Category Archive

We should polish the jewel of our waterfront.

Traverse City’s waterfront is our greatest asset.  It is the reason why most of us live here.  We spent two years asking the public to help us study how to improve the waterfront through the bay front planning process.  Now we need to implement that plan.   http://www.ci.traverse-city.mi.us/departments/planning/finalfinal.pdf.

We should give people more things to do, especially on the zoo property.  We should lease a zoo building to someone who will rent bicycles and kayaks.  We need a playground area for kids.  We need an ice skating rink.  We should consider expanded food and beverage concessions.  We need public restrooms between the zoo and west end beach.  We need to make it safer and more convenient for people to cross the parkway to get to the beach.  

One way to pay for these amenities would be to tap the Brown Bridge Trust Fund.  The Brown Bridge Trust Fund contains over $12 million from oil and gas royalties on city-owned recreation property south of town.  Last year the fund had over $500,000 in royalties.  Using $3 million from the fund would pay for all the bayfront improvements we  realistically need.   

It takes a vote of the residents to tap the Brown Bridge fund.  Two years ago, city residents rejected using fund dollars to pay for street repairs, because street repairs are a basic job of government, not something special. 

The waterfront is special.  Developing amenities along the waterfront that would let everyone to enjoy it more (without impeding the view, of course) is worth using this special fund for.  If we do it, we’ll look back some day and be so glad we did.