5 YEARS AGO May 2, 2019
The owner of Sugar Loaf Resort, Jeff Katofsky, was expected to return to Leelanau County tonight and spend most of Friday in private discussions with local business and government leaders before departing the same day. Meanwhile, the general contractor who has been working for Katofsky over the past year on a major hotel rehabilitation project in downstate St. Clair County noted that some work was underway at Sugar Loaf Resort this week. Heavy equipment and work crews this week were removing underground storage tanks from the Sugar Loaf property as part of an initial cleanup plan approved years ago by the Leelanau County Brownfield Redevelopment Authority.
*** The Leelanau County Election Commission was minutes away from acting on petitions to recall Kasson Township Clerk Traci Cruz from office this week when Cruz submitted a letter of resignation to her township board via email. Kasson Township Supervisor Greg Julian let members of the Election Commission know about the letter of resignation he’d just received during an initial “public comment” opportunity at the commission meeting Tuesday morning.
10 YEARS AGO May 1, 2014
The ice was officially declared “out” on West Grand Traverse Bay near Traverse City a week ago — but you couldn’t tell that by what was actually happening farther north on the bay or elsewhere on Lake Michigan. Earlier this week, the crew of the 77-foot schooner Inland Seas was hoping to launch the Inland Seas Education Association’s schoolship from a boat yard in Northport, but too much ice blew in from West Grand Traverse Bay.
*** Northport’s new bowling alley and family recreational business will have to pay substantially more in up-front costs to hook into the municipal sewer system, the result of an apparent mistake by a village official. The Northport/Leelanau Township Utilities Authority (NLTUA) approved a sewer connection permit fee Friday for Tucker’s of Northport that was about $23,000 more than the amount initially calculated.
*** Leelanau County has moved from cold and snowy to cold and rainy, pushing back a slew of spring activities that in a normal year would have begun. Instead, mushroom hunting appears weeks away, asparagus lies dormant and walleye fishing is sluggish. Doug Hohnke, who tills a one-acre “U-pick” asparagus field in Elmwood Township off Bugai Road, has usually eaten his first asparagus by now. But he hasn’t seen a head pop out of the ground — and doesn’t know when that may happen.
25 YEARS AGO May 6, 1999
Cherry trees around Leelanau County are in bloom already, weeks ahead of time, despite a lack of rain. Dry weather can cause “June drop”—when trees do not have enough nourishment from water and, as a result, do not have the strength to hold cherries. Fruit falls prematurely, before it is ready to be harvested.
*** Homes of expired leaseholders within Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore may be “recycled” and used for low income housing at sites outside the park boundary.
*** Glen Lake volleyball coach Sue Flowers is stepping down after 11 years of running the Lakers’ program to spend more time with her family.
50 YEARS AGO May 2, 1974
The 120-acre, county owned recreation area on County Road 616 in Kasson Township which has been developed and operated by the Cedar-Maple City Lions Club will undergo a three-year $26,170 improvement program and will be called the Myles Kimmerly Leelanau County Recreation area. The program, which calls for expensive improvements to be financed by county federal revenue sharing monies, was unanimously approved by the Leelanau County Board of Commissioners at a special meeting Wednesday night, April 25.
*** Freeways along the cast side of the state may be 8-10 years away, 250 persons at the area planning conference held by Sleeping Bear Dunes Lakeshore Advisory Friday at Sugar Loaf Village. Spokesmen of leading organizations involved in planning as well as a substantial turnout of local units of government from Leelanau, Benzie and Grand Traverse Counties participated.
75 YEARS AGO April 29, 1948
In a special election Monday, Solon and Centerville townships decided to buy a fire truck and equipment costing $7,500. Solon voters cast 92 ballots of which only eight were no. Centerville, with only 32 persons turning out to decide the issue, supported by a majority of 30-2. The type of apparatus considered is a 400 gallon tank and fog machine.
*** The village of Suttons Bay reversed Its policy on sale of hard liquor Monday night when the village council voted to grant Capt. William Fehley a liquor by the glass permit for his tavern. Councilman Sheldon Voice registered the only dissenting vote. Byram’s Bayside Inn, owned by Stephen Byram of Detroit, in 1946 applied for and received a summer resort license but Fehley’s will be the only one good year-round.
100 YEARS AGO May 1, 1924
The ice in Lake Leelanau is shifting about with the wind, but still holds together. The northwest wind Saturday and Sunday drove the ice southeast, leaving open water from Weinhardt’s to Harrison’s. This spring may see a new record is latness of ice break-up. Three years ago it came on April 28.
*** In order to raise money quickly for the purchase of new uniforms, the baseball finance committee used the pledge method. In two days nearly sixty dollars were promised, most contributors writing themselves for two dollars. Those who have pledged money asked to leave it with Joseph Stormer not later than Saturday night.
