More and more Leelanau properties are being preserved through conservation agreements. This Record-Eagle story tells how four properties in the County are being preserved through agreements with the Leelanau Conservancy. Just think what could be accomplished if we had a county-wide program like the one voted down last year!
There's a good article in New York Times today by Keith Schneider of Michigan Land Use Institute about the revival of the State Theater in downtown Traverse City, as well as about other theaters in other communities also being restored to their former glory. It's something for our community to be proud of.
A SLAPP (strategic litigation against public participation) suit by local behemoth Meijer against an Acme public official has been slapped down by a mediation panel . Meijer hoped to intimidate Acme Treasurer William Boltres into dropping his opposition to their application to build a giant store on M-72 in Acme by filing a SLAPP suit against him. SLAPP suits are an inexpensive way for big players like Meijers to try to stifle public opposition to a project they want to jam through. Private citizens or public officials who oppose the project are hit with lawsuits that can cost many thousands of dollars to defend. Often, rather than take a chance on bankruptcy, the opponents fold. It's a pattern of behavior that Meijer has engaged in more than 30 cases in 4 states. On this occasion, Traverse City attorney Grant Parsons stepped in to help Boltres defend himself, and Meijer has lost the first round. Not surprisingly, they intend to contest the panel's recommendation, according to this article in the Record-Eagle .
It's convenient to shop at Meijers, no doubt. But does a store that tries to bully local governments in this way really deserve our patronage?
Neighbors in Elmwood Township are mobilizing to try to stop a giant electric sub-station slated for construction next door to their homes. Property owners in Elmwood Township have petitioned the Elmwood Township Zoning Board of Appeals to interpret language in its zoning ordinance as it applies to the provision of "essential services" in response to construction that began on a rural site in the township earlier in November. Wolverine Power Cooperative plans to build a massive super-sized electric sub-station on the site, but as construction began the public in Elmwood was unaware that the utility was building in the township. Wolverine Power Cooperative is a not-for-profit, member-owned generation and transmission electric cooperative based in Cadillac, Michigan and provides wholesale electricity to Cherryland Electric Cooperative and four other electricity co-ops in Michigan.
Adjacent property owners Mason and Lisa Argue filed one of the petitions. They had no knowledge of the proposal to build a massive electric "Super Sub-station" next to their property before construction equipment moved onto the site and started work. Without their knowledge, approval for the project had been granted as early as last July through the signature of a single Elmwood employee without the benefit of review by any township board or commission and without public notice or public hearing.
"Wolverine found a way to get this in through the back door", observed Mason Argue in regard to the approval process as it was addressed by the Township. "Anyone down there (township hall) who looked at the news papers knew there had been a huge storm over this thing across the highway in Garfield Township last spring. They should have known this thing was big and ugly and dangerous, and they should have let us know it was being planned."
Based on statements made by Elmwood officials to date, it is difficult to determine which offices had complete information on the project, or how the determination was made that Wolverine was clear to proceed. Once construction equipment was on the property and the phones began to ring at the Township Hall the board quickly voted to authorize its attorney to make a determination as to whether a complete review as required had been carried out. Abstaining from the vote was Trustee Terry Lautner.
In addition to serving as Trustee on the Elmwood Township Board, Lautner holds a seat on the Cherryland Electric Co-op Board (an elected position), and has held a seat on the Wolverine Board in the past. The 10 acre lot where the 750 foot long and 80 foot tall super substation has been proposed is owned by Lautner and is being purchased by Wolverine. Lautner spoke on behalf of the project before excusing himself from voting on the matter. He indicated that the project was one he'd been working to see to completion over a period of years. Elmwood Zoning Administrator Don Witkoski retired and left the area shortly after signing off on the project.
Wolverine abandoned a process it had undertaken to locate the station a short distance away in Garfield Township earlier in the year. The utility had argued that its then proposed location was the best possible site for the facility. Facing stiff public resistance Wolverine let the matter drop. Explaining its decision to relocate the project in Elmwood a Wolverine spokesman indicated that the choice had been made in light of their understanding that no public hearing would be required in Elmwood.
"Before this all happened I would have said that it was a good thing to have someone from the Township Board sit on the Electric co-op board", said Argue. "I would have thought an arrangement like that would have given the public a better picture as to how infrastructure was going to be developed in our community. But I guess you have to be careful. If you have people that want to do things in secret they'll do as they please whether they've been elected to uphold the public trust or not".
The question of interpretation raised by the neighbors will likely be taken up by the Elmwood Zoning Board of Appeals at its regularly scheduled meeting on Wednesday, December 19 at the township hall.
Photo by tilaneseven. Used under a Creative Commons license thru http://flickr.com/photos/tilaneseven/255407796/
The Leelanau County Board of Commissioners will be considering whether or not they may have violated the state Open Meetings Act when they elected to go into closed session at several of their meetings last year, according to this Leelanau Enterprise story. The possible violations were pointed out by Alan Campbell, publisher of the Enterprise.
Black Star Farms, which operates a winery and inn just south of Suttons Bay, is expanding their operations. In addition to a second winery now underway on Old Mission peninsula, Black Star is in the process of building out a tasting room at Grand Traverse Commons on the grounds of the old State Hospital. The facility will highlight Black Star's brandies and dessert wines.
Troubles continue to mount for the Bay View development in Suttons Bay, according to Leelanau Enterprise article. The project's developer is now being sued for various misrepresentations made to buyers and potential buyers, in addition to the numerous construction liens already files against the project.
County administrator David Gill, himself a former police officer and Fife Lake resident, has hired another former police officer and Fife Lake resident to replace former Building Inspection Department head Robert VanDyke, according to this Enterprise article. VanDyke was fired on June 4, two days after he rescinded occupancy permits for every unit at the troubled BayView condominium development in the Village of Suttons Bay because of potential health and safety concerns. One day later, Gill took control of the department and reversed VanDyke's decision.
A beach improvement project in Empire costing more than $400K is underway in Empire. The project includes new roads, sidewalks, buried utility lines, playground equipment, bathroom facilities, and a sand retention wall which some complain blocks the view of the Lake. According to tv7-4.com, local resident Alice Diggins says "I like the old prestige beach when there wasn't too many people. But times change [...] It's different and you have to adjust to change but you don't always have to like it." We agree.
The cherry crop is ripening early this year -- so early in fact that the Cherry Festival scheduled for July 7-14 will be able to use local fruit this year, according to this article in the Freep. One more example of the long-term trend of the cherry harvest coming earlier and earlier?
The first sweets should be ready to eat by the end of the week.
This is fun. Someone wrote to Chowhound.com asking where to eat in Traverse City, and generated a bunch of recommendations and warnings. Not mentioned -- the great sandwiches at Mary's Kitchen Port and Folgarelli's.
George Weeks, dean of Michigan political writers, has a column this week on the Great Lakes and their relation to the developing world-wide water crisis.
Turtles, once plentiful in and near Northern Michigan waters, are on the decline, according to a recent scientific study. Not surprisingly, among the main causes are sprawl and development, which destroy the reptiles' habitat.
A county commissioner in neighboring Grand Traverse county has sued her colleagues on the board, claiming that they tried to block her from taping their meetings, according to this article from MLive.
Christine Maxbauer is seeking more openness and accountability in the way in which local government is being conducted--an important and worthy goal that deserves to be pursued throughout our region.
Leelanau's tourist-oriented business, especially the smaller ones that make up an important part of the local economy, are not effectively represented by existing Convention and Visitors Bureaus (CVBs), says says this article in the TC Business News.
Rick Coates has been working for the past several years to organize an alternative the CVBs that are dominated by large players like the Homestead (and which actually exclude smaller players from participating). The Leelanau Tourism Initiative is attempting to bring together the smaller inns, restaurants, galleries, and wineries that should make the County even more of a draw than it is today. By working together to publicize Leelanau County as a destination, they hope to infuse tourist dollars into the pockets of local business owners and citizens. A worthy goal, and deserving of public support, in our opinion.
As a retired Ranger at Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore, I’m often asked about Park issues. Recently, the subject has been the Park’s General Management Plan, which is now being revised. (The Park Service is requesting public comments on this by May 14; see www.nps.gov/slbe/parkmgmt/gmphome.htm for details.)
The following is offered for those who might be interested in one former Ranger’s thoughts on the three alternatives that have been offered by the Park Service:
Alternative A (the “Conservation of Natural Resources” Option):
• This alternative includes substantial roadless wilderness areas, much like the way the Park has been managed for many years. As such, it appears to be the best plan for protecting the National Lakeshore and keeping it a great place to enjoy the natural world. (All wilderness areas are fully accessible by non-mechanized means.)
• It’s often noted that one roadway creates noise that impacts a vast area off to its sides. Establishing limits on new roads will help preserve our remaining quiet areas.
• Some have said that wilderness protection is not needed, since “Experience Nature” zoning in the Park is similarly protective. However, wilderness designation provides a legislative mandate to preserve these areas, regardless of political climates, future management personalities, etc.. Establishing designated wilderness represents a commitment for future generations.
• Congratulations to the Park planners for proposing the Sleeping Bear Plateau (not including the Dune Climb area) for wilderness designation! Truly the most significant and fragile feature in the Park, this will ensure its proper protection. This is a major improvement over past plans.
• One aspect of Alternative A that would be unfortunate is the proposed abandonment of the Benzie Corridor portion of the Park. This hill-top route is an extraordinary resource for observing the surrounding glacial landforms and scenery (which have been identified as "fundamental values" of the Park). Once abandoned and developed, it will surely never be available to the public again. As northern Michigan continues to be populated, such places will become increasingly precious. The corridor would make a fantastic route for a hiking trail, and possibly a bike trail. (The Park Service welcomes you to pick & choose features from the various alternatives, so you can make note of portions such as this one if you agree that it is undesirable.)
• There are sound reasons to abandon Tiesma Road (which is an old private road; not a county road), as proposed. Lake Michigan Road and Peterson Road will continue to provide motorized beach access in that area. Workers who monitor the endangered Piping Plovers in the area have noted that Tiesma Road is a bad area for people driving back and letting their dogs off-leash, endangering the nesting birds.
Alternative B (the “Recreational Opportunities” Option):
• This alternative, which would provide for the most development of recreational facilities throughout the Park, would give up much of what is special about this, the only National Park area in lower Michigan—Its opportunities for solitude, exploration and nature study in a relatively wild, pristine environment.
• While some commercial interests advocate developing the Park intensively in order to attract many more visitors, most folks seem to feel that this would ruin the charm of the area.
• A new group camping area is proposed for development adjacent to DH Day Campground, to replace the existing group camp. This would require the sacrifice of a considerable amount of presently unimpacted forest habitat. Although the present group camp may not be especially attractive, during my years working there I was frequently impressed by how many folks like the location. If the Park Service can make an investment to provide a more attractive environment, why not do a little well-designed landscaping (planting of native trees, etc.) around the present group camp (It is an old farm field, after all), rather than destroy the forest in a new area?
• “If you build it, they will come.” The Crystal River, a very fragile stream environment which is already threatened by over-use, is slated under this proposal to have its access upgraded. The Crystal’s charm is in its quietude, naturalness, and wildlife. All those things will be degraded by heavier use. We don’t need another Platte River. What we do need is to be looking into ways to control use of the Crystal from exceeding its carrying capacity. An upgrade to better protect the put-in environment would be great; one to accommodate more people during peak times will cause problems.
• The Crystal River access is also proposed to be moved downstream, below the dam. This would shorten an already short canoe trip. Going around the dam would be no problem if the portage were properly designed, as it could be. Most folks enjoy this sort of thing.
Alternative C (the “Concentrated Use” Option):
• This alternative is described as concentrating visitor use in selected areas, while facilitating more natural conditions in the rest of the Lakeshore. However, it actually appears that Alternative C would facilitate a significant increase in visitor use as well. This is unfortunate, because the description reads somewhat like the “Mama Bear” alternative. Many folks may choose it because it sounds like it's “not too hot” (developed) and “not too cold” (over-protected). Actually, it is much “hotter” than the park we now know and love—which many find to be “just right”.
• There is a large reduction in wilderness from the area that has been managed that way for many years.
• The large “high-use” and “recreation” zones adjoining the Sleeping Bear Dunes area would inevitably result in greater spill-over of environmental impact onto the dunes—the ultimate “fragile environment”.
• Much of the proposed high-use zone near the mouth of the Platte River is already being used--by endangered Piping Plovers, as nesting grounds; and it is habitat for endangered pitcher’s thistle plants.
• “Improved facilities” at DH Day Campground: I wish I had a petoskey stone for every time someone told me, “Never change DH Day!” The people who want paved roads and pull-through sites have many of them at Platte River Campground. “Leave our nice rustic campground just as it is.”
~ Tom Van Zoeren
Burdickville
Cherry blossom time now comes 7-8 days earlier than it did 30 years ago, according to this article in the Enterprise. While Jim Nugent, former director of the Northwest Michigan Horticultural Research Center, is reluctant to attribute the trend to global warming, the change is certainly consistent with that theory.
Another interesting fact from the same article: even within the relatively small area of Leelanau County, the blossom does not come all at once, but rather moves slowly northward from the southernmost edge of the county to the Northport area over 7-10 days.
We've had some critical things to say about the Leelanau Enterprise in the past. I'm sure we'll find things to criticize there in the future as well. But the recent upgrade to the Enterprise's website is very nicely done.
In addition to a cleaner, more readable look, the site now has useful internal links to its own articles and content, including (my favorite) links to stories from the paper's archives at the end of many articles. Kudos to Enterprise publisher Alan Campbell, who had the courage and vision to update a Leelanau institution, and to Andy McFarlane's Leelanau.com, who did the design.
The National Park Service is midway through a planning process that will determine how Sleeping Bear National Lakeshore gets used in the future. A previous effort along the same lines was derailed when a local advocacy group, Citizens for Access to the Lakeshore, enlisted the support of powerful local and state politicians to argue for more recreational and motorized access to the park, according to this Record-Eagle article. Others feel equally strongly that the park should be preserved as wilderness as much as possible, but have not succeeded in attracting the attention that Citizens for Access to the Lakeshore has.
The complete newsletter where the Park Service outlines the GMP issues and alternatives is available at www.nps.gov/slbe. There you’ll also find background information, a link to submit your thoughts and comments, and a schedule of public meetings to discuss the issues.
A local group, Leelanau Horse Rescue, is helping to take the lead in the rescue of 69 horses found abandoned on a farm near Grass Lake. The animals appear to have been left to fend for themselves all winter, and several are near starvation. Local farmers have contributed hay, the chief need at this point, but funds are being collected by LHR to provide for medical and other expenses, according to this article.
Lake Leelanau resident and longtime Pathfinder School teacher Duncan Sprattmoran has been selected by Michigan Writers Inc to have a chapbook of his poetry published, according to this story in the Record-Eagle.
Judges praised Sprattmoran's work, along with that of Bellaire resident Todd Mercer. Their books may be ordered for $10 each, plus shipping and handling, through www.michwriters.org
. Both writers will read selections from their books at the Traverse Area District Library on April 26 at 7 p.m
According to this Leelanau Enterprise story, the massive Bayview development in Suttons Bay owes over $400K in taxes. Who remembers the grandiose promises that were made about how this development would benefit Suttons Bay and Leelanau County?
An interesting footnote to the recent recall of Bingham Township Supervisor Robert Foster-- the biggest contributor to Foster's failed campaign to retain his post was the Leelanau Republican Party, according to this article in the Enterprise.
Researching this story, we find that Dan Scripp's blog was on it long before we were. Check it out here.
Another developer of a big Leelanau County project is in trouble. Auburn Hills developer Dominic Moceri in default on a $9.6 million loan for his Le Bear Resort in Glen Arbor and is negotiating with lenders to find a way out of his difficulties.
According to this article, Moceri's troubles stem in part from a contentious divorce. Le Bear Resort is a $40 million lakeshore luxury condominium community on Lake Street in Glen Arbor.
Bingham Township Supervisor Robert Foster has been ousted in a recall election by a vote of 506-360, according to this Record-Eagle article.
Foster had come under criticism for verbally abusing other township officials and by unilaterally acting to groom a township beach without the necessary permissions.
The mammoth BayView development in Suttons Bay is plagued with problems, including accusations of shoddy workmanship and unpaid contractors.
The project, unprecedented in its scope, would add 500 new homes to Suttons Bay. But according to this Leelanau Enterprise piece, residents have complained about the quality of the construction, while local contractors have gone unpaid and have filed liens with the county. One woman who paid over $700,000 (that's right, seven hundred thousand dollars) for her condo recently won an award reimbursing her for that amount for defects in its construction. And local contractors, including Northport Nursery and Leelanau Redi-Mix have claimed that they are owed thousands of dollars by the downstate developer of the project.
Governor Jennifer Granholm has disappointed farmland preservation advocates by vetoing a bill that would have changed the way farmland is valued for tax purposes.
Michigan is currently the only state in the nation that assesses farmland on the basis of its potential development value, rather than its agricultural use value, according to this Record-Eagle article. Granholm is of course responding to Michigan's horrendous budget problems--when you're fighting deficits as big as ours, you have to worry about any measure that will diminish tax revenues--but, like the defeat of the purchase of development rights measure in Leelanau last fall, it's gonna hurt the effort to preserve agriculture in Leelanau and elsewhere.
A follow-up on the Record-Eagle's blistering editorial on the three Elmwood Township defamers Don Barrow, Noel Flohe, and John Stanek...
It occurs to us that perhaps the reason Barrows, Flohe and Stanek still have not written the letters of apology that the jury required of them is that they don't know how to begin. In that spirit, we thought we would reprint a letter suggested some time ago by an Empire resident:
"Dear Ms. Smith: I truly am sorry for the flaws in my human condition that led me to act in such a vile and intimidating way towards you. As we are all human, this has been a real learning curve for me. From here on out, I will treat people with respect and fairness. If I feel the urge to harass people, namely women, I will seek professional help in order to better understand and change my unacceptable behavior. I am so, so sorry for all the unnecessary problems I have caused. If I would have apologized from the start it may have avoided all this nasty court business. Sincerely ..."
~ Steve
Jeff Howell, Elmwood Township Trustee and member of the Elmwood Planning Commission, informed board members and residents at the Township's regular board meeting held Tuesday January 9, that the township's long awaited zoning overhaul could be expected to be completed in February. Howell further detailed a process that would include a formal legal review to be accomplished by Elmwood's attorney leading to a public hearing on the legislation to take place in March.
Elmwood voters rejected a zoning ordinance adopted by the township in
2003 by an overwhelming margin in a referendum vote. Since then efforts to bring an acceptable ordinance to the public has been accompanied by a major re-shuffle of Township Board members by voters in 2004, and a major shake-up of Planning Commission members by the newly elected Supervisor. The campaign against the defeated ordinance centered on the propriety of the densities to be allowed in the rural zoning district.
While the planning commission has worked since April 2006 with its consultant, LSL Associates, to re-work previously written ordinance language, commission Chair Jack Kelly has admitted that the commission has yet to open discussion concerning basic residential densities and development options.
Elmwood's exposure to damages resulting from potential legal challenges stemming from its outmoded and conflict ridden zoning ordinance has been characterized in the past by the township attorney as "horrendous".
The planning commission has finished work on up-dating standards governing development in the township's Rural Resort zoning district, and has completed work on defining an overlay district that would govern the re-use of waterfront buildings in Greilickville.
A blistering editorial in the Record-Eagle on Wednesday lambasted Elmwood township residents Don Barrows, Noel Flohe, and John Stanek for their refusal to honor a jury's verdict that they apologize for their anonymous smear of township supervisor Deri Smith.
Barrows, Flohe, and Stanek were convicted last November of sending a misspelled, anonymous mailing smearing Smith in 2004. Smith was elected to the supervisor position in Elmwood in 2004 as part of an effort to reform the township's ingrown and dysfunctional government, the same election in which Flohe and Stanek were swept from office. Barrows, Flohe, and Stanek were active in the 2006 effort to recall Smith, as were several of their close allies who remain on the Elmwood board.
The Record-Eagle editorial tells it like it is, characterizing the three defamers as "poster boys for the type of secretive, vindictive, back-room government that infests the Grand Traverse region, particularly in local townships." It asks that "the Larry, Moe and Curly of political espionage" remove themselves from future politics in Elmwood township, a position we heartily endorse.
~ Steve
Leelanau vintners are proposing a Leelanau Tourist Trail which could bring millions of dollars in business to the county each year. The CraftWORKS Leelanau initiative would link together wineries, shops, galleries, restaurants, bed and breakfasts, farm markets and other local attractions to attract visitors to Leelanau year round.
Leelanau businesses must learn that their competition is not the restaurant or inn down the road, but rather Door County in Wisconsin or the Finger Lakes region of upstate New York, according to this article in the Traverse City Business News. Rick Coates, a spokesman for the vintner group points out that “We don’t need a water park, we don’t need a resort, we don’t need chain hotels.” Rather, it's the unique natural beauty and local character of the region that will bring visitors--and their business.
Elmwood Township's Don Barrows, Noel Flohe, and John Stanek are listed among the region's champion bad actors in the Record-Eagle's annual roundup of the news. The three were convicted in November of smearing Elmwood Township Supervisor Deri Smith in an anonymous mailing.
The Record-Eagle opinion piece includes a roster of those who made our region worse, not better. Others include disgraced former township officials Jan Gee and Joe Bartko of East Bay, as well as State Senator Jason Allen.
Elmwood township will soon be getting equipment to tape and broadcast its meetings, following the lead of volunteer (and, ahem, Leelanau Post publisher) Pei-shan Van Zoeren.
The efforts to record and make the meetings public were praised by the Record-Eagle in their weekly Cheers and Jeers section. The local paper also ran an informative story on the taping earlier in the week.
Former judge of the Leelanau Probate Court Elizabeth Weaver is fighting a lonely battle for openness on the the Michigan Supreme Court.
Weaver is locked in a bitter dispute with her four fellow Republicans on the court over whether or not she will be allowed to say why she believes her fellow justices should have disqualified themselves in a recent case, according to this column by George Weeks in the Record-Eagle.
We tend to agree with dean of Michigan political columnists and Glen Arbor resident Weeks that "anyone advocating the bright light of public scrutiny is to be applauded."
A vision for Elmwood Township's rural AO-1 District was presented Tuesday night by the group Elmwood Citizens for Sensible Growth. The group was represented by Erik Saxon, who introduced a position paper entitled "Development density and development options for the Rural Low Density zoning district in Elmwood: The master plan, community agreement, and the formulation of public policy." You can read the paper here. (Full disclosure: the publisher and editor of the Leelanau Post are also members of ECSG.)
The paper advocates a set of development options for the township's extensive Agricultural Openspace District, which is coming under heavy pressure from local, downstate, and national development interests. The plan aims to minimize large-lot metes and bounds splits which lead to sprawl, instead advocating generous density incentives to encourage developers to cluster housing and preserve open space and agricultural lands. In addition, the paper endorses the Alternative Standard Land Divisions option in the current draft of the zoning ordinance which allows a farmer or other landowner to split off properties of any size for their children or to raise cash.
~ Steve
By a 5-to-1 vote, the Elmwood Township Board of Trustees decided on Thursday that Supervisor Deri Smith will be paid as much as the township's clerk and treasurer, thus bringing to a close a long-running controversy in Elmwood politics.
According to this Record-Eagle story, Smith's pay was raised to $35,750, finally bringing her compensation in line with those of Clerk Connie Preston and Treasurer Debbie Street. Shortly after Smith's election as Supervisor in 2004, the outgoing board voted to cut the incoming supervisor's salary from $33,384 to $28,000. That board's membership included then-Supervisor Noel Flohe and Trustees John Stanek and John Gallagher, as well as Preston, Street, and current trustees Terry Lautner and Jim O'Rourke. Street was the only member of the board to vote against Smith on Thursday.
Flohe and Stanek were later active in an unsuccessful attempt to recall Smith, and both were recently convicted of defaming Smith in an anonymous mailing. Flohe was the only member of the public to speak Thursday night against restoring Smith's salary.
Judge Philip Rodgers of the 13th