Last week the Leelanau County Register of Deeds office received documents from a title company in Troy to record the deed transfer for Sugar Loaf resort. But Register of Deeds Dorothy Miller reportedly found errors in the paperwork, including discrepancies between Kate Wickstrom’s signatures in the documentation from March 2013 and now. The signatures may have been forged. Miller confirmed that, as of today, the deed to Sugar Loaf has not been transferred.
The following are interviews conducted via email with Leelanau County Commission challengers Dave Barrons (a Democrat, running against Republican incumbent Debra Rushton), Patricia Soutas-Little (a Democrat, running against Republican incumbent Karen Zemaitis) and Ty Wessell (a Democrat, running against Republican incumbent Tom Van Pelt). Rushton, Zemaitis and Van Pelt all opted not to answer questions emailed to them.
Thousands of visitors flock to Leelanau County each year, many of them attracted by big draws such as the Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore. But while nothing compares to the delight of bounding down the Dune Climb after a sweaty trek uphill, or taking in the pristine view of the Manitou Islands from a sugar sand beach, there are plenty of lesser-known places in the county to have fun, too. Two of these places are sister communities Maple City and Cedar.
Leelanau County has long been known as “the land of delight,” but for many of its people, the terrain leading to a place called home appears more difficult. For at least the past 25 years, homes and land have been bought and sold dearly, but a confluence of circumstances has brought the issue of affordable housing to a crisis state today. These include the start of the Great Recession in 2008, a severe tightening of lending practices, a lack of permanent, full-time jobs in a growing tourism and service region, and the refusal of government and some community leaders to recognize and act on long-term solutions to the county’s housing challenges.
Affordable housing in Leelanau County is in short supply. That isn’t actually burning news. It wasn’t even news in 1995, when I became an Americorps worker whose mission was to help start a five-county housing nonprofit organization called HomeStretch. What makes it relevant, even urgent, today is that housing in the county—for workers with college degrees, skills and good jobs, families, people with low incomes, seniors, young adults—is evaporating more quickly than the water levels on Lake Michigan. When the basic needs of a community aren’t met—whether through a confluence of circumstances, lack of initiative, an adverse business climate, or refusal by its members to take action—then the whole community suffers.
Halfway between Glen Arbor and Leland along M-22, just after the Maple City turnoff, you’ll find the historic Little Traverse Inn, owned by Graeme Leask, who was born in Scotland and grew up in Ireland and England before settling in the United States in 1988. The establishment, which includes six beautifully refurbished rooms and a pub, reflects Leask’s diverse heritage, beginning with the flag that flutters in the breeze in front of the premises. On any given day, it may be Britain’s Union Jack, Ireland’s green, white and orange vertical stripes, Saint Andrew’s Cross, the national flag of Scotland—or our own Stars and Stripes.
We are talking, together, in common and without apparent hierarchy, about the Greek philosopher Aristotle’s idea of the good. We are talking seriously about what it means to seek the good, to live the good life, to address Aristotle’s question on the purpose of being human. I am in Aspen, but all this is making me think about things in Michigan.
The biological control of the widespread zebra and quagga mussel infestation in inland lakes will be the focus of a four-part seminar, “Water Issues For All of Us” to be held on Thursday, June 19, from 9:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. at the Leelanau County Government Center, 8527 E. Government Center Drive, in Suttons Bay.
The League of Women Voters Leelanau County (LWVLC) will present a seminar titled “The Changing Dynamics of Leelanau County: What are the Opportunities and Challenges in our Corner of Michigan” at noon on Wednesday, June 4, in the lower level public meeting room of the Leelanau County Government Center.
Andy Gale of Cedar is one such seeker who has made “waste not, want not” his personal and professional mission. The founder of Bay Area Recycling for Charities (BARC) discusses his visionary goals and the extraordinary growth of his six-year-old venture. BARC collects a wide variety of recyclable materials from both residential and commercial customers, offering both convenience and a cost-effective way to make their detritus “disappear.”