The fight to stop a land swap for Bald Mountain property on M-24 could soon be drawing to a close for the Orion Township Board of Trustees.
Attorney John Staran of Beier Howlett, hired by the board to represent the township in the land swap issue, gave on Dec. 4 an update on where the matter currently stands.
He said the regional office of the National Parks Service (NPS), located in Omaha, Nebraska, could announce a decision before the holidays.
‘They welcome public input,? he said. ‘We’ve probably given them a separate filing cabinet full of paper and reports.?
Staran explained that the land swap had become a ‘rather slow-moving process,? and was reaching a ‘potentially critical point? with the NPS due to weigh in with a decision.
‘It’s been a little over a year since the township learned about this,? he said. ‘It was then removed from the Department of Natural Resources (DNR) agenda at that time, because the township decided to fight it.?
The Bald Mountain property in question, located at M-24 and Scripps Road, was part of a ‘Chrysler transaction over 20 years ago that was purchased partially with federal funds, which put certain deed restrictions on how the land could be used.
‘It was to be for permanent outdoor recreational use only,? Staran said.
According to developer Mike Weger, he was approached by the Michigan DNR about possibly swapping private property he owns in Addison Township off Indian Lake Road for the M-24 property.
His property is adjacent to Bald Mountain Recreation Area, and would give the DNR access to Indian Lake.
‘This went through the SEMCOG (Southeast Michigan Council of Governments) Clearinghouse Committee in June, and they decided in favor of the township,? Staran said. ?(The NPS) does rely on SEMCOG as being their eyes and ears at the local level.?
The SEMCOG committee felt the DNR should just purchase Weger’s property outright, rather than initiating a swap for it.
‘They felt it was appropriate for the DNR to find some way to buy that property, and not at the expense of Orion Township and its citizens,? Staran said.
Unfortunately, Staran said, SEMCOG’s recommendation did not affect the decision of the state, where the land swap was recommended for approval.
‘It’s now up to the (NPS) regional office in Omaha…in making a recommendation that ultimately goes to the Department of the Interior for a final decision,? Staran added.
Supervisor Jerry Dywasuk said he had information for contacting the NPS if anyone in the township was interested in sending a letter.
‘Anyone with interest has a small window of opportunity to make their feelings known to the regional office,? said Staran. ‘Sometimes one feels like a lone voice in the woods on something like this.?
Trustee John Garlicki asked if there was anyway to generate a public hearing at the federal level.
‘They relied on the clearinghouse meeting in June as their official public hearing,? Staran said. ‘That’s the only one that’s planned.?
Staran said the NPS could call for another hearing if it felt it was needed, but there was no process through which the township could request one.
Senators Carl Levin and Debbie Stabenow had been helpful to the township on the land swap issue, as well as Representatives Mike Rogers and Joel Knollenberg, according to Dywasuk.
‘They have been responsive,? Dywasuk added. ‘We’ve gotten a lot of good feedback.?
Dywasuk said the contact person at the NPS is Jim Krejci, and his email address is jim_krejci@nps.gov.
‘He’s very good about responding,? Staran said. ‘If you do have something to say to him, it’s certainly worthwhile.?
Clerk Jill Bastian felt it was important for people to know that the township had no objection to the Addison Township property becoming part of Bald Mountain.
‘That’s never been the issue,? she said. ‘This township over the past decade has tried to move forward with a logical plan. Having a large quantity of green space (like the M-24 property) has allowed us to plan for (development in) other areas of the township.?
Bastian said having that green space on M-24 would be a ‘nice buffer? that would allow people to live near the highway, but still feel like a part of the community.
Trustee Matthew Gibb noted that in Staran’s memo, he said the state had approved the swap ‘as expected.?
‘So you expected them to approve,? he said. ‘Did we get caught flat-footed by not appearing at that meeting? I feel like we missed an opportunity to be present there, in October.?
Staran said all the other meetings had been attended on behalf of the township, including the private ones.
‘That one we didn’t go to,? he said. ‘It was more of a formality than anything else.?
Staran said the record of the township’s disapproval, including numerous expert opinions, would be transmitted to the federal level.
‘They are fully abreast of the township’s position,? he added.
Garlicki asked if it would hurt to see if there could be another public hearing.
‘I can ask,? said Staran. ‘But we’ve had minimal attendance…either for or against. It’s been limited to a handful of people.?