Council May Consider Island Bike Helmet Law
Grand Hotel President Appeals for Rule

Dan Musser III, president of Grand Hotel, appealed to the Mackinac Island City Council Wednesday, September 28, for a mandatory bike helmet law. Mayor Margaret Doud promised to work out a strategy for the proposed edict and how it could be enforced. Such an ordinance would also have to include visitors who bring their own bikes to the Island.

“I’d like us to consider a mandatory bicycle helmet law,” said Mr. Musser. “I realize that there’s a lot of difficulties in enforcement. I have asked Jennifer Bloswick of the Community Foundation to look into ways to provide either low cost or free helmets, at least for Island residents and Island employees, on an on-going basis.” He also asked Council to consider making it mandatory for Island bike rental businesses to provide helmets.

“We will certainly take this further,” said Mayor Doud. The process will begin with the Public Safety Committee she said.

The request came just over a week after the death of Jim Juday, the Grand Hotel pool manager, who died from injuries sustained in a bicycle accident on Cadotte Avenue at Grand Hill.

The city has ignored bicycle helmet initiatives in the past, including one some years ago where a college researcher monitored accident sites and provided free helmets to anyone who wanted one.

Council rescheduled a public hearing regarding the future of the business license for Great Turtle Lodge for Wednesday, October 12, at 3:30 p.m. The city wants to revoke the establishment’s bed and breakfast license, contending it has been operating more as a hotel.

City Attorney Tom Evashevski said the hearing will provide due process for the Lodge, which is on the corner of Annex Road and Cadotte Avenue.

A special permit was approved for Grand Hotel and Mackinac Island Tourism Bureau for an antique carriage parade Saturday, October 15.

Council approved 19 temporary motor vehicle permits, six of them for later dates in October. Three permits were issued to Belonga Plumbing for clearing property for Don Schwarck’s house construction in Trillium Heights. The original request was for October 5, but Council approved the permits for October 12. Council denied two permits for October 1 for Belonga Plumbing for equipment to be used to demolish a building at the Tom Corrigan property by the school, and approved them for October 24. Two other temporary permits were delayed from October 2 to October 24 for demolishing a building at the Debra Orr Hill House.

Council allowed Marshall Builders to move a work trailer to the McGovern residence in Stonecliffe for new home construction. Belonga Plumbing requested seven temporary permits for equipment to be used at Susan Lundgren’s home in Forest Ridge to install a sewer. Two permits were issued to Belonga Plumbing for the new Stonecliffe residence of Don Wohletz. Council approved two permits to move a trailer to the new St. Onge residence in Stonecliffe and to the Dean Gillespie residence to remove scrap metal from the Island. They also approved moving a paint lift with a dray to Iroquois Hotel for exterior painting.

An on-Island business license was approved for Stonecliffe Real Estate and Management Company.

Off-Island permits were issued for Parker Builders of Au Gres and Barbeau Builders of Dafter.

The next City Council meeting is scheduled for Wednesday, October 12 at 5 p.m. in City Hall.