City Council Meeting - 2021-08-02

Detailed briefing

City Council Meeting — August 2, 2021 ATTENDEES: Roll call recorded John Leo, Al Banka, Nancy Rondell, Matt Bulguera, and John Cox; a quorum was present. • Council approved the consent agenda. A resident thanked the city for benches and tables at Marina Park, saying they were heavily used. • The Harbor Springs Area Historical Society reported that the Aha vessel display at Shea Park has drawn strong interest. The society said Shea Days had more than 400 visitors this year, compared with fewer than 100 in some past years, and 50 people attended an outdoor talk about the vessel. Staff said they had received no complaints about the boat’s placement. • Council heard a proposal to replace the existing skatepark with a concrete Ted Swarthout Memorial Skatepark. Staff described safety and maintenance problems at the current facility, including raised screws, damaged ramp surfaces, uneven seams, transition-plate issues, and deteriorated asphalt. A preliminary Evergreen Skateparks concept was described as about 10,000 square feet, with an estimated cost of $350,000-$400,000. • Council gave consensus for the city to begin fundraising immediately for the skatepark project, without committing city money at this stage. The proposed fundraising would use city channels, grants, local business support, and other outreach. Staff proposed regrouping around November or December to assess funds raised. Evergreen was expected to be in Michigan in summer 2022, and aligning work with that schedule was said to potentially save mobilization costs. • Council discussed whether dog use at Zoll Street Beach should change. Concerns included dog waste, uncontrolled dogs, barking, parking congestion, conflicts with small-boat access, and safety for children. Other speakers said the beach is a valued amenity for dog owners and that enforcement of owner responsibility is the central issue. No immediate restriction was adopted. • The city clerk reported an error in interpreting a candidate-filing deadline for the November 2 general election. The clerk said there are no qualified regular candidates at present; residents may still file as write-in candidates. Procedures for filling seats if no candidates are elected were still under research. Worth watching: • Whether skatepark fundraising produces enough support for a 2022 project decision. • Whether harbor and parks planning produces data and policy changes for Zoll Street Beach. • Public awareness and write-in filings before the November 2 election. Upcoming: Car show activities are planned for August 12; the next council meeting is August 16. Why it matters: Council advanced a major youth-recreation fundraising effort while postponing waterfront dog-beach policy changes until more planning and information are available.

No open public follow-ups are linked to this meeting yet.