March: Cold Society
Happy Alder month: Be our feet ever so soggy, we reach toward the sun.
((((((((( Audio of the meeting )))))))))
I was listening to a discussion between Donna Haraway, Ursula LeGuin, and some dude, and Claude Lévi-Strauss’s formulation of “hot” and “cold” societies was mentioned. It was the first I’d heard of it, and I don’t pretend to fully understand what the famous anthropologist meant, but on the basis of my cursory internet reading, I think it’d be nice if our society cooled off a little. At least for a couple of weeks.
The important news to highlight right up top is that we’re now down both a planning commission member and a council member, with the resignations of Mary Link and Brett McGregor, respectively. If you’re interested in either position, please please fill out our committee application and submit it to Village Clerk Rachel Perkins. For the council appointment, you need to be an elector of the Village (meaning you’re registered to vote here); for the planning commission, you can be a non-Village resident. If you want to chat about the jobs a bit more before you commit to applying, I’d be happy to field any questions, and probably so would Ryan Fiebing or any other member of the planning commission or council.
The Last Winter Friday (of 2025)
A new institution intended to promote social stability will be alas drawing to its foreordained close tomorrow, as the heat of the rental season at the Life Saving Station kicks in. Join us one more time for some chillaxing games and refreshments. Remember: What happens at Winter Fridays stays at Winter Fridays. Please enter through the bigger door by the ADA ramp this time (I’m not expecting a huge snowdrift to be blocking that entrance, but if there is, I guess I’ll be shoveling). We need to keep the wood floors sparkly and untrodden for the first nongovernmental rental of the year, which is a celebration of life on March 29.
Public Hearing on Grant Applications for the New Parkland
00:04:41
The March meeting opened with a public hearing on two proposed grant applications: a Department of Natural Resources Land and Water Conservation Fund grant for $5,347,600 (which GTRLC would match with $5M), and a Michigan Natural Resources Trust Fund Land Acquisition Grant in the amount of $5,173,800 (which GTRLC would match with $5.5M). For the sake of the applications, the park was called “Terminus Park,” a former proposed name for Elberta (this is not the final name — that’s a decision I hope will be thrown open to the community). The resolutions are posted on the Village website.
Brett McGregor (a member of Parks & Rec) explained: “Our discussions with the State are that the acquisition of the parkland could line up with either of those grants. Probably not both, but we’re applying to both. The good news is this lines up with both the master plan and the parks plan.… It’s very similar to what was done with EDNA”
Brett said these grants were just for the acquisition, not the development and maintenance of park amenities, which will be supported with the endowment GTRLC is setting up, funded with the proceeds of the sale of the 9-acre community-led development project to the east of the parkland.
“What happens if we don’t get the grants?” I asked.
“Good question,” Brett said. “What I like about this is we’re not committing money from our pockets. But if we don’t get it we’ll have a lot of work to do in the future.” He said the conservancy and the state had been very helpful and transparent about what is required to win these grants. “I think we’re very competitive” for at least one of the grants. Bree McGregor, Brett’s wife, is the grant writer.
Wilkins said we had lots of letters of support, including from Frankfort. Brett said letters of support came from a cross-section of the community including residents and business owners. (Editor’s note: I didn’t know about these letters of support. I certainly would have written one!)
Brett said, “Anything we can do to offset the cost of the acquisition means more funds later for the development [of the park].… If we’re not successful, we’ll try the next round. Everybody we’ve talked to is pretty excited.”
Lincoln Avenue resident Cathy Anderson asked some questions.
00:14:00
“Is there a 5- to 10-year road map for what’s called in the recreation plan West Park, besides what’s in those bullet points?” She mentioned the trail, restrooms, parking, traffic.
Brett said the short answer was no, but/and a lot depends on the endowment amount. Certain things are committed to: the extension of the Betsie Valley Trail being the main thing. “We’ve been very careful not to set ourselves up for building something that we can’t keep up. Luckily we have a lot of partners: the conservancy, Friends of the Betsie Valley Trail, the state, the DNR.”
Cathy said it would be helpful for the residents to have more details on the steps in the process and the planned improvements. Wilkins said she was currently working on “the financial part of that.”
Brett said, “Part of the thing we’re struggling with right now is there are a lot of details to iron out when it comes to, even the Betsie Valley Trail—how do you pay for it, who owns it, how is it maintained. We do need more details. We don’t have it yet.”
“When the DOT turned over the property to Elberta Land Holding Company,” Cathy said, “there was a provision in the purchase about development of the trail. Did any of that move forward in the sale between ELHC and GTRLC?”
Brett said, “That easement was binding and transferable, and we made sure that carried through… The thing we ran into with the previous owners of the property was that it wasn’t actually staked out. But at least in that document, which was signed by no fewer than seven lawyers, it does maintain that [the trail easement] is a transferable right, and we will exercise that right.”
Cathy asked if the 9 acres was still on track to be developed with community input and council’s involvement in the search for the developer. Ryan said: “Council has quite a bit of input in the process and quite a bit of public input. We’re still at a very early level of discussion with the three parties [GTRLC, State Land Bank Authority, Village Council], but before we even open it up to developers, a lot of this plan, at least the order of operations, will be released and there will be a public charrette for input on the design and development of the 9 acres.” A charrette is where a bunch of foam-core-mounted illustrations are put up in a public venue and people walk around and talk about it and ask questions and raise issues. If you google it, the word “stakeholders” is right there in the definition.
“We have a signed MOU with the state and the conservancy saying we want to cooperate, and I’ve been impressed: the state has been very responsive and has put a lot of effort into making sure that those of us who live here are happy with whatever happens. [It’s] Not [developers] bringing us proposals, but us as a community developing a proposal and shopping for someone who wants to do that. We will tell them what to build,” Brett said.
Benzie Bus Update
Rob Scott, the mobility manager for Benzie Bus, presented on the transportation authority’s funding needs and 2023–24 progress report, summarized in this flyer:
“For those of you who don’t know, we deliver curb-to-curb service for Benzie county residents who don’t have the ability to get places on their own. A lot of what we do currently is provide health rides in Benzie County but also to Manistee and Wexford. We also provide airport rides to Cherry Capital and Manistee airports, and during the summer months we do the Crystal Lake Express and night owl service.” Federal sources made up 18% of funding last year. Only 9% came from passenger fares, and 2% came from ads run on the sides of the vehicles. The largest single slice of funding pie is from the State of Michigan. The millage increase passed at the November election will take effect in January 2026. “This was essential for continuing operations because overall, state funding for 2025 decreased 4% and is expected to decrease an additional 5% in 2026.” Scott said if the millage hadn’t passed BTA would have had to cut back on services. Seventy percent of the vehicles run on propane, which is a relatively efficient and clean fuel; and the plan is to acquire EVs. Ridership was up 12% for a record-breaking year in 2024. Part of the expansion plan is taking people downstate, to Ann Arbor and Grand Rapids, running later evening hours, and providing more service on Sundays, which were all desires mentioned by survey takers.
Housing North Offers Us Some Services
The Northwest Michigan Rural Housing Partnership (Housing North) is a nonprofit and one of several organizations in the area trying to address the housing crisis. According to the letter we reviewed under Correspondence, they got an Enhancement Grant from the State of Michigan in 2024 so they could offer “Housing Ready” technical support programs for communities that want to develop more housing opportunities, especially affordable or attainable ones. Housing North members have already been attending our Planning Commission meetings and have offered free advice on our zoning ordinance updates, and this letter outlined some of the work we could pay them to do. Josh Mills, our zoning administrator, is also on the board of Housing North. The word “stakeholders” appears twice in the letter.
Wilkins said she might have an idea for this if we ended up needing it down the road for the 9 acres.
Fire & Safety
As always, the Village fire and EMS report and other safety information provided by Chief Cederholm is available on the website.
Our meeting was early this month, and Cederholm couldn’t make it, so I’ll share some things I learned at the Fire Advisory Board meeting on February 27 in the April report. There’s a proposed budget for approval by the townships. The cost, which we share with Gilmore, will go up just a bit, Jen said Shannon Spencley said, and it sounds like Gilmore will approve the service contract. In the meantime, do Mike proud and sign up for CERT basic training through the county.
It Sure Looks Like We’ve Eliminated Our Deficit
I sort of buried the lede here; think of it as a reward if you’ve read down this far. Jen filed our deficit elimination plan the day after this meeting, and in it, we show we’ve paid it off. Meaning we have a the proper, state-mandated amount of reserve balance in our General Fund. The audit will be the final word, Jen said, but pending the audit, with this amendment, we have done it. The threat of emergency management we faced back in 2010 because of our general fund deficit was a big reason why I rebooted the Elberta Alert … does this mean I can stop now?
In other money news, our treasurer Jan Erlewein has caught us completely up on our bank reconciliations. We voted to hire the same auditing firm as last year, Gabridge.
Fees for Various Water-Sewer Situations
“This will just button up a few of the issues we’re having in town,” Jen said. She has leads on some companies that help develop/revise water ordinances; we need to revamp ours. This fee schedule is a stopgap before our ordinance is fully revised.
If you haven’t taken a gander at the new schedule of fees on the Village website, you can. This establishes some guidance and awareness when it comes to turn-on/turn-off fees, water theft, meter tampering, and addressing the costs of damage to the Village’s water system. This schedule of fees is based on one from the State of Michigan, so it’s not totally arbitrary. There’s even a spelling error leftover from the source we cribbed from.
Cameras for Security and Pleasure
We voted to hire Eclipse to install cameras at the Life Saving Station, EDNA, and the Waterfront Park. The service will also loop in the water tower and the cameras at the Village Office. Justin, who has (or maybe had, by now) a truly tremendous beard, will be able to monitor them on his phone. “What happens if a camera craps out or somebody steals it?” I asked. (There didn’t seem to be a line for warranty.) Jen said she would find out.
We Voted to Contract With the Frankfort-Elberta Athletic Association
For $500. They will maintain the ballfield grounds.
Resignation of Planning Commission Secretary Mary Link
She has been doing the minutes, and several members of the commission mentioned enjoying her presence on the commission, the camaraderie of the team, and her minutes! Link cited hearing loss as an issue that led to her resignation.
We Hired the Law Firm of Bauckham, Thall, Seeber, Kaufman & Koches
… For our general municipal needs. They came strongly recommended by our beloved attorney Bryan Graham, who is retiring in three months to camp and fish. He recommended Kaufman, in particular, because she is a certified planner. We think the rates will end up being similar.
Let Us All Praise Famous Ken
Please wish Fleis & VandenBrink project manager and Elberta improvements superhero Ken Mlcek a speedy recovery from a recent injury. I’m sure our council meeting was not the most enjoyable thing he’s missed since he’s been laid up.
We approved change order number 4 for the water system improvement project, which was just housekeeping.
County Commissioner’s Report
01:11:45
“The good news is we’re not having any commissioners’ meetings this month,” Gary said. The county is seeking members for the ad hoc tax advisory board to examine the Headlee Reset option again. Please contact Gary or I suppose anyone at the county if you’re interested. The financial director of the Health Department, Dodie Putney, has retired. There’s some issue regarding a pole barn built two years ago to store bikes at the River Road fishing area and whether paving needs to occur. Gary sat in on a meeting with the DNR about it.
“I know you talked to the administrator,” Gary said to me.
“She didn’t get back to me,” I said. I emailed Katie Zeits on February 26 asking why the three sheriff deputies named in the Henry family lawsuit had not been placed on administrative leave. Gary seemed surprised. “She owes you an answer.”
Planning Commission
They are through article 3 of the zoning ordinance revision. Ryan said it’s one of the biggest chunks, so things should move along a bit faster now. Next meeting is April 2, and Jim Tischler of the State Land Bank Authority will be in attendance. Ryan said he hopes Housing North will continue to participate.
DPW Report
There was a large water leak. At one point DPW thought they had traced it to a hydrant on Lincoln near that entrance to EDNA, which they thus sealed off (and alerted the fire department; there’s another hydrant a block away), but the gallon tally was still racking up at the time of the meeting to the tune of 34,000 a day. If for some reason the leak is in the new main, Justin said, it will be hard to hear, because the PVC absorbs sound. There are two bad potholes on Bigley. A meter-replacement plan is ready. There are 24 on the list, and one of them is at the Life Saving Station. A contractor has given an estimate on repairs to the ballfield fencing and backstop; the bid was kind of high, Justin said, but it can be done piecemeal.
Clerk’s Report
We may have a possible code enforcement officer candidate. Rachel is in one of those situations where there’s so much to do (and she’s doing it) that there’s no time to write a report on it. I’ve been there. It’s a thing.
Treasurer’s Report
Bank recs are done, but there are lots of little accounts that need reconciling before the audit begins. “We still have beginning balances for the last fiscal year that are negative from the previous fiscal year, so that negative just kind of snowballs.”
Utility Billing
Jon Ottinger said 70 people had signed up for paperless billing. You can too. Email utilitybilling@villageofelberta.com.
BLUA
Jen said she thinks the $5.1 million improvement project may be starting. A recent Record-Patriot article describes this work, for which Elberta is paying about 30%. The upgrade will up the amount of waste treated from 400K to 1 million gallons per day, and will cut down on the smell from the unloading of septic tank trucks. Jen mentioned that a personnel matter was resolved at special meeting on March 11, and “we will be supporting Chad, with Justin doing weekends and a couple of mornings during the week.” I asked Josh Mills if BLUA follows the open meetings act, and he said he does. Draft BLUA minutes are available at BLUA itself, according to a staff person at Frankfort City Hall, within 8 business days, and meeting notices are posted at the BLUA bulletin board.
Things That Are Happening Soon
A Couple of Democracy-Related Events of Note
Registration closed pretty quickly for the Bergman town hall on Saturday at Milliken Auditorium, which Jack Bergman is not expected to attend (why break an eight-year no-show streak?). You can watch the livestream here.
Then on the 27th, you can attend the first of three films put on by WUWU 100.1 FM, our local radio station, showcasing three figures from recent Chicago political history, with conversation afterward moderated by drain commissioner Ed Hoogterp.
Deeply Local Talent: Eric Joslin
Congratulations to the Frankfort-Elberta High School Band and their instructor, Elberta resident Eric Joslin, for earning the highest possible rating at the Michigan School Band and Orchestra Association district festival on March 4. We appreciate the dedication of these students and Mr. Joslin!
Sandhill Cranes Over Frankfort Avenue, March 14
This Was Brett McGregor’s Last Meeting on the Board
01:40:10
Brett announced at the end of this meeting that since the McGregors are moving to Frankfort, and since trustees must be qualified electors of the Village, he is resigning from council. But we think and hope he’ll continue to be involved in Village affairs, since he’s devoted so much good time to Parks & Recreation, the Budget committee, and the new GTRLC project, and Bree McGregor has helped us with grant writing.
Sunset: Charlie Hendershott (May 4, 1934-March 12, 2025)
Charlie Hendershott was for many years a fixture on the Elberta DPW team. He was a friendly face and an eager mower. He was not a fan of my yard, however, or of occasionally being dispatched by Ken Bonney or whoever else to attempt to mow the parkways on the corner of Washington and Bigley, but he didn’t seem to hold it against me. He was a sweetheart. Please share memories and tributes below if you are so moved. I’m sure his wife, Mary, and daughter Lisa Duncan would appreciate it.
Sunset: Bruce Leach (July 24, 1939-February 13, 2025)
Bruce Leach wasn’t a Village resident, but he did habituate the Lighthouse Cafe, parking his gorgeous, mint-condition vegetable-oil-powered 1980s Mercedes-Benz out front. Bruce was one of the first people I met when I started coming to the area after I bought my house in 2006, and we had a veggie oil deal for a while: I would bring him “cubies” of waste vegetable oil (WVO) I collected from the Mayfair, the fish fry place at Chimney Corners (thanks, Steve Tebo!) and elsewhere, and he would filter it for us to share in his state-of-the-art filtration system in his garage. My 1992 diesel Jetta is long gone, and I have an electric car that doesn’t smell like donuts and french fries, but in some ways, those were the good old days. Bruce, you were a pioneer and an inspiration.
A Call for Elberta Beach Photos!
Do you have some good photos of the new beach improvements, specifically the completed pavilion? Which is that lean-to looking thing by the parking lot. Rachel would like them to put up on the Village website. Please email your high-res images to clerk@villageofelberta.com. You will get a photo credit and the appreciation of all who visit the site.
Heck yeah! to Paula’s flyer…
Heck no! to ending the Elberta Alert…