Community Corner

New Baltimore Harbor, Patrol Boat Dedicated on Lake St. Clair

The patrol boat was named "The Wiz" in honor of late New Baltimore police reserve officer and Selfridge airman Patrick Wisniewski.

Recreation along Lake St. Clair got a boost Monday with the dedication of a public harbor and patrol boat in downtown New Baltimore. 

Local leaders, community members and law enforcement gathered around the public boat docks in the old beach section of Walter and Mary Burke Park for a ribbon-cutting ceremony. 

U.S. Congresswoman Candice Miller, Macomb County Executive Mark Hackel, New Baltimore Mayor Larry Smith and County Commissioner Kathy Vosburg of Chesterfield Township emphasized the significance of water recreation and safety in the community. 

"We now realize and we have for sometime that the waterfront is our access to our community and is an asset to our community," Smith said, noting business development downtown, kayak rentals this summer and a streetscape improvement project starting Aug. 1. 

Hackel called the initiative a "great collaborative" effort that will help ensure safety while attracting visitors to the county's waterways. New Baltimore reserves manning the patrol boat will work with Macomb County Sheriff's Marine Division and will be able to respond to vessel fires and other emergencies.

Miller said she was delighted when New Baltimore Police Chief Tim Wiley contacted her office to involve her in the federal grant application process.

"Northern border security really has been a principal advocacy of mine since I came into Congress," Miller said, citing the significance of promoting safety in the northern border leading into Canada. 

Boat named after New Baltimore police officer

Officials announced the multi-jurisdictional patrol boat has been named "The Wiz" in honor of Patrick Wisniewski, a city police reserve officer and Selfridge airman.

Wisniewski, whose nickname was the boat's moniker, was killed earlier this month when an alleged drunken driver crashed into his motorcycle as he left the air base in Harrison Township from his regular shift. His wife Jennifer was in attendance at the dedication ceremony. 

"He was the first marine reservist to finish his training on this boat," Miller said of Wisniewski. She told Jennifer that any time the boat rescues someone, "the Wiz is there." 



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