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Editor’s Note: “My wish is that we can draw on our collective wisdom and past practice of protecting the common good of our place and our people to resolve this matter,” says OMP resident Jim Linsell. Read on for his thoughts. -jb
I’ve lived on the Old Mission Peninsula for 46 years. Our Township Supervisors have been effective leaders dating back to Jolly McManus, including Pete Correia, Rob Manigold, Isaiah Wunsch, and now Maura Sanders, each of whom I’ve known and consulted with on one thing or another. Each was competent and committed to a good quality of life for us.
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When I was principal of Old Mission Peninsula School, I knew all of the school age families out here, most of whom are still here and many of whom were here long before I got here. One of the things I most appreciate about OMP is how so many people — residents (new and generational), farm workers, farm owners, and businesses — have cooperated so well over the years, respecting each other, trying to see things from the other’s viewpoint. That ethos still exists.
Over the years, the Township Board and supervisors have put in place reasonable guidelines, supported by the voters, for the wineries as they developed. Those guidelines were formed with voter input and are still in place. The grape growers, some of whom I know and whose children attended our school, invested in their businesses knowing those guidelines. So much water view has been preserved with the benefit going to farmers utilizing the PDR program, funded by voter-approved millages. The underlying intent of these efforts was to preserve the quiet, rural atmosphere for all.
And yet, the world and country have hardened in those 46 years. And it appears so have we.
May we recover our sensibilities as we move through this current conflict. Homeowners should not be vulnerable to levies. Some of the families I’ve known would be driven from their homes. Our treasured common properties should not be relinquished. They define our community.
Old Mission is not the Leelanau Peninsula — 38.1 square miles vs. 348 square miles. Old Mission is not the Napa Valley at 789 square miles. We’re small scale.
The wineries, the people who own them and work for them, are welcome, too, if they can stay within the guidelines. I love the rhythm of the seasons in our vineyards, the beauty they provide, and an occasional glass of wine. But, maximizing profit for a relative few does not trump quality of life for the majority. And the cost of the litigation initiated by the wineries should not be borne by the residents.
My wish is that we can draw on our collective wisdom and past practice of protecting the common good of our place and our people to resolve this matter.
– Jim Linsell, Old Mission Peninsula resident
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Well said Jim!
Here here! This resident heartily agrees.
And Protect the Peninsula are not the bad guys, as some claim. They have been an invaluable asset to this community.
Jim, you’ve clearly been a pillar of our community for decades. Thank you for speaking out and sharing your wise perspective.
Yes, let’s come together as a community with respect and consideration for all.
Thank you so much, Jim, for these profound words. This is the letter I would like to have written (minus the part about being a principal!) I have also lived here on the OMP for 46 years, but as a small business owner who welcomes lodgers to my B&B. I welcomed the addition of the attractive wineries; our guests enjoyed them as well. But, as you eloquently stated, we are a small peninsula and the proposed expansion would overwhelm us with traffic, noise and a level of commercialism that is not in keeping with our way of life here. I have always thought we could have solved this matter without involving the courts, by sitting down and respectfully working together for a solution.