The Leelanau County Drain Commission is beginning to take steps to improve the drainage south of the intersection of M-22 and Carter Road, near the now-closed Silver Swan Homemade Foods, in Elmwood Township.
The Elmwood Township board filed a petition that would authorize Drain Commissioner Steve Christensen to expand the drainage district to include properties affected their regular meeting Monday. This includes Silver Swan, Classic Consignment, Glendale Burger Shop, and other areas drenched in flash floods back in 2020.
According to Township Supervisor Jeff Shaw, when about three inches of rain hit southeast Leelanau County in May 2020, all the water seemed to end up south of this intersection. Christensen explained this area is at the low point of the watershed and there is no outlet nearby, so once stormwater gets there, it’s stuck.
Once the petition is received, Christensen will set up a board of determination, which will be composed of disinterested property owners who own land elsewhere in Leelanau County, but not Elmwood Township.
The board of determination will consider whether the drain is necessary at a future public meeting. The meeting has not been scheduled yet, but per Michigan Compiled Laws, each landowner in the drainage district will receive notice of the meeting by mail.
This public hearing will not determine the cost or scope of the project. According to a letter sent to the township board by Christensen, the drain commission and GEI Consultants of Michigan has met with the Michigan Department of Transportation, which has modified their plans for M-22 to accommodate work at this intersection.
Christensen has also met with the county road commission to coordinate the replacement of two culverts on Carter Road that would redirect more stormwater north of the intersection to relieve flooding elsewhere. But all this requires a public hearing on the necessity of the project first.
Several township board members indicated there were issues with drainage elsewhere in the township. Shaw mentioned that Leelanau Flats, Thorn Creek Homes, and Morgan Farms were also affected by the flash floods in 2020. Christensen said that these areas could be addressed through further petitions.
“I anticipate more petitions from this district coming forward to the drain commission,” Christensen said at the meeting. “This is one thing. As you build up the hill and M-72, you’re just going to see really significant issues with stormwater. And if it’s an issue that needs to be fixed, petitions could come from individual landowners or the municipality to drain commissioner to fix another problem.”
The township board previously held an Aug. 28 special meeting where Shaw shared that township attorney Bryan Graham may be retiring within the next year. Local attorneys Scott Howard and Jeff Jocks were recommended to handle any of the township’s immediate needs, while the board planned to conduct a further search in northern Michigan for the long term, according to the meeting minutes.
The township board also approved the following at their September meeting: • The 2024 tax rate request with the allocated millage of 0.6188 and the voted fire millage of 2.5711, both to be levied in December.
• Reappointing District 2 Commissioner Jim O’Rourke to the township’s Zoning Board of Appeals for a three-year term; former Planning/Zoning Administrator Sara Kopriva and Hannah Preston to the parks and recreation committee for two-year terms; and Bob Sokolnicki and Judy Platt to the board of review for two-year terms.
