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Soon after Jason and Jennifer Mott Paupore, their children and dog embarked in their 2006 Galaxie Deck boat on Saturday, July 15 for an early evening of tubing, they accelerated and heard a sudden bang and a pop from the boat’s engine. Jason saw smoke and flames coming out of the engine. He used the fire extinguisher to attempt to put out the fire, but it didn’t help. “We couldn’t stop the fire, so we hopped in the lake and let the boat burn,” said Jason. Conor McCahill, owner of On the Narrows Marina, pulled up to the burning vessel, hopped on board and took Pepper onto his own boat, “like a hero running into a burning building,” said Jason. “A huge ‘thank you’ to the Glen Lake Fire Department, the sheriff’s office, the McCahills both for their work on the water and their hospitality when they got us back to shore, and to everybody on Glen Lake who came by and offered to help!”

The McCahill family, who own On the Narrows Marina, purchased Glen Craft Marina from Kathy Aylsworth in March. They have no plans this year to change the marina, which is located on Big Glen Lake, though Conor McCahill said that owning both marinas will help streamline work and allow them to do more with the staff they have. Glen Craft also has eight rental units and boat services. The McCahills had previously outsourced boat services at On the Narrows Marina.

The McCahill family hopes to greatly expand its boating business on the Glen Lakes by acquiring Crystal Harbor Marina. But they face staunch local opposition.

Leelanau County residents and those visiting our shores a year ago definitely know where they were when the storm hit. Where they took shelter, what they saw, and how they helped others in the minutes, hours and days after the megastorm pummeled Glen Arbor and the Sleeping Bear Dunes minutes after 4 p.m. last August 2 is now part of our personal narrative.

During one extraordinary week in August 2015, the sounds that dominated our town were the whirr of winds and the ugly crack of trees, followed by the buzz of chainsaws, the hum of generators, and the cheering and car honking as Consumers Power trucks and linemen rolled into town like a liberating army.

What services are imperative for a small town like Glen Arbor? How about a grocery store, a hardware store, a gas station and an active Chamber of Commerce. Check three of four for Jeff and Georgia Gietzen, the Grand Rapids transplants who acquired Northwoods Hardware three years ago (and became sole owners in 2011), who have also become Chamber leaders, and this spring bought the gas station just north of town. Northwoods Filling Station now boasts vintage 1950s signage, sells gasoline and quick bites, and most importantly stays open 7 days a week, from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. That’s a big improvement over having to drive to Empire or Maple City for petrol.

Glen Arbor Township secretary Bonnie Quick has called a Board of Appeals hearing for Wednesday, Jan. 9, at 7 p.m. to discuss to reconvene a previous hearing two months ago related to marina expansion efforts on Big Glen Lake. As reported previously in the Glen Arbor Sun, On the Narrows Marina seeks to substantially expand its boat moorings and footprint on the lake’s western shore near M-22.

The lunch counter/ice cream shop south of the Glen Lake Narrows has a new owner once again. But this summer her caretakers may have the mojo, and the business strategy, to make the business succeed.

The Michigan Department of Environmental Quality (MDEQ) has approved a bid by On the Narrows Marina to expand on Big Glen Lake, despite local opposition and concern by the Glen Lake Association (GLA). MDEQ officer Robyn Schmidt confirmed to the Glen Arbor Sun that the draft permit she sent on May 16 to the McCahill family — which owns the marina — was countersigned and returned to the department on June 6. With the exception of moving their mooring buoys closer to shore, On the Narrows is now free to continue its expansion.

The Glen Arbor Township Board held a special meeting today to respond to the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) regarding an application for a marina expansion on Big Glen Lake. On the Narrows Marina owner Conor McCahill seeks to add an additional 39 boat slips on a new dock, bringing the total to 46, as well as increase the moorings to 16.