Barge owner faces deadline

The clock is ticking for a marine contractor ordered to remove an industrial barge from the shoreline of West Grand Traverse Bay.

Donald Balcom, the owner of Balcom Marine Contractors, has until a 9:20 court date Monday morning, to move the vessel which was at the heart of criminal charges lodged by the Michigan Attorney General’s Office.

For the past several years, Balcom has moved the sunken barge to locations in West Bay. This is much to the chagrin of some property owners and some state agencies.