Mackinaw City
Village President Halts Lieghio Hotel Project
By Paul Gingras

A proposal to tear down the Huron Motel in Mackinaw City and replace it with a four-story, 28-room connecting building between two existing motels, Hamilton Inn and Comfort Inn, received no support from the Mackinaw City Village Council at a meeting Thursday, November 1, despite a recommendation for approval from the village planning commission. President Ronald Wallin stopped the project, amid protests from the developers that he had no authority to do so, and heated debate followed.

Developers at the meeting said Mr. Wallin did not have the right to make the decision on his own, alleged that the council was not following proper procedures, and added that delaying the project would cause undue hardship for workers who had been hired for demolition work scheduled to take place this week.

Council took no action to approve the project's site plan, which calls to combine the Hamilton Inn, the Comfort Inn, and the Huron Motel properties into one parcel. The project would include demolition of the old Huron Motel and construction of a large, new addition that would connect the Hamilton Inn and the Comfort Inn, making it one continuous building housing two separate businesses.

Enzo Lieghio, Joe Lieghio, and Chris Brown, all of whom are involved in the project, were present at the meeting and called several times for a vote on the site plan.

Council did not vote on the matter. Mr. Wallin made a motion to table the issue until the next meeting, but received no second, and his motion died.

Mr. Wallin then declared that his decision to halt the project stands, adding that he and president protem Jeff Hingston will consult with an attorney regarding the site plan by the next village council meeting.

Since then, a special meeting of the village council has been scheduled for Thursday, November 8, at 5 p.m.

Enzo Lieghio noted that delaying the project would lead to layoffs.

"This is going to cost us a lot of money," he said. "We have to get this done."

Mr. Wallin said Mr. Lieghio should not have scheduled the work prior to receiving approval for the project.

Although Mr. Wallin asserted the project does not fit into the city's zoning plan, a report by Village Manager Jeff Lawson states that it does conform to zoning standards, and it was recommended for approval by the Planning Commission. Mr. Wallin cited his duties as president to ensure that laws and regulations are enforced, adding that the project should never have been allowed to proceed this far. Mr. Wallin said his decision to halt the project was difficult, that it was the right and legal thing to do, and that he regretted any inconvenience it would cause.

The layout of buildings would present a fire hazard, Mr. Wallin suggested, and he requested a report regarding the safety of the proposed structures from the village fire chief.

Regarding fires in buildings along the waterfront, "We have a dangerous situation in Mackinaw City," Mr. Wallin said.

The fire department cannot access buildings from the lake side, he noted, speculating that the village would be held liable if a disaster occurred. This type of fire danger was not addressed in the Lieghio's site plan, he said.

Although the Planning Commission recommends approval, Mr. Lawson's report states that the board believes the project is inconsistent with the wishes of its members, who seek to protect the view of the Straits of Mackinac along Huron Avenue.

The village has considered changing its zoning ordinance to protect lake views and the Planning Commission recommended the village staff draft language addressing its desire to limit building sizes in Mackinaw City, Mr. Lawson reported.

In other business, all council members except Mr. Wallin voted against reducing their compensation for attending meetings. At the Thursday, October 18, village council meeting, Mr. Wallin had proposed a 15% reduction in council pay and referred the matter to the finance committee.

James Alford, finance committee chairman, said the committee's discussion on the matter ranged from Mr. Wallin's reduction proposal, to the option of increasing council members' pay.

Each spring, the village reviews its wages and the council has the option of increasing its compensation. The council has voted against increasing its pay for the past two years, and it is likely to vote against pay increases again this year, Mr. Alford said.

"We do not get rich here," he noted, and added that he does not think making money by serving on the council is any member's intent.

The finance committee is holding off on making a recommendation to the council regarding a potential nepotism policy until it receives legal opinions.

A recent finance committee discussion ranged from the notion that any village employment of council family members is a bad policy to the view that the village government is a responsible employer and can serve as a good training entity.

The committee's discussion referred to year-around employees only. Were the village to prohibit relatives of council members from taking summer jobs in Mackinaw City, there would not be enough people to work, he said.

In other business, the finance committee continues to study Mr. Wallin's suggestion to reduce annual fuel consumption by municipal departments by 15%. The village is compiling data on the matter.

Following a report by Utility Committee Chairman Matt Yoder, the council voted to authorize Mr. Lawson to purchase new software and water-meter reading equipment for approximately $14,000.

Mr. Lawson is working on a new water/sewer rate structure and will report to him when he is finished, Mr. Yoder added, referencing the last council meeting during which Mr. Wallin called for an alteration in water/sewer rates.

The last increase was in 2000.

Council referred the potential purchase of a parking lot to the finance committee. The lot, offered by owner Gerald Loveland, Jr. for $200,000, is off Etherington Street and the back side of Central Avenue. That lot would be useful, Mr. Lawson said, owing to a lack of employee parking in Mackinaw City. He added that the village staff believes the price is high.

Mr. Alford said he was interested in pursuing the lot purchase, but "not at that price." Trustee Belinda Mollen said the village should make Mr. Loveland an offer.

The council voted to participate in a project by the Michigan Municipal League called Mayor Exchange Day. The village president, available council members, and some staff members will visit another city in Michigan in spring 2008, where they will learn about another municipality from members of its government.

Council voted to return all seven incumbent members of the Michigan Municipal League Liability and Property Pool board of directors to their seats. Their terms are three years and are up at the end of December 2007.

Mackinaw City, and many other communities, buy insurance through the Michigan Municipal League pool and each casts its vote for its board of members, Mr. Lawson said. Running for reelection are Brad Heffner, city manager of Ithaca; Michael Herman, city manager for Albion; Penny Hill, village manager of Ontonogon, Lester Hoogland, mayor of Zeeland; Richard Lewis, city manager of Traverse City; Richard Mack, mayor of Manistee, and Richard Root, mayor of Kentwood.

Council members did not know the candidates and operated on the advice of Mr. Lawson, who said he knew them and described them as "all legitimate people."

The council made alterations and adopted official village vision and mission statements, which Mr. Wallin described as "short but broad in intent." They will be posted on the village Web site shortly, Mr. Lawson said.

The mission statement details the council's desire to protect natural resources, residents' ability to view the Straits of Mackinac from town, to protect the pristine landscape surrounding the village, to provide quality municipal services to its residents, and to serve as a welcoming place for tourists.

The vision statement expresses the council's desire to encourage both seasonal and year-around employment, to maintain a high quality school system, to provide learning opportunities for people at all ages, to protect the local environment by conserving energy, using environmentally-friendly resources, recycling, and taking an comprehensive approach to community planning.