City Council Approves Floor Plans for Old Medical Center
By Karen Gould

A new tact is being taken by Mackinac Island City Council, which now will sell two condominium units its owns separately, instead of as a package. The decision was made at Council's Wednesday, July 19, meeting.

The city had bundled the two units for sale in June and sought a minimum bid of $800,000 for both. With the July 5 deadline for bids passed and no offers received, Council now will sell the units individually or together and is seeking a minimum bid of $375,000 for Unit One and $350,000 for Unit Two and bids will be accepted until August 30 at noon. A $5,000 deposit is required for one or both of the units. The decision was made based on a recommendation by the finance committee.

The Rowe House condominiums are near Ste. Anne's Church.

The city wants to use funds generated from the sale to finance renovations of the old medical center building on Market Street.

On a related matter, Council also approved the floor plans for the renovation, which will provide housing for city employees.

City attorney Tom Evashevski will study whether state agencies must comply with city zoning and building permits, in response to citizen concerns that the Michigan Waterways Commission

plans renovations at the marina comfort building, which is slated to be enlarged.

Council members said they had not been contacted by the commission and were not aware of the project until they read about it in the Town Crier. Mayor Margaret Doud said she also would be in contact with Bob Brown, who is on the Mackinac Island Planning Commission and is a member of the Michigan Waterways Commission, to get more details on the scope of the project.

Council will review the condition of Hoban Street hill and roads in Hubbard's Annex after residents complained about the accumulation of manure and suggested the areas needed more attention during the day.

Two Zoning Board of Appeals hearings were scheduled August 30. One, at 4:30 p.m., will be to hear a request for four variances submitted by Andrew Doud to demolish and rebuild a commercial horse stable behind his Harrisonville home. He is requesting a variance for the 100foot separation requirement from three residences and for the 10foot landscape buffer along the rear of the barn. The second hearing, at 5:30 p.m., will consider a variance for a five foot side-yard setback for the conversion of the Maple View employee dormitory to a condominium. Owned by Ira Green, the structure is on Main Street in the Mission district.

A zoning amendment regarding hotel related uses in a hotelboarding house district was sent back to the Ordinance Committee following a public hearing. Residents were concerned that the amendment would create more non-conformity of hotels. The issue concerns hotels seeking to open shops as part of the hotel business, but not in the same structure as the hotel.

On the recommendation of the Planning Commission, Council appointed Lee Finkel to represent the commission on the Zoning Board of Appeals. The appointment is the result of the new Michigan Zoning Enabling Act that became effective July 1, which requires a planning commission member serve on a board of appeals.

In other business, Council approved the off-Island business license for Aspen Electric of Maple City.

Council also went into executive session and then agreed to offer Heather Ogle a severance package as she leaves city

employment. She was employed at the Mackinac Island Police Department.

Council approved a temporary trailer permit to Rick Linn to move a cherry picker to his Harrisonville home from the Fire Hall for work on rain gutters.

A temporary motor vehicle permit was issued to DVT Electric, Inc. of Wyoming to relocate the electrical vault at the airport. In its application, the company said that Mackinac State Historic Parks suggested they didn't need a city permit, since the company truck would land at the state's British Landing dock and travel only on state roads to get to the airport, which is operated by the state park. DVT Electric requested clarification, and Alderman Jason St. Onge asked that the city confirm that the company does require a permit.

Two parade permits were granted to Grand Hotel, one for a race Friday, July 28, for 30 people attending a convention at the hotel, the other for a race Monday, August 7, for about 20 people.

Arace of approximately 2,000 people was approved for the St. Ignace Kiwanis Club for Saturday, September 9, beginning at Mission Point Resort and running clockwise around the Island, with the finish also at the resort. A temporary motor vehicle permit to transport portable toilets to the resort for the race was also approved.

Council next meets August 2, at 6 p.m. at on the second floor of Community Hall in council chambers.