Volume 2, Issue 2

Pleasanton Township Board Weighs Planning Options

Planning strategy opened and closed the February 9 meeting of the Pleasanton Township Board Meeting. Congratulations were extended to Bernie Ware, who won an award for Outstanding Leadership in Planning, from the Northwest Michigan Council of Governments.
Discussion from January’s meeting, regarding the size of the township’s Planning Commission, continued when Treasurer Judy Girven asked about Supervisor Merrill’s purpose in shrinking the Commission from seven members to five.

Merrill said that Bear Lake Township is twice the size of Pleasanton, and yet it has only five members on its Planning Commission. Plus, said Merrill, he’d like to save money and have the Planning Commission meet only quarterly, rather than monthly.

Some Board members asked Planning Commission chair Bernie Ware about the relationship between Township zoning changes and the Joint Planning Commission. Ware said that the Joint Planning Commission’s Comprehensive Plan would require input from others. "This is a public process—not just [one] driven by the boards," he said. "It doesn’t necessarily mean that any changes to the township plan would go into the Comprehensive Plan."

Former Pleasanton Township Planning Commissioner Steve Hansen was at the meeting, and urged Board members not to be overwhelmed by the Joint Planning Commission’s Comprehensive Plan. "Don’t get too nervous if you find differences between what you see in the comprehensive plan and the [zoning] ordinance," he said. "The ordinance is what we live by. The plan is just a plan. We all make financial plans but the bills keep coming due." Hansen said that
planning can help with future, often complicated land-use proposals. "You’re going to get slammed with a cogeneration plant or some other mess," he said. "I’m very concerned about this board’s lack of support for the Joint Planning Commission."

Board member Connie Ledford expressed some reservation. "I’ve always been for the JPC but I’ve heard people say that Pleasanton Township will lose its identity. What would happen to the businesses we already have? I want the best for the township."

Bernie Ware said that planning doesn’t affect current businesses but could make future industrial development more efficient. "A future land-use map is just for the future," he said. "You’re not going to change anything that’s already here. One of the advantages of joint planning is that you can have one industrial area jurisdiction." He also said that the JPC would not overshadow the local municipalities. "If even one [township or village] board doesn’t like JPC proposed policy, then it doesn’t become policy. If there’s something you don’t like, then it goes back to the Planning Commission."

Ware said that information would be coming shortly about the JPC, to answer questions from the newly-elected officers in the three municipalities. "They’ve come up with some pretty hard but good questions," said Ware. "We want to answer those." Ware reported that the financing of future JPC activities was a concern. Splitting costs equally among the three municipalities is one option. Another option would be using a weighted formula, with each fee being determined by the population in each municipality (54 percent of residents reside in Bear Lake township, 37 percent within Pleasanton Township and 9 percent in Bear Lake Village). Ware said that in March, he would ask Pleasanton Township to decide if it wanted to proceed with JPC activities. He said that over the next month, he’d be getting ready to move on to other obligations. "There are other people who are qualified to continue this work, plus you now have a professional planner as Zoing Administrator," said Ware.

In other Board business, $7,263.96 was approved for computer equipment and services. Minutes of a special board meeting on January 27 report that Kris Kranz, who provides Information Technology support to Blarney Castle, would provide services to Pleasanton Township. The funds would pay for laptop computers, a color printer, internet access and technical support, at $35 per hour. Another $80 was approved for a new phone system.
For the next fiscal year’s budget, February 18 was chosen as the date for a township budget meeting, with a public hearing on the budget to follow at the next regular township board meeting (Monday, March 9). A final budget settlement meeting date would follow.

In other business, discussion continued on the subject of the Lake Improvement Board and how to give funds to the LIB. Dave Ertel reported that instead of giving money to the LIB as a "donation," it should be given as a "voluntary assessment." The Township Board in an earlier session voted to contribute to the LIB and the milfoil eradication project.

Ertel said that while 15 people expressed reservations about giving township money to the LIB, it was important that even those not in the special assessment district (essentially residents directly on the lake) use Bear Lake and benefit from it. "We’re a good neighbor if we [send the money]," he said.

For the Parks Commission, Bob Babcock reported that committee officers would remain the same, including Todd Zalud as chair. He also said that a portable restroom would be moved into place later in the season when ballgames began.

Joint Planning Should Be Supported and Continued
EDITORIAL

Three years ago, the village and two townships surrounding Bear Lake established a Joint Planning Commission, given a simple task on the surface: combine the talents of those in the Bear Lake area and work on land-use issues together. Since the biggest headaches facing local governments often involve issues of growth and sprawl, why not combine the area’s best citizen planners into one body?

Recent county, state and federal history suggests that collaboration is eventually an easier, smarter and cheaper way to proceed than the old go-it-alone method. It can be a way for smaller communities to get what they want when larger communities are competing for the same dollars. It could soon be the only way to get funding.

Today’s flat housing and development market won’t last forever. Eventually, northern Michigan’s open lands will once again be tempting for developers. Energy, manufacturing and tourist-oriented developments will all pose positive and negative consequences.

To figure these out, one needs familiarity with issues that can develop down the road, and knowledge of standard requirements of developers. A group of nine Joint Planning Commissioners, hailing from all parts of Bear Lake, would likely stand a better chance of evaluating these kinds of proposals, since it could draw from the knowledge of all three jurisdictions. Also, a uniform position could be adopted for the area – one that would come from a Master Plan already thought about and decided upon ahead of time.

Over $15,000, from local Bear Lake grants and funds, has gone towards the progress of the Joint Planning Commission. Over the past three years, 20 JPC meetings, both official and informational have been held—all of them open to the public. Indeed, the public did participate in brainstorming, discussion and surveys to create the draft of a Master Plan. Leaders should now follow and adopt the Master Plan as soon as possible. It’s time to move this community forward.

NORTH SHORE
by Jeanne Crampton

The animals in Baja (wild, tame and in-between) are fascinating. The in-betweens are the thousands of feral dogs and cats. Because of the temperate year-round climate, the ferals live, eat frugally and reproduce endlessly. There are two organizations dedicated to a spay and neuter program--San Felipe Animal Rescue (SFAR), which also raises "feral" kittens and puppies and finds homes for them, here and in the States. The other group is ZAPP (Zero Animal Population Project) which does only spay-neutering. I have a friend here who works tirelessly with SFAR, spending her days trapping cats and dogs and digging feral puppies out from under old trailers and caring for them until they can be spayed or neutered. Much of her limited income goes to dog food.

The coyotes and the ravens are the local clowns. Feeding the coyotes is a bad idea, but the temptation is understandable. My neighbors put out food for both, so we have about six coyotees who traverse the neighborhood morning and night. Put anything out on a dish or bowl, and it's not unusual to see it disappearing into the sunset clutched in a coyote's jaws. We have a daily visitor, a raven named Sam (after a gentleman who died several years ago—some here wonder if he’s been reincarnated). Sam responds to his name, and arrives several times a day to croak and mutter at my next door neighbor until she puts dog food on "his" rock. He sits on a cactus just outside her window and is increasingly raucous until she responds.

And then there are the buzzards--great hulking red-headed black monsters who sit on the local decks like harbingers of some looming, awful fate. Coyotes and buzzards are taken seriously, however, since we've all heard stories of small dogs and cats being snatched right out of owners’ hands.

Because so many full-timers live here, most of the dogs are small varieties. The other day I saw a woman on an ORV riding along with two very small dogs on leashes running alongside--an ultimate canine exercise program. I wonder what she does?

At three AM recently I got up to feed Cookie (the fat tabby who is a demand feeder--with emphasis on demand.) I’d just taken a step towards my bed when I heard a menacing growl. I whipped around and Cookie was in full attack mode--every hair on her body upright. Turned the flashlight on the sliding doors, and there on the top step was a spectacular Russian-blue tomcat. By that time Cookie was screaming like she was being disemboweled. Gracie had her face in the food dish, and then strolled by with a "what's all the uproar about" look. It’s a thrill a minute down here!

DIGITAL TV SWITCH

Last month Congress delayed the digital television switchover until June 12. The Gander still wonders if June will be enough time for everyone to get the right equipment for the switch. It turns out that the converter boxes often aren’t enough. If all you want is the local channels, you would still have to pay at least $130 in new rooftop antenna equipment (assuming you don’t already have it). That doesn’t count installation costs if you need to hire someone. Cable TV, of course, is an option, but that gives up the idea of free TV service. Will you be ready for the switchover? Let us know by letter or email (see inside for the addresses).

Upcoming Meetings

Pleasanton Board of Review
(Property Taxes)
Mon, Mar 9, 9am-12p and 1-4pm
Tues, Mar 10, 1-5pm and 6-9pm

Pleasanton Twp. Board
2nd Monday at 7pm
(Mar. 9 -
also Budget Public Hearing)

Bear Lake Twp. Board
3rd Tuesday at 7:30pm
(Mar. 17)

Village of Bear Lake Council
3rd Wednesday at 7:30pm
(Mar. 18)

Dump Dates
(Mar. 21)