Hickory Hills funds may go to vote

Region

July 18, 2012

Hickory Hills funds may go to vote

By Vanessa McCray vmccray@record-eagle.com The Record Eagle Wed Jul 18, 2012, 07:14 AM EDT

TRAVERSE CITY — A local recreational authority will consider a proposal to ask voters to pay for Hickory Hills Ski Area operations.

The Traverse City-owned site is located in Garfield Township, near the Hickory Meadows property purchased by a joint city and township recreational authority.

The city faces a roughly $555,000 shortfall this fiscal year. Commissioners agreed to budget $85,000 for the ski hill but want to lessen the general fund burden.

Mayor Michael Estes and Commissioner Mary Ann Moore will suggest a possible solution when they address the recreational authority at its meeting today at 7 p.m. in the Governmental Center. Their proposal calls for the authority, made up mostly of township and city representatives, to consider seeking a millage to cover the ski hill's cost and any other authority projects.

Township and city voters would need to approve such a funding proposal, said recreational authority Executive Director Matthew Cowall. Estes said the plan would retain the city hill ownership but shift funding from the city's general fund to a separate millage. Hickory's top users come from Traverse City followed by Garfield, he said.

"It seems like a natural, and we need to move these things into the appropriate place of funding," said Estes.

Township and city voters previously approved the recreational authority's purchase and maintenance of three local properties. Voters in 2004 agreed to a 20-year, 0.27-mill bond to purchase land and a 20-year, 0.1 mill for maintenance and operations. The second millage generates about $150,000 yearly for management, planning and other work, Cowall said.

Details of the Hickory Hills proposal remain to be worked out, including a millage rate and date of a potential ballot proposal. Estes would like to see it appear before voters in November and also would seek endorsements from the township board and city commission. The recreational authority could include other park projects in a millage request, such as adding ski trails or work at its Historic Barns Park, Moore said.

First, the idea has to go before the recreational authority. Folding ski hill operations under the recreational authority isn't an entirely new concept, said long-time board member Mike Groleau, a Garfield representative.

"Hickory Hills is such a great asset, and it's right adjoining our existing property. So whether or not that's something that will fly, it remains to be seen," he said. "It is a regional asset. It was recognized that perhaps there's an opportunity to address it regionally."

The recreation group loves parks but hasn't discussed expanding funding to the ski hill or other "specialized" groups, said Molly Agostinelli, a Garfield trustee who serves on the authority board.

City commissioners expressed interest in reducing the city deficit by finding other funding sources for the ski hill and the History Center of Traverse City, as well as pursuing a possible pact with Grand Traverse Metro Fire Department.