Opinion: DNR’s Plan for East Bay Boat Launch is Seriously Flawed and Hazardous

(Editor’s Note: Mike Dettmer, secretary of Protect the Peninsula (PTP), says the DNR’s proposed plan for the East Bay Boat Launch, located at the corner of East Shore Road and Center Road, is seriously flawed and hazardous to the public. View the DNR’s site plan here, their fact sheet here, and their general Boating Access Site Design Guide here (which does not include details for the skid pier or vault toilet), as received from Kasey Cline, district supervisor for the Cadillac District for the Parks and Recreation Division of the DNR. Read on for Mike’s thoughts. -jb)

The DNR’s plans to alter traffic flow from its south-end boat launch onto East Shore Road are seriously flawed and pose significant hazards to the public. We urge Peninsula Township’s Board and residents to work with the DNR, as well as the Grand Traverse County Road Commission and state elected officials to correct this problem.

The DNR is a valued government partner within our township, with significant parkland holdings (Old Mission State Park’s 650 acres is DNR owned, although township managed) and two wholly owned boat launches (Bowers Harbor is the second). The DNR has also played an invaluable role in the acquisition of what’s now Kelley Park, where a small-craft boat launch is in the works. (Editor’s Note: More info on this coming shortly. -jb)

We appreciate the DNR’s mission to provide public access to our state’s natural resources. But we also believe that the launches must be managed with community interests in mind, and the DNR’s plan to exit traffic from the launch onto East Shore Road presents many problems.

Without question, the south-end boat launch needs basic maintenance and upgrades. Most of the proposed work to the launch and parking area is welcomed, but the fatal flaw is changing the traffic flow so that all exiting vehicles and trailers pour onto East Shore Road.

Following are the major concerns:

• This decision was made without consulting neighbors, who will most certainly be impacted by such a dramatic change.
• The DNR plans ignore the Township’s Master Plan calling for careful management of our shoreline roads.
• East Shore Road is heavily used for recreational purposes, and safety concerns about the DNR’s plan have already been expressed by such users. The Township’s nonmotorized transportation committee specifically targeted East Shore Road for safety improvements; the DNR’s traffic exit plan runs counter to the nonmotorized committee’s goals.
• The road is narrow and winding, and feeds into city neighborhoods, parks and school zones. Putting more heavy vehicles with trailers onto the road is not wise, even if the DNR plans to place a “right turn only” sign at the exit; who will monitor compliance?
• The sight distance from East Shore Road looking south onto Center Road is much poorer for slow moving traffic accessing Center Road than it is from the current exit hundreds of feet to the north. The recent death of a cyclist at that intersection highlights why further complicating the intersection is a bad idea.

Protect the Peninsula urges the following:

• That our Township Board engage with the DNR to request a change to their plans. The Township does not have authority over the DNR, but as partner government authorities, we hope that our Township Board will be heard.
• Our Township Board can also request that the Grand Traverse County Road Commission deny a permit to create a new exit onto East Shore Road from the boat launch.
• Residents can assist by contacting our Township Board, the Road Commission manager, and state elected officials.

Letters of concern can be addressed to:

• The DNR District Director, [email protected]
• Peninsula Township Board: [email protected]
• Grand Traverse County Road Commission: [email protected]
• State Representative Betsy Coffia: [email protected]
• State Senator John Damoose: [email protected]

-Mike Dettmer, Secretary
On Behalf of the Protect the Peninsula Board

Also Read…