The Elmwood Township board voted 4-2 at their July 8 meeting to put a new millage proposal on the November ballot.
This would ask Elmwood Township residents to pass a millage of 1.2 mills, to bring in approximately $550,000 in property taxes, to upgrade the township’s fire and rescue department from basic to advanced life support (ALS).
In a roll call vote, township Supervisor Jeff Shaw, Clerk Connie Preston, and trustees Chris Mikowski and Kyle Trevas voted to approve the proposal. Trustees Dave Darga and Terry Lautner voted no. The board agreed to hold a special meeting on July 23 at 1 p.m. to set the ballot language.
A previous article reported that this millage proposal would be on the Aug. 6 ballot, but since the deadline to place proposals on that ballot has already passed, it will appear on the Nov. 5 general election ballot instead.
If approved by voters in November, the tax monies will be used to train the Elmwood fire and rescue department’s emergency medical technicians (EMTs) as paramedics and to hire a full-time EMS director. The department’s transition to ALS would start as early as Jan. 1, 2025.
ALS training would improve emergency response times in the township for calls involving patients in critical condition. Since the townships EMTs are not trained in ALS, they have relied on other agencies outside of the township, such as Mobile Medical Release (MMR) in Traverse City, for ALS transport.
In Darga’s opinion, the proposal provides “no benefit … other than very possibly a few minutes” for patients requiring an ALS response. But on the other hand, Shaw said that he voted “yes” on putting the proposal on the ballot because “two minutes makes all the difference.”
In March, the township board agreed to act as fiduciary for a Brownfield Redevelopment Grant on behalf of the Discovery Center & Pier. And last month, Shaw confirmed that the Discovery Center not only received the grant, but that they got the maximum award amount at $1 million.
At this month’s regular meeting, the board approved a development agreement with the Discovery Center setting the terms and conditions for using this $1 million grant. The monies are to be used for site demolition; lead, mold, and asbestos abatement; and mitigation measures as part of construction of a new Freshwater Research and Innovation Center.
Discovery Center & Pier CEO Matt McDonough attended the July 8 meeting and presented the agreement to the board. McDonough has previously told the newspaper that they hope to break ground on the Freshwater Center in late 2025 and complete the center by mid-2027.
The board tabled a zoning ordinance amendment regarding aligning and reforming alcohol regulations in the township. Planning/zoning Administrator Sarah Clarren explained to the board that this amendment is intended to add regulations on wineries, distilleries, and breweries to agriculture districts. She described this as filling a “hole in the ordinance.”
“Under our current zoning ordinance, we have no regulations for microbreweries, period. We don’t even define them. All they need to do, if they want to get approval, is to apply for site plan review. That’s it. There are no specific standards or requirements specific to that use. That is a very industrial use of land. Distilleries – same thing. Very industrial use of land. It’s not tied to agriculture in our current zoning ordinance. That is an issue,” Clarren said.
This amendment was published for consideration last month. Chris Fredrickson, president and co-founder of Traverse City (TC) Whiskey Company, requested a public hearing on this amendment because he felt the language affected his company’s development on 9440 S. Center Highway in Elmwood, and potentially other distilleries setting up shop in this district.
“My concern is that some of this language (in the amendment) is being rushed and doesn’t make sense for these type of ag businesses. They just couldn’t exist or survive. It’s not how they operate,” Fredrickson said.
TC Whiskey acquired this 35-acre property on Center Highway in 2018. The company plans to open a 70,000-squarefoot distillery, tasting room, and visitor center at this location, which used to be a Cherry Growers Co-op facility. TC Whiskey previously stated the site would open in October 2024, but Fredrickson revealed at the meeting that the project will not be “100%” completed by then.
The township board agreed to postpone action until their next regular meeting, scheduled for Aug. 12 at 6 p.m., and post notice of another public hearing. In the meantime, the township planning commission and TC Whiskey will discuss the latter’s concerns and possibly modify the amendment.
The township board also: - Approved the purchase of four pieces of play equipment and additional playground surfacing for Cherry Bend Park for a cost not to exceed $44,000.
- Discussed various concerns regarding marina improvements and their impacts on accommodations for slip holders. Among other things, Harbormaster Dan Jenuwine said they do not have the plumbing required to provide laundry services while buildings are being demolished. Shaw said that he will see if CenterPointe Office and Marina Complex can provide these amenities.
