Several bucks and a few does take a rest earlier this summer alongside the small pond in the deer pen at City Park. (Betsy Bloom/Daily News photo, file)

IRON MOUNTAIN — Improvements at a cost roughly estimated at $20,000 are needed to keep Iron Mountain’s deer pen open, plus whatever fees are charged for services provided by an attending veterinarian.

Iron Mountain City Council received that information Monday as it moved closer to determining the pen’s fate. Mayor Dale Alessandrini described the city’s deliberations as “a work in progress” and said he wants to make his decision “based on what I hear from constituents in Iron Mountain.”

The herd has been a City Park attraction since at least the 1940s, but the council is under orders from a U.S. Department of Agriculture official to correct deficiencies. Dr. Brianna Waldrop, a USDA veterinary medical officer, inspected the pen in May and instructed the city to improve the 6-acre enclosure and develop a care plan under supervision of a local veterinarian.

Ingalls veterinarian Dr. Barry Wehner was enlisted to draft a plan, but the city still needs an estimate on the possible cost of his services going forward. Wehner has called for a half-acre to 1-acre enclosure that includes a gate and privacy cloth to aid in treating and handling the animals. A pond that serves as a water supply would be removed and replaced with a water line and tank. A new tranquilizer gun and darts would also be needed.

City Manager Jordan Stanchina shared a cost estimate of $20,300 for those one-time expenses, plus annual costs of roughly $19,600 for grain, hay, straw and tuberculosis testing.

The TB testing would be tied to a plan to convert the pen from its exhibit status to becoming a breeding facility. This may eventually allow the city to move deer in and out. Wehner has also recommended removing antlers in the fall to guard against injuries, and culling aged and infirm deer on a regular basis.

Alessandrini said the one-time costs could be reduced through material donations and discounts from area businesses. Meanwhile, Caroline Sullivan and Brad Antilla of Friends of City Park said the organization is ready to help in meeting the pen’s needs.

Sullivan said the deer are “a huge draw” to City Park. Preserving the pen is at “the top of our list” for Friends of City Park, the organization’s president added.

Antilla said the deer enclosure was “a highlight of my childhood” and the tradition lives on.

Diane Luczak of Breitung Township presented a different view, saying the property can be used for other activities. She suggested culling the herd’s mature bucks, castrating the young ones, and allowing the herd to die off naturally.

She termed the current setup “a cruelty,” perpetuated by inbreeding, inadequate water and shelter, and “junk food” fed to the deer by park patrons.

Six animals identified by Waldrop as showing signs of illness were culled after her visit in May, including a pregnant doe believed to be 21 years old. After inspecting the herd in June, Wehner reported the remaining deer were “in excellent physical shape.”

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Jim Anderson can be reached at 906-774-2772, ext. 85226, or janderson@ironmountaindailynews.com.