Table AppB4     General Comments for Section VI-D
(Future Land Use – Recreation)

No.	Comment
1	It is very difficult for me to answer many of these questions as I don't as yet live there.  I'm sure once I get actually moved there I would have more definite opinions on some of these questions.  Also, since I haven't actually lived in a town for 56 years, I probably am out of touch with many things.
2	About right.
3	Seasonal climbing wall Sand volleyball Putt putt golf Clean up the movie theater
4	We need bathroom facilities ASAP
5	The village has done a good job with present facilities.  Spending excessive taxpayer money on unnecessary recreational facilities plus maintenance costs is not the responsibility of village government.  Bike trails, snowmobile trails are best left to county or state governments.
6	This community absolutely needs to stop pandering to the elderly and tourists, and do something for the young marrieds and children.  We don't want them to leave because of no jobs or housing.  Have you ever tried to use the tennis courts or take children to the beach?
7	We have enough parks!  No taxpayer dollars to pay for more!
8	If you build it, they will come.  Our problem is that we have a SMALL COMMUNITY park; the park is primarily for our community. In recent years we have witnessed an influx of Traverse City residents using our Memorial Park due to mismanagement of their own public space along the waterfront.
9	More tennis courts More and better public access sites for Elk Lake More shoppers docks on Elk Lake and Lake Michigan
10	Recreational target shooting range, should the Sportsman's Club lose its present property
11	Central locations in downtown section of River Street not a few blocks' walk from shops.
12	Bathroom in Memorial Park does not have to be a Taj Mahal.  Can be low-impact visually yet highly functional.
13	We should link Antrim County to TART and Little Traverse Wheelway!
14	I have often thought the town should buy up the houses on the north side of Traverse Street for more parking downtown --- between Bridge and Cedar Streets.
15	We added a small ice rink to our community lakeside park downstate (Grosse Pointe, MI) --- no hockey --- and it greatly increased wintertime use and is used by a lot of families. It is a reflecting pool in the summer.
16	I think we need to do whatever we can to promote tourism to the area.
17	Veterans Memorial Park: no new equipment, picnic tables. First: Sand control has to be addressed or we will lose pathway, trees, tennis courts, and the park itself
18	Speaker system to play music in downtown area.  Need more year-round public restrooms.
19	Year-round bathrooms in downtown business district
20	Make the bathroom bldg small and attractive --- have a men's side and a women's side.
21	The Town Hall already has great acoustics for music.  Why not fix up the toilets in there for a year-round musical entertainment?
22	Small bathroom facilities.  Would be nice to have the arts pavilion in or near the park.
23	Industrial and storage buildings on US31 south of light should be bought by condemnation or otherwise and new "village-like" buildings constructed --- small stores --- village character.
24	Bathrooms in Mem Park --- but please DON'T block view.  Keep in tree area.  Please do not put a permanent arts pavilion in Mem Park!  It will ruin the natural beauty of our pristine park.  Would prefer an arts park in area of Bayshore Park or other area in Village.
25	Just because boat launches are crowded on holidays doesn't warrant the expense of building more.
26	It is difficult to encourage tourism yet keep our lakes clean and uncongested.  I don't want Elk Lake to end up like Torch Lake with diapers floating on the sand bar.
27	I have looked around as I bike/walk the village.  A Community Arts Pavilion in the lot where Palmer's Garage was could be a good choice:     * access to parking     * flow back and forth to businesses on River St     * Pavilion angled to face Kid's Pond --- could be heard in Marina, around Kid's Pond, etc.
28	Don't let dam beach look like park in TC.  Keep improving what facilities i.e. toilets in Memorial Park so the Bay is not used.  Improve with the county Dam Beach toilet facilities so again the Bay will not be used.
29	Get bathroom in VM Park, update playground equipment.  No arts pavilion!
30	Keep the village a village.  Don't take away the small town appeal.
31	This is exceedingly redundant and the questions are leading… shame on you!
32	Not interested in fast food drive-ins/McDonalds, burger king
33	Add public restrooms at (Bridge St.) end of River St (Gazebo area)
34	3-storey should be allowed on Ames (both sides) just like downtown!
35	One of the greatest charms of Memorial Park is its openness and view of the Bay. Any toilet facility should be small, near the cedar trees, and preferably temporary or seasonal.
36	New toilets in Mem Pk. Sufficient
37	Developed recreational facilities: baseball, softball, soccer, fitness trail, jogging trail, tennis, etc.  Developed in partnership with schools and township utilizing current and new property.  Clean up and organize County Park on S. Bayshore to make it more user-friendly.
38	I strongly support a performing arts center but DO NOT want it in the Memorial Park because I feel that it is already being encroached upon.  I believe that land should be purchased elsewhere within the community for more parks and the art center.
39	It's awesome we have Joe with the theatre for our youth.  He offers great family pricing.  Other than that nothing really for our youth, e.g. bowling.  I heard a retired State officer had a great plan once and he was rejected, that is a real tragedy!  Always need more to occupy kids and deter bad behavior.
40	River launch improvements.  Additional boat launch and parking for the river.
41	A possible site for skateboard park might be the Sportsman's Club
42	Better park at 31 Swan
43	A significant part of the attractiveness of Veteran's Park is that anyone walking, driving, or biking down River St can enjoy the lake view.  Constructing facilities that will interfere with the view seems to detract from the quaintness of the village. A pavilion can easily be located elsewhere (e.g. between Marina and stores in River St).  If a 2-stall bathroom could be built adjacent to basketball court and not go more than a few feet above River St, then maybe I would feel different about it.
44	Elk Rapids is a quiet, small town. Leave it that way. Folk that want a fast-paced lifestyle can move to a town that embraces such a lifestyle.
45	Keep sand off tennis courts
46	Do not allow any big box stores (i.e., Wal-mart, K-mart, etc).  Also, no MacDonalds, Wendy's, etc.  Allow upper harbor lessees to have full access to lower harbor facilities.
47	The town needs a nice quality hotel.
48	No more buildings in Memorial Park!
49	Need more places to launch our boats in bay or the river, mostly river.
50	We need toilet facilities at Veterans Memorial Park.
51	Senior center west side ER near park.
52	Yes, we should have a public restroom at the park, but keep the size down.  The view is great so do not block it with a big concrete building.
53	Where would you get land for more waterfront parks?
54	We need to provide recreational activities for everybody in the summer - a summer rec program, summer, summer babysitting (?) rec program --- [I?] go swimming once a week in Kalkaska and [do] little league Tee ball - ball tournament --- Park & Rec director Promo to Elk Rapids (sic).
55	I don't have a problem spending on places where our kids and their parents can recreate.  But this should be a lower priority than upgrading/maintaining the structures required for everyday living --- water, streets, sewer.  Also, we must harbor (sic) our tax moves carefully.  We don't want high taxes to drive residents away.
56	Elk Rapids is so rich in historic value.  This needs to be preserved and developed. What are the schools doing in this regard?
57	Going forward, development along Ames S/B light commercial, i.e., retail, service, food service, etc.
58	Where are the Memorial Park restrooms we were supposed to get 5 years ago? A performing arts pavilion would be a great asset for E.R.
59	Elk Rapids seems to be unable to maintain the recreational areas we currently have.  Before expansion to these areas occurs, the current areas must be properly run (for instance, the tennis courts & basketball courts in Memorial Park are ALWAYS in need of sweeping, even during busy times such as Harbor Days). If we want to establish ourselves as a tourist community OR residential community we need to appear desirable. We pay a FAIR amount of taxes and this should reflect in the city upkeep.
60	Need facilities for changing into and out of bathing suits.
61	I feel it is very, very important to have sidewalks on ALL residential streets. I sense that the lifelong village residents generally are not concerned about this matter because they grew & raised their families without sidewalks. I have experienced both. In my view --- sidewalks are the only way to go. At the very least, all school bus routes should have sidewalks!
62	We also need more kid-based programs, activities, centers that are not school officiated (i.e., ice skating, swimming and skateboarding). TC has Civic Center/YMCA etc.

Source: 2005 Elk Rapids Master Plan Opinion Survey