Moran Township Board Considers 13-unit Waterfront Condominium Project
By Paul Gingras

The Moran Township Planning Commission is considering a proposal by Mike McNamara to build a 13-unit, site-condominium complex in view of Lake Michigan, on an undeveloped parcel between Mackinac Heights Road and Densmore Drive. The value of individual units is estimated to range from $400,000 to $700,000.

Mr. McNamara seeks to re-zone a 25-acre parcel. He has requested township permission to create lots smaller than half an acre each. Current zoning in the area requires one-acre lots.

The proposal has drawn the attention and concern of area residents, noted township trustee Mark Spencer, who said the project is in its infancy. So far, the planning commission has held one meeting with Mr. McNamara, who offered a preliminary site plan with relatively little detail, he told The St. Ignace News.

Mr. McNamara may meet with the planning commission again Wednesday, October 10, Mr. Spencer said, but the commission will not meet if it has not received paperwork from Mr. McNamara.

Once the planning commission receives a fully fledged plan, commissioners will review it and the township will submit the proposal to a lawyer. With legal opinion in hand, the commission will consider the proposal again and hold a public meeting. The commission will make a recommendation to the township board, which will ultimately approve or deny the project.

The current site plan is designed to avoid blocking the view of Lake Michigan from homes on Mackinac Heights Drive, Mr. Spencer said.

In other business, the township board has secured approximately $37,000 in state assistance for a $660,000 re-paving project on Pte. LaBarbe Road. At the Wednesday, September 5, board of trustees meeting, the township voted to go ahead with the undertaking this year, owing to the state funding. The board had considered doing the project in 2008.

To avoid depleting the township's road fund, the board voted to pursue a bond not to exceed $450,000 through the Miller- Canfield bond company,

The federal government will pay for $150,000 of the project. The balance is to be paid by the township.

Three miles of Pte. LaBarbe will be under construction beginning Sunday, September 30. The work is scheduled to be completed by Tuesday, November 20. The surface will be ground down and replaced. New culverts are being installed now, board members reported.

Bay Shore-based H&D Incorporated was awarded the repaving contract by the Mackinac County Road Commission, which will be responsible for engineering and preparation work.

This will be the last large road project in the township for two to three years, Mr. Spencer said. While it rebuilds its road fund, bond proceeds will enable the municipality to continue with smaller road projects, he said.

Board members noted that they have received several positive responses by area residents for work completed on area roads, including 28 Mile Road and Pte. Aux Chenes Road.

In response to a request by Daniel Bertolini, the board voted to waive a $500 fee to tap into the municipal water system. Mr. Bertolini sought to connect his family's properties east of Moran River, on US-2. The board chose to waive the fee because the Bertolinis are planning to pay for installation of a 310-foot-long water main.

The board did not grant a separate request by the Bertolinis, asking for the township to pay for engineering services required by the Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) for the project.

To establish a long-term maintenance plan for the disc-golf course at Doc Holle's Silver Mountain Ski Hill, township Supervisor Jim Durm met with course builder Steve DuFresne, St. Ignace City Manager Eric Dodson, and ski hill manager Jake Tamlyn Monday, September 10.

The course was built by Mr. DuFresne of St. Ignace, who has maintained the course on his own time and partly at his own expense. In 2005, he solicited donations to build the course, which he has operated without a formal contract. To pay expenses related to the course, the township set up a disc-golf account, which has dwindled to $52.

Mr. Durm proposed to add discgolf maintenance as an addendum to the township's ski-hill agreement with the city. Both the city and the township have millages to pay for recreational opportunities at the site.

The township owns the land and buildings at the ski hill, and the city owns equipment for recreational activities there. If the discgolf course were added to the agreement, it would enable the township to pay Mr. Tamlyn to take over maintenance.

Mr. Durm said he is certain Mr. DuFresne will remain a part of the operation of the disc-golf course.