WEST MICHIGAN REGIONAL PLANNING COMMISSION

BOARD MEETING MINUTES

January 21, 2005

9:30 a.m.

1.  Call to Order.  T. Cochran, Vice-Chair, called the meeting to order at 9:35 a.m.

Roll Call:

Steve McNeal – Allegan County

Thomas Hogenson – City of Big Rapids

Bill Hoyt – City of Grand Rapids

Gregg Yeomans – Ionia County

Joe Marhofer – Ionia County

John Todd – Mecosta County

Ray Steinke – Mecosta County

John Johansen – Montcalm County

Marcia Walker – Montcalm County

Paul Thibodeau – Osceola County

Edward Berghorst – Ottawa County

Mark Knudsen – Ottawa County

Carol Sheets – City of Wyoming

Tim Cochran, Vice-Chair – City of Wyoming

Regina Davis – At large

Tammy Holt – At large

 Staff:

David Bee – Director 

Steven Stepek – Planner

Nancy Murphy – Administrative Assistant

 Guests:

Julie Stoneman – Land Conservancy of West Michigan

Doug Plamondon – Hoffman, Steensma & Plamondon

Will Love – Hoffman, Steensma & Plamondon

Steve Redmond – Michigan Department of Transportation

Chuck Birr – CEDS Committee

2.  Approval of Minutes

A MOTION WAS MADE BY J. Johansen to approve the minutes for the December 10, 2004 Board meeting as presented.  SUPPORTED BY P. Thibodeau.  MOTION APPROVED UNANIMOUSLY.

3.  Public Comments

There were no public comments.

4.  Guest Speaker – Julie Stoneman, Executive Director of the Land Conservancy of West Michigan (LCWM)

Ms. Stoneman said the Land Conservancy works to “keep nature nearby” by the permanent preservation of open space and natural areas in central West Michigan, which includes the substantial beauty of shorelines, dunes, wetlands, prairies, and forests.  They serve an area that includes the counties of Oceana, Newaygo, Muskegon, Kent, Ottawa, and the northern half of Allegan County.  The region is experiencing rapid development and loss of open space.  They try to protect natural land areas with three land preservation tools:

       1)  acquire land for nature preserves through purchases and donations

       2)  conservation easements

       3)  assisting local communities

Nature preserves are not developed spaces but are open to the public to enjoy.  LCWM acquires lands for preserves through donation and bargain sales.  Examples are the Bradford Dickinson White Nature Preserve near Lowell, the Minnie Skwarek Nature Preserve in Ottawa County, and the Castle Park Reserve in Allegan County.

Conservation easements are a voluntary legal agreement to protect the natural qualities of the land by permanently restricting development.  Conservation easements are flexible tools that can be placed on all or only part of a property.  With a conservation easement, the land remains in private ownership but development rights are permanently limited; easements often result in an income tax deduction and may reduce property and estate taxes.  Landowners continue to own and use their land, sell it or pass it on to heirs.  The land is usually not open to the public.  Conservation easements are binding to all future landowners.

The Land Conservancy works with local communities in their efforts to help identify important natural areas, preserve open space, and create community parks.  LCWM often acts as a negotiator to help structure transactions and assists with grant writing to secure project funding.  In addition, LCWM can serve on advisory committees and participate in the preparation of local master plans.  Examples are Whitey’s Woods in Norton Shores in Muskegon County and Roselle Park in Ada Township.  A major area is Saugatuck Dunes State Park and Natural Area in Allegan County near Saugatuck.  This focus area covers over 400 acres of 1.25 miles of Lake Michigan shoreline and contains our region’s best representation of intact interdunal wetlands and is one of the largest stretches of undeveloped lake frontage and is home to many rare plant and animal species; it is important to the local community and to the region as a unique natural resource and for tourism.  The North Ottawa Dunes is a two-mile area in the heart of 1,800 acres of natural land.  The State identified this area as critical dune land.  The project would link existing state, county, city, and township parks.  Paved and non-paved trails are planned.

2004 funding includes $14.6 million for West Michigan green infrastructure – $10.7 million for the South Dennison property over a three year period and $3.9 million for the North Ottawa Dunes.  “Green infrastructure” has real services that have real values.  Natural resources priorities for four counties have been identified.  LCWM’s funding sources include donations from 1400 individuals, businesses, and families as well as support from area foundations and business; the organization itself receives little government funding. 

T. Cochran commented that there are other ways to preserve land.  It is most important for each community to identify the natural features they want to preserve and then work with developers and landowners to accomplish their goals.  Ms. Stoneman said the first step is an inventory so the community knows what’s there.  They are developing a tool kit for that purpose, primarily for Kent County.

5.  New Board Members Orientation Materials

D. Bee referred to the New Board Members Orientation packets that were included at each table place.  Changes to the materials include Board Members and CEDS Committee members (as known at printing time), 2005 Meeting Dates, and proposed 2005 Focus Areas.

6.  Administrative Matters

Financial Statement

D. Bee reviewed the Financial Statement for the first three months of Fiscal Year 2005.  The status of grant programs shows:

• Last calendar year’s EDA planning program has been completed.

• MDOT Planning – after one-fourth of the fiscal year, one-fifth of the funds have been spent.

• Allegan – Ottawa Shoreline Study – we are one-third of the way through with the project work.  The fourth phase of the program will begin in March of this year.

• Hazard Mitigation – the first three communities are almost complete.  The second two projects are about half-way done.

• Asset Management – most work on this program is done in the fall of every year.

• Revenues are at $37,000, with Expenditures about $48,000, which is where we should be at this time.

A MOTION WAS MADE BY G. Yeomans to accept and place on file the financial statement for the period of October 1, 2004 through December 31, 2004.  SUPPORTED BY J. Marhofer.  MOTION PASSED UNANIMOUSLY.

FY 2003/2004 Audit Report

Will Love from Hoffman, Steensma & Plamondon presented the Audit Report to the Board.  The audit covers the Fiscal Year 2003 – 2004 period ending September 30, 2004.  The audit resulted in an unqualified (or “clean”) opinion, which is the best possible determination.  Mr. Love summarized the audit report, including:

•     “Governmental Fund – Statement of Revenues, Expenditures, and Changes in Fund Balance” shown on page 13.

•     “Special Revenue Fund – Schedule of Revenues, Expenditures and Changes in Fund Balance” on page 24.  This summary includes a new column, Original Budget, due to the new accounting regulations.  Many of our projects extend over several years, which makes it appear to be more than budgeted in any particular year.

•     “Management’s Discussion and Analysis” on pages 4 through 8.  The Director worked with the auditors to prepare this new report, which includes an overview of the WMRPC’s financial activities during the fiscal year.

Mr. Love said that there are also new audit standards related to fraud, looking at an organization’s internal controls.  This review included interviews with staff and a Board member to determine their direct or perceived knowledge of fraud within the organization or in general.  No fraud was found.  The audit does make several recommendations related to internal accounting controls (in the areas of vendor invoices, monthly bank statements and bank reconciliations, and cash receipts).

A MOTION WAS MADE BY P. Thibodeau to accept the Financial Statements and Independent Auditors’ Report for the fiscal year October 1, 2003 through September 30, 2004.  SUPPORTED BY J. Johansen.  MOTION PASSED UNANIMOUSLY.

Review 2005 Focus Areas

D. Bee said he wants new thoughts and ideas from Board members about what focus areas they’d like to see.  There is one new focus area this year in response to EDA’s new requirements; they want us to be more forward thinking in the CEDS process.  The “WMRPC 2005 Focus Areas” memo first lists progress toward 2004 goals and D. Bee summarized them.

D. Bee reviewed the proposed 2005 Focus Areas:

Economic Development.  D. Bee told the Board about the letter we received from EDA last December.  They said we have to do something different but they’re not sure what yet; they said it’s their problem, not ours.  We are still in good standing with them, we just have to figure out what we need to do to be consistent with EDA’s national priorities.  We need a long term vision for the Region, not just projects one year at a time.  This is a good opportunity to fine tune the CEDS process, so we don’t get too stale every year.

Transportation.  Continue to work on regular programs and to develop a new 2006 project.

Coastal Management.  They like the phase four project and we’d like to keep working with them as they have been very supportive and easy to work with.

Hazard Mitigation.  The program is likely to be maintained in some form in the future.  As they figure out what they’re doing, we hope it will become easier to work with them.

Land Use.  D. Bee said Montcalm County has an open invitation to seek our assistance as they work on their master plan.  The same is true for any other communities that may be interested in our assistance with their planning efforts.

Associations and Outside Organizations.  D. Bee would like to be the MAR Secretary for just one year.

Cooperation and Coordination.  Tell D. Bee if there are any activities you’d like for us to become involved with.  Cedar Springs is a new member.  There may be opportunities for other new members from Kent County.

Capacity Building.  Continue to build and expand our capabilities in such areas as GIS, technical assistance to local entities, and the WMRPC website.

A MOTION WAS MADE BY B. Hoyt to accept the WMRPC 2005 Focus Areas.  SUPPORTED BY C. Sheets.  MOTION PASSED UNANIMOUSLY.

7.  Guest Speaker 2 – Steve Redmond, Michigan Department of Transportation. 

Mr. Redmond is with MDOT’s “Grand” Region, which includes the counties of Kent, Ottawa, Mecosta, Montcalm, and Ionia in WMRPC’s region, in addition to the counties of Muskegon, Oceana, and Newaygo.

Mr. Redmond distributed a hand-out with information about MDOT’s projects in 2005, as well as planned road and bridge projects in the five years through 2009, for the Grand Region.  According to the report:  “Under the Preserve First Initiative, the Grand region will continue to prioritize road and bridge preservation needs along the major trunk line routes, to address system condition needs and support the economy of this region.  Project selection strategies focus on preserving and upgrading the system with an emphasis on freeway modernization, safety, and operational improvements.”

A second hand-out listed capital preventive maintenance projects for Fiscal Year 2005 and also included a list of future corridor preservation needs 2010 and beyond.  The five-year focus is still preservation. 

MDOT will be doing an access management study for M-11 this year.  In response to a question, Mr. Redmond said that “access management” identifies specific locations along a road that can be modified to improve access (e.g., driveways alignment).  The process also uses overlay zoning – how to use the zoning code to make roads operate better.

8.  Round Table / Regional Issues

B. Hoyt – City of Grand Rapids.  They are working with the West Michigan Strategic Alliance and the local AIA (American Institute of Architects) on a three-day charette.  The charette will focus on Muskegon/Holland/Grand Rapids (Walker) and study industrial redevelopment and open space.

T. Holt – At large.  A possible speaker for a future Board meeting would be James White, who is developing affordable brownstone housing at Madison and Hall.  The project is interesting row – or town – style houses in an urban area, reinforcing the urban environment the way it used to be.  There will also be some commercial development.  T. Cochran said there may be a similar development on Division in Wyoming.

P. Thibodeau – Osceola County.  The County is experiencing growing pains.  There is talk of another annex across from the hospital in Reed City.  They want to move the Health Department from the old hospital in Reed City; other offices would be involved also.

J. Johansen – Montcalm County.  The County’s land use master plan is moving along.  Build-outs have been completed for eight townships.  They will go through a visioning process in April.  The plan will be finished in 2005.  The County Board approved uniting two 911 units in the county; there will be one authority and centralized control.

M. Knudsen – Ottawa County.  They are trying to build a wireless line across the county; all communities will participate; there will be no tax to fund the project.  They have another project to transplant old sugar maple trees; 60 to 70% of the trees on Lakeshore Road are dying and they are trying to replant some of the trees; there are difficulties in working with the Road Commission.  Another project is the road salt management program; they are trying to reduce the salt levels in environmentally sensitive areas, especially near blueberry farms; salt usage has been reduced considerably; the farmers filed a lawsuit.

J. Todd – Mecosta County.  It’s been quiet, the lull before the storm.  The new Lowes opened this week.  The EMS ambulance system in the county is the best for a rural county.  Three stations have advanced life support 24/7.  They may purchase larger ambulances, more heavy duty; they travel many miles.

T. Hogenson – City of Big Rapids.  The City of Big Rapids has received a few good grants, including one for a water system across the river which is beneficial to development, and a grant for a re-surfacing program.  The County Hospital has an $11 million expansion of their emergency and operating room programs; the new facilities will be complete by June 2005.

R. Davis – At large.  The Fair Housing Center will hold its annual lunch April 14.  They held another land use workshop, with Dr. Soji Adelaja of Michigan State University.  The Center received a $175,000 grant that will provide enforcement dollars for eleven counties; it does not include funds for education.  If there are fair housing issues, people can contact the Center and they will work on them.

C. Birr – CEDS Committee.  He is not a Board member; through 2004 he was still a CEDS Committee representative from Allegan County and is still the CEDS Chair until the Committee meets next week.  Officially he is the Executive Director of the Fennville DDA; he has a two-year contract with them.  He also works with a community development corporation, also based in Fennville, plus he has a consulting practice.  Does the Board still want him to continue to participate in any way?  Another idea for a guest speaker is Jeroen Wagendorp, a geography professor at GVSU.  The West Michigan Economic Development Partnership spun off from the West Michigan Strategic Alliance; contact is Greg Northrup at the Alliance.  A possible project is an inventory of disadvantaged units eligible for HUD and other funding; it’s good to do on a regular basis; can they access funding due to extra points?

G. Yeomans – Ionia County.  The Citizen Planner program at MSU is a good program; people should get involved if they can.  The program is directed by Wayne Beyea who is a former member of our CEDS Committee.

M. Walker – Montcalm County.  The biggest challenge facing the County Commission right now is the replacement of their County Controller/Administrator.  There are 26 businesses that have expressed interest in Greenville’s industrial park, with two companies close to commitment.

J. Marhofer – Ionia County.  They were awarded a grant for Bertha Brock Park; they will work on Palmer Lodge and have started dredging the pond.  The Village of Lake Odessa has started work on the DDA process.  The County has a plan for facility expansion.

S. McNeal – Allegan County.  He is a new County Commissioner and still learning.  He took the Citizen Planner course.

T. Cochran – City of Wyoming.  Wyoming has two road projects.  The first project is the bridge at M-11 over U.S.-131.  The DDA is trying to market that area further.  They’re trying to minimize the project work’s impact on local businesses.  The second road project is on Wilson between M-6 and Rivertown Crossings mall.  That road has been very congested since the new highway opened and the project was moved up two years in response.  $5.5 million will fund widening two miles of the road to a four-lane highway in 2006.

9.  Election of Officers

The Nominating Committee of Gregg Yeomans, Tom Hogenson, and John Johansen, recommended the following WMRPC officers for 2005:

Chair – Charles Mulholland, At-large

            Vice-Chair – Tim Cochran, City of Wyoming

            Treasurer – Ed Berghorst, Ottawa County

The Chairperson appoints two additional Committee members.

A MOTION WAS MADE BY R. Steinke to approve the slate of officers recommended by the Nominating Committee.  SUPPORTED BY M. Walker.  MOTION PASSED UNANIMOUSLY.

10.  Staff Updates

D. Bee distributed a “Staff Update” handout that listed work activities in the categories of Economic Development, Transportation Planning, Hazard Mitigation Planning, Member Projects, and Other (a copy of the summary is attached to these minutes). 

11.  Other Business

None.

12.  Adjournment

A MOTION WAS MADE BY J. Todd to adjourn.  SUPPORTED BY R. Steinke.  MOTION APPROVED UNANIMOUSLY.  The meeting was adjourned at 11:30 p.m.

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