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McGillivary Special to the Record-Eagle/Brian McGillivary
TRAVERSE CITY â Three of Traverse Cityâs planning commissioners will rejoin the board for a new term, and an ad hoc committee will meet to interview candidates for a fourth seat.
Mayor Jim Carruthers found just enough support at a recent meeting for what he offered as a compromise amid a recurring battle among city commissioners over how mayoral appointments are selected.
City leaders voted 4-3 to reappoint Planning Commissioners Janet Fleshman, David Hassing and Heather Shaw, and to create a subcommittee to interview someone to fill the vacancy commission Chairwoman Linda Koebert will leave. She opted in June not to seek reappointment for various personal reasons, and wants to stay on through a Jan. 5 public hearing on some Eighth Street zoning changes, she said.
Dec 18, 2020
WILLIAMSBURG â Whitewater Township trustees heard from a few dozen North Skegemog Point Road residents about possible fixes to the crumbling road, with some trustees meeting in person.
Three trustees met in the township hall, while township Supervisor Ron Popp and Trustee Heidi Vollmuth joined the meeting virtually. More than 30 people watched online, nearly all of whom were North Skegemog Point Road residents and most of whom said they want the road fixed without removing any trees, and they want a lower speed limit â there didnât appear to be any audience members at the township hall.
Wayne Schoonover, Grand Traverse County Road Commissionâs highway engineer, explained some of the possible fixes for the road, which dead-ends where Lake Skegemog and Elk Lake meet. Those include options like replacing small broken sections of concrete and chip-sealing, to complete reconstruction for the worst spots.
Dec 13, 2020
WILLIAMSBURG â Whitewater Township, population 2,799 according to the latest U.S. Census estimate, just passed ordinances allowing up to 300 medical and recreational cannabis growers that would have a combined capacity to grow hundreds of thousands of plants.
But commercial growing operations, and the 10 processors the ordinances also allow, wonât be sprouting up any time soon. First, the township needs to adopt zoning rules determining details like where the businesses can locate, what kind of setbacks they need and so forth, township Supervisor Ron Popp said.
That could take some months to complete, and in the meantime the township canât approve any permits for the businesses, Popp said.
State Police crash Northern Michigan township meeting for violating COVID-19 rules
Updated Dec 10, 2020;
WHITEWATER TOWNSHIP, MI – A township board meeting was interrupted this week when police showed up to enforce COVID-19 rules.
Michigan State Police responded to the Whitewater Township Board meeting on Tuesday, Dec. 8, WPBN/WGTU reports. Police had received several calls alleging the meeting in Grand Traverse County was in violation of state COVID-19 rules requiring local governments to meet virtually.
The meeting was hybrid with some people attending via Zoom and others coming in person, said township Supervisor Ron Popp. Troopers asked the trustees to halt the in-person portion of the meeting and take it all online. In response, some people left while others stayed, he said.