The City of Algoma has rejected all bids for the Crescent Beach Stormwater Improvement Project and will be soliciting a new round of offers next month. The project intends to treat stormwater runoff at the north end of Crescent Beach before it is allowed to flow into Lake Michigan. As of now, that storm water runs into the lake unfiltered and may contain chemicals and pollutants. The first round of bids had three submissions with the lowest offer over $100,000 above the sum of the grants received from the Environmental Protection Agency and the Fund for Lake Michigan. Algoma cannot cover such a large difference. The deadline has been pushed back by the EPA to allow the grant for a project completed in 2020. Treasurer Amber Shallow hopes the new timeframe increases the number of bids received and lowers the cost of the project.

Algoma is hoping for a Coastal Management Grant from the State of Wisconsin to be approved in the future. That is another option to help bridge a potential discrepancy between funds already secured and bid values.