Traverse City Record-Eagle

Acme

June 25, 2010

Property purchases to expand parkland

E-mail plea and garage sale help Acme hit goal

BY BRIAN McGILLIVARY bmcgillivary@record-eagle.com

TRAVERSE CITY — Acme Township will meet its fundraising goal to obtain three shoreline properties for parkland, thanks to a garage sale and about 40 people who donated more than $50,000 after an 11th hour appeal.

The township now plans to close on purchases of Knollwood and Willow Beach motels June 28. It purchased Shoreside Inn March 26.

Together, the three properties will add about 4 acres and 540 feet of frontage to the existing township park on East Grand Traverse Bay, the first phase in the township's plan to create a mile-long park along U.S. 31 from M-72 to Five Mile Road.

"We're kind of excited down here. We're probably going to pop some non-alcoholic wine on Monday," said Acme Supervisor Wayne Kladder. "I would like to thank our shoreline preservation committee, all the people and the funders who have made this vision happen, to open up our shoreline on Lake Michigan to the people."

Total purchase price for the three properties, including costs, is about $4 million. Michigan's Natural Resources Trust Fund grant covered 75 percent. The Grand Traverse Regional Land Conservancy took over fundraising for the township's $1 million local match.

The conservancy was about $85,000 short with less than two weeks to the closing date when it sent out a mass e-mail plea on June 16th, said Megan Olds, the conservancy's associate director.

"We heard from people who had never given before, and some who had given were motivated to do more," Olds said. "The gifts ranged in size from $20 to $20,000."

Township volunteers held a June 19 garage sale that raised another $3,800, and prompted a number of additional donations, Kladder said.

The conservancy did not meet its overall goal, but garnered $970,000 by June 21, when it learned current owners' relocation costs would fall well below an already budgeted figure. That change gave the conservancy and township enough money to complete the sale.

Any leftover money will go toward funding for phase II purchases — additions of three more properties aided by another state grant. The conservancy needs to raise another $953,000 for phase II by June 2011.

"There's such great momentum right now. Having the community see the success that they helped create, and seeing the change that they brought about, we hope that will really motivate people to get involved," Olds said.

Phase II includes $250,000 the conservancy will charge to manage both projects. Olds said the conservancy expects to spend about five years on the project, extending from the beginning of negotiations to building deconstruction.

Motel owners whose properties were purchased in phase 1 will have a few weeks to vacate, and the township board wants proposals from contractors to oversee building deconstruction for reuse and recycling, Kladder said.

He expects phase I properties to be cleared and open to the public by next summer.

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