Happy spring break. If you’re around, there are three meetings of interest this week:
Waterfront – Monday, 3.29 @ 5:15 pm at the city-county building (note atypical time). The city commission, with help from the parks and rec team, will decide on an application for up to $500,000 from the MI Natural Resources Trust Fund. The presentation from the design team – which includes the drawings – will be available Tuesday morning on www.upnorthmedia.org.
UPDATE: The sketches of the waterfront concepts described on the post below are now on line at http://www.ci.traverse-city.mi.us/sketches.pdf. Tonight the city commission approved an application to the trust fund for $450,000 for improvements to the east end of the old zoo property and Clinch Park beach. The amenities include the natural play area on the east end of the old zoo, a childrens water play area in the elbow of Clinch Beach, and universal access at the boat ramp, water, and beach. I want to thank Nate Elkins and the parks commission, as well as Jennifer Jaffe, Jim Carruthers, and Mike Jackson for their efforts. I hope this is the first step of many good things to come for our residents and visitors.
Wireless – Tuesday, 3.30 @ 5:15 pm at the city-county building. Traverse City Light & Power will review a business plan for in-town wireless. You can find the business plan here: http://www.tclp.org/uploaded_files/PACKET_-_Special_Meeting_03.30.10.PDF
Renewable energy – Friday, 4.2 @ 10 am at the chamber of commerce building (note atypical location). TCLP will hold a meeting with Stanley “Skip” Pruss, director of the MI Dept of Energy, Labor and Economic Growth, to discuss the 30% renewable target and potential biomass plans. Here is the info on Skip Pruss: http://www.michigan.gov/dleg/0,1607,7-154–163474–,00.html
Hope you can make it!
7 comments
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April 6, 2010 at 12:02 pm
Gearge Preston
What will the City be doing about the illeagal moorings out from grelickville within the city boundary waters? The bouys ahve now gotten out of countrol and were put in two weeks ago to tweak the nose of the City.
The yacht club has no special privledge over anyone else.
They are a hazard to navigation and to the enjoyment of the bay within the City’s boundaries.
April 7, 2010 at 10:05 am
Matt
Gearge, Tunnels on Division will not work. The areas that need them the most, 8th St. to Front do not have the room for them unless you place them on private property. Turn lanes are also out as in that area, because the road can not be widened. The “out of town” consultant (Ian Lockwood) in my opinion was the best use of money this city has ever spent! I believe that if more people went to his presentation on Division on Mar 17th we wouldn’t have so many people against the ideas of roundabouts. Google his name he has done great work in West Palm FL.
He has many more rec. for Traverse City regarding traffic such as turning Front and State streets back to a two way street, traffic calming measures etc. Believe it or not, alot can be gained by listening to so called outsiders. Northern Michigan and Traverse City does lag behind when it comes to new ideas and change.
April 6, 2010 at 8:57 am
Matt
Tunnels on the parkway have there place, but won’t solve the problem on Grandview. Roundabouts would help calm and slow down traffic, studies show this! Parking in the open space should be reserved for the handicaped only, with an area reserved for boaters to drop off equipment etc. I am aware that the parking lot east of the marina is for the boat launch. Move the Launch and you get rid of the cars. As for the people who fish, a fishing pier is planned for the east end plus I don’t know of anyone who fishes with a car. Traverse City has to get away from this idea that you need to drive everywhere and park right next to the place you are going. I live on seventh street and I am able to walk downtown to the marina and back home in less than 40 min.
April 6, 2010 at 11:59 am
Gearge Preston
Moving the boat launch isn’t happening, (the college would love to know that the city made that decission for them..lol..not going to happen). Also, having more parking just for the outlaw boaters that park illeagally along the water front is not worth addressing.
The pedestrian tunnels couil be funded and begin this year if someone wanted to step forward and get the paperwork done for the MDOT and USDOT. It would happen quickly. Those type of pedestrian interfaces are tops on their lists. You need 4 to 5 of them on the Parkway, and 4 on Division. Very do-able. So lets get it done. No more studies and out of town consultants. Lets go!
March 30, 2010 at 9:06 pm
chrisbzdok
Two of the designers’ ideas were (a) to reorient the marina parking lot so that the N side would be green space instead of asphalt, and (b) to relocate the entrance road from Union St to Cass St and reclaim all that road through the marina as green space (the UM and MSU students several years ago recommended that too). The designers indicated that either or both of these could be done while maintaining the same amount of parking. These ideas are not on the sketch slides but they are in the presentation on http://www.upnorthmedia.org.
March 30, 2010 at 3:30 pm
Jordan Letish
Matt, the parking lot on the east side of the marina is used for boat launch parking and fishing parking along with marina renters overflow. Sending boat/trailer traffic down to NMC Tech Center is not sensible. The marina lot was designed specifically for that purpose.
Lets get on with sprucing up the bay front, pull the weeds and make the ugliness go away. No more abandoned looking bayfront. And roundabouts are about thee most conjestive thing you could do there. Someone suggest pedestrian tunnels along the Parkway, many, many people agree. And they are simple to do. Lets get cracking!
March 30, 2010 at 10:35 am
Matt
First let me say that I am all for the water front plans that I have heard thus far. I was wondering if there was any thought about removing the parking lot east of the marina? Removing that lot would add alot of room to that area. (We shouldn’t have a parking lot on the water). John Williams had a great idea that he posted last week. He rec. moving the boat launch farther to the east by NMC. More parking could be available and it would cut down on traffic at the marina.