Master Plan Talks Continue Without Quorum
By Leslie Rott

When the Master Plan Committee met Thursday, July 27, there were not enough members present to take action, as the Committee had hoped to do. Instead, the Committee discussed what the purpose of a Master Plan is and what should be included early on in it.

City Engineer Dennis Dombroski said a Master Plan should be a "broad-stroke paint brush picture of what you want the Island to look like."

"The way of life imposes certain inconveniences that we gladly accept," said Committee Chairman Mike Hart.

"What makes us different than Disney World is that we don't take Mickey Mouse's head off at night," said Dan Wightman.

"Disney World is Disney World. We are a living, breathing community. We build our lives around the tourists, not for them," said Mayor Margaret Doud.

The Committee agreed that discussion of school, shopping, horses, fudge, and the winter should be included to give people a unique picture of the Island. Members felt that it needs to be known that winter on the Island is a time for rejuvenation and upkeep, rather than it being seen as a time when the Island completely shuts down.

There was some disagreement, however, in what the introduction should seek to do. Mr. Hart said that it should be freer and more open than the rest of the Master Plan. Barb Fisher said that an introduction should be direct and to the point and Mary Dufina said that, to her, the introduction should basically say, "This is Mackinac Island."

The Committee did agree, however, that the history of the Island does not belong in the introduction, whereas the previous Master Plan launches directly into history. "But we do need a history section, because that's what we are, living history," said Mr. Wightman.

Summer resident Frank Straus also suggested that the Island put something in the introduction of the Master Plan asking the State of Michigan for special recognition owing to its status as a small, island community.

The Committee also discussed whether to use positives or negatives.

"Do we want to identify things we don't want to be in our picture?" Lorna Straus asked the rest of the Committee.

"I hope we can do it positively and, through focusing on the positive, imply the negative," Mr. Hart said. The Committee agreed that more negatively charged items should go into the goals section, if they are used at all.

It was also brought up by Mrs. Fisher that Connie Dimond of JJR Consulting, who is supposed to be helping the Committee, has not been present at any of the recent meetings.

Mrs. Fisher asked what the Committee had paid Ms. Dimond for, and Chairman Hart's answer was, "Let's not worry about that right now."

Several members of the Committee expressed confusion as to where the Master Plan is heading and what they should be doing between meetings. It was suggested that the Committee be provided with some example master plans to review, although the Committee wants to follow the outline of Mackinac Island's previous Master Plan.

Owing to scheduling conflicts and other considerations, Mayor Doud plans to make some reconfigurations to the Master Plan Committee. Currently, the Master Plan Committee is composed of Planning Commissioners Mary Dufina, Bob Brown, and Kay Hoppenrath, City Aldermen Smi Horn, Mike Hart, and Dan Wightman, atlarge members Lorna Straus, Dan Musser III, and Phil Porter, and ex-officio members Mayor Doud, City Engineer Dennis Dombroski, DPW Director Bruce Zimmerman, Fire Chief Dennis Bradley, Police Chief William Lenaghan, ex-Superintendent Jack Dehring, Medical Center Director Don Weersing, City Attorney Tom Evashevski, and Mayor Doud's assistant, Kelly Bean.

The next meetings of the Master Plan Committee will be Thursdays, August 3, August 17, and August 31, all at 5 p.m.