Sleeping Bear Gateways Council holds Aug. 25 annual meeting
From staff reports
The Sleeping Bear Gateways Council (SBGC) is hosting its annual meeting as a virtual event on Zoom at 5 p.m. on Thursday, August 25. The session will feature updates on the group’s projects as well as comments from leadership of the Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore. All individuals with interest in the Sleeping Bear area are invited to join the meeting.
Read our September 2019 feature story on the Sleeping Bear Gateways Council. And read our expanded coverage of the Gateways Council and local workforce and affordable housing initiatives.
SBGC is a non-profit organization that works to foster information-sharing and collaboration among communities impacted by the Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore. Those communities, mainly in western Leelanau and Benzie counties, have relatively small year-round populations, but experience a huge rush of summer tourism. That seasonal increase supports the local economy, at the same time it raises concerns about such issues as traffic, infrastructure, and environmental protection.
The SBCG’s stated mission is to “facilitate stakeholder collaboration to enhance sustainable gateway communities.” The organization seeks to balance the benefits and challenges of living and doing business in the unique region.
“While National Lakeshore visitation has been down or flat in some months of 2022, the challenges faced by our Gateway communities continue to grow,” said SBGC President Bill Witler. “The annual meeting is a great opportunity to communicate with our members and the public.”
In the past year, the group has begun a project to address the area’s shortage of seasonal employee housing; initiated a series of face-to-face meetings among local elected leaders and National Lakeshore administrators; and coordinated an effort to study the potential for a Benzie visitor center.
The seasonal housing project is part of multi-year effort supported by regional foundations and a grant from the United States Department of Agriculture. For the summer of 2022 and beyond, SBGC is piloting an internet-based seasonal employee housing exchange. It continues the development of additional employee-housing strategies with help from a task force that includes small businesses as well as such major local employers as Crystal Mountain and Cherry Republic.
For the proposed Benzie Visitor Center, SBGC is working closely with the Honor Area Restoration Program (HARP) in an effort to build consensus and identify alternatives.
The Zoom link is accessible here. (The Meeting ID is 839 471 9756; the Passcode is 2022.) Additional information is on the SBGC website. No reservation is necessary for participation in the Zoom meeting.
