Photo provided by Wendy Goodreau The new picnic area and tent pad near the outhouse and parking area at Point Abbaye.

The first phase of the Point Abbaye park improvements has been completed successfully with a new accessible vault toilet, parking area, picnic and camping area.

“We’re very pleased with the project,” Baraga County clerk Wendy Goodreau said.

The work was completed by MD Contracting, who submitted the lone bid for $68,500 that was approved in August. Funding came from a $45,000 Michigan Department of Natural Resources Passport Grant and a $15,000 Portage Health Foundation grant through the Keweenaw Community Foundation.

“Without them we wouldn’t be moving forward,” Goodreau said.

The remaining $8,500 is paid through logging proceeds from county-owned land.

Changes to the parking area are meant to keep vehicles from going past the designated parking area.

“I’m excited to move into phase two,” Goodreau said.

Phase two will include designating more camping and picnicking areas around Point Abbaye. If funding is available there will be a trail system, too.