Original Story: freep.com
TRAVERSE CITY — Long a sought-after destination for summer tourists, Traverse City's year-round population, individual wealth and real estate prices have grown in recent years, squeezing out young professionals and others from living in downtown where some condos now top $1 million.
The burst of residential development to meet new demand includes a controversial, mixed-income plan for two 9-story buildings on Pine Street at the edge of the downtown's high-rent district of shops, restaurants and bars. A Michigan real estate lawyer is following this story closely.
The housing debate is pitting some longtime residents against a newer, younger population as city leaders weigh the size and scope of extra tall downtown building projects. The height of the proposed towers is needed, developers say, to justify setting aside nearly half of the units for lower-income renters.
“It’s a challenge because it’s different and it’s change. And change is difficult always,” said Erik Falconer, one of the developers of the project.
Concern over the affordable housing crunch is emblematic of deeper tensions in northern Michigan's premier summer resort town, where incomes and housing prices have been on the rise but roads are clogged, retail prices are rising and some locals feel priced out and forced to leave, especially recent high school and college graduates. A St Petersburg custom home builder provides custom homes with a warm, comfortable living environment that is functional yet elegant.
Supporters of the housing projects say the kind of mixed-income development allows for more people to live and work in Traverse City despite their lower wages. But a vocal group of longtime residents say the Pine Street project is out of scale and harmful to Traverse City's reputation for quaint living.
Many see the conflict as between older retirees who moved to a laid-back Traverse City and up-and-coming professionals yearning to live and work in a more dynamic and economically diverse central city.
Add in a certain number of millionaire jet-setters who've moved to the area for its beauty and waterfront vistas, and the city has become an eclectic mix of incomes and varying civic agendas.
Locals traditionally joked that a view of the bay “means half the pay.” But the economy, residents say, is increasingly empowered by entrepreneurs who start a business in order to support the Up North lifestyle.
Community fights over growth is déjà vu for Grant Parsons, a 65-year-old attorney in the city who helped lead an earlier fight against a proposed seven-story lakefront mall a generation ago.
"You can develop stuff, but there is a magic break point," Parsons said of the residential tower proposals. "I have nothing against poor people; it's just the wrong location."
Growing pains
The development debate is familiar to many expanding communities but relatively rare in northern Michigan: How to manage growth and provide the kind of affordable housing attractive to entry-level young people and lower-income service workers. Only 12% of the people who work in Traverse City live in the city of about 15,000, the latest census numbers show.
The regional economy anchored by Traverse City already has moved beyond its seasonal roots toward year-round employment. That's thanks to better-paying jobs and increasing population after decades of regional decline alongside a resurgent tourism industry.
Corporate executives fly out of the local airport on Monday morning and return at the end of the week to their families. Some call it "lifestyle migration" for professionals who move into Traverse City with their families but still spend large portions of their week on the road — and in the skies — for their jobs headquartered in other parts of the country.
Other workers untethered from their cubicles are choosing to telecommute to their jobs as they live in and around the city known for breathtaking views of Lake Michigan.
"The message now is that our doors are open 365 days a year," said Traverse City Mayor Michael Estes.
Mike Dow is the fifth generation of his family to vacation in their northern Michigan summer home. But the former defense contractor who lived in Virginia decided to make the visit permanent about three years ago, moving his family to downtown Traverse City. Later, he largely telecommuted back to the East Coast. A Memphis real estate lawyer represents clients in real estate law matters.
"The diversity of people who find a way to make a living up here is amazing," said Dow, who recently gave up his career for writing science fiction. These days he likes to hang out in Brew, a hip coffee bar on Front Street where the iced coffee comes in mason jars.
A new 'micro-politan'
The look and feel of yuppie, Bohemian life is all around, a cultural addition over the past decade to the once-sleepy lull after the summer tourist burst.
There are restaurants that serve wild boar and boast of local farm-to-table menus. More and bigger planes let highly paid executives from East Coast weekly jobs slip into their beds at home in Traverse City within 15 minutes after touchdown at Cherry Capital Airport.
A liquor store turned into a trendy food cart park by a Brooklyn restaurateur operates year-round by pulling one of the food trucks indoors. A cold-press juice start-up run by an expat back from Chicago sells "Heavenly Healing" — grapefruit, ginger, turmeric among other ingredients — at $11 a bottle marketed for locals.
One booster dubbed the phenomenon "a micro-politan," a small city with big amenities, including a buzzy technology scene, a leading health care center and nearby colleges. An Innisbrook custom home builder can save you time and money while designing a home suited to your lifestyle.
Tourism still king
To be sure, the region’s fortunes are still largely tied to the tourist trade. Traverse City’s permanent population of 15,000 swells by hundreds of thousands each year with a growing number of visitors. Almost one of every three jobs remains linked to tourism, officials say.
But growing events like an annual book festival keep visitors in town after the beaches clear out. To bolster the shoulder seasons, the local tourism board promotes year-round activities, including birding, fall color tours and even the hunt for wild mushrooms known as morelling.
While the state lost population between 2000 and 2014, according to census estimates, Traverse City notched a 3.5% gain, and its surrounding county surged with a 16.9% increase. Building permits for new housing units in the city for the first nine months of the year have reached a five-year high. Median household income grew in the county for the same period by 11%.
The resulting housing shortage has left workers and their employers anxious as some young people look for brighter shores elsewhere. “The biggest problem here is labor,” said Alex Mowczan, who runs several hotels, including one specifically built for non-tourist visitors.
Residential towers offer solution
In the Pine Street project, more than one-third, or 64 of the 162 units along the Boardman River, would be set aside for workers who earn less than many — an important addition for a destination that attracts many well-to-do but lacks affordable housing for the people who serve them. A Michigan environmental lawyer represents clients in environmental law matters.
"Our housing has not caught up to the workforce needs," says Laura Oblinger, executive director of the Traverse City Chamber of Commerce, which supports the Pine Street project. "We are attracting them, but retaining them is a challenge."
The city has seen some innovative development projects, including the ongoing conversion of a sprawling state mental hospital campus into the Village at Grand Traverse Commons, a mixed-use facility with tree-lined sidewalks and expansive lawns connecting housing, retail and upscale dining. The Village Piazza sports boccie courts and a farmers market. A hotel and condos are in the works.
High and low of the economy
One of the first restaurants in the Commons, Trattoria Stella, attracts a well-heeled, off-season crowd. On a recent weekday night, its full parking hosted a Tesla Model S, retail price starting at $69,900, and a red Porsche Boxster with the license plate "BLESZED."
Inside, the high and low of the region’s economy became more apparent. Behind the bar is Sam Knudson, a 21-year-old high school graduate considering life beyond Traverse.
She grew up on the nearby Old Mission Peninsula, but more than half of her friends left the Traverse region in search of more and higher-income jobs.
"In the summer, demand is super high," Knudson says, taking a break in the back of the subterranean restaurant that serves wild boar tenderloin and butter-poached pig brain. "But then in the winter, people get let go."
Now, Knudson is turning toward Detroit and thinking about beauty school. "I want to spread my wings," she says, noting that each of her three siblings also left for better opportunities.
In search of affordable housing
Kris Rockwood, a 45-year-old single mom with two young girls, sold her share in a Chicago company to return to Traverse. This year, she opened Press On Juice, a cold-pressed juice retailer on East Eighth Street, after she became fed up with commuting out every week for her corporate job. Today, she has nine employees, including several who trained with Goodwill before coming aboard.
While Rockwood's business is growing, life at home for her employees can be stressful. At Press On Juice, the office computer is linked to Craigslist to alert employees whenever a decently priced rental comes available.
Finding the right home is a top priority for Annie Larson, a 33-year-old who left her home on the Upper Peninsula and moved to Traverse almost eight years ago after earning a college degree in furniture design. A series of low-wage jobs and other setbacks forced her into a homeless shelter this spring before taking a job at Press On.
The recession depressed land prices. But developers say the challenge today is finding reasonably priced land to build market rate developments for any sector: office, retail or residential. The downtown condo market has exploded this year with $70 million of units listed for sale today compared with $18 million in April, says Andrew Koons, a local real estate agent for Coldwell Banker.
“I think the city is very receptive to developers and properly scaled development. But many city residents want to maintain a small-town character with a resort-town charm,” said developer Jerry Snowden, who was raised and worked in metro Detroit before opening a Traverse City office in 1998.
Snowden, who said he is preparing to unveil his own 120,000-square-foot retail development outside downtown, said that “massive projects like Pine Street fail because they are too big, and they request too much public money for too little public benefit." A Boston real estate lawyer represents clients in contract disputes and in commercial real estate conflicts.
Surrounding sprawl
Just out of town, new developments are in full bloom.
A supersized Meijer grocery and department store is due to open later this fall at the new 180-acre Grand Traverse Town Center. Roundabouts — a traffic feature used to speed up traffic congestion — are sprouting up. An organic and natural foods grocery story chain is scheduled to open an outpost next year. A cineplex with the region’s first IMAX theater is scheduled to open by the end of the year. A long awaited upscale Hotel Indigo should open as well before Christmas.
Some in the business community worry about an aging workforce with few signs of skilled workers behind them to take over. Younger workers, they say, may find themselves steering their careers toward larger cities, and Traverse City needs to evolve to keep their attention.
"I think when you talk to people who want to move, they used to want a couple of acres," says McKeel Hagerty, chief executive officer of Hagerty Insurance Agency, a global insurer of classic cars and boats and one of the city's largest employers. "Now people want to be in a cool condo so they can walk and do things downtown." A Rochester real estate lawyer represents clients in real estate transactions, such as purchases, sales, and leases.
That prompted land owners Falconer and Joe Sarafa to team up with one of the largest affordable housing developers in the nation with nearly two dozen projects completed already in Michigan.
"Frankly, we got involved in Pine and Front because Traverse City has a great need for affordable housing," said Craig Patterson, senior vice president for the WODA, an affordable housing developer based in Mackinaw City. The proposed site is already flanked by a subsidized housing tower as well as a luxury town-home project under construction with riverfront units starting at $800,000.
A crowd comes to protest
For the Pine Street development, early signs looked promising. Two nine-story, mixed-use buildings would be constructed at a downtown corner already bustling with new construction, offering units for lower-income tenants at $700 a month for a one-bedroom unit and about $1,000 a month for a two-bedroom unit. A New Jersey construction litigation attorney is following this story closely.
"They could be young entrepreneurs, families, care providers for pets and children," Patterson said. "It’s the people we trust a lot to take care of what we value, but people who are struggling."
Developers still needed special city permission to build, since the buildings would exceed a 60-foot limit. The $45-million project would also add at least 20,000 square feet of commercial and restaurant space to downtown Traverse City. Developers now plan to build their own parking deck, according to recently revised plans.
The city’s planning staff found that the original project conformed to the city's master plan to encourage denser development in the downtown core. Traverse City’s planning commission approved the project in a 5-2 vote. But in August, the city's commission drew an overflow crowd largely in protest, raising new doubts about the 96-foot-tall buildings. The city has a few tall buildings, among them the Park Place Hotel at 125 feet built in 1930.
Opponents originally said the initial project asked for too much public money, tried to shortcut the approval process, and failed to engage nearby neighborhood groups who are concerned about big-town traffic and congestion issues.
"Is there a need for low-income housing? Sure there is," says Realtor Jack Lane, sipping a smoothie in a black polo and shorts on a sun-kissed September morning in front of Horizon Books, the city's landmark bookstore. "But that has nothing to do with a nine-story building."
The setback of the project “wasn't a reflection of antidevelopment or an anti-affordable-housing sentiment in the city as much as it was about inexperienced developers trying to fast-track a massive project that would change the small-town character and resort-town feel of downtown Traverse City,” Snowden said.
“The residents," he added, "don't like that.”
Its backers say the project isn't going away anytime soon. Falconer resubmitted his downsized plans earlier this month, but the proposed height remains at 96 feet. A public hearing is set for Nov. 3.
"We are committed to the idea of affordable housing," says Falconer, who also runs a publishing company and serves on the city's school board. "I’ll fight this fight a lot longer. It’s important enough to me. We will pursue all options before we take that off the table. It’s too important to Traverse City."
Showing posts with label Traverse City. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Traverse City. Show all posts
15 October 2015
07 May 2015
GRANT AWARDED TO LOCAL RECYCLING GROUP
Original Story: record-eagle.com
TRAVERSE CITY — Whenever there's a conversation about recycling in Traverse City, Andy Gale is usually involved.
There were more recycling conversations than Gale could partake in Kalamazoo, where he attended a recycling conference to receive an award for the nonprofit he founded, Bay Area Recycling for Charities.
"Here, every other word is recycling," Gale said.
Bay Area Recycling for Charities was awarded a $65,000 grant through the state’s Community Pollution Prevention program. The money will allow Gale to extend his mattress and electronics recycling programs to more parts of the state, especially in rural areas in the Upper Peninsula and northern Lower Peninsula.
"That's the part of the state with hardest time with transportation and being able to recycle that material," Gale said.
The money will allow him to send trucks out to those areas, and then they'll bring the materials back to Traverse City for processing. BARC works with Grand Traverse Industries, which provides employment and services to people with disabilities and who face other obstacles, to dissemble electronics. The grant will increase their capacity to process the electronics.
"All the new material BARC is working hard to get coming in, we'll have the capacity to disassemble," said Steve Perdue, the president and CEO of GTI. "We have some folks that just love to disassemble that stuff."
Perdue said the grant will also allow GTI to expand from four to six part-time jobs to more full-time jobs.
Karen Tommasulo, a spokeswoman for the Department of Environmental Quality, said the grant would allow BARC to triple its mattress processing rate to 60,000 per year.
TRAVERSE CITY — Whenever there's a conversation about recycling in Traverse City, Andy Gale is usually involved.
There were more recycling conversations than Gale could partake in Kalamazoo, where he attended a recycling conference to receive an award for the nonprofit he founded, Bay Area Recycling for Charities.
"Here, every other word is recycling," Gale said.
Bay Area Recycling for Charities was awarded a $65,000 grant through the state’s Community Pollution Prevention program. The money will allow Gale to extend his mattress and electronics recycling programs to more parts of the state, especially in rural areas in the Upper Peninsula and northern Lower Peninsula.
"That's the part of the state with hardest time with transportation and being able to recycle that material," Gale said.
The money will allow him to send trucks out to those areas, and then they'll bring the materials back to Traverse City for processing. BARC works with Grand Traverse Industries, which provides employment and services to people with disabilities and who face other obstacles, to dissemble electronics. The grant will increase their capacity to process the electronics.
"All the new material BARC is working hard to get coming in, we'll have the capacity to disassemble," said Steve Perdue, the president and CEO of GTI. "We have some folks that just love to disassemble that stuff."
Perdue said the grant will also allow GTI to expand from four to six part-time jobs to more full-time jobs.
Karen Tommasulo, a spokeswoman for the Department of Environmental Quality, said the grant would allow BARC to triple its mattress processing rate to 60,000 per year.
20 August 2014
RETIRE HERE, NOT THERE: MICHIGAN
Original Story: MarketWatch.com
Michigan is probably not the first state that comes to mind when people think about retiring on the beach. And yet its sandy, dune-lined shorelines, with coasts along four of the five Great Lakes, have attracted many boomers to the “Riviera of the Midwest.”
Indeed residents anywhere in Michigan are never more than 6 miles from a body of water; the state has more than 36,000 miles of streams and more than 11,000 inland lakes, along with the most freshwater coastline in any state in the nation. This life aquatic gives retirees plenty to do. The state has more than 900,000 registered boats and ranked seventh in the nation in number of registered fishermen—over 1 million—in 2013. Many quaint towns have grown up along the shores, luring retirees with restaurants, locally owned shops and artist communities.
The sporty lifestyle in the Great Lakes State doesn’t end at the water line. Golfers have over 800 public courses to choose from, including three that made the 2013-14 Golf Digest list of America's 100 Greatest Golf Courses: Crystal Downs Country Club in Frankfurt (No. 12); the south course at Oakland Hills Country Club in Bloomfield Hills (No. 20); and Arcadia Bluffs Golf Club in Arcadia (No. 57). The state ranks third in licensed hunters with more than 760,000. Plus, Michigan has the largest state forest system in the nation.
Michigan, and in particular Detroit, are known for cars, and the Henry Ford Museum in Dearborn is a shrine not just to the automobile but to American inventors, with sections on aviation and manufacturing, as well as special exhibitions. The state also has a strong reputation for arts and culture. The 658,000-square-foot Detroit Institute of the Arts ranks among the top six art museums in the nation for its multicultural collection spanning from prehistory to the 21st century; it also hosts top traveling exhibitions. The Grand Rapids Art Museum is home to the internationally renowned annual Art Prize competition and has a growing reputation in 19th and 20th century American and European art, works on paper, and crafts and design.
Many of Michigan's smaller towns pack a cultural punch as well. The Ann Arbor Art Fair, which presents crafts ranging from ceramics to paintings to jewelry, attracts more than 500,000 attendees annually; and the area around Saugatuck, nicknamed “the artist's colony of the Midwest,” has dozens of galleries and a small, but engaged, population of retiree artists.
Possibly the best thing about Michigan, particularly for those who want to stretch their nest eggs, is how inexpensive it is. The cost of living is 11.2% below the national average, the median home costs just over $117,000, and both nursing home and assisted-living costs are below average. Income is taxed at a flat rate of 4.32%--the 11th lowest in the nation, according to the Tax Foundation. Boomers who want to keep working may have been reluctant to consider relocating to Michigan, which took one of the hardest job-loss hits in the nation during the auto industry’s decline. But the state unemployment rate is now 7.3%, only a point above the national average, and recent job growth is positive, according to Sperling’s Best Places.
Retirees had better not mind cold winters: In Michigan, they average 58.1 inches of snow. On the other hand, all those flakes make for prime cross-country skiing and snowmobiling, as well as some stunning ice formations on Lake Michigan when the waves freeze in place, says Bill Underdown, an agent with Shoreline Realtors based in Douglas, Mich. “It’s magical,” he adds. Retirees on Lake Michigan’s shores who like the four seasons will find that the water soaks up the summer heat making for “very long usually dreamy falls,” says Mike Norton, media relations manager for Traverse City Tourism.
State crime rates overall are only slightly higher than the national average, although violent crime in Detroit is much more frequent than in the U.S. as a whole.
Here are four budget-conscious retirement destinations which blend the state’s strengths from the outdoors to the cultural:
Traverse City
Traverse City is a hub for hiking, cross-country skiing, cycling and boating. “In the winter, almost all the cars have ski racks; in the summer, they have kayaks on them,” Norton says. This means that the area tends to attract active retirees, the kind of people who “want to be out, who don't want to just sit around and watch the world go by,” he adds.
They'll find plenty to do here: The Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore features long stretches of beach and bluffs that jut up 450 feet above Lake Michigan; it’s a favorite spot for canoeing and kayaking. Hikers and bikers also enjoy the TART Trails system, a network of eight multiuse trails and a crosstown bike route. Traverse City is also one of the leading fly-fishing destinations in America, with four blue-ribbon trout streams within a half-hour drive of town.
To unwind from all this strenuous outdoor activity, retirees can visit the area's thriving wineries. The lake creates a unique microclimate that makes the area near Traverse City excellent for growing fruit like apricots, cherries and grapes. The region is known for its white wines, particularly rieslings, Chardonnays, pinot grigios and gewürztraminers--but it’s also beginning to produce some decent quality reds, like Pinot Noirs and Cabernet Francs. It is also one of the top producers of ice wine, a dessert wine made from winter-frozen grapes. The wineries, along with the orchards and farms, have helped produce a foodie scene, Norton says, with “a lot of farm-to-table restaurants.”
Traverse City offers other perks for retirees, including a compact downtown, lined with local businesses; a lively art gallery scene; and one of the region's best hospitals. The Cherry Capital Airport has direct flights to Chicago, Detroit, Denver and Minneapolis. One downside—the town can get crowded with tourists in the summer.
By the numbers:
Population: 14,702
Median home cost: $165,800
Cost of living: 1.8% lower than the national average
Unemployment: 6.6%
Source: Sperling's Best Places
Marquette
Nestled on the shores of shimmering Lake Superior in the far northern arm of the state, Marquette is rich in outdoor activities. The Noquemanon Trail Network, which runs through town and all along the Upper Peninsula of Michigan, is a favorite for walkers, mountain bikers and cross-country skiers alike. In the winter, “fat tire biking” is a popular way to pedal through the snow. Downhill skiers hit Marquette Mountain, which boasts 169 skiable acres of mostly moderate terrain. Sailors love this town too: A local group, Fleet 35, has sailed on the Bay of Marquette every Wednesday since the early 1970s, and residents gather by the water to watch the local rowing club take their longboats out on evenings during the summer, says Pat Black, executive director of the Marquette County Convention & Visitors Bureau. The lake also offers more relaxing activities like kayaking and fishing. The area has six golf courses and plenty of land for both small- and large-game hunting.
“There are lots of cultural activities beginning to grow here,” Black says. The quaint, walkable downtown is lined with historic sandstone buildings that house eclectic restaurants, bars and shops. The Huron Mountain Club Gallery and Marquette Arts and Culture Center, both in the Peter White Public Library, host exhibits by locally, regionally and nationally known artists. Marquette is home to Northern Michigan University, where people over 62 can take classes free; the campus is also the site of the DeVos Art Museum. The Northern Center for Lifelong Learning offers low-cost classes in subjects like photography and bird-watching, along with social events. From early June to October, Marquette County hosts free events every weekend from concerts to festivals to athletic competitions, Black says.
Marquette does have a small airport with direct flights to Chicago and Detroit. Well-regarded Marquette General Hospital is operated by Duke LifePoint Healthcare, affiliated with Duke University.
By the numbers:
Population: 21,383
Median home cost: $159,900
Cost of living: 2.9% lower than average
Unemployment: 7.4%
Grand Rapids
After a career as a defense electrical engineer mostly in the Los Angeles area, Bob Lindeman and his wife Julie—both age 60—retired to their hometown of Grand Rapids in September 2013, not only to be near their elderly fathers, but because they could find a high quality of life at an affordable price. Their cost to build a 5,200-square foot home on Georgetown Shores Lake is half what it cost them to have a similar size home two blocks from the beach in greater Los Angeles, Bob says. “We were close to the ocean, but now we’re on the water,” he adds. “We’re going to have a boat.”
Grand Rapids made the top five in AARP Magazine’s list of top places to retire for under $30,000 a year in 2013, and it’s easy to see why. The city has a revitalized, vibrant downtown, ringed by historic neighborhoods with surprisingly reasonably priced homes. “In the last 10 to 15 years, Grand Rapids has had a real resurgence, particularly culturally,” says Jeannine Lemmon, associate broker and owner of Grand Rapids-based Patriot Realty. “That’s really pushed Grand Rapids into the forefront as a destination.”
Eclectic shops, art galleries, restaurants and night life have sprung up downtown and in districts such as Eastown, East Hills-Cherry Hill, Midtown and West Fulton, Lemmon says. The Grand Rapids Art Museum is internationally known for its annual ArtPrize competition, which attracts artists from around the globe. The small city has its own symphony, ballet and opera companies, and the DeVos Performance Hall hosts nationally known performers and Broadway touring shows. Retirees have plenty to do outdoors, too: The Frederik Meijer Gardens & Sculpture Park includes works by artists from Rodin to Calder and a five-story tropical conservatory; and the city is just a 40-minute drive away from Lake Michigan beaches. It will be even easier to get downtown from the suburbs when the Silver Line hybrid bus starts service in September.
Gerald R. Ford International Airport offers direct flights all across the U.S. In the health-care field, the Van Andel Institute is a world-class research institution in cancer and other health topics, and the Meijer Heart Center, part of the Spectrum Health system, also is globally renowned.
By the numbers:
Population: 189,340
Median home cost: $103,500
Cost of living: 11.5% lower than average
Unemployment: 6.8%
Douglas
While sister city Saugatuck, just across the Kalamazoo River, is better known, Douglas shares that city’s white sand Lake Michigan beaches and embrace of the arts—the area has gained the nickname of the Art Coast. Once a sleepy farm town known for peaches and a basket factory, Douglas is a bit more laid back and less touristy than Saugatuck, and it’s easier to find housing there, says Underdown, the local real-estate agent, who lives in a renovated farmhouse that dates back to the 1880s.
The art life and natural beauty are what drew Tom and Janice Krakowski to Douglas. They fell in love with the area when Tom started attending art workshops at Ox-Bow, a nearby art college surrounded by 115 acres of natural forest, and they moved to Douglas from Detroit in July. “We watched the transformation of the entire area,” says Tom, a 62-year-old retired master modeler and clay sculptor for the Ford Motor Company. “Douglas was nowhere just 17 years ago, but now there are great restaurants, wonderful shops, and great art galleries.” They bought a 12-year-old energy-efficient house two blocks from downtown, and are converting the second-floor garage into a pottery studio for Tom. “It’s calm, quiet and everyone knows each other,” adds Janice, a 66-year-old retired teacher. “There’s so much art and greenery; golly, it’s beautiful.”
Douglas doesn’t have chain stores, and its downtown on Center Street is modest, with a few restaurants (including the popular Saugatuck Brewing Company), a bowling alley, art galleries and locally owned shops. Big-box retailers, however, are just a 10-minute drive away in Holland or South Haven. For more cultural amenities and the closest airport, locals head to Grand Rapids, about 40 minutes away. Budget-minded retirees may wish to note that Douglas, while not the most expensive place in Michigan, does have a cost of living 14.1% higher than the national average, according to Sperling’s Best Places.
By the numbers:
Population: 1,097
Median home cost: $246,100
Cost of living: 14.1% higher than average
Unemployment: 6.1%
Michigan is probably not the first state that comes to mind when people think about retiring on the beach. And yet its sandy, dune-lined shorelines, with coasts along four of the five Great Lakes, have attracted many boomers to the “Riviera of the Midwest.”
Indeed residents anywhere in Michigan are never more than 6 miles from a body of water; the state has more than 36,000 miles of streams and more than 11,000 inland lakes, along with the most freshwater coastline in any state in the nation. This life aquatic gives retirees plenty to do. The state has more than 900,000 registered boats and ranked seventh in the nation in number of registered fishermen—over 1 million—in 2013. Many quaint towns have grown up along the shores, luring retirees with restaurants, locally owned shops and artist communities.
The sporty lifestyle in the Great Lakes State doesn’t end at the water line. Golfers have over 800 public courses to choose from, including three that made the 2013-14 Golf Digest list of America's 100 Greatest Golf Courses: Crystal Downs Country Club in Frankfurt (No. 12); the south course at Oakland Hills Country Club in Bloomfield Hills (No. 20); and Arcadia Bluffs Golf Club in Arcadia (No. 57). The state ranks third in licensed hunters with more than 760,000. Plus, Michigan has the largest state forest system in the nation.
Michigan, and in particular Detroit, are known for cars, and the Henry Ford Museum in Dearborn is a shrine not just to the automobile but to American inventors, with sections on aviation and manufacturing, as well as special exhibitions. The state also has a strong reputation for arts and culture. The 658,000-square-foot Detroit Institute of the Arts ranks among the top six art museums in the nation for its multicultural collection spanning from prehistory to the 21st century; it also hosts top traveling exhibitions. The Grand Rapids Art Museum is home to the internationally renowned annual Art Prize competition and has a growing reputation in 19th and 20th century American and European art, works on paper, and crafts and design.
Many of Michigan's smaller towns pack a cultural punch as well. The Ann Arbor Art Fair, which presents crafts ranging from ceramics to paintings to jewelry, attracts more than 500,000 attendees annually; and the area around Saugatuck, nicknamed “the artist's colony of the Midwest,” has dozens of galleries and a small, but engaged, population of retiree artists.
Possibly the best thing about Michigan, particularly for those who want to stretch their nest eggs, is how inexpensive it is. The cost of living is 11.2% below the national average, the median home costs just over $117,000, and both nursing home and assisted-living costs are below average. Income is taxed at a flat rate of 4.32%--the 11th lowest in the nation, according to the Tax Foundation. Boomers who want to keep working may have been reluctant to consider relocating to Michigan, which took one of the hardest job-loss hits in the nation during the auto industry’s decline. But the state unemployment rate is now 7.3%, only a point above the national average, and recent job growth is positive, according to Sperling’s Best Places.
Retirees had better not mind cold winters: In Michigan, they average 58.1 inches of snow. On the other hand, all those flakes make for prime cross-country skiing and snowmobiling, as well as some stunning ice formations on Lake Michigan when the waves freeze in place, says Bill Underdown, an agent with Shoreline Realtors based in Douglas, Mich. “It’s magical,” he adds. Retirees on Lake Michigan’s shores who like the four seasons will find that the water soaks up the summer heat making for “very long usually dreamy falls,” says Mike Norton, media relations manager for Traverse City Tourism.
State crime rates overall are only slightly higher than the national average, although violent crime in Detroit is much more frequent than in the U.S. as a whole.
Here are four budget-conscious retirement destinations which blend the state’s strengths from the outdoors to the cultural:
Traverse City
Traverse City is a hub for hiking, cross-country skiing, cycling and boating. “In the winter, almost all the cars have ski racks; in the summer, they have kayaks on them,” Norton says. This means that the area tends to attract active retirees, the kind of people who “want to be out, who don't want to just sit around and watch the world go by,” he adds.
They'll find plenty to do here: The Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore features long stretches of beach and bluffs that jut up 450 feet above Lake Michigan; it’s a favorite spot for canoeing and kayaking. Hikers and bikers also enjoy the TART Trails system, a network of eight multiuse trails and a crosstown bike route. Traverse City is also one of the leading fly-fishing destinations in America, with four blue-ribbon trout streams within a half-hour drive of town.
To unwind from all this strenuous outdoor activity, retirees can visit the area's thriving wineries. The lake creates a unique microclimate that makes the area near Traverse City excellent for growing fruit like apricots, cherries and grapes. The region is known for its white wines, particularly rieslings, Chardonnays, pinot grigios and gewürztraminers--but it’s also beginning to produce some decent quality reds, like Pinot Noirs and Cabernet Francs. It is also one of the top producers of ice wine, a dessert wine made from winter-frozen grapes. The wineries, along with the orchards and farms, have helped produce a foodie scene, Norton says, with “a lot of farm-to-table restaurants.”
Traverse City offers other perks for retirees, including a compact downtown, lined with local businesses; a lively art gallery scene; and one of the region's best hospitals. The Cherry Capital Airport has direct flights to Chicago, Detroit, Denver and Minneapolis. One downside—the town can get crowded with tourists in the summer.
By the numbers:
Population: 14,702
Median home cost: $165,800
Cost of living: 1.8% lower than the national average
Unemployment: 6.6%
Source: Sperling's Best Places
Marquette
Nestled on the shores of shimmering Lake Superior in the far northern arm of the state, Marquette is rich in outdoor activities. The Noquemanon Trail Network, which runs through town and all along the Upper Peninsula of Michigan, is a favorite for walkers, mountain bikers and cross-country skiers alike. In the winter, “fat tire biking” is a popular way to pedal through the snow. Downhill skiers hit Marquette Mountain, which boasts 169 skiable acres of mostly moderate terrain. Sailors love this town too: A local group, Fleet 35, has sailed on the Bay of Marquette every Wednesday since the early 1970s, and residents gather by the water to watch the local rowing club take their longboats out on evenings during the summer, says Pat Black, executive director of the Marquette County Convention & Visitors Bureau. The lake also offers more relaxing activities like kayaking and fishing. The area has six golf courses and plenty of land for both small- and large-game hunting.
“There are lots of cultural activities beginning to grow here,” Black says. The quaint, walkable downtown is lined with historic sandstone buildings that house eclectic restaurants, bars and shops. The Huron Mountain Club Gallery and Marquette Arts and Culture Center, both in the Peter White Public Library, host exhibits by locally, regionally and nationally known artists. Marquette is home to Northern Michigan University, where people over 62 can take classes free; the campus is also the site of the DeVos Art Museum. The Northern Center for Lifelong Learning offers low-cost classes in subjects like photography and bird-watching, along with social events. From early June to October, Marquette County hosts free events every weekend from concerts to festivals to athletic competitions, Black says.
Marquette does have a small airport with direct flights to Chicago and Detroit. Well-regarded Marquette General Hospital is operated by Duke LifePoint Healthcare, affiliated with Duke University.
By the numbers:
Population: 21,383
Median home cost: $159,900
Cost of living: 2.9% lower than average
Unemployment: 7.4%
Grand Rapids
After a career as a defense electrical engineer mostly in the Los Angeles area, Bob Lindeman and his wife Julie—both age 60—retired to their hometown of Grand Rapids in September 2013, not only to be near their elderly fathers, but because they could find a high quality of life at an affordable price. Their cost to build a 5,200-square foot home on Georgetown Shores Lake is half what it cost them to have a similar size home two blocks from the beach in greater Los Angeles, Bob says. “We were close to the ocean, but now we’re on the water,” he adds. “We’re going to have a boat.”
Grand Rapids made the top five in AARP Magazine’s list of top places to retire for under $30,000 a year in 2013, and it’s easy to see why. The city has a revitalized, vibrant downtown, ringed by historic neighborhoods with surprisingly reasonably priced homes. “In the last 10 to 15 years, Grand Rapids has had a real resurgence, particularly culturally,” says Jeannine Lemmon, associate broker and owner of Grand Rapids-based Patriot Realty. “That’s really pushed Grand Rapids into the forefront as a destination.”
Eclectic shops, art galleries, restaurants and night life have sprung up downtown and in districts such as Eastown, East Hills-Cherry Hill, Midtown and West Fulton, Lemmon says. The Grand Rapids Art Museum is internationally known for its annual ArtPrize competition, which attracts artists from around the globe. The small city has its own symphony, ballet and opera companies, and the DeVos Performance Hall hosts nationally known performers and Broadway touring shows. Retirees have plenty to do outdoors, too: The Frederik Meijer Gardens & Sculpture Park includes works by artists from Rodin to Calder and a five-story tropical conservatory; and the city is just a 40-minute drive away from Lake Michigan beaches. It will be even easier to get downtown from the suburbs when the Silver Line hybrid bus starts service in September.
Gerald R. Ford International Airport offers direct flights all across the U.S. In the health-care field, the Van Andel Institute is a world-class research institution in cancer and other health topics, and the Meijer Heart Center, part of the Spectrum Health system, also is globally renowned.
By the numbers:
Population: 189,340
Median home cost: $103,500
Cost of living: 11.5% lower than average
Unemployment: 6.8%
Douglas
While sister city Saugatuck, just across the Kalamazoo River, is better known, Douglas shares that city’s white sand Lake Michigan beaches and embrace of the arts—the area has gained the nickname of the Art Coast. Once a sleepy farm town known for peaches and a basket factory, Douglas is a bit more laid back and less touristy than Saugatuck, and it’s easier to find housing there, says Underdown, the local real-estate agent, who lives in a renovated farmhouse that dates back to the 1880s.
The art life and natural beauty are what drew Tom and Janice Krakowski to Douglas. They fell in love with the area when Tom started attending art workshops at Ox-Bow, a nearby art college surrounded by 115 acres of natural forest, and they moved to Douglas from Detroit in July. “We watched the transformation of the entire area,” says Tom, a 62-year-old retired master modeler and clay sculptor for the Ford Motor Company. “Douglas was nowhere just 17 years ago, but now there are great restaurants, wonderful shops, and great art galleries.” They bought a 12-year-old energy-efficient house two blocks from downtown, and are converting the second-floor garage into a pottery studio for Tom. “It’s calm, quiet and everyone knows each other,” adds Janice, a 66-year-old retired teacher. “There’s so much art and greenery; golly, it’s beautiful.”
Douglas doesn’t have chain stores, and its downtown on Center Street is modest, with a few restaurants (including the popular Saugatuck Brewing Company), a bowling alley, art galleries and locally owned shops. Big-box retailers, however, are just a 10-minute drive away in Holland or South Haven. For more cultural amenities and the closest airport, locals head to Grand Rapids, about 40 minutes away. Budget-minded retirees may wish to note that Douglas, while not the most expensive place in Michigan, does have a cost of living 14.1% higher than the national average, according to Sperling’s Best Places.
By the numbers:
Population: 1,097
Median home cost: $246,100
Cost of living: 14.1% higher than average
Unemployment: 6.1%
16 January 2014
CITY MUST QUICKLY ADDRESS WASTEWATER PLANT FIXES
Story first appeared in the Traverse City Record Eagle.
For Traverse City and its sewer plant partners, replacing the membrane filters that make the wastewater treatment plant work isn’t a simple “pay me now or pay me later” deal. Not replacing the filters creates the risk of a sewage spill if the membranes get clogged, and that’s simply not acceptable. They may need Wastewater Storage Tanks.
Further, the city needs to get buy-in from its partners in Acme, East Bay, Garfield, Peninsula, and Elmwood townships that this is an ongoing operational cost that won’t go away any time soon.
More of the membranes, which the firm that operates the plant say are nearing the end of their operational life, will have to be replaced in the future, and the time to start setting aside money to pay for those repairs is now.
City Treasurer Bill Twietmeyer says the city needs to increase its monthly base sewer rate by 9 percent, or $3, to pay for the new membranes. That would bring the monthly charge to $37. Twietmeyer recommended the new rate go into effect at the start of the city’s fiscal year, July 1 and be divided based on plant usage. He said it will take about a year to pay off.
But because there are eight membranes that must eventually be replaced, he thinks the price hike will have to remain in place for some time to come.
Naturally, nobody wants to see their sewer rates go up. Users across the region have seen rates rise in recent years and won’t be anxious to see them rise again. But some things can’t be put off or left to their own devices. Maintaining the plant is crucial to keeping Grand Traverse Bay as clean as possible. There are problems enough from stormwater runoff, which can wash animal waste, fertilizers and other pollutants into the bay, without having the wastewater treatment plant add to the problem.
Traverse City has a sophisticated sewer treatment system that works very well but isn’t cheap. Replacing the membranes is part of that cost. Replacement is expected to run $825,000, and there are eight membrane filters. Replacement is going to cost a lot over a prolonged period.
That makes looking for options or ways to prolong the life of the membranes a top priority for the city and townships.
But in the meantime they need to figure what it is going to cost and set aside the money to pay for the work. Nicking ratepayers a bit more every time a membrane needs to be replaced is poor public policy. Charge what’s needed now and ensure that when fixes are needed we can afford them.
For Traverse City and its sewer plant partners, replacing the membrane filters that make the wastewater treatment plant work isn’t a simple “pay me now or pay me later” deal. Not replacing the filters creates the risk of a sewage spill if the membranes get clogged, and that’s simply not acceptable. They may need Wastewater Storage Tanks.
Further, the city needs to get buy-in from its partners in Acme, East Bay, Garfield, Peninsula, and Elmwood townships that this is an ongoing operational cost that won’t go away any time soon.
More of the membranes, which the firm that operates the plant say are nearing the end of their operational life, will have to be replaced in the future, and the time to start setting aside money to pay for those repairs is now.
City Treasurer Bill Twietmeyer says the city needs to increase its monthly base sewer rate by 9 percent, or $3, to pay for the new membranes. That would bring the monthly charge to $37. Twietmeyer recommended the new rate go into effect at the start of the city’s fiscal year, July 1 and be divided based on plant usage. He said it will take about a year to pay off.
But because there are eight membranes that must eventually be replaced, he thinks the price hike will have to remain in place for some time to come.
Naturally, nobody wants to see their sewer rates go up. Users across the region have seen rates rise in recent years and won’t be anxious to see them rise again. But some things can’t be put off or left to their own devices. Maintaining the plant is crucial to keeping Grand Traverse Bay as clean as possible. There are problems enough from stormwater runoff, which can wash animal waste, fertilizers and other pollutants into the bay, without having the wastewater treatment plant add to the problem.
Traverse City has a sophisticated sewer treatment system that works very well but isn’t cheap. Replacing the membranes is part of that cost. Replacement is expected to run $825,000, and there are eight membrane filters. Replacement is going to cost a lot over a prolonged period.
That makes looking for options or ways to prolong the life of the membranes a top priority for the city and townships.
But in the meantime they need to figure what it is going to cost and set aside the money to pay for the work. Nicking ratepayers a bit more every time a membrane needs to be replaced is poor public policy. Charge what’s needed now and ensure that when fixes are needed we can afford them.
28 December 2012
Ski resorts hope for snow, cold temps
originally appeared in The Traverse City Record-Eagle:
Bing Crosby isn't alone in his lament for a White Christmas.
The region's ski resorts are watching weather forecasts and getting ready to pull the triggers on their snowguns, as soon as temperatures dip to 28 degrees or lower.
Winter storm "Draco" hit the Pacific Northwest early this week and is working its way to the Midwest. The National Weather Service said a likely scenario has a low-pressure system tracking south of northern Lower Michigan, which would mean cold and a distinct possibility of heavy blowing and drifting snow with significant lake effect snow through the weekend.
Bring it on, local ski resort operators said.
If we lose Christmas week, we lose about half of our operating budget for the whole year, according to the executive director at the nonprofit Mt. Holiday in Traverse City, which is scheduled to open Friday. We were anticipating being open and going full bore the 21st through the 7th of January. We were counting on those 10 days; we usually do between $200,000 and $250,000 during the 10-day period.
Mt. Holiday has sold about 500 season passes so far this year, according to their food and beverage director. Hill officials have made snow a few times, but need colder temperatures to go at it full-tilt. A little of the natural stuff wouldn't hurt, either.
We've got the guns out, they're pointed, our snowmaking guys are ready and on call, the food and beverage director said, describing the recent weather as kind of like running a tiki bar and having it rain everyday.
Shanty Creek Resorts near Bellaire also plan to officially kick off the season Friday, after opening last week. We're definitely not happy with the amount of snow that has fallen and lack of cold temperatures to make the snow. And certainly, rain does not help, according to their marketing manager. Our base is holding, but we're not as far into snowmaking as we would like to be.
On Monday, Nubs Nob president and general manager said the resort was operating with at least 20 runs, after having 23 open on the weekend. Nubs Nob does about 30 percent of its ski business during the holiday period.
The forecast for a significant snowstorm arriving Thursday with up to eight inches of snow and four to five days of the coldest air of the season moving in behind it continues to get reinforced, he said Tuesday. This will enable us to make snow like crazy and likely be 100 percent open for the holidays.
At Boyne Highlands near Harbor Springs and Boyne Mountain in Boyne Falls, their spokeswoman reported bases in the 16- to 24-inch range Monday. She said the Highlands' 15 trails equate to 200 skiable acres — the most open in Michigan right now.
Of course, we never want to see any of that drizzly weather, but actually, conditions have held up really well, she said.
She was also excited about the weather forecast.
(It) would be a welcome sight for the Christmas holiday, adding fresh snow on the slopes and would also allow us to open some of our cross-country trails, she said.
Crystal Mountain near Thompsonville opened Dec. 14 and is operating with one lift and three runs and a 20-inch base, according to their public relations manager. Crystal planned to be open Thursday from noon to 6 p.m. and Friday, Saturday and Sunday from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m.
We'll be making snow whenever we can, he said. And we'll open additional runs, lifts and terrain as soon as possible.
Bing Crosby isn't alone in his lament for a White Christmas.
The region's ski resorts are watching weather forecasts and getting ready to pull the triggers on their snowguns, as soon as temperatures dip to 28 degrees or lower.
Winter storm "Draco" hit the Pacific Northwest early this week and is working its way to the Midwest. The National Weather Service said a likely scenario has a low-pressure system tracking south of northern Lower Michigan, which would mean cold and a distinct possibility of heavy blowing and drifting snow with significant lake effect snow through the weekend.
Bring it on, local ski resort operators said.
If we lose Christmas week, we lose about half of our operating budget for the whole year, according to the executive director at the nonprofit Mt. Holiday in Traverse City, which is scheduled to open Friday. We were anticipating being open and going full bore the 21st through the 7th of January. We were counting on those 10 days; we usually do between $200,000 and $250,000 during the 10-day period.
Mt. Holiday has sold about 500 season passes so far this year, according to their food and beverage director. Hill officials have made snow a few times, but need colder temperatures to go at it full-tilt. A little of the natural stuff wouldn't hurt, either.
We've got the guns out, they're pointed, our snowmaking guys are ready and on call, the food and beverage director said, describing the recent weather as kind of like running a tiki bar and having it rain everyday.
Shanty Creek Resorts near Bellaire also plan to officially kick off the season Friday, after opening last week. We're definitely not happy with the amount of snow that has fallen and lack of cold temperatures to make the snow. And certainly, rain does not help, according to their marketing manager. Our base is holding, but we're not as far into snowmaking as we would like to be.
On Monday, Nubs Nob president and general manager said the resort was operating with at least 20 runs, after having 23 open on the weekend. Nubs Nob does about 30 percent of its ski business during the holiday period.
The forecast for a significant snowstorm arriving Thursday with up to eight inches of snow and four to five days of the coldest air of the season moving in behind it continues to get reinforced, he said Tuesday. This will enable us to make snow like crazy and likely be 100 percent open for the holidays.
At Boyne Highlands near Harbor Springs and Boyne Mountain in Boyne Falls, their spokeswoman reported bases in the 16- to 24-inch range Monday. She said the Highlands' 15 trails equate to 200 skiable acres — the most open in Michigan right now.
Of course, we never want to see any of that drizzly weather, but actually, conditions have held up really well, she said.
She was also excited about the weather forecast.
(It) would be a welcome sight for the Christmas holiday, adding fresh snow on the slopes and would also allow us to open some of our cross-country trails, she said.
Crystal Mountain near Thompsonville opened Dec. 14 and is operating with one lift and three runs and a 20-inch base, according to their public relations manager. Crystal planned to be open Thursday from noon to 6 p.m. and Friday, Saturday and Sunday from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m.
We'll be making snow whenever we can, he said. And we'll open additional runs, lifts and terrain as soon as possible.
31 July 2012
Visit Lake Charlevoix
Story first reported from USA Today
Tahoe came out on top in our recent reader poll on America's best lake, and I'll be exploring the popular alpine outpost later this week for a travel story running Aug. 10. But as its many fans made clear, the second-place finisher has plenty to offer, as well.
Though I grew up in southern Wisconsin on the shores of Lake Mendota (a sentimental favorite, but not on our shortlist), I wasn't familiar with runner up Lake Charlevoix, Michigan - or another nearby lake north of Traverse City that earned several write-in votes, Torch Lake.
Now, I'm "smitten with the mitten" (a reference to Michigan's hand-shaped geography).
A few arguments in its favor from our readers:
Nancy M. Dammann: "To be fair, all these lakes are amazing. But here are a couple of other Lake Charlevoix facts worth mentioning--from any point on Lake Charlevoix, you can sail to any ocean in the world and many other lakes. Near the mouth of the lake, there is a natural safe harbor that often shelters international sailors and boaters who have left the oceans in the fall, under the false assumption that the Great Lakes will be safer than the oceans. Charlevoix's harbors have often hosted storm fleeing sailboats and provided them a home throughout entire winters. Lake Charlevoix has also been a seasonal destination since pre-Columbian times, providing an important summer place to Native Americans in the area. In addition, residents are also trying to raise funds to buy a significant chunk of lake shore (a former summer camp) and turn it into a permanent public park. The lake is 18 miles long, 3.5 miles wide at its widest, and has two arms (the South arm is 11 or 12 miles long and often much calmer than the Northern arm). It is home to loons, and ducks, and fish, the occasional otter, gorgeous boats, and amazing people and communities."
Karen Kent Guzniczak: "We've owned a retail store in Boyne City for 22 years and talk to thousands of people every year from all over the world. The comments we hear are always about how blessed we are. People are amazed at how clean and clear Lake Charlevoix is. A young child from our area went on vacation with his parents to the Caribbean and when they they flew over the water he said 'Look Lake Charlevoix.'"
Stephanie Balch: "Sandy beaches, access to restaurants, great fishing, gorgeous harbors in quaint Northern Michigan towns...and a short boat ride through Round Lake and the Pine River Channel puts you on Lake Michigan! Not a more beautiful lake to view the fall foliage."
Laurie Szabo-Dill: "Got married overlooking Lake Charlevoix, and still have people tell me it was the most beautiful wedding they've ever been to!"
Chase Petroelje: "With several small, tourist-adored towns surrounding it, Lake Charlevoix boasts some of the world's finest sunsets, beaches, boating and gastronomy...a shallow ledge outlines the entire lake, making it ideal for families, and anchoring for a day of relaxation. If that's not enough, it was the location for the wedding of world-famous author Ernest Hemingway and his wife. You know you've found an extraordinary lake when much of it is bordered by multi-million dollar houses, private water planes, and some of the largest yachts you'll ever see!"
G.T. Long: "Lake Charlevoix is where the Gods swim....other lakes may be pretty, but Lake Charlevoix is spiritual in its beauty, clear, clean, deep, and big, situated on hills and a hundred shades of green."
Tahoe came out on top in our recent reader poll on America's best lake, and I'll be exploring the popular alpine outpost later this week for a travel story running Aug. 10. But as its many fans made clear, the second-place finisher has plenty to offer, as well.
Though I grew up in southern Wisconsin on the shores of Lake Mendota (a sentimental favorite, but not on our shortlist), I wasn't familiar with runner up Lake Charlevoix, Michigan - or another nearby lake north of Traverse City that earned several write-in votes, Torch Lake.
Now, I'm "smitten with the mitten" (a reference to Michigan's hand-shaped geography).
A few arguments in its favor from our readers:
Nancy M. Dammann: "To be fair, all these lakes are amazing. But here are a couple of other Lake Charlevoix facts worth mentioning--from any point on Lake Charlevoix, you can sail to any ocean in the world and many other lakes. Near the mouth of the lake, there is a natural safe harbor that often shelters international sailors and boaters who have left the oceans in the fall, under the false assumption that the Great Lakes will be safer than the oceans. Charlevoix's harbors have often hosted storm fleeing sailboats and provided them a home throughout entire winters. Lake Charlevoix has also been a seasonal destination since pre-Columbian times, providing an important summer place to Native Americans in the area. In addition, residents are also trying to raise funds to buy a significant chunk of lake shore (a former summer camp) and turn it into a permanent public park. The lake is 18 miles long, 3.5 miles wide at its widest, and has two arms (the South arm is 11 or 12 miles long and often much calmer than the Northern arm). It is home to loons, and ducks, and fish, the occasional otter, gorgeous boats, and amazing people and communities."
Karen Kent Guzniczak: "We've owned a retail store in Boyne City for 22 years and talk to thousands of people every year from all over the world. The comments we hear are always about how blessed we are. People are amazed at how clean and clear Lake Charlevoix is. A young child from our area went on vacation with his parents to the Caribbean and when they they flew over the water he said 'Look Lake Charlevoix.'"
Stephanie Balch: "Sandy beaches, access to restaurants, great fishing, gorgeous harbors in quaint Northern Michigan towns...and a short boat ride through Round Lake and the Pine River Channel puts you on Lake Michigan! Not a more beautiful lake to view the fall foliage."
Laurie Szabo-Dill: "Got married overlooking Lake Charlevoix, and still have people tell me it was the most beautiful wedding they've ever been to!"
Chase Petroelje: "With several small, tourist-adored towns surrounding it, Lake Charlevoix boasts some of the world's finest sunsets, beaches, boating and gastronomy...a shallow ledge outlines the entire lake, making it ideal for families, and anchoring for a day of relaxation. If that's not enough, it was the location for the wedding of world-famous author Ernest Hemingway and his wife. You know you've found an extraordinary lake when much of it is bordered by multi-million dollar houses, private water planes, and some of the largest yachts you'll ever see!"
G.T. Long: "Lake Charlevoix is where the Gods swim....other lakes may be pretty, but Lake Charlevoix is spiritual in its beauty, clear, clean, deep, and big, situated on hills and a hundred shades of green."
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30 July 2012
Boardman River Dams Ready to Fall
Story first reported from Traverse City Record Eagle
TRAVERSE CITY — Finally, after seven years,
local Boardman River dam removal project leaders have a $2.9 million price tag
and construction contract for dismantling the first of three Boardman River
dams.
The Boardman River Implementation Team this week approved the general contractor/project management contract with AMEC Engineering & Infrastructure to remove the Brown Bridge Dam powerhouse, restore the river to its historic channel and reseed exposed bottomlands and construction areas.
The bulk of the contract, about $2.5 million, will go to Molon Excavating of Traverse City and its subcontractors for deconstruction, dredging, sediment management, restoration and re-seeding over an estimated 20 weeks. If work is not finished by Dec. 19, the project will be completed in the spring.
Deconstruction cannot begin until the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality issues a permit, expected possibly early next week, Sroonian said. It will take about a week after the permit is approved to start.
Molon first will build a temporary "de-watering" structure to slowly drain the remaining 22 vertical feet of water in Brown Bridge Pond. The city's permit request seeks a flow rate of 1-foot-per-day to manage sediment, a major focus of the project.
Sediment will be captured in traps as the water recedes. The MDEQ will set the rate of flow.
The dam blocked the natural flow of river sediment for 90 years and created a sand delta at the north end of the former pond.
About 250,000 cubic yards of spoils, a quantity that would fill 25,000 dump trucks with 10-yard beds, will be dredged during stream restoration in the upper impoundment. All of the spoils will remain on site in upland areas, according to information included in the city's permit request. Another 3,100 cubic feet of material will be dredged in late summer to install a temporary water-control structure upstream from the dam.
The powerhouse foundation, buried under five feet of soil, will remain as will part of the earthen embankment, which will be graded and sloped. The river will be 55 feet wide in that section, Sroonian, AMEC’s senior principal engineer said.
The contract is the culmination of years of planning, feasibility studies, and engineering designs that started in 2005, after Traverse City Light & Power announced it would shut down the three hydroelectric dams. The announcement led to a study and a recommendation from the U.S. Army Corp of Engineers that the three dams be removed and Union Street Dam be reconstructed.
Brown Bridge, built in 1921, is the first of three dams scheduled to be taken out over the next three years. It is owned by Traverse City. Boardman and Sabin dams are owned by Grand Traverse County. The Army Corps is handling their removal.
AMEC selected Molon from a field of 14 companies. Once completed, the dam removal project will restore 18 miles of cold-water river flowing into Lake Michigan and reconnect 160 miles of river and tributaries to Lake Michigan.
It is the state's largest-ever river restoration project and is believed by project leaders to one of the most comprehensive dam removal and restoration projects undertaken in the United States.
The Boardman River Implementation Team this week approved the general contractor/project management contract with AMEC Engineering & Infrastructure to remove the Brown Bridge Dam powerhouse, restore the river to its historic channel and reseed exposed bottomlands and construction areas.
The bulk of the contract, about $2.5 million, will go to Molon Excavating of Traverse City and its subcontractors for deconstruction, dredging, sediment management, restoration and re-seeding over an estimated 20 weeks. If work is not finished by Dec. 19, the project will be completed in the spring.
Deconstruction cannot begin until the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality issues a permit, expected possibly early next week, Sroonian said. It will take about a week after the permit is approved to start.
Molon first will build a temporary "de-watering" structure to slowly drain the remaining 22 vertical feet of water in Brown Bridge Pond. The city's permit request seeks a flow rate of 1-foot-per-day to manage sediment, a major focus of the project.
Sediment will be captured in traps as the water recedes. The MDEQ will set the rate of flow.
The dam blocked the natural flow of river sediment for 90 years and created a sand delta at the north end of the former pond.
About 250,000 cubic yards of spoils, a quantity that would fill 25,000 dump trucks with 10-yard beds, will be dredged during stream restoration in the upper impoundment. All of the spoils will remain on site in upland areas, according to information included in the city's permit request. Another 3,100 cubic feet of material will be dredged in late summer to install a temporary water-control structure upstream from the dam.
The powerhouse foundation, buried under five feet of soil, will remain as will part of the earthen embankment, which will be graded and sloped. The river will be 55 feet wide in that section, Sroonian, AMEC’s senior principal engineer said.
The contract is the culmination of years of planning, feasibility studies, and engineering designs that started in 2005, after Traverse City Light & Power announced it would shut down the three hydroelectric dams. The announcement led to a study and a recommendation from the U.S. Army Corp of Engineers that the three dams be removed and Union Street Dam be reconstructed.
Brown Bridge, built in 1921, is the first of three dams scheduled to be taken out over the next three years. It is owned by Traverse City. Boardman and Sabin dams are owned by Grand Traverse County. The Army Corps is handling their removal.
AMEC selected Molon from a field of 14 companies. Once completed, the dam removal project will restore 18 miles of cold-water river flowing into Lake Michigan and reconnect 160 miles of river and tributaries to Lake Michigan.
It is the state's largest-ever river restoration project and is believed by project leaders to one of the most comprehensive dam removal and restoration projects undertaken in the United States.
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website optimization or for the latest SEO News, visit the SEO Done Right blog.31 August 2010
County Entering Mediation over Wastewater Treatment Plant
Grand Traverse County is entering mediation over a dispute among firms responsible for designing and building a problematic wastewater treatment plant.
Evaluating the plant's effectiveness for the second time was Prein & Newho of Grand Rapids. After another extensive overview of the county's $7.8 million facility, their final report to the Grand Traverse Board of Public Works was delivered with no change to the first diagnosis.
Prein & Newho reconfirmed that former county attorney Michael Houlihan and the local septage treatment plant designer, Gourdie-Fraser Inc., failed to apply professional care when they overestimated the projected septage volume of the facility.
The overall issue at hand is: the plant takes in about half the septic tank waste volume that producers projected, and the operational costs greatly exceed what was forecasted.
“I think it’s becoming increasingly obvious that there was a lack of professional standards followed,” said a Township Supervisor. “I’m hopeful that we can mediate a fair settlement, and I believe we should be able to.”
The facility experienced a partial shut-down a month after opening in 2005. To add to the problems, the plant has estimated to lose roughly $400,000 this year and about $600,000 in 2011.
Prein & Newhof, along with Grand Traverse county officials met with the wastewater treatment plants designer, Gourdie-Fraser Inc. and The Christman Co., the two organizations that engineered and constructed the facility. The meetings come coupled with mediation to resolve the contract disputes originating from the process.
During the meetings, the responsible designers provided new information to the county, and Prein & Newhof revised its report as result, however not its conclusion.
“We still feel it is grossly inaccurate,” President of Gourdie-Fraser, Joe Elliot said of the new report. “We think they are trying to work backwards and build a foundation for a predetermined solution.”
In addition to the disputes, Grand Traverse County and Gourdie-Fraser/Christman have conflicting views of when the facility was complete under the contract as well as if the plant meets specific capacity requirements.
Elliot noted Gourdie-Fraser Inc. would prefer to avoid consulting with a Nashville mediation lawyer and has yet rule out the possibility of a cash settlement.
“Mediation will burn more money and more legal fees, and we would like to bring it to a resolution without doing that,” Elliot said. “A cash settlement is something we will talk about in the next bit, but right now I would say probably not.”
Prein & Newhof questioned certain decisions made by the designer of wastewater treatment plants in several other areas of the facility. However Elliot said the design process involved five local township supervisors who were responsible for oversight, in addition to Grand Traverse county officials and an outside engineer.
“There was a good design process, and it came up with fairly good conclusions,” Elliot commented. “In hindsight, they probably aren’t perfect, but there always are things you can do better when you look back.”
County officials advocate that the preparation, design and construction of the plant were done correctly and the facility’s problems are due to several of compounding issues, such as the economy. The Supervisor for Garfield County claimed that it is time to drop that stance.
“That reasoning is getting pretty thin,” he said. “The collapse established the thing as a failure, and its only gone downhill from there.”
02 August 2010
Optimism Reigns at Traverse City Auto Conference
The Detroit News
After five years of gloom and doom, the 45th annual meeting of auto executives, analysts and reporters in northern Michigan that opens Monday has something to cheer about.
Actually, a lot to be happy about.
The Ann Arbor-based Center for Automotive Research holds an annual Management Briefing Seminars in Traverse City, drawing CEOs, union leaders, politicians, Wall Street analysts and dozens of reporters.
Over the last five years, the mood has mostly been grim. Last year, 54 auto suppliers filed for bankruptcy -- and early on it was unclear if two U.S. automakers would survive.
This year, auto sales have risen -- and are on pace to be about 11.5 million vehicles this year, above last year's dismal 10.4 million sales, which were the lowest tally recorded in 27 years. That figure was boosted by the government's $3 billion "Cash for Clunkers" program that helped sell 677,000 vehicles.
Detroit's Big Three, which collectively lost more than $100 billion between 2005 and 2009 and shed more than 200,000 jobs, each recorded operating profits in the first quarter of this year -- the first time that's happened since 2004.
While last year Gov. Jennifer Granholm and others were pleading with at least $1 billion in federal aid to keep suppliers alive, the boost in production has largely stabilized the industry -- and few companies have sought bankruptcy protection this year.
The auto industry has added 55,000 jobs in the last 12 months -- after shedding 334,000 in the previous 12 months. Domestic automakers are adding jobs, shifts and keeping some plants opened that were once slated to be closed.
On Friday, Chrysler Group LLC reversed course and said it would keep open Sterling Heights Assembly Plant, which was slated to close in 2012, and add 900 new jobs.
Last year, attendance at the Traverse City event plummeted as auto sales had sharply declined and two U.S. automakers -- General Motors Co. and Chrysler had exited bankruptcy only weeks earlier -- the mood was grim.
About 650 registered for last year's annual conference of seminars, down from 900 to 1,000 in recent years. This year, attendance is up and revenue is up by more than 25 percent, said David Cole, chairman of the Center for Automotive Research. "The gloom is gone," Cole said. "The storm has finally passed." The conference has been shrunk from five days to four days this year.
"Clearly, the automotive industry is exiting one of the most difficult and challenging times in modern history. The restructuring has been massive and the emerging new industry is far more lean, flexible, and efficient -- poised to see unprecedented profitability in the years ahead," Cole said.
Lisa Hart, a spokeswoman for the Center for Automotive Research, said Saturday that about 800 people have registered to attend this year, but the final number could rise because people still were registering.
Ford Motor Co. has earned $4.7 billion in profits in the first half of 2010 -- its largest tally since 1998. But the company still is working to shed debt. It pared its debt back from $34 billion to $27.3 billion in the second quarter of the year. GM is set to report a second quarter profit early this month and Chrysler will report an operating profit on Aug. 9 -- though it isn't clear if Chrysler will report a net profit.
Automakers still have a long way to go. GM, which got a $50 billion bailout from U.S. taxpayers, is 61 percent owned by the Treasury Department. It plans to file the paperwork in the middle of August and hopes to have its public offering by year's end. Chrysler won't go public until 2011 at the earliest.
Ford Americas chief Mark Fields will speak, as will GM chairman and CEO Edward Whitacre Jr. and the new United Auto Workers president Bob King.
The session also includes John Krafcik of Hyundai, Jim O'Donnell of BMW North America and Tim Manganello of auto supplier BorgWarner.
Toyota Motor Corp. will bring the company's quality chief to the event: Steve St. Angelo of Toyota. Toyota has recalled more than 5 million vehicles this year in more than a dozen campaigns and paid a $16.4 million federal penalty for delaying a recall.
Much has changed in recent years.
At the 2006 seminars, The Detroit News reported the "good-old days are over and they're not coming back," adding "Every company must adapt to this new reality or die trying." Then-GM chairman and CEO Rick Wagoner lashed out at the failure of Washington politicians to address major issues like health care costs.
"I do know the world is changing," he said, "and fast."
Cole said then the industry was facing pain and needed to accelerate its internet presence and search engine optimization efforts.
"The entire domestic industry is fighting for its life," he told The Detroit News in 2006. "They had to be scared."
Actually, a lot to be happy about.
The Ann Arbor-based Center for Automotive Research holds an annual Management Briefing Seminars in Traverse City, drawing CEOs, union leaders, politicians, Wall Street analysts and dozens of reporters.
Over the last five years, the mood has mostly been grim. Last year, 54 auto suppliers filed for bankruptcy -- and early on it was unclear if two U.S. automakers would survive.
This year, auto sales have risen -- and are on pace to be about 11.5 million vehicles this year, above last year's dismal 10.4 million sales, which were the lowest tally recorded in 27 years. That figure was boosted by the government's $3 billion "Cash for Clunkers" program that helped sell 677,000 vehicles.
Detroit's Big Three, which collectively lost more than $100 billion between 2005 and 2009 and shed more than 200,000 jobs, each recorded operating profits in the first quarter of this year -- the first time that's happened since 2004.
While last year Gov. Jennifer Granholm and others were pleading with at least $1 billion in federal aid to keep suppliers alive, the boost in production has largely stabilized the industry -- and few companies have sought bankruptcy protection this year.
The auto industry has added 55,000 jobs in the last 12 months -- after shedding 334,000 in the previous 12 months. Domestic automakers are adding jobs, shifts and keeping some plants opened that were once slated to be closed.
On Friday, Chrysler Group LLC reversed course and said it would keep open Sterling Heights Assembly Plant, which was slated to close in 2012, and add 900 new jobs.
Last year, attendance at the Traverse City event plummeted as auto sales had sharply declined and two U.S. automakers -- General Motors Co. and Chrysler had exited bankruptcy only weeks earlier -- the mood was grim.
About 650 registered for last year's annual conference of seminars, down from 900 to 1,000 in recent years. This year, attendance is up and revenue is up by more than 25 percent, said David Cole, chairman of the Center for Automotive Research. "The gloom is gone," Cole said. "The storm has finally passed." The conference has been shrunk from five days to four days this year.
"Clearly, the automotive industry is exiting one of the most difficult and challenging times in modern history. The restructuring has been massive and the emerging new industry is far more lean, flexible, and efficient -- poised to see unprecedented profitability in the years ahead," Cole said.
Lisa Hart, a spokeswoman for the Center for Automotive Research, said Saturday that about 800 people have registered to attend this year, but the final number could rise because people still were registering.
Ford Motor Co. has earned $4.7 billion in profits in the first half of 2010 -- its largest tally since 1998. But the company still is working to shed debt. It pared its debt back from $34 billion to $27.3 billion in the second quarter of the year. GM is set to report a second quarter profit early this month and Chrysler will report an operating profit on Aug. 9 -- though it isn't clear if Chrysler will report a net profit.
Automakers still have a long way to go. GM, which got a $50 billion bailout from U.S. taxpayers, is 61 percent owned by the Treasury Department. It plans to file the paperwork in the middle of August and hopes to have its public offering by year's end. Chrysler won't go public until 2011 at the earliest.
Ford Americas chief Mark Fields will speak, as will GM chairman and CEO Edward Whitacre Jr. and the new United Auto Workers president Bob King.
The session also includes John Krafcik of Hyundai, Jim O'Donnell of BMW North America and Tim Manganello of auto supplier BorgWarner.
Toyota Motor Corp. will bring the company's quality chief to the event: Steve St. Angelo of Toyota. Toyota has recalled more than 5 million vehicles this year in more than a dozen campaigns and paid a $16.4 million federal penalty for delaying a recall.
Much has changed in recent years.
At the 2006 seminars, The Detroit News reported the "good-old days are over and they're not coming back," adding "Every company must adapt to this new reality or die trying." Then-GM chairman and CEO Rick Wagoner lashed out at the failure of Washington politicians to address major issues like health care costs.
"I do know the world is changing," he said, "and fast."
Cole said then the industry was facing pain and needed to accelerate its internet presence and search engine optimization efforts.
"The entire domestic industry is fighting for its life," he told The Detroit News in 2006. "They had to be scared."
17 May 2010
Home Buyer Credits Expired -- Now What?
My North
Traverse City Realtor Matt Dakoske discusses the Northern Michigan and Traverse City real estate market possibilities now that the home buyer tax credits have ended.
Time is running out on the home buyer tax credit. To be eligible for the federal tax credits — up to $8,000 for qualified first-timers and up to $6,500 for certain repeat buyers — houses had to have been under contract by April 30, with settlement by June 30, 2010
Locally, the deadline is pushing people to complete home purchases faster than they might have otherwise. Matt Dakoske of ReMax Bayshore Properties said the tax credit is good for business, though he has some concerns about what will happen post-deadline.
“It’s created a very busy market,” he said. “A lot of people are trying to get business accomplished. It will be interesting to see what happens, what will come on the market after the deadline, whether buyers will still be there,” he says.
Dakoske thinks the market may slow down slightly, but given the economic conditions, he’s guardedly optimistic sales will continue. He compares it to the situation following the end of the “cash for clunkers” program.
“Like the auto incentive program, it will probably slow down some (immediately) following. But it’s our selling time. Prices are right, interest rates are good.”
Dakoske also sees one other cautionary note, the challenge with short sales, where the lender agrees to take a loss on the amount owed on the home to clear it from its books.
“Buyers with short sales are concerned whether they will close by June 30, or will they be back on the (buying) market if they don’t get a commitment” from a lender, he said.
Locally, the deadline is pushing people to complete home purchases faster than they might have otherwise. Matt Dakoske of ReMax Bayshore Properties said the tax credit is good for business, though he has some concerns about what will happen post-deadline.
“It’s created a very busy market,” he said. “A lot of people are trying to get business accomplished. It will be interesting to see what happens, what will come on the market after the deadline, whether buyers will still be there,” he says.
Dakoske thinks the market may slow down slightly, but given the economic conditions, he’s guardedly optimistic sales will continue. He compares it to the situation following the end of the “cash for clunkers” program.
“Like the auto incentive program, it will probably slow down some (immediately) following. But it’s our selling time. Prices are right, interest rates are good.”
Dakoske also sees one other cautionary note, the challenge with short sales, where the lender agrees to take a loss on the amount owed on the home to clear it from its books.
“Buyers with short sales are concerned whether they will close by June 30, or will they be back on the (buying) market if they don’t get a commitment” from a lender, he said.
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