By Scott Sullivan
Editor
Saugatuck Township will pursue buying the now-vacant 22.25-acre Pine Trails Camp at 3525 Dugout Road via a $3.6-million bond request put before voters Nov. 5.
Meanwhile, community members are invited to view and discuss project site plans now being developed at a public open house Wednesday, Aug. 28, in the township hall,
The township board, which first discussed acquiring the three years’ unused facility this spring as reported here May 30, decided at an Aug. 13 special meeting to place the ask on its coming general-election ballot.
In July, Pine Trails’ owners, the New Life Church consortium of Chicago, formally listed the property for sale.
By that point, the township had pursued a $2.9-million Michigan Natural Resources Trust Fund to acquire the facility, used for more than 50 years as an overnight summer camp, to help buy and redevelop it as a community park that would:
• Secure 350 feet of public Kalamazoo River access,
• Preserve the natural shoreline and
• Provide space for diverse recreational activities and programing.
If purchased, this would be Saugatuck Township’s first dedicated water access point.
“This opportunity came up suddenly,” township manager Daniel DeFranco said, noting bids are competitive and by that point the MNRTF board had already received grant requests from 107 other Michigan communities.
“We were one of just a handful invited to make in-person presentations to the board June 12 in Jackson,” he went on. “Grant cycles are annual.
“Our idea was received with enthusiasm, but the board advised it might be able this year to approve only partial funding and we might think of trying again next year.
“By then Pine Trail may have already been sold,” DeFranco said.
“Neither Saugatuck City, Douglas or the Township has public water access to launch a kayak or canoe in the historic river mouth area of the Kalamazoo,” he continued.
“Acquiring the property would, for the first time, give the public an opportunity to launch a non-motorized boat to reach river areas of the river such as the Ox-Bow Lagoon and the popular nearby cove.”
The Nov. proposal would spread the $3.6-million bond over 11 years. If passed, it would be assessed annually through property taxes at a rate of not to exceed .7784 mils and would average .7773 mills.
The cost to property owners would be less than .78 per $1,000 of taxable value, or about $78 per $100,000 of a property’s taxable value.
Site plans are currently being developed and community members are being offered an opportunity to offer their thoughts on potential park uses at a public open house on Wednesday, August 28, in the township hall, 3461 Blue Star Hwy., from 5:30 to 7 p.m.
For more information, visit https://saugatucktownshipmi.gov/departments/parks-recreation/.
