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June 22, 2001Spend a night aboard historic Manistee ferryS.S. City of Milwaukee will rent onboard rooms July 2By STACEY SMITHRecord-Eagle staff writer MANISTEE - The S.S. City of Milwaukee, a historic car ferry that was evicted, welcomed elsewhere and later forced to move because of low water levels, plans to get into the hospitality business. The historic ship plans to rent rooms for the night starting July 2. There are 70 berths above and below the 70-year-old ship's deck. The endeavor is expected to bring more tourism into Manistee and give visitors and residents a unique experience, said Tom Kubanek, director of the Manistee County Economic Development Corp. "There's no place in Michigan where you can do this," Kubanek said. "It's unique." Ship curator Jed Jaworski said rooms on board the boat, which at one time belonged to the crew of the car ferry, have been renovated and will be rented for $24.95 to $39.95 per night, including breakfast. Proceeds will go toward the further renovation of the vessel. Officers' rooms, of course, will cost more - $60 per night. And the cost to lie in the captain's room depends on the amenities, such as a sun deck or private bathroom. "Folks are really excited about it," Jaworski said. "There aren't any opportunities to spend the night on a ship that represents the richness of the steamboats." The Society for the Preservation of the City of Milwaukee, the group that owns the ship, has worked to maintain the historic value of the vessel while still upgrading the rooms and kitchen to meet local health department codes, Jaworski said. "We constantly walk the tightrope between the Secretary of the Interior standards for an historic landmark and the health department standards," he said. The task was especially difficult in renovating the ship's galley, he said. "It's basically a 1931 kitchen," Jaworski said. "Obviously, we don't want the galley aboard the ship to look like the kitchen of McDonald's." Eventually, plans call for the ship to be operational, he said. It is now moored in Manistee, where it will likely stay for the next few years. Part of the Ann Arbor Railroad Carferry fleet that operated from Elberta until 1982, the City of Milwaukee spent several years moored in Elberta until the village refused a permanent place for the ship in 1999. Voters in Frankfort, across Betsie Bay from Elberta, agreed to moor the boat near the city's public boat launch, but low water levels forced Society members to look for a spot in Manistee to keep the boat. Since moving to Manistee the ship has been open for tours and special events. Stacey Smith is the reporter for Leelanau, Manistee and Benzie counties. She can be reached at (231) 933-1408, or at ssmith@record-eagle.com |