Antrim County
Parks and Recreation Commission

May 22, 2003

Minutes

Members Present:

Jerome Dobrzelewski, Al Pecar, Jerry Basch, Russ Blasdell, Mark Stone, and Jim Ferguson

Members Absent:

Al Luurtsema, Stan Moore, Mike Meriwether, and Mike Crawford

Staff Present:

Howard Yamaguchi and Eileen Wallick

Others Present:

None

I.          Call to Order

Jerry Basch called the meeting to order at 3:15 p.m.

II.         Approval of the Minutes of the April 24, 2003, Meeting

Motion by Jerome Dobrzelewski, supported by Jim Ferguson, to approve the minutes of the April 24, 2003, meeting.  Passed - unanimous.

III.        Wetzel Lake Update

Howard briefed the Commission members on the status of the Wetzel Lake project.  The members of the Wetzel Lake subcommittee held a meeting with Joyce Angel-Ling, Forest Unit Manager, at the DNR office in Gaylord.  As a result of the meeting, the County will submit a Volunteer Agreement (form yet to be provided by DNR) to request permission to operate Wetzel Lake for summer day use, and submit a more elaborate proposal for long-term use of the area as a campground.  Staff is working on the Volunteer Agreement plan.

The Commission discussed how the summer activities could be expedited.  Jim Ferguson will work with local dive shops to obtain cost estimates for lake dive activities and for taking water samples for analyses.

Jerome Dobrzelewski suggested that the Parks & Rec Commission write to the Antrim County Road Commission (ACRC) for assistance in improving the access road to the site and considering parking facilities along the right-of-way leading to the park.  He suggested that the letter be a road repair letter to ACRC using the existing ROW.  ACRC can act in June if the letter asks for an inspection, and the engineer can respond with an inspection report if requested.  He further suggested sending a diagram or aerial photo of the site and area being requested for improvement.

Motion by Jim Ferguson, supported by Mark Stone, to recommend to the County Parks Committee to carry out summer activities at Wetzel Lake by:

            •           applying for one-year park use permit (Volunteer Agreement)
            •           diving lake for debris and other materials on the lake bottom
            •           obtaining Road Commission assistance for roads and parking
            •           installing handicapped-accessible portapotties for patron use.

Passed – unanimous.

Further discussion ensued on the items including summer day use plan.  The Parks & Recreation Commission instructed staff to expedite the application process so that summer activities could be started in a timely manner.

Discussion also ensued on the use of the balance of the Wetzel Lake 2003 allocation ($12,500), after summer setup has been completed.  Some Commission members suggested using the balance to fund a long-term site plan for Wetzel Lake.

Motion by Jerome Dobrzelewski, supported by Alan Pecar, to recommend to the Parks Committee to commit the balance of the $12,500 Wetzel Lake allocation to funding a basic site operation plan for the proposed Wetzel Lake campground.  Passed - unanimous.

IV.        Elk Rapids Day Park

Jerry briefed the Commission on the planning status for the Day Park, and noted that the process is in a limbo while we await word of grant funding availability. He noted that much could be done with some seed money for small improvement projects carried out locally (local labor and partial funding).  He wondered if any of the balance of the $12,500 allocated to Wetzel Lake could also be spent on Elk Rapids Day Park activities.

Discussion ensued on the activities that could be carried out immediately.  Mark Stone noted that the positive momentum generated for joint Day Park planning is truly unusual and should be encouraged and maintained by carrying out joint County/Village activities this summer.  He noted that Carolyn Shah is no longer opposed to carrying out the resident survey locally.  He also suggested addressing security concerns for the park (especially if the fence is removed to some extent) by instituting a neighborhood watch program with the Village.

 V.        Goal-setting Meeting

The Parks & Recreation Commission decided that they could not suggest a 2004 budget for projects without a formal goal-setting meeting.  The meeting, to be facilitated by Stan Moore, is scheduled for Wednesday, June 25 at 1 p.m. (instead of the regular meeting on June 26).  This will allow a medium-term view of priority projects to be generated. This in turn will generate some ideas for the 2004 Parks & Rec budget, and also provide a first step toward the update of the Antrim County Comprehensive Recreation Plan.

 VI.       Barnes Park Map

Eileen Wallick presented the color map of Barnes Park created by Mark Stone.  The Parks & Recreation Commission thanks Mark Stone for the map.

VII.       Meeting Time

As the 3 p.m. meeting time is not convenient for Mike Crawford (the only County Commissioner on the Parks & Rec Commission), the general consensus was to hold meetings at 9 a.m. to ensure attendance by a County Commissioner.  This is still subject to change.

VIII.      Adjournment

Meeting adjourned at 5:15 p.m.
Next Mtg – Special Goal-Setting Meeting:
Wednesday, June 25, 2003, at 1 p.m.