The Mackinaw City Village Council considered a request made by Albert Smith to abandon a portion of village right-of-way of Straits Avenue and DuJuancey Street so that a handicapped-accessible house could be built for his mother. The matter was tabled for a future meeting after hearing a lengthy discussion and a detailed presentation by Village Manager Jeff Lawson.

Mr. Lawson explained two different abandonment configurations Mr. Smith presented. The preferred configuration would result in the village abandonment of 9,012 square feet of right-of-way to create a new lot to build upon. A second configuration would be the abandonment in the same area of about 4,000 square feet.

Mr. Smith explained his mother has difficulty moving around in her current home near Straits Avenue, and does not wish to leave Mackinaw City. He asked the council to accept the preferred configuration so that a new house could be built to accommodate her.

The response to Mr. Smith's request was cautious. Many board members shared the opinion that the abandonment needed careful consideration.

The Smith family would deed a 679-square-foot area on the southwest corner of Lakeside Drive and DuJuancey in exchange, which would enable the village to square the off the road.

"I appreciate the offer to do this, but it seems like an awful lot to give up to square off the road," Trustee James Alford said.

Trustee Matthew Yoder wanted to know if the additional space the family would relinquish would extend the corner further. The corner, he said, is very sharp and difficult to see around. Mr. Lawson responded the additional space would make the turn more manageable.

Being able to tax the abandoned right-of-way was also discussed. Village President Ronald Wallin was not convinced by the argument, saying he did not believe giving the lot up would be beneficial to the village.

It would be possible to build a larger house on the lot the Smith family already owns, Mr. Wallin said, if the proper variances were obtained.

Even with the 4,000-square-foot expansion, the house would not be able to be built in a comfortable manner, Mr. Smith said. The building would need to be constructed in such a way that it would be several feet away from the street, where car lights would shine into the north side of the home.

Mr. Alford requested to examine the site after hearing the discussion. Mr. Wallin agreed, saying the matter needs to be carefully examined. The board unanimously decided to table the matter for now.

Business Owner Raises

Business Practice Concern

Dean Scheerens, owner of Pizza Palace in Mackinaw City, requested during public comment that the council consider a way to hold local businesses accountable for the way they treat customers, and this request falls to the chamber of commerce, council members said.

Over the years, many visitors have complained about poorly advertised prices, Mr. Scheerens said. In many cases a customer will order a shirt to be made, he said for example, expecting a low price, but after the shirt has been made, they find out that the price is much higher than anticipated.

"You don't treat your customers shabbily," Mr. Scheerens said. "It's deplorable. It really is."

Many of these complaints go unregistered as visitors want to move on with their vacation, he said. Other customers live so far away that they do not want to follow up after making a complaint.

If a consumer has a grievance against a business, he can speak with the Mackinaw City Chamber of Commerce, said Dawn Edwards, executive director of the chamber.

Mrs. Edwards follows up on all complaints made against businesses that are members of the chamber. When a complaint is received, the business must respond to the plaintiff and attempt to resolve the issue. The complaint must be signed and presented in person for the chamber to respond, she said.

"It can't just come from La-La Land," Mrs. Edwards said.

The chamber also requests nonmembers to respond to complaints but they are not bound to do so, she said. Most non-members do respond and attempt to resolve the situation.

"Most businesses that receive a complaint will definitely respond," she said.

The chamber received 13 nonmember complaints and four member complaints for 2009, Mrs. Edwards told The St. Ignace News. All but one of the non-member complaints received a response.

Trustee Belinda Mollen, who is also the president of the chamber of commerce board of directors, said educating consumers on their rights would help reduce complaints. If an item is more expensive than expected, she said, then the consumer should refuse to buy it and walk out.

The council can do very little aside from what is already being done by the chamber, trustee Jeff Hingston said. Bad business practices and fraud are two different things, and the council cannot dictate business ethics.

Matthews Property Update

Mackinaw City took control of the Matthews property Monday, August 31. The village purchased the 10-lot property on West Central Avenue after its selling price was reduced from $125,000 to $55,000. Arrangements are being made with an excavating company to remove the blighted structures on the property. Using the structures for firefighting smoke simulation training is being considered before they are demolished, according to the manager.