Master Planners Seek More Community Input
By Karen Gould

Master Planning Committee members want more Island residents participating in the information gathering stages and are looking for more year-around Islanders to offer their opinions during the next public hearing being held Monday, August 29, which will include an open microphone session.

The committee has offered three opportunities for residents to register their opinions about what Mackinac Island should look like in 20 years or so. They have held a public input workshop, handed out surveys, and now plan the open microphone public hearing.

“Everyone’s input is really important,” said committee member Barb Fisher.

Chairman Mike Hart agreed. “We are here to listen,” he said.

At a meeting Tuesday, August 16, the committee’s goal was to set parameters for the upcoming public hearing and to assure themselves they are making it convenient for both summer and year-around residents to voice opinions on the Island’s future, focusing on land use and physical development. The August meetings were planned so summer residents can participate in the planning process. An October meeting has also been discussed to allow working residents a chance to participate after the summer season has slowed.

Committee members are considering putting together one or two newsletters as a solution to communicating with summer residents through the winter months, since The Town Crier is printed only every other month from October through May.

Connie Dimond of JJR in Ann Arbor is assisting the committee with the city’s master plan revision.

“It is important,’ she said, “for seasonal residents to understand what the overall schedule for the master plan is, because of the nature of Mackinac Island and the fact that you have a big spike in population during the summer and a significant drop in the winter. It makes it very hard to get people to participate. We are trying to stretch the planning process to allow people to be kept up to date with what’s going on and to offer their opinions, even if they are not physically on the island.”

At the August 29 public hearing, residents will sign in for one time at the microphone. Speaking time will either be two or three minutes maximum, depending upon the number of people attending the forum. If there are a lot of people wishing to speak, the time will be limited to two minutes. The exact time will be determined before the public portion of the meeting begins. Speakers will go in order they signed in. Comments will be recorded for reference and someone will be highlighting comments on a board so attendees can have a visual reference of ideas expressed.

During their Tuesday, August 16 committee meeting, members said they were disappointed with the low attendance at the last public meeting August 4, when approximately 50 people participated. Ms. Dimond, who is expected to attend the upcoming public meeting, assured members the turnout was high. Participating August 10 by telephone, she told the committee she worked with one community of approximately 50,000 residents and only 20 people showed up at a public forum. The Island has more than 500 year-around residents, but no data on the number of summer residents.

The committee was also discourage by a poor response to the survey they had prepared and decided to extend the deadline for responses. They also decided to hand survey forms out during the upcoming public forum, but they have not yet decided on a new deadline for those surveys. Kelly Bean, assistant to the Mayor, advised committee members that more than 200 surveys have been distributed around town but only 18 completed surveys have been returned. Ms. Dimond confirmed the response rate is low.

The original deadline to return them was Monday, August 15. Mrs. Bean said she will accept late returns and that more surveys are available in her office for anyone who still would like to fill one out.

From the last public meeting which was held as a work session, committee members reviewed the results of priority lists voted on by residents. Organized into three groups, participants listed Island assets needing protection and issues they felt the community should address, adding to items identified by citizens five years ago. Participants were then asked to vote for the most important issues. Those results are listed below.

The Master Planning Committee next meets Tuesday, August 23, at 5:30 p.m. on the second floor of Community Hall.

The public hearing will be Monday, August 29, at 6 p.m. on the first floor of Community Hall.