Allouez Township Committee plans for public access, preservation, industry



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Allouez Township Committee plans for public access, preservation, industry
MOHAWK �� A Gratiot River watershed park, a scenic highway designation and an industrial park are ideas emerging from Allouez Township��s Land Use Planning Committee discussions. The group, which meets every two weeks, has already begun data collection and analysis for its contribution to the future Keweenaw County Land Use Plan, a part of the county��s Comprehensive Development Plan.

The Land Use Planning Committee is also divided into sub-committees or work groups, each of which does research on one of these topics: land use, population, building activity and housing, tax base, land ownership, transportation and public or private utilities.

This map outlines a potential Gratiot River watershed park, located mostly in Allouez Township with some areas in Houghton Township. The area includes a large acreage of CFR (Commercial Forest Reserve) land, which provides public access for hunting and fishing. (Map courtesy John Griffith)

Land use sub-committee member John Griffith said a large acreage in the Gratiot River watershed could possibly become a watershed park to assure public access to lands set aside for commercial forestry (CFR). Griffith has designed a map of the Gratiot River watershed, showing an area that could be preserved for hunting and fishing access if kept in the CFR designation. It includes 8,821.5 acres in Allouez Township alone.

Griffith, who owns land near the Gratiot River, said he discussed the watershed acreage with Walt Arnold, I.P./Lake Superior Land Company director of marketing and sales, and learned that "to protect it we don��t have to buy it all." Griffith reported most of the watershed property �� potentially all of it �� is going to be in IP��s long-term holding-for-timber-production property. He said Arnold told him IP��s sustainable forestry management practices would be a way of protecting the watershed area.

John Griffith explains his idea of a Gratiot River watershed park to other members of the Allouez Township Land Use Planning Committee at their recent meeting in the Township Hall in Mohawk. Griffith said Commercial Forest Reserve (CFR) lands in the area now total more than 8,800 acres in Allouez Township. Other committee members pictured are, from right, Township Supervisor Bill Luokkanen, Chris Cronenworth, Randall Eckloff and James Studebaker.

"It��s really prime hardwood-producing land, and therefore it will be CFR land for at least the foreseeable future," Griffith said. "They have made a decision that some lands are going to be sold and some are going to be held for long-term timber production."

In answer to some committee members�� questions as to what the long term would be, Griffith said Arnold had not indicated any guarantees other than "the foreseeable future."

Griffith explained that by law CFR land allows only access by walking and only for hunting and fishing. Legally, activities like berry-picking, hiking, bird-watching or mushroom collecting are not allowed.

"They don��t enforce it," Griffith added, "but that��s the law �Ķ I think what CFR does for us is it keeps the status quo."

Jon Soper, Land Use Planning Committee vice-chairman and land use sub-committee member, noted it would be a good idea for the township, with the landowners�� permission, to designate the watershed as an area for recreation and print maps of it. Acquiring trail easements would be another possibility later, he added.

Said Griffith, "I think that��s a smart thing to do (through zoning)."

Griffith said this would be a perfect example of what Rod Cortright of Michigan State Extension said in his presentation at the Land Use Forum in Mohawk last fall �� to take a look at the big picture and decide what to set aside in perpetuity and for what reasons, and everything else is where development and growth can occur.

(Cortright will be returning to the area to conducting two workshop sessions on Conservation Design in land use planning on March 1 and March 22 at the Keweenaw National Historical Park in Calumet. He will team teach the workshops with Lori Hauswirth, associate planner for Western Upper Peninsula Planning and Development Region, or WUPPDR.)

Griffith is president of the North Woods Conservancy, a non-profit group partnering with Keweenaw County, Trout Unlimited and the Copper Country Chapter of the Michigan Audubon Society in raising matching funds for a Michigan Natural Resources Trust Fund grant for purchase of land at the mouth of the Gratiot River.

Al Gunnari, chairman of the Allouez Township Land Use Planning Committee

Land Use Planning Committee chairman Al Gunnari, who is also a member of the land use sub-committee, noted the land along the river lends itself to camping, but that would probably require land purchase.

Griffith said a watershed park would complement the county��s purchase of the mouth of the river and the township could possibly apply for a Trust Fund grant as well, should land in the area be put up for sale.

"We��re in the process of forming a watershed partnership, which is just one more means to get a window to more grant money," Griffith explained, "because right now watersheds are really hot. This is a really timely thing."

Soper suggested Griffith attend the Houghton County Land Use Planning Committee meeting to present his ideas since that township also includes part of the watershed area.

Gunnari said he was concerned about protecting the Cliffs area skyline, possibly through zoning.

"One thing I��m really concerned about �Ķ up there is billboards," he said.

Committee member Genie Mintken suggested researching state highway regulations or laws concerning slopes that would prevent building or signage in that area.

Allouez Township Supervisor Bill Luokkanen noted signage is a priority for Houghton Township, which includes some of the Cliff Drive area as well.

Soper mentioned the possibility of applying for a scenic highway designation (for the Cliff Drive area north of Mohawk), similar to the one Grant Township obtained for a stretch of U.S. 41 from Delaware to Copper Harbor, including the scenic covered road.*

Gunnari added he would like to see both the Cliff Drive and U.S. 41 north of Mohawk to Delaware set aside as scenic highways.

Luokkanen mentioned the importance of working together with Ahmeek Village on planning a vision for the next 20 years.

"There��s a tie between the township and the village," he said.

Committee member Randy Eckloff said this would be logical especially if both the village and the township decide they want an industrial park.

Gunnari noted committee members are investigating the former Louisiana Pacific Sawmill site as a possible site for an industrial park. Since Keweenaw County has also expressed an interest in the site for future industry, he said, the committee needs to communicate with the county on the progress of the site cleanup, which has been delaying sale of the land. Gunnari noted a considerable amount of contaminated soil was removed from the site last summer and groundwater is still being tested for pollution from chemicals that were used by the company.

Griffith noted the land use sub-committee members have discussed the relationship between a future industrial park and utilities.

"We talked about encouraging development in the established residential and commercial districts by adding services," Griffith said. "Natural gas was a big one �� and better utilities. And we thought that really the key to the whole development was that industrial park, because that would draw the natural gas all the way up there."

He added the driving force behind any additional kind of commercialization (or a renaissance zone in an industrial park) would be that people would want to live in the area.

Gunnari said the idea behind an industrial park would be to keep future development in one place so the township could control it and keep it from spreading all over the area.

Eric Bjorn, Keweenaw County commissioner and Allouez Township resident, said the Strandwood Molding Company was considering building in Keweenaw County but decided to locate in Dollar Bay because of the lack of natural gas, which is presently available only as far north as Kearsarge.

Gunnari noted while natural gas is an important factor in attracting businesses and industry now, the lack of it should not prevent planning an industrial park for the future so that there would be an area designated for that development. What the committee is doing now, he said, is exploring things to determine what is feasible for the future.

Allouez Township Supervisor Bill Luokkanen interprets a map of the township sewer system for Land Use Planning Committee members. Luokkanen said the area that could be expanded is the north end of Mohawk, near Slim��s Caf��.

Luokkanen displayed a map of the township community septic sewer system.

"If any one of these fields is expanded you��re looking at $1 million," he said. "The area that can stand expansion is the north end of Mohawk."

Although Mohawk has had some recent sewer problems, Luokkanen noted water utilities might be more of a concern than sewer for industrial or commercial expansion because of the smaller size of the water pipes as they extend to the north. While an eight-inch pipe begins in Swedetown in Calumet, he explained, the size of the pipe gets smaller and smaller until it is only two and a half inches by the time it reaches the Louisiana Pacific Sawmill site at the north end of Mohawk.

Gayle Huddleston of Ahmeek Village said water would also be more of a concern than sewer in Ahmeek because the sewer system is relatively new.

"Ahmeek Village, New Allouez and Ahmeek Location are all hooked to a lagoon system," she said, "and that��s in excellent condition."

Luokkanen said he felt good about the Land Use Planning Committee��s efforts so far.

Concerning the idea of the watershed park, he added, "I don��t feel we should say no to anything initially. (We should) investigate all possibilities."

Said Gunnari, "We��re putting in a lot of hours on this. It��s a real worthwhile thing. I��ve got kids and grandkids I��m doing it for �Ķ and for the people of Keweenaw County."

The next meeting of the Allouez Township Land Use Planning Committee, previously scheduled for Thursday, March 1, is being postponed because of the Conservation Design Workshop to be held that day. Gunnari said the meeting has been tentatively re-scheduled for 6 p.m. Friday, March 2, in the Township Hall in Mohawk. Watch the Keweenaw Commentary Forum, Upcoming Meetings, for a confirmation of the meeting time.

*Editor��s Note: The Michigan Heritage Routes Program of the Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT) Bureau of Planning is an opportunity for communities to work together to preserve Michigan��s roads with scenic, historic, and recreational qualities. Each application must have the strong support of local units of government. For more information call (517) 335-2934. (This information courtesy Common Ground member Jim Boyce of Houghton.)

�� Michele Anderson
February 25, 2001