Tuesday was Election Day, but Leelanau County residents weren’t just making their voices heard at the polls.
Over 15 people attended the county Road Commission’s twice-a-month meeting to comment on a proposal to partially abandon Lawrence Road in Suttons Bay.
In this case, “abandonment” means that county tax dollars would no longer be used to maintain a short 0.8-mile stretch of Lawrence Road and it would become privately owned by person owning the surrounding property – the petitioner, Shelly Lall. This dirt road snakes along the south and west sides of Lawrence Lake, a small inland lake just west of County Road 633 – Center Highway.
The meeting attendees, who mostly were residents from adjacent lots, were split on whether this section of the road should be abandoned by the county Road Commission. Ultimately, the road commission agreed to table this item to consider the information they received at Tuesday’s meeting.
Those who felt the Road Commission should keep it public said Lawrence Road sees decent traffic, both from vehicles and pedestrians, partly because of its scenic nature. Two commenters also mentioned that it is also sometimes used for emergency services.
According to a memo to the road commissioners by Manager Brendan Mullane, this portion of Lawrence Road is a seasonal road, but their workers plow during the winter because it’s more efficient to do that than it is to turn around their plow trucks and back out.
So, if the road commission agreed to abandon this portion, they would have to install a cul-de-sac large enough for the trucks to turn around at this location. At least one resident was concerned that if the road commission stopped maintaining this area in the winter, she could not afford to do it herself, since she lives on a fixed income.
On the other hand, Lall and some of her neighbors made the case for abandonment. In a presentation to the board, Lall said this portion of road is prone to flooding due to a drop in elevation. She said that road users have sometimes gotten mired in the mud, and she must help them, either letting them use her phone or pulling their vehicles out via tractor.
Lall, who says she’s the sole occupant of the property more than half the time, feels going out to help these people at dusk or after dark is dangerous. She also said soil erosion has caused some trees to fall onto the road recently.
Lall thinks that if the road commission abandons South Lawrence Road, vehicles will detour around it via Otto and Erdt roads. This route is about a mile longer and Lall says the travel time is almost identical because these roads are paved.
Moreover, Lall said that “a major concern is my personal safety and that of my family.” She cited many cases, including people allegedly looking into her home from the road and across Lawrence Lake; the road being “a known party spot for high schoolers and underage drinking and drug use,” according to Lall; hunters and ATVs trespassing onto her property; vandalism; and more.
Lall said they made 35 calls over trespassing concerns to the county sheriff’s office over the last five years. Two neighbors substantiated some of her concerns.
“I certainly understand your problem,” Road Commissioner Garth Greenan told Lall. “It’s definitely a nuisance for you. On the other hand, we have a number of people who indicated they do use the road. We’ll look at something that might improve the situation for you, in terms of the things that you have to suffer through. I don’t know what that might be.”
The other road commissioners seemed to agree, choosing to table the item for a future meeting. Several commissioners thanked the public for attending and sharing their thoughts for and against the petition. As Chairman Bob Joyce said, “this is how you have problems solved.”
Although the road commission took no action on this item, they did:
• Adopt a new permit fee schedule recommended by the Michigan County Road Association. Road Commission Managing Director Brendan Mullane said these represent a 10% increase to fees – for example, a permit for a residential driveway with one to two homes would go up from $50 to $55.
• Order four new tandem axle plow trucks, scheduling the order for purchase in 2026 at the cost of $187,000 each. Fleets and Facilities Manager Tim Trudell said they wanted to order the trucks a little over a year from now so they could acquire them before new emission standards go into effect in 2027.
