The GOREC public hearing before the Board will happen at the May 9th Board of Trustees Meeting.
In addition to the public hearing, there will also be an overview from GOREC and Township staff/consultants, with a deliberation and decision possible. Please reserve this time on your calendar. If you're away for the winter, try to be back if at all possible. This could be our last stand. Date and Time: Monday, May 9th at 6:30pm Location: 1965 N Three Mile Road | Traverse City, MI 49696 420 Person Events -or- Pristine Natural Recreation
The Rotary-backed GOREC is currently applying to East Bay Township for permission to run a large event center in the middle of the Forest Lakes – an activity that is illegal under present zoning. Many residents are contesting the intense transformation of this natural space for events, but firmly support the recreational and educational aspects of the application.
There’s a point, however, that is getting buried in all of this – and it’s simply that the Rotary is missing a HUGE opportunity to do the right thing. This can all go one of two ways and I believe that our cherished Rotarian community leaders are missing the obvious. Improve Lives in Our Community
The Rotary could be using its immense wealth and standing to take its message to the rooftops and proclaim that they are asking to fund and utilize the former Scout Camp as a community beacon that supports and fosters equitable access to outdoor recreation and education – responsibly sharing our lakes, offering classes, camping, trail access, and day use recreational activities. Creating a place where residents and visitors to our area can come for the day to hike, bike or ski our trails, play disc golf, kayak on the lake and participate in their other outdoor recreation and education programming.
The club’s vision statement is “To be the service organization of choice with dynamic action-oriented members whose leadership and contribution improve lives in our community”. In a time when we need it most, as we attempt to climb our way out of this pandemic, it’s hard to imagine an action they could take that would do more to improve the lives of our community. … Or Fundamentally Change the Character of the Forest Lakes
The other way this goes is the Rotary's current approach, which is to operate behind the scenes and misuse goodwill to obtain legal permission to fundamentally change the character of the Forest Lakes Area. They and GOREC obscure this with lofty mission statements and claims to conservation and stewardship. But make no mistake – this proposal does not protect our natural resources, it in fact exploits them.
And this all might sound a little too familiar. This is the same Rotary Camps and Services group that attempted to monetize community natural resources by bringing Viking Cruise Ships into Grand Traverse Bay. A False Premise: 420 Person Events or Close the Trails
Why do they want to commercialize our natural areas bordering the Brown Bridge Quiet Area? Why are we told this proposal is the only option? Why must one wedding be held in order to keep the trails open? The property is tax free, the land holder is a non-profit, the management partner is a non-profit, and the land and all the infrastructure is free. It does not get more advantageous than this in the business world for any organization, let alone the wealthiest Rotary in the world.
Based on the last public account, the Rotary has nearly $50 million in reserves and $500k annually in oil profits from this same property. When a charitable organization has access to that kind of capital, it's a choice. And why must that choice come at the cost of safety, peace, and the environment? A Choice of Legacy
This is an opportunity for the Rotary to be the charitable champion of our future. In a time when they, like many other mid-level organizations are struggling to find their place, what message do they want to send? The Rotary has a storied past and our community owes it a great deal of gratitude for its leadership, vision, and generosity. But what will the legacy be from this point forward? How will the community look at a club that looked the other way while the Forest Lakes were fundamentally transformed into something our parents and grandparents wouldn’t recognize? And how will our children and their generation talk about a Rotary that not only looked the other way, but in fact, made this happen?
The Four-Way Solution
Even the best organizations make errors in judgment and in this case, it certainly appears the Rotary is having their lapse. This proposal defies their own stated Four-Way Test, and appears off course not unlike the proposed Cruise Ship operation. But it’s not too late to do the right thing.
It’s time to pull this irreversibly destructive application. It’s time to stop spending so much time and energy working against each other. It’s time for a solution that would truly pass the Rotary’s Four-Way Test with flying colors. With TRUTH and FAIRNESS, we welcome the opportunity to collaborate on a responsible solution. In the interest of GOODWILL and BETTER FRIENDSHIPS, we extend our hands to our Rotarian neighbors in an offer to channel our collective energies around a better path forward. We agree on so much. It’s time to sit down as present and hopefully longtime neighbors to create a solution that is compatible with our laws and the Rotary’s mission – a solution that is truly FAIR and BENEFICIAL to all concerned. To help show your support against this massively out-scoped request, please come to the next Planning Commission meeting. Whether you stand up and speak or simply demonstrate support with your presence, all are welcome!
UPDATE: The most recent agenda for the regularly scheduled Mar 1 meeting says that the GOREC agenda item "will be tabled to a specially scheduled meeting on Thursday, March 24, 2022". The March 24 agenda states that "Update, Discussion, Possible Action" will be considered. Date and Time: Tuesday, March 24, 2022 at 5:30pm (note special date and earlier than normal time). Location: 1965 N Three Mile Road | Traverse City, MI 49696
GOREC's messaging continues to be one of misinformation. It is disingenuous, breeds ill will among their neighbors, and raises serious questions about their credibility in a time when we're all just trying to have an honest conversation about what this is and what it is not. Only the most fragile arguments must be shielded from debate.
They say: "GO•REC is in peril. Some people think that, by opening our trails, facilities, and lake access to the public, we pose a threat to the environment and to surrounding neighborhoods. Their aggressive misinformation campaign has forced us to shut down for day use." They are shut down because of a township-observed ordinance violation. They are shut down because they were breaking the law and were caught. You can read the violation here. No one is opposed to GOREC getting township approval for responsible use of the property, the trails, or the lakes. We applaud these efforts and we're not sure how many times we have to say this, but it appears they'd rather wrongly vilify their neighbors than have an honest conversation about what their plan will do to their neighbors, their environment, and safety. They say: "However, our application is facing intense opposition by a group of neighbors. Unfortunately, a great deal of misinformation is fueling this opposition. We’d like to set the record straight." Misinformation fueled opposition? Materials are provided by GOREC's neighbors (not their "opposition") only to educate and provide full transparency where it has lacked. All content is backed by an abundance of supporting documentation. It is largely copy and paste from GOREC's application. If they're offended by what they're reading, then they haven't read their own documents. We've even gone as far as updating this site within hours of the most recent PUD application so residents can see for theirselves. This is how much we value transparency and desire a conversation based on nothing but the facts. Comments like theirs are inflammatory, meant to misdirect, and add nothing but flame-fanning to the conversation – a conversation we've been trying to remove emotion from and only inject fact. This is especially disappointing from a Rotary-backed organization – hard to imagine it passing muster with The Four-Way Test. Is this really how you should treat your neighbors? Or rather, "opposition", as GOREC prefers to label its neighbors? To help show your support against this massively out-scoped request, please come to the next Planning Commission meeting. Whether you stand up and speak or simply demonstrate support with your presence, all are welcome!
Date and Time: Tuesday, Feb 1, 2022 at 6:30pm Location: 1965 N Three Mile Road | Traverse City, MI 49696 |