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A Community Input Meeting is scheduled for the Bowers Harbor Park expansion. The Peninsula Township Park Commission invites all township residents to attend and discuss the future of Bowers Harbor Park.
The meeting will take place at the Old Mission Peninsula School Gym on Thursday, August 18, 2016 at 7 p.m.
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Peninsula Township, with the assistance of grant funds from the Michigan Natural Resources Trust Fund, the Grand Traverse Regional Land Conservancy and significant private donations, recently completed acquisition of 60 acres of land adjacent to the current Bowers Harbor Park.
A committee was formed in late May to assist the Park Commission in completing a planning process to consider the original park area and the expansion area as one cohesive recreation area in order to provide the best resource to township residents.
As part of the grant application process in 2013, a conceptual plan was developed that considers the environmental constraints of the property, including the presence of wetlands and the agricultural history.
This conceptual drawing was created in consultation with a public stakeholder group for use in the township application for grant funds from the Michigan Natural Resources Trust Fund. The portion of the concept plan for the original Bowers Harbor Park area was created prior to the ballfields development that was completed in the last few years, so disregard the ballfields location within the concept drawing. This draft concept plan may provide some ideas to assist in visualizing an expanded recreation area.
Bowers Harbor Park Expansion Early Concept Plan, June 2013:

For more information, visit the Parks section of the Peninsula Township website, or email Susie Shipman, Park Commissioner, at [email protected].
Background Documents:
- BHP Baseline Environmental Assessment – March 22, 2013
This report provides the results of initial testing for residual agricultural chemicals on the BHP expansion site. Please note the individual analytical laboratory results are not included herein. The data is available upon request.
- BHP Environmental Due Care Plan – April 4, 2013
This report clarifies the results of testing for residual agricultural chemicals and the steps to be followed to ensure park users will be safe from exposure.
- BHP Survey June 1997 – June 1997
- BHP Expansion Parcel Boundary
- BHP Expansion Early Draft Concept Plan – June 4, 2013
Current Park Board Commissioners include:
- Chair: Maura Sanders
- Vice Chair: Jon Andrus
- Secretary: Anne Griffiths
- Treasurer: Mike Skurski
- Member: Susan Shipman
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