Traverse City Record-Eagle

2007 In Review

January 31, 2008

News In Review: January 2007

New commissioner to tape meetings

TRAVERSE CITY (Jan. 1) — Grand Traverse County commissioners will soon appear on TV, whether they want to or not.

Incoming county commissioner Christine Maxbauer said she'll tape as many county board and committee meetings as she can and provide tapes to tctv2 for airing.

Commissioners for years have deflected questions about televising their meetings by citing alleged concerns over programming costs.

New for 2007

TRAVERSE CITY (Jan. 2) — The first baby born at Munson Medical Center for 2007 came as an early surprise to Janice and John Shier of Traverse City.

The Shiers' fourth child — and second daughter — Evelyn Grace entered the world at 4:25 a.m., more than a week before she was scheduled to be delivered by C-section.

At 8 pounds and 11 ounces, John said Evelyn will be the smallest baby among their four children. Evelyn will have two older brothers, 7-year-old Jacob and 4-year-old Logan, plus a sister, Anna, 2.

They named Evelyn after her great-grandmother, who died in June.

Mancelona man poached elk

MANCELONA (Jan. 3) — State authorities investigated six elk-poaching cases during this season's hunts, including one in which an Antrim County hunter buried an elk carcass in his back yard.

State wildlife officials investigated an elk kill site near Webb Road in Cheboygan County and suspected at least two animals were shot there. Investigators then questioned the hunter at his Mancelona residence.

Officials said they recovered two hides, two heads and what is left of the meat from the residence of Jeff Farrand of Mancelona. Much of the evidence was removed from the back yard.

Authorities also confiscated a camera and had the film developed.

Photographs discovered on the film show both animals at Farrand's home, but neither in the same frame. Both elk were confiscated by authorities.

Heritage Parade, coverage is dropped

TRAVERSE CITY (Jan. 4) — More cost-cutting moves are in store for the 2007 National Cherry Festival.

The festival will drop its televised parade coverage this year and eliminate the annual Heritage Parade, the latest moves by Executive Director Tom Menzel to streamline the event and reduce operating costs.

The Heritage Parade, known for its classic car entries and as the first of the three festival parades, "was the most logical one for us to eliminate," Menzel said.

Parade television coverage on TV 29 & 8, the local ABC affiliate, cost the festival around $21,000 in cash, plus other in-kind contributions.

That was too much for the festival to absorb as it looks to cut its 2007 operating budget to just over $1.85 million, about a 14 percent drop from the 2006 budget of more than $2.15 million.

Critics: Suspension leaves void at the top

CHARLEVOIX (Jan. 5) — City council members who suspended the city manager are being criticized by some in city hall for not immediately appointing a replacement.

City leaders in a split vote removed from office longtime City Manager Michael Wiesner, but didn't tell the staff who's in charge in Wiesner's absence.

"We're in some disarray here. I think it shows a lack of leadership on their part," said City Clerk Carol Ochs. "They really don't care what happens. It's sad for the city ... that they did not offer any direction at all."

The council in non-agenda motions suspended Wiesner and voted to remove him from office.

The paid suspension was effective immediately, though it will take one more council vote to finalize Wiesner's ouster. They took no action on who would be in charge at city hall.

Fortuna takes shot at fame with NBC

TRAVERSE CITY (Jan. 5) — Well-known as an entertainer in the region, most recently for establishing the Williamsburg Showcase Dinner Theatre show, Dominic Fortuna has been getting some face time on NBC.

Fortuna recently auditioned for the new NBC show, "You're The One That I Want" and can be seen in ads promoting the show. A Broadway audition meets American Idol, the reality series will have performers from across the country competing for the chance to land the roles of Danny and Sandy. The characters were immortalized on film by John Travolta and Olivia Newton John in 1978.

Priest leaves to accept Vatican post

TRAVERSE CITY (Jan. 6) — It was a bittersweet Christmas for Pat Gallagher, who celebrated the holiday with her son for what may have been the last time for a while.

Daniel Gallagher, a 1988 graduate of Traverse City Central High School and an ordained priest, leaves for Rome and a five-year assignment as a translator at Vatican City.

"Eight years ago I gave him to the church," said Pat Gallagher, who had a family portrait taken to mark the family's emotional Christmas together and who plans to see her son off at Detroit Metropolitan Airport. "It's an honor and a privilege for him to serve this way."

Daniel Gallagher, 36, has been a priest of the Diocese of Gaylord since 1999, when he was ordained at Saint Mary Our Lady of Mount Carmel Cathedral there. He was midway through a five-year assignment at Sacred Heart Major Seminary in Detroit when he got word of the new post.

"It was a surprising honor," he said.

Ballot mistake could lead to election

KALKASKA (Jan. 7) — Commissioners will weigh whether to ask Kalkaska County voters in February for money to run a recycling program and animal control, a request they contend failed last year because a ballot error caused voters to mistake a tax renewal for a new tax.

George Shetler, newly elected county board chair, said commissioners will discuss whether to hold a millage election in February that would cost $30,000 or to wait until May, when the recycling and animal control millage can be put on the ballot with other issues.

Funding for public station at risk

TRAVERSE CITY (Jan. 8) — Cable subscribers have paid for equipment to televise local government meetings for the past 18 months, but other than Traverse City, only one township put that money to use.

Cable subscribers each pay 30 cents a month for equipment that can be installed in township halls to televise meetings, a fee that generates about $80,000 a year. Additionally, tctv2, the local public access channel, offered to make personnel available to tape township meetings.

So far, only officials in the Leelanau County community of Elmwood Township expressed interest.

Numerous local townships are debating whether they'll continue to fund tctv2. It's possible that several could drop funding, a move that could knock the station off local airwaves.

GT County settles, pond to be lowered

TRAVERSE CITY (Jan. 9) — Grand Traverse County formally took back control of the "unsafe" Boardman Dam and signed an agreement with the state to lower Keystone Pond to reduce the danger the structure allegedly poses.

Boxed in by the state Department of Environmental Quality and the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, the county was forced to agree in writing to begin drawing down the pond behind the dam by about 17 feet.

The DEQ and FERC maintain the dam is not safe, although the county will have to wait until the spring to start the draw down. The state wants the county to hold public hearings before "making a determination" on the draw down it required the county to agree to, said county administrator Dennis Aloia. The work will impact numerous properties near the dam.

Company, neighbors reach pact

WILLIAMSBURG (Jan. 9) — A settlement was reached that includes $450,000 in payments to the state and neighbors to resolve a long-running dispute over environmental problems at Williamsburg Receiving and Storage.

The resolution followed a day of negotiations at a settlement conference before Circuit Judge Thomas Power in the state's lawsuit over the cherry processing company. Attorneys for a neighborhood group that intervened in the lawsuit agreed with representatives of the company that the deal is a major step forward in resolving long-standing complaints over odors and other environmental issues at the WRS plant north of M-72 in Whitewater Township.

Conservancy files lawsuit

TRAVERSE CITY (Jan. 10) — For the first time in its 15-year history, the Grand Traverse Regional Land Conservancy has sued a property owner to preserve land and protect its financial interest.

The conservancy sued Stephen Shambaugh of California to force him to honor a 1999 purchase agreement to sell a 2.6-acre parcel on Old Mission Peninsula with frontage on West Grand Traverse Bay for $585,000.

Glen Chown, executive director of the conservancy, said preservation of the coastline from just south of Old Mission Road north to the lighthouse has been a priority for years because it includes the best coastal hardwood forest in the region. He said the conservancy has preserved a mile of the shoreline.

Deputy resigns as part of plea deal

TRAVERSE CITY (Jan. 10) — A Charlevoix County Sheriff's deputy involved in an alleged off-duty road rage incident has resigned his position and will pay $200 in fines and costs after he admitted responsibility to a civil infraction.

District Court Judge Michael Haley accepted Brian VanMeter's plea to careless driving in an early morning hearing in Traverse City. Careless driving is not a criminal offense.

The plea agreement required VanMeter, 42, to resign as deputy for Charlevoix County and admit he drove carelessly. But a resignation agreement with the sheriff's department allows him to receive back pay from his suspension in October until his resignation and a letter of reference from the sheriff's department, said Mary Beth Kur, his attorney. The reference letter "will not disparage Brian VanMeter," according to the agreement.

NRC: Big Rock site is safe

CHARLEVOIX (Jan. 12) — A federal agency Thursday declared the grounds of the former Big Rock Point Nuclear Power Plant safe for any kind of public use, including housing or recreation.

The roughly 435-acre property north of Charlevoix falls below the maximum allowable radiation dosage of 25 millirems per year from residual contamination, the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission said. A millirem is a unit of absorbed radiation.

The Michigan Department of Natural Resources last fall proposed buying the site, which includes mature woodlands and 1.5 miles of undeveloped shoreline, and converting it into a state park or recreation area. The price was under negotiation but expected to be around $20 million.

Elk horn in on I-75 traffic

VANDERBILT (Jan. 13) — Recent months have seen a great number of elk collisions along an eight to 10-mile stretch of I-75 near Vanderbilt, said Brian Mastenbrook, a wildlife biologist with the state Department of Natural Resources.

Five elk collisions happened near Vanderbilt within just a few days in October, with an annual average of 20 killed in traffic.

"For the most part animals cross successfully, but we have had a bunch killed this year," Mastenbrook said.

Officials from the DNR and the state Department of Transportation will meet early in February to discuss possible alternatives for that area, said MDOT spokesman Bob Felt.

Property owners dismayed

MANCELONA (Jan. 14) — Bickering among utility officials worries residents poised to benefit from a water system expansion that the project could be held up — or shut down.

The state has pledged money to extend water lines from a regional water system to parts of Shanty Creek Resort impacted by a groundwater contamination plume.

The estimated $1.75 million project would be done through the Mancelona Area Water and Sewer Authority, whose leadership is in turmoil over an unrelated plan to install a business district sewer in Mancelona.

The MAWSA board voted to get rid of chief utility administrator Gary Knapp, whom resort property owners credit with getting the state to pledge money for their project.

The nine-member MAWSA board, comprised of officials from the village of Mancelona and Mancelona and Custer townships, is deeply divided over a proposed $2.5 million sewer system for Mancelona businesses and the Mancelona schools.

Future of history is in the works

TRAVERSE CITY (Jan. 15) — Historic they may be, but the barns at the Grand Traverse Commons are not yet ready for their future.

The joint Traverse City and Garfield Township recreational authority will begin to solicit public input on how to use the two barns and about 55 acres of surrounding property acquired after voters approved a millage and bond issue in 2004.

"The objective is to get as much input as possible to come up with the best plan possible," said Michael Groleau of the authority board.

The authority this spring could consider a final plan, possibly featuring multiple uses for the site.

Ousted manager, officials reach deal

CHARLEVOIX (Jan. 16) — City officials accepted a one-year, $100,000-plus severance package settlement in lieu of a public hearing for ousted City Manager Michael Wiesner.

The unanimous vote at the city meeting came with few comments from city council members and no comments from audience members. Wiesner, who was suspended after 22 years as city manager, briefly addressed the council after the settlement vote.

"I would like to thank the many individuals in the community for their support over the years, as well as the many people who made calls and wrote cards during the last several weeks," Wiesner said.

The council agreed to pay Wiesner's base salary, $86,684, for one year, plus about $15,800 in deferred compensation.

The settlement also calls for a year of continued car and cell phone allowance for Wiesner totaling a little less than $6,000 a year. He also will continue to receive health insurance benefits for one year at a cost of around $10,000, city officials said.

Old diner, new digs

TRAVERSE CITY (Jan. 17) — The iconic downtown diner J&S Hamburg will move down the street to new digs inside a planned three-story building.

The well-known eatery, a food market and a wine bar will be first-floor tenants in a development by Federated Properties at 124 W. Front St. The former Grand Traverse Auto dealership is expected to be demolished to make way for the new construction.

J&S owner Cindy Warner of Traverse City said her company also will open Zaccaro's Market and Assaggio, a wine bar featuring a tapas menu. The diner, which for decades served up burgers and malts, will relocate inside the new building just steps from its current site.

New airport terminal takes off

GAYLORD (Jan. 17) — Pilot Carter Moore sorted through paperwork and drank a cup of coffee as he looked out at snow glistening on a runway at Gaylord Regional Airport.

He sat in a new $1.2 million terminal at the small facility, not long after he flew in from Harbor Springs, where he delivered packages for United Parcel Service. He was set to fly Gaylord's next-day packages to Lansing.

That left an 11-hour wait between his flights in Gaylord, so the new pilot's lounge, flight plan room and bunk area came in handy, he said.

"It gives me a place not out in the public to do my flight plan work and if I get tired, there's a place to go lie down," Moore said. "There's a big difference. The old facility was looking pretty ragged and needed a lot of maintenance."

Airport manager Scott Woody said the new building opened Jan. 2 and mostly was funded with federal and state dollars, with local money covering less than 3 percent of the total cost.

Zonta honors its Woman of the Year

TRAVERSE CITY (Jan. 18) — Arlene Nelson listened to her fellow Zonta Club members describe their 2006 Woman of the Year choice and thought she knew the identity of the person they were heaping praise upon.

But the local business owner and community volunteer was quite surprised when her name was announced as the award winner.

"I really thought it was someone else, and now I am going to nominate her," said Nelson.

The Zonta Club of Traverse City recognized Nelson with its annual award at a luncheon. She was besieged by well-wishers, hugs, family and flowers after the presentation.

Decision may halt Meijer plan

ACME (Jan. 19) — A judge upheld Acme Township's restrictions on a proposed Meijer store along M-72, prompting company representatives to say they'll halt construction plans.

Meijer officials also said they'll appeal 13th Circuit Court Judge Philip Rodgers' decision in their lawsuit against the township.

Rodgers ruled that Acme Township's board has the legal authority to attach several conditions to a special land-use permit for a superstore at the intersection of M-72 and Lautner Road, a decision that disappointed Meijer representatives.

"This ruling today has really prohibited us from moving forward," said Stacie Behler, Meijer vice president of corporate communications and public affairs.

Landmark tree will not leave

LELAND (Jan. 20) — A landmark tree will continue to stand in downtown Leland after experts recommended measures to address safety concerns.

Leelanau County road commissioners voted in December to cut down the towering cottonwood tree on River Street after neighbors complained about it shedding large limbs.

But commissioners reversed that decision several weeks later when local residents sought time to solicit more opinions on the tree's health. The citizens group spearheaded a private fundraising campaign to pay for more assessments.

Leland resident Jim Carpenter said the preservation group raised roughly $2,000 to hire three arborists who wrote reports that were presented to road commissioners.

Commissioners agreed to issue a permit for use of the road right-of-way if the citizens group provides a plan for maintaining the tree, which was planted 105 years ago near the entrance to Fishtown.

Band gives out close to $1M

PESHAWBESTOWN (Jan. 21) — The Grand Traverse Band of Ottawa and Chippewa Indians said it will disperse just under $1 million to a variety of local government and nonprofit agencies as part of a state-negotiated deal.

The tribe allocates 2 percent of its slot machine gambling proceeds twice a year, based on an agreement with the state.

Last week the tribe said it would provide money to 57 of 103 local applicants, and said $999,829.32 was allocated for the current cycle.

Database matches helpers with need

TRAVERSE CITY (Jan. 22) — The United Way of Northwest Michigan wants to raise volunteers as well as donations as it rounds out its annual giving campaign.

The grant-making organization supports nonprofit programs in Antrim, Kalkaska, Grand Traverse and Leelanau counties. United Way saw change last year when its executive director resigned, and Pam Prairie was named to the top spot.

The agency is closing in on its $1 million campaign goal and has raised more than $800,000 to date. United Way also wants to raise its profile as a spot to connect volunteers with agencies that need help.

A new Web site feature allows prospective volunteers to search for opportunities at 192 agencies and find the right fit based on factors such as schedule, mission and location of the organization and its proximity to a bus route.

The "community hub database" will include volunteer listings for the National Cherry Festival and Traverse City Film Festival.

Nonprofits gain a new resource

TRAVERSE CITY (Jan. 24) — Area nonprofit organizations can turn to a new ally for management, planning and advocacy.

The just-formed NorthSky Nonprofit Network will serve the five-county region's 400 nonprofit agencies, assisting with board training and improving efficiency.

"There really is not a voice for the not-for-profits," said Marsha Smith, executive director of Rotary Charities of Traverse City.

NorthSky will try to fill that role. The "management support organization" is the only one of its kind in the area. Its start-up is funded by a $100,000 Rotary Charities grant and support from the local Alabaster Fund.

Plant lays off 45 workers

CHEBOYGAN (Jan. 24) — Dozens of employees at the Great Lakes Tissue Co. and U.S. Tissue plant have been hit with layoffs in what the company president said he hopes is a temporary situation.

"We told them it's probably going to be two or three months," said Clarence Roznowski, president and principal owner of the company.

The plant makes toilet tissue from recycled paper products for commercial and public facilities. They've seen a slump in sales since October, he said.

The plant employs about 150 workers, 45 of whom received layoff notices. One of two tissue production machines was shut down, Roznowski said.

Thin ice forces festival changes

CADILLAC (Jan. 26) — Bitter cold didn't come soon enough to prevent some changes at the North American Snow Festival that were prompted by thin ice.

Conditions on Lake Cadillac forced the cancellation of motorcycle races and moved other events off the lake onto solid ground.

This year, the lake races and the "kiddie cat" races for children will take place in a field near Boon, a spot on the map west of Cadillac, instead of on Lake Cadillac.

The changes come as state officials warn that snowmobiles and other vehicles should be kept off all lakes in Michigan.

"Right now we say that there is no safe ice in the state for snowmobiling, period," said Mary Dettloff, public information officer with the Michigan Department of Natural Resources.

Agreement reached for sale of HQ

TRAVERSE CITY (Jan. 26) — The National Cherry Festival will sell its Sixth Street headquarters for a price officials said is "fairly close" to a recent $880,000 reappraisal.

Festival Executive Director Tom Menzel said the festival has a purchase agreement for the former funeral home at 109 Sixth St. The buyer is M&S Property Management LLC, owned by local businessman James Surprenant.

The parties have worked on a deal since December.

The parties agreed to keep the sale prices confidential. The festival first listed the property last May for $1,295,000 and last fall dropped the price to $950,000.

The deal is expected to close within 45 days, Menzel said.

Hotel's new guest puts on a show

TRAVERSE CITY (Jan. 26) — A rare bird that's taken up residence at a downtown hotel is offering a daily treat for avian enthusiasts as it hunts for pigeons and other winged prey.

A Peregrine falcon, listed as endangered in Michigan, chose a ledge on the eighth floor of the Park Place Hotel as its roost. It was first spotted in Traverse City Jan. 11 by Nate Crane, an eagle-eyed Grand Traverse Audubon Club member.

Crane mentioned his sighting to fellow Audubon member Tom Ford, who set out a few days later to find its roost.

"I started with the Park Place and there it was, sitting on the northeast corner," he said.

Peregrine falcons are native to Michigan and are known as small, fast fliers and adept hunters. The birds are known to occasionally nest atop tall buildings in urban areas, but they're not common in Traverse City.

Chamber honors Dr. Arnold Sarya

TRAVERSE CITY (Jan. 27) — Dr. Arnold Sarya embraced Traverse City when he moved here as a young orthodontist more than 40 years ago.

The community returned the hug.

A surprised and humbled Sarya was honored as the 2007 Distinguished Service Award winner by the Traverse City Area Chamber of Commerce, recognized for decades of community service through his orthodontist practice, civic associations and as one of the area's original hockey boosters.

He's served hundreds of area families at his practice whether or not they could afford his services, and was a booster for activities ranging from hockey to cross-country skiing to 4-H programs. He built the area's first indoor hockey arena in the early 1970s known as the Glacier Dome along Barlow Street in Traverse City.

Gift spurred city into action

TRAVERSE CITY (Jan. 28) — Edward Rollert always was eager to take on a big project.

And that's just what his family had in mind when they donated about $1.5 million in Rollert's memory to help build a new emergency department at Munson Medical Center. The contribution kicked off a $10 million capital campaign, the largest in the hospital's history.

Helen Rollert-Riordan called the gift a fitting tribute to her husband, who loved the Traverse City region. She gave $500,000 and also donated a piece of Long Lake waterfront property valued at $1 million.

"We wanted to give back to the community," she said. "We moved a lot and didn't stay in one place very long. This is what we considered home." Rollert-Riordan remembered her husband as an industrious man who would have enjoyed watching the community mobilize to support the ER project.

"We couldn't do the whole thing," she said. "Once they got going they really went to town."

Sledding accident victim identified

FIFE LAKE (Jan. 29) — A child killed in a sledding accident at Springfield Township Park has been identified as 8-year-old Carly Elizabeth Belknap of Fife Lake.

"She was just a lovely girl, really well liked by her teachers and her peers," said Matthew Cairy, superintendent of Forest Area Community Schools where Carly was in third grade at Fife Lake Elementary School.

Carly Belknap was wearing a bicycle helmet when she got on a sled with three other children during the annual Sno-Days winter event. As the sled headed down the steep hill, it went off the main sledding trail, over a snow berm and at some point turned around and was going backward when it crashed into a clump of trees, the Kalkaska County Sheriff's Department reported. Carly Belknap died at Munson Medical Center.

Familiar face in a new place

TRAVERSE CITY (Jan. 29) — Mike Murray started every day as principal at Traverse City Central High School by walking the halls with his students.

That practice won't change as Murray takes on a new role as superintendent at Suttons Bay Public Schools.

"You can't do the job just by sitting in the office and waiting for people to come to you," Murray said as he pushed away from his desk at about 7:30 on a recent morning. "This is when I get to see a lot of people."

Murray takes over as the top administrator in Suttons Bay, a district where the entire student population of about 1,000 is 300 less than Central's enrollment. He'll earn $105,567 in the first year of a contract that ends in 2009.

Murray said the position offers a chance to help shape education in a community that, like Traverse City, has strong ties to its schools.

Church project a go, minus school

TRAVERSE CITY (Jan. 30) — A proposed church and public charter school project that prompted a lawsuit and threats of recall in Long Lake Township will go on without the school.

Construction of Bay Pointe Community Church will continue on 37 acres at the corner of Secor and East Long Lake Roads, but the proposed Grand Traverse Academy West failed to gain a charter from Bay Mills Community College.

"We were not comfortable with its location in a new church facility," said Pat Shannon, Bay Mills' Director of charter schools.

Church officials had said revenue from the school lease would allow it to build a larger complex than it originally planned.

Shannon said Bay Mills officials considered the relationship between the public school academy and church too close and had concerns it violated church and state separation laws.

"This is all public money and we watch it closely," Shannon said.

Cold cases in jail

GAYLORD (Jan. 31) — State officials are investigating prisoners' complaints that Otsego jailers literally left them in the cold.

Otsego County officials acknowledged they turned the heat off in one jail cell for more than four months because they said inmates repeatedly broke a thermostat and used the wires to light smuggled, forbidden cigarettes.

The state has received several complaints about the chilly cell, said Leo Lalonde, spokesman for the Michigan Department of Corrections.

Mike Wells, 24, of Gaylord recently was released after being held on a probation violation. While behind bars, he was kept in the cold, he said.

"It was just cruel and inhumane punishment," Wells said.

The cell at the root of prisoners' complaints is used for work-release inmates, up to 10 at a time, Otsego Sheriff Jim McBride said.

Repair work costs $100 each repair job, Lt. Brian Webber, jail administrator said, plus additional costs to fix a heating exchange unit on the roof that a shorted wire once knocked out.

Officials said they don't know which inmate or inmates broke the thermostat. They also said the temperature in the cell never dropped below 60 degrees because of heat coming from surrounding areas.

County contract probe is sought

TRAVERSE CITY (Jan. 31) — Grand Traverse County's prosecutor wants the state attorney general to decide whether county board Chairman Addison "Sonny" Wheelock broke the law by failing to fully disclose nearly $27,000 he earned from county contracts since his 1998 election.

Wheelock and Sons Welding did $13,463 worth of county business in 2006, but the county board voted to approve just two contracts totaling $6,770 to fabricate beds and safety rails for the county jail.

Other jobs the county did not vote on ranged from $9.50 to fix an auger to $3,000 for 50 custom-built ladders for the jail.

Failure by Wheelock and the county board to publicly disclose and vote on the bulk of the payments to Wheelock over the years violated state law, said deputy county prosecutor Bob Cooney, who discovered the board's violations while updating its policies.

Though the entire board failed to follow financial disclosure laws, the onus is on Wheelock, Cooney said.

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