IRON MOUNTAIN, Mich. (WLUC) – For 75 years, the Iron Mountain City Park has allowed visitors to observe deer from the deer pen in the park. But Monday, the city council has voted to remove the deer pen from the park, and the deer will have to be killed.
Iron Mountain Mayor Dale Alessandrini is among those in the community saddened to see it end this way.
“Yes, we needed some work in the park for the deer,” Mayor Alessandrini said. “The deer were interbred. But I don’t think that we should kill them all at one time. And that’s what’s gonna happen.”
Friends of Iron Mountain City Park Member Caroline Sullivan says she’s also disappointed by the decision. Sullivan and Mayor Alessandrini say they were hopeful the help they received from various groups would be enough to keep the pen open.
“He got help from the labor union,” Sullivan said. “And everything for us to save this, and it got voted down.”
Iron Mountain City Manager Jordan Stanchina acknowledges the donations would help for a one-time payment, but it would not be enough for the long run.
Last year, the USDA deemed the pen not up to the organization’s standards. In order to update the pen, it would cost the city around $22,000 dollars.
“A majority of that one-time cost would’ve probably been donated, but then there was an annual cost associated with that going forward for feed and veterinarians care,” Stanchina said. “Which was estimated to be approximately $16,000 for the current year.”
Because the deer were interbred, Sullivan says she understands releasing them into the wild would not be feasible, and the deer had no skills to survive in the wilderness. However, she and Mayor Alessandrini say they are both sad to know the decision came down to financial costs to keep the pen running.
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