maule, who voted with the majority. “It’s the state of the pen.”

The council during the past year has heard criticisms from Diane Luczak of Breitung Township, among others, calling the pen a cruelty perpetuated by inbreeding, inadequate water and shelter and “junk food” fed by park patrons.

The herd has been a City Park attraction since at least the 1940s, but the council was under orders from a U.S. Department of Agriculture official to correct pen deficiencies. Dr. Brianna Waldrop, a USDA veterinary medical officer, did an inspection in May and told the city to improve the 6-acre enclosure and develop a care plan under supervision of a local veterinarian. Six animals identified by Waldrop as showing signs of illness were culled after her visit, including a pregnant doe believed to be 21 years old.

Over the summer, Ingalls veterinarian Dr. Barry Wehner drafted a plan to convert the attraction from a licensed exhibit into a breeding facility. He called for a 1-acre enclosure within the pen for treating and handling the animals. The pen’s pond, an attraction for geese and bacteria, would be removed and replaced with a water line and tank.

Wehner also recommended removing antlers in the fall to guard against injuries, and culling aged and infirm deer on a regular basis.

Facing a USDA deadline for license renewal, City Manager Jordan Stanchina on Monday provided a cost estimate that included a pen conversion expense of $22,000 and ongoing spending of about $16,000 a year for grain, straw, tuberculosis testing and Wehner’s consultations.

Alessandrini said donated materials and labor, along with a contribution from Friends of City Park, could nearly negate the first-year cost. He acknowledged “growing pains” but added, “I think we could have pretty nice deer farm going forward.”

Stanchina noted that if a breeding license were granted, it would be three years before any deer from the enclosure could be sold. Some on the council also voiced skepticism over whether there might be buyers, given the many decades of inbreeding.

“For three years, you’re still going to be taking deer out,” Farragh said, adding, “I think it’s time” to end the attraction.

A cost estimate for the breeding facility was delayed for months as the city waited for Wehner to respond on what his fees might be. That left Maule wondering if a breeding plan was viable in the long term.

“It was not easy to find one vet that does this,” Stanchina said.

Dr. Brian Scott, an Iron Mountain veterinarian who assisted with a herd assessment in June, had said it would be “impossible to implement an effective veterinary program” at the park without substantial pen improvements.

Council member Ken Clawson offered a motion Monday to eliminate the deer, receiving support from Maule, Farragh and council members Kyle Blomquist and Mark Wickman. Council member Cathy Tomassoni joined Alessandrini in dissenting.

Blomquist, the mayor pro tem, said he appreciated the efforts of Alessandrini and others wanting to preserve the pen but sided with those seeing it as inhumane.

Caroline Sullivan of Friends of City Park said she was saddened by the council’s decision. “I understand it,” she said, but added the pen is a big draw for visitors and major park contributions have been received because of it.

“It’s something from all of our pasts,” she said. “Each of you have children who you’ve taken there.”

Stanchina noted a suggestion considered last year that the bucks be castrated so the herd could die off naturally was deemed impractical. That would still require renewal of a license from USDA, an attending veterinarian and pen improvements, he said.

Simply releasing the deer is prohibited as well.

Jason Gibbs of Iron Mountain addressed the council, saying he hopes a good plan is developed for the future of the park property. “I know it’s not a decision made lightly,” he said.