At a council meeting Monday, City Manager Jordan Stanchina said he’ll continue to explore the possibility of gaining a “special exception” through the Michigan Department of Natural Resources to allow a transfer to another facility.

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 pen deficiencies. Culling has been a regular practice to keep the herd at a manageable level, but this is the first time the city has faced a decision to remove the entire lot.

In May, Dr. Brianna Waldrop, a USDA veterinary medical officer, instructed the city to improve the 6-acre enclosure and develop a care plan under supervision of a local veterinarian. Six animals identified by Waldrop as showing signs of illness were culled after her visit, including a pregnant doe believed to be 21 years old.

Over the summer, Ingalls veterinarian Dr. Barry Wehner drafted a plan to convert the attraction into a breeding facility where animals might eventually be moved in and out. The herd size now is about 17.

Part of the herd in the deer pen in City Park. (Terri Castelaz/Daily News)

Facing a deadline for licensing, Stanchina earlier this month provided a cost estimate for a conversion that included a one-time pen expense of $22,000 and ongoing spending of roughly $16,000 a year for grain, straw, tuberculosis testing and Wehner’s consultations. The veterinarian had recommended culling aged and infirm deer on a regular basis and removing antlers in the fall.

At a Feb. 2 meeting, Mayor Dale Alessandrini said donated materials and labor, along with a contribution from Friends of the City Park, could nearly negate the first-year cost. The council, however, voted 5-2 to eliminate the pen.

At Monday’s meeting, council member Kyle Blomquist countered reports that the city’s decision was entirely financially driven. Critics of the pen, he pointed out, have called the attraction a cruelty perpetuated by decades of inbreeding.

A cost estimate for Wehner’s plan was delayed for months as the city waited for him to respond on what his fees might be. That gave council members pause on whether a breeding facility could be viable in the long term as Wehner was the only veterinarian in the region who appeared willing to oversee the herd.

In other action Monday, the council:

— Accepted a bid price of $71,545 from L.W. Allen LLC of Madison, Wis., to replace pumps at a lift station on Margaret Street. The work will also include railings to support the pumps and the control panel.

— Reappointed Lori Lamy to a three-year term on the Iron Mountain Tree Board.

— Reappointed Jason Kreski as a city representative on the Iron Mountain-Kingsford Joint Sewage Authority.

Jim Anderson can be reached at 906-774-3500, ext. 85226, or janderson@ironmountaindailynews.com.