Here’s a roundup of recent news and photos around the Old Mission Peninsula.
Tree-Cutting on Smokey Hollow. If you’ve driven down the north end of Smokey Hollow Road lately, you might have noticed lots of trees being cut in the woods just north of 2 Lads Winery. At this writing, there are no permits working through the system at Peninsula Township. However, after a site visit and conversation with someone on site, Township Zoning Administrator Christina Deeren was told that they are primarily cutting dead and/or diseased beech trees, which does not require a land use permit. (There are, however, limitations on tree/vegetation removal along the OMP shorelines.)
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Also, if grading activity involves disturbance of more than one acre, a soil erosion permit from the Grand Traverse County Health Department is required.
As of yesterday, I’ve heard through the grapevine that there are three homes that will be built on this parcel eventually. If you’re the landowner and would like to weigh in, feel free to leave a comment in the comments section below!
Fire Station 3: Things are moving along with the new fire station, located on the north end of the Old Mission Peninsula, on Center Road between Swaney Road and Tompkins Road. Chief Fred Gilstorff hopes to have the new station operational by March 15, but no later than April 1.
Below are a few photos, including the new lettering on the outside of the building and a photo of the kitchen from Cory Reamer, who’s been with the department for 35 years and is looking forward to seeing the new station open.
Speeders on the OMP. If you participate in the NextDoor app, you know that speeders on the Old Mission Peninsula are a (very) hot topic. At this week’s Township Board meeting, Township Supervisor Rob Manigold said they are discussing the possibility of adding a second deputy to patrol OMP roads. The deputy currently assigned to Peninsula Township has multiple responsibilities that include time in court, ongoing training, and following up with residents who call for general public safety assistance. The cost for an additional deputy for the Township would likely be around $85,000 per year. More info to come on the Gazette.
New Flagpole at the Library. Have you noticed the new flagpole recently installed at Peninsula Community Library? The flagpole was donated by the Schermerhorn family in memory of Bob Schermerhorn, who passed away in 2017. Bob was a great friend of the library and also served on the library board. You can see the new flag and flagpole on the right side of this photo (taken a few weeks back when we had snow!).
SUPPORT YOUR INDEPENDENT LOCAL NEWSPAPER: I started Old Mission Gazette in 2015 because I felt a calling to provide the Old Mission Peninsula community with local news. After decades of writing for newspapers and magazines like the New York Times, Los Angeles Times, Family Circle and Ladies' Home Journal, I really just wanted to write about my own community where I grew up on a cherry farm and raised my own family. So I started my own newspaper.
Because Old Mission Gazette is a "Reader Supported Newspaper" -- meaning it exists because of your financial support -- I hope you'll consider tossing a few bucks our way if I mention your event, your business, your organization or your news item, or if you simply love reading about what's happening on the OMP. In a time when local news is becoming a thing of the past, supporting an independent community newspaper is more important now than ever. Thank you so much for your support! -Jane Boursaw, Editor/Publisher, Old Mission Gazette
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