Lawrence Road in Bingham Township will remain a public road, as the county Road Commission rejected a petition to privatize a 0.8-mile stretch of the road at their Nov. 19 meeting. The resident who filed the petition wanted to close the road because of flooding and trespassing, while some neighbors wanted to keep it open to the public due to its scenic nature.
The petition attracted decent public attention, with so many people attending the Road Commission’s previous meeting that every seat was filled and some attendees had to wait in the hallway for their turn to give public comment.
According to Shelly Lall, the petitioner who owns the property around Lawrence Road, this dirt road is prone to flooding due to a drop in elevation. Following rain, vehicles occasionally get stuck in the mud and Lall needs to help them out. Moreover, Lall said she was concerned about her safety because she says various crimes have been committed by trespassers on her property.
Some of Lall’s neighbors supported her request, but others said the road sees decent traffic both from vehicles and pedestrians. There were also practical concerns on the part of the road commission. Lawrence Road may be a seasonal road, but they still plow it as part of their routes. If it were a private road, they would need to install a culde- sac so plow trucks could turn around.
The Bingham Township Board discussed this petition at their November meeting the night before, with the board reaching the consensus that it should be rejected. Township Supervisor Midge Werner shared their recommendation to the road commission during public comment at the Nov. 19 meeting.
Road Commissioner Garth Greenan said that he sympathized with the issues presented by Lall and that the Road Commission would do its best to promote a safe and clean environment. The road commission voted 5-0 to reject the petition.
This was the first vote that the new road commissioner, Mel Black, participated in. Black was appointed to this position by the Leelanau County Board of Commissioners at a Nov. 12 special meeting. He’ll serve the remainder of the late John Popa’s term through Dec. 31, 2026. Popa passed away Sept. 5 due to complications from a UTV accident the previous month.
Earlier this year, electric vehicle charging stations adjacent to the Cherry Republic location in Glen Arbor were removed because they were blocking part of the right-ofway on South Lake Street. Road Commission Manager Brendan Mullane told the road commissioners they reviewed an alternate location for these stations and “are in full support of the new plan.”
Also in Glen Arbor, construction crews recently finished replacing “the tube,” where canoers and kayakers passed beneath County Road 675 on the Crystal River, with a bridge enabling wider, more natural flows. Road Commission Engineer Craig Brown said the segment of the road that was closed for construction is open for traffic again.
The Road Commission also:
• Appointed Black to serve as the Road Commission’s representative on the Leelanau County Parks and Recreation Commission after Black volunteered for the position. Greenan was appointed to serve on the Leland Dam Authority. These appointments last until the end of 2025.
• Accepted a quote for four under-body scrapers in the amount of $70,512. According to the quote from the vendor, these scrapers were designed, engineered, and built in Michigan specifically for maintaining Michigan roads.
