WobblyReport

Originally submitted to three publications and the Township Clerk. Withdrawn from one and adapted into the two versions presented below after editors expressed exclusivity concerns. Open letter to Whitewater Township Having eagerly anticipated the reopening of Lossie Road Nature Trail , I would like to express my sincere appreciation to the Whitewater Township Board of Trustees and Parks and Recreation Commission for seeing to the project. Many downed trees had to be cleared in difficult, wetland terrain. After jogging the trail several times, I have encountered a couple areas near the west end of the trail that are flooded in most weather conditions and one small tree is down across the trail (A). The trail remains accessible to hikers and runners, if typically soggy. Of more immediate concern is an area not far from the eastern trailhead (B). There, someone seems to have placed rifle targets on the south side of the trail, across from an open field on the north side of the trail. I c...

The editorial policy for the local paper excludes coverage of fires and traffic accidents. Chief suspects limb downed by high winds ignited Williamsburg wildfire Submitted April 15, 2023 WILLIAMSBURG — The Whitewater Township Fire Department responded, with assistance from Elk Rapids FD, to a wildfire reported shortly before 5 p.m. on April 12 near the intersection of Elk Lake Road and Palaestrum Road. The fire burned eastward, downhill and with the prevailing wind, across about an acre of dry grass and did not ignite any trees or reach any built structures. “We think it started from a tree that fell,” said WTFD Chief Brandon Flynn. The uprooted tree fell across multiple electrical lines, likely bridging circuits and generating sparks, he said. Wind speeds up to 21 mph were recorded at Cherry Capital Airport on April 12. Emergency responders were able to get in front of the fire’s advance and stop it, using fire engines and navigating off-road with an all-terrain vehicle. Flynn sa...

The supposed benefits of running government like a business have been roundly debunked many times over. Woodrow Wilson unsuccessfully pitched the idea  in 1887. But the myth is nowhere more enduring than in rural and small-town America. Here, dividing lines between family, business and government tend to dissolve, leaving us to wonder how real they ever were or are – here or elsewhere. On a rural or semi-rural township board of trustees, several seats are typically held by salaried municipal administrators: clerks, supervisors, treasurers and the like. Most have other significant business interests in the area in some combination to their municipal income. The boards and commissions for Whitewater Township oversee the northeastern corner of Grand Traverse County. Farm pastures, orchards and protected state lands constitute a lot of space in the community, to the general liking of many. Development has been slow more than steady, with regular construction of luxury homes amidst the ...