For over 150 years, tourists from all over the world have descended upon the picturesque Mackinac Island every summer for rest, relaxation, and a step into the old world.  Horse-drawn taxis pull families down streets lined with fudge shops and craft stores, as bicycles and carts coast past the historic Fort Mackinac and the Grand Hotel.  Mackinac is known as an island “lost in time,” where motorized vehicles are forbidden, and the pace is more nineteenth century than twenty-first.

But it would be fair to ask, how do these beautiful roads get built?  How do the hotels and restaurants get their clean water? And what is it like to work in such a unique environment, where one can look west and see traffic pass over the modern marvel that is the Mackinac Bridge, while hearing only the hooves of horses on the island roads?

Many of the operating engineers and other workers for Bacco Construction, based in Iron Mountain, know exactly what it is like to carry out this work.  For around 30 years, Bacco has been heading to Mackinac Island on a consistent basis to perform projects from repaving the airport that serves the island, and the roads leading all over for tourists and year-round residents alike, to their current work – a $77 million dollar expansion and renovation of the island’s wastewater treatment plant.  Under General Contractor Fleis and Vanderbrink, Bacco is working on that project alongside several other contractors, including Lunda, and it will increase the plant’s capacity to handle sewage by 44%.

“We enjoy working on the island because it takes a lot of time and effort to complete a successful project,” explains Bacco President Kyle Fortier. “We have developed a great relationship with the city and the state park and look forward to that partnership for many years to come.”

“All projects come with their own challenges logistically.  We have become normalized with these challenges,” he goes on to explain. “Having an asphalt plant mobilized to the island is one of the most challenging parts, which we’ve done five times. The other fun part is getting the proper aggregates barged over and offloaded at British Landing.”

Superintendent Mario Calcaterra knows all about the long history of work on Mackinac Island, and of Bacco as well.  He started out with Bacco 50 years ago as a laborer, and eventually became a Foreman and Superintendent. Calcaterra has been on the island every year for some time, overseeing and bidding projects even now, despite having retired – twice.  Still, the island and Bacco call him back.

“It’s a different world up here,” says Calcaterra. “There are so many variables.  It’s north, so there’s always the weather.  Then there is transportation to the island and then on the island. And the rules here are different than anywhere else.”

He goes on to explain one example – when school is in session, they are not allowed to operate equipment between 8:00am-8:30am, 12:00pm-12:45pm, or 3:00pm-4:00pm, unless it is in a confined area away from populated sections of the island.

“You learn what the rules are, and you live by them.”

Often, the construction equipment on any given project is among the only non-emergency motorized vehicles on the entire island.  And even then, the equipment is limited to the actual work being done.

Calcaterra laughs.  “I certainly ride bikes.  Or we take horses.  So, getting around takes a lot more time too.  We need an escort if we work in the city, so we can have to wait for that as well.”

Bacco, who has been a signatory contractor with Operating Engineers 324 for around 60 years, according to their records, has been involved with dozens of island projects, including paving M-185 (the “only state highway in the nation where motor vehicles are banned” according to MDOT), three separate projects including runways for the Mackinac Island Airport, paving the island golf courses, building a break wall around the island perimeter to assist with wave damage, multiple paving projects, and now the wastewater treatment plant.

Joe Prunick has been with Bacco as an OE 324 member for seven years.  A second-generation operator whose father retired after 40 years, Joe owned a logging truck for a decade and a half before deciding to go back into the construction field.  His first six years with Bacco included underground work in Munising, moving a railroad spur in Gulliver, and a culvert dam in Newberry.  Last fall, he headed to Mackinac Island to start the excavation for tanks at the wastewater site.

“It was certainly different at first,” he laughs, “even hard getting on and off the island, you have to be on-time or the last boat leaves without you.”

Once Joe got used to the differences of a Mackinac Island project, “taking pedal bikes and horse taxis to the site,” he found working there to be “beautiful scenery.” Since then, he has returned for ongoing work on the wastewater treatment plant, and additional paving projects.

“When folks see us working there, they will come out and ask us to quote doing their walkway or street too.  I guess they figure if someone is here, and they know how to do the work, we better try to grab them when we can.”

Getting materials to the island can be tricky.  First, all equipment and materials are brought to Mackinac through British Landing on the west side of the island.  Equipment is offloaded, and on several of the large projects, like the airport, a batch plant was shipped over and set up on the island.  For other smaller jobs, materials may need to be shipped direct from plants on the mainland in the Upper Peninsula.

Once on the island, the equipment and materials are moved to where they are needed.  Currently at the wastewater plant site, there are cranes and dirt-movers of both Lunda and Bacco.  It gives Bacco a place to stage for other projects that arise as well.

On this day, Joe is using a skid steer to spread gravel along a road a distance from the wastewater facility.  The skid steer has a grader attachment, and so they are using the good weather to update this path.

Mario explains one of the unique challenges of paving on Mackinac – horseshoes.

“The horseshoes – the metal shoes – impact roads different.”

He points to a road leading toward the Grand Hotel.  Unlike a typical road, the wear markings aren’t spread out, like tires, but are closer together and in the middle.  Like a set of hammers, going up and down each road, over and over all spring, summer, and fall, the hooves and their shoes create a unique wear.

For a paving project like this, there is a minimal crew needed. But in 2011, when Bacco was in the process of removing, relocating, and regrading Mackinac Island Airport, there was a much larger team dispatched to the Island.

“Probably 25 guys,” says Calcaterra.  “And that’s not including the plant operators and the crushing operation.”

The wastewater treatment plant project is on the larger side of things.  The updates will enhance the city’s sewer system, promising widespread advantages for the community by bolstering both its reliability and efficiency. Responsible for managing all wastewater across the island and encompassing facilities within Mackinac Island State Park (with the exception of select residences utilizing septic systems), this project marks the first comprehensive renovation of the sewer plant since its inception in the 1970s. Over the years, the plant has undergone intermittent enhancements, with the latest upgrades implemented in 2012.

Projects like these require efficiency, safety, and patience.  When working windows are limited and mistakes could be doubly expensive to other projects, Bacco is always mindful of how to get the job done best.  That, Fortier explains, is part of why the partnership with OE 324 is so important.

“We value OE 324 (operating engineers) because they are dependable and have a great work ethic.  Having dependable employees is critical to being successful and 324 provides us with the workforce to do so.”

“It comes down to the employees, and we have great people that work for Bacco.  Our 324 workforce is strong, and we pride ourselves on the work that they do.  We have a lot of second and third generation 324 employees at Bacco.”

Fortier calls out a couple in particular – including Calcaterra.

“I would like to recognize Eric Dufek.  Eric was a longtime plant operator for Bacco and recently passed away from cancer.  He was deeply involved with the growth of our company and was responsible for 4 of the 5 plant mobilizations to the island.   Management-wise, Mario Calcaterra started his 50th year with the company this year and has been involved with almost every one of our projects on the island over the years.”

Calcaterra swears this is his last year.

“I told them, September, I’m completely retired. They know.”

Huge cruise ships now sit off the coast of Mackinac.  Aboard are passengers of the many Viking cruises now sailing through the Great Lakes.  Today, their passengers will leave their state-of-the-art ship and head ashore to enjoy a step back 150 years.  They will ride in the wagons and enjoy all the beauty and excitement the Island has to offer.  And most likely they will have no idea about how those roads get paved, the water cleaned, or the beach protected.  And that’s ok.  Because if they did know or notice, it would mean the spell of Mackinac was broken.  Bacco has worked very hard to make sure that magic stays intact.  It isn’t easy, but it certainly is…

“Unique,” says Joe.  “I think that’s the only word for it!”