|
Township
officials, residents hope for compromise to preserve
Hunters Point
|
Grant Township officials and residents hope
this nature trail to Hunters Point can be preserved through
negotiations with the Michigan Department of Natural Resources and
developer MJO. This is a view toward Porter's Island east of
Hunters Point. |
COPPER HARBOR ’Äì
The
Grant Township Utility Board presented Wednesday to MJO of Hancock a
draft position statement concerning MJO’Äôs request to connect to the Copper
Harbor sewer system a proposed residential development
to be built on a 270-acre parcel west of
Copper Harbor. MJO has a purchase option on the
International Paper / Lake Superior Land Co.
property, which includes a hiking trail along the
west end of the harbor to Hunters
Point and a Lake Superior shoreline known
for its agate beach, conglomerate rock and plants
listed for protection by the Michigan Natural
Features Inventory.
Township
officials and local residents are hopeful the
Michigan Department of Natural Resources will
negotiate a land trade that would provide an
easement to expand the present sewer system to
accommodate the developer in exchange for the
Hunters Point area so that it can be preserved as a
state park. The Utility Board’Äôs position statement
is concerned primarily with the costs and connection
fees MJO would be expected to pay for the sewage
treatment system expansion and for correcting
present system problems. The draft document proposes
building a third lagoon to accommodate not only the
MJO proposed development but also future usage
requirements of Copper Harbor. It states the
availability of land for the future third lagoon is
a requirement for implementing an agreement with the
developer, but it does not mention any potential
land trade with the DNR.
|
The Grant Township Utility Board met on
Wednesday, March 21, to discuss Hancock developer MJO's request for sewer service
for a potential residential development west of Copper Harbor.
Pictured, from far left are Mick Oja, MJO president; Rich Harrer,
Copper Harbor Sewage Treatment System operator; Peg Kauppi,
Utility Board member; Ken Korhorn, Grant Township supervisor and
Utility Board member; Richard Supina, president of Traverse
Engineering and engineer for Grant Township; Richard Powers,
Utility Board member; and Don Keith, Keweenaw County
commissioner. |
However,
Grant Township Supervisor Ken Korhorn invited a
discussion with the three DNR representatives who
attended Wednesday’Äôs meeting.
’ÄúWith
the land being kind of a key issue,’Äù Korhorn said,
’Äúperhaps it’Äôs appropriate to have a discussion
with the people who have the land.’Äù
Dan
Plescher, DNR manager of Fort Wilkins State
Park, who has been transferred to Porcupine Mountain
Wilderness State Park, asked
how many acres would be required for the third
lagoon.
Although
MJO has indicated 1.5 acres would be sufficient for
a lagoon to handle their maximum estimate of 35,000
gallons per day, Richard Supina, president of
Traverse Engineering and engineer for Grant
Township, said five acres would be a number to start
with, since the Utility Board believes the expansion
should be planned to accommodate other future
development besides MJO’Äôs.
|
DNR officials told Grant Township Utility
Board members they are open to a written request for trading land
at the Copper Harbor sewage treatment site for land at Hunters
Point. Pictured at the March 21 Utility Board meeting in the
Copper Harbor Community Building are, from left, Mike
Cieslinski, DNR Baraga District supervisor for parks
and recreation; Adrian Jentoft, property specialist for the DNR Land and
Mineral Services Division in Marquette; Dan Plescher,
DNR manager of
Fort Wilkins and Porcupine
Mountain Wilderness State Parks; Jim Billings, Copper Harbor
business owner. |
Mike
Cieslinski, DNR Baraga District supervisor for parks
and recreation, said the DNR had received no
proposal from the township and would need something
in writing before they could commit to trading land
at the sewage treatment site for land at Hunters
Point.
’ÄúWe’Äôre
open, but nobody has yet presented a proposal of
what’Äôs needed, and so until that offer is made and
can be given to our bureau office for the folks in
Lansing to look at, we’Äôre just here to observe,’Äù
Cieslinski said. ’ÄúWe’Äôre willing to look at any
proposal that’Äôs offered.’Äù
He
noted the DNR has always been interested in Hunters
Point and had tried to buy it in the past but
couldn’Äôt meet the asking price with the funding
available.
Adrian
Jentoft, property specialist for the DNR Land and
Mineral Services Division in Marquette, said the
state did not bid on Hunters Point last fall because
they must have dollars available in the Michigan
Natural Resources Trust Fund, and they were not
available at the time of the bidding process.
Supina
said what the Utility Board needs to know is whether
the DNR is willing to offer five acres to the
township for the sewer expansion.
Said
Plescher, ’ÄúWe’Äôll entertain providing more
property to the township for the sewer, but we’Äôre
not going to give it ’Ķ We want something in
return, and we’Äôre interested in that Hunters Point
property.’Äù
Cieslinski
added the township would have to work something out
with MJO and apply in writing to the DNR with a
proposal for a land trade.
’ÄúI
would assume that within 30 days or less some
decision would be made (in Lansing),’Äù Cieslinski
said.
However,
MJO’Äôs President Mick Oja indicated he could not
commit to anything as long as the land availability
for sewer expansion remained open-ended. Oja said he
thought the Utility Board was putting the cart
before the horse since MJO does not yet own the land
to trade with the DNR.
’ÄúWe
don’Äôt want to negotiate for more than we need,’Äù
Oja said. ’ÄúThere’Äôs no point in sitting down and
negotiating if we don’Äôt have something to
negotiate with.’Äù
The
Utility Board’Äôs position statement to MJO says the
board’Äôs response to options prepared by UP
Engineers & Architects for MJO is a combination
of options including ’Äúplanning for a third lagoon
at the present Waste Water Treatment Plant,
investigating and providing for a remedial fix to
the present system operating problems and designing
a phased-in extension of the present collection
system to serve the proposed MJO development of
single family luxury homes.’Äù
Funding
for the third lagoon would come from ’Äúconnection
charges, a special assessment district set up for
the area requesting service, or a combination of
both,’Äù the draft document states. It proposes a
connection charge of $10,000 for each buildable lot
in the proposed development. A minimum of $500,000
in connection charges must be guaranteed and will be
payable in five years at $100,000 per year. If 50
buildable lot sales have been made in less than 5
years the total is due upon the sale of the 50th
lot. A payment of $10,000 would then be due upon the
sale of each additional lot.
Under
the topic of land acquisition, the document reads:
’ÄúLand considered for a lagoon site must be proven
suitable for a lagoon site as part of the
acquisition of the property. All costs associated
with the acquisition of this land would be the
responsibility of the developer. These costs would
include but not be limited to surveys, soil borings,
topographical maps, engineering fees ’Ķetc.’Äù
It
also states that the developer should cover all
costs for investigation of the present system’Äôs
aeration problems and for the cost of all necessary
new construction, or modifications to the current
system, to allow for connection to the system.
Said
Oja, ’ÄúWe’Äôre willing to pay whatever it costs to
do this, but I can’Äôt afford to solve all your
other problems.’Äù
Oja
indicated one of his options would be to divide the
entire parcel into the 18 splits allowed without
platting and have each owner decide on his or her
own sewage treatment system. Another option might be
to reduce the number of lots planned from 100 to
between 50 and 70.
|
Jim Billings, Copper Harbor resident and
business owner, addressed the Grant Township Utility Board at
their meeting on March 21. |
Copper
Harbor resident and business owner Jim Billings said
he understood that the present sewer system, to which
Copper Harbor residents and businesses have
contributed funds, was built for development within
the village of Copper Harbor and not for outside
development.
’ÄúWhen
the sewer project was proposed originally it was to
keep the sewage from running down the streets,’Äù
Billings said, ’ÄúNow it looks like the (Utility)
Board is trying to enable all this development ’Ķ
around the village.’Äù
He
said Copper Harbor taxpayers were not paying for the
system so that Wal-Mart-type development could occur
right outside their village.
Korhorn
noted that was an issue to be discussed with the
township’Äôs attorneys and consultants.
|
Tony DeFalco, Lake Superior
project organizer for the National Wildlife
Federation and participant in Public Access Keweenaw. |
Tony DeFalco, Lake Superior
project organizer for the National Wildlife
Federation (NWF) and participant in Public Access Keweenaw,
said he has contacted Korhorn to express NWF's opposition to the development.
’ÄúIt would be a shame to see
it developed. The parcel has rare species of plants,
including butterwort and pale Indian paintbrush. The
area has been identified in the Michigan Natural
Features Inventory because it’Äôs a bedrock beach
and bedrock glade community.’Äù
DeFalco added he thought the
development has a potential to hurt some businesses
in Copper Harbor because people would live in their
vacation homes and be less reliant on the hotels and
restaurants in the village.
Some
Copper Harbor residents were optimistic about
working out a solution with MJO.
Said
Rich Harrer, operator of the Copper Harbor sewage
treatment system, ’ÄúI’Äôm feeling fairly
comfortable with the proposal, and I think we’Äôre
getting fairly close to resolution.’Äù
Peg
Kauppi, Utility Board member and Copper Harbor
business owner, said she would prefer negotiating
with Oja to dealing with an outside, unknown
developer.
’ÄúI
think this man is a person who will sit down and
talk about Hunters Point,’Äù she said. ’ÄúHe has a
good reputation locally. We know him as opposed to
an outside (developer).’Äù
Rich
Jamsen, president of the Copper Harbor Improvement
Association, said he was still optimistic that a
compromise could be reached to preserve Hunters
Point, which is advertised as a tourist attraction
in a brochure on Copper Harbor and is mentioned on
the Copper
Harbor Web site as a nature trail
near the Marina.
Rich Jamsen, president of the Copper Harbor Improvement
Association, starts
out for a ski along the Hunters Point trail, pausing in front of
the trail sign he made. Jamsen said he is hopeful a
compromise can be reached so that the trail to Hunters Point can
be preserved for public access. |
’ÄúI
really think that the township, the state and MJO
can come up with a compromise so we can keep the
trail system the way it is,’Äù Jamsen said. ’ÄúIf
the state works out a deal ’Ķ to purchase that area
(Hunters Point and the trail), MJO will have to be
given something in trade (such
as) lagoon space and possibly money ’ĶI’Äôm hoping
we can work out something so the trail isn’Äôt
turned into home sites. My experience so far is that
MJO has been nice. They’Äôve been helpful and
willing to work with the township.’Äù
Korhorn
said later Wednesday that he had contacted the DNR
office in Lansing and anticipated submitting a
written request to them soon for a land trade.
’ÄúWe’Äôre
doing what’Äôs best for the township and Copper
Harbor,’Äù he said. ’ÄúWe will take the time
necessary to make an informed decision ’Ķ We’Äôre
doing what we can, and we’Äôre doing it as
expeditiously as possible.’Äù
Click
here to comment on this article ...
’Äì Michele Anderson
March
22, 2001
|
