06-23-2005, 10:00 PM
June 22, 2005 - It's been nearly four decades since former airman Roger Brittain was stationed at the old Nike Missile base on Wise Road in Commerce Township, but he can still recall his days with the U.S. Air Force as an SP-4 radarman at the D-87 base.
"I was an acquisition radar operator, which would acquire a target during the Cold War time," Brittain said. "We could lock onto a target, and if the situation required, we could attack it and destroy it."
The base, which was activated in 1955, housed several Ajax and Hercules cruise missiles that could be used to defend against air attacks. Brittain was assigned at the base from the middle of 1966 to the end of 1968. "They guaranteed me a year-and-a-half in that field if I joined, then they sent me to Germany and I was in the same thing there."
Although the D-87 base was deactivated in 1974 and the launch area was demolished in 1994, Brittain can still describe the layout of the base from his home in Livonia.
"I think the building probably closest to the road on the left side was the motor pool area, then there was a building that went north and south, which was the mess hall. Then, another building as you go deeper in from the motor pool, the next would be the headquarters-command ... the third was the barracks. There were two trailers, like a semi, at each end of the building so that the (radar) units were portable."
Today, a tree-lined road, a few buildings and an overgrown concrete heli-pad are all that remain of the base.
"The last time I was there was some years ago," Brittain said. "I never thought I would ever feel
— I didn't know what I would feel, I wasn't expecting any feelings at all — but I'll never forget going there, and my heart sank. At the time, I found out that it was operated by the DNR.
"It came as a shock to me, my feelings did, that is. I suddenly had, like a camaraderie, with this thing that I never though of before ... the people, the units and everything else. That stunned me."
As for what he would like to see at the site now, Brittain said he doesn't have a clue. "I would love to see a marker there, I would say that," he said. "Something with some sort of recognition of the Nike-Hercules missile base ... and when it was deactivated and stuff like that."
Brittain is not the only person concerned about the future of the former site. Commerce Township officials, the Oakland County Parks and Recreation Division, the Walled Lake Consolidated School District and thousands of lakes-area residents have also expressed an interest in the site. That's because the site's current owner, the Michigan Department of Natural Resources (DNR), has announced the property does not fit into its current parks system and the department looking for someone to manage the approximately 600-acre site. If a new manager can't be found, the site could be sold.
The former missile base and the rest of the eastern portion of the Proud Lake Recreation Area are just some of the areas in Oakland County addressed in the DNR's Natural Resources Land Consolidation Strategy.
As title holder to approximately 4.5 million acres of land in Michigan, the DNR is implementing a land review process to identify pieces of land that don't fit into the department's current mission. Within Oakland County, the DNR owns approximately 30,000 acres of land. A portion of the department's land was purchased for natural resource and outdoor recreation use with funds specifically set aside for that purpose. Other lands were obtained as the result of tax reversion, many which were clear cut and reverted many times after being resold by the state. Because many of the tax reverted lands don't offer much recreational value and cost the department time and money to manage, the DNR is looking to rid itself of the land. Other areas, such as the former Nike base located in the eastern portion of the Proud Lake Recreation Area, were purchased for hunting. However, some of those lands are not being used for their intended purpose.
"That property was purchased with state hunters' dollars, from the Fish and Game Fund," said Paul Yauk of the DNR's Land Management Division. "Currently, the public can't use that for hunting. We want to make that fund whole, if we can find an alternative location for using hunters' dollars."
The DNR's land consolidation strategy is a multi-phased process that involves assessing the DNR's desired land boundaries and identifying what parcels the department owns that fall outside of those boundaries, a process that has already been completed. The second step is to review the lands outside of the desired boundaries and determine which may provide recreational opportunities. Those that have natural resource, cultural or recreational value may be kept by the DNR or remain protected and managed by an alternative entity. Those lands deemed of little value may be exchanged for other lands or sold at market value. Monies gained from the sale of most of the land will go back into a fund to purchase other lands desired by the DNR. For instance, there are many acres of land within each state park that are owned by private individuals, rather than the state. Monies gained from the sale of some lands may be used to purchase those in-holdings and make the parks complete.
"A review like this has not been done in decades," said Kerry Wieber, Northern Michigan Lands Coordinator for the DNR's Parks and Recreation Division. "It was to look at all the lands and find which were fitting in with the DNR's mission and which lands are not. The purpose is to consolidate within our boundaries.
"Our No. 1 preference is to do a land exchange and to exchange land that does not fulfill the DNR's mission for land that does. If there are no offers for exchange, then it would go to sale. Any money that we receive from that sale would go into funds that are for land purchase."
Tax reverted land that is sold goes to a land exchange facilitation fund, which is used to purchase land, as well, Wieber said. None of the proceeds are used to balance the DNR's budget or state budget, she added.
"It's a very common misconception that we are doing this to balance the state's budget, or the parks budget," Wieber said. "This has nothing to do with that, this is just a review that needed to take place."
While DNR officials say the consolidation process will help to provide opportunities to the public by divesting unused land, the thought of losing precious parkland has some lakes area residents concerned that once tranquil areas will be sold for development and diminish their quality of life.
Commerce resident Robert Phillips became aware of the DNR's plans to divest itself of the Nike base portion of the Proud Lake Recreation Area while working for the DNR during the summer. Concerned that the land near his home could be used for development, he and others formed a citizens group in last June called Save Our State Land Committee (SOS), which is focusing on preserving the Wise Road property. The group, which started as a small group that began passing out fliers to raise awareness, now has a base of over 4,000 people throughout the lakes area.
"We don't trust them," Phillips said of the DNR in the past. "We don't trust them with the parks they already have ... we think (the Nike base land) would be clear cut for a parking lot or something else. That's what we believe."
Since the group's formation, it has held several meetings with DNR officials and others interested in the land. While no concrete plans have been made for the land's disposition, several entities have expressed interest in it.
According to Yauk, the Walled Lake Consolidated School District filed an application to purchase some of the state land in 2004.
"Our first goal is to look at another public entity to manage that (land) as a park," Yauk said last year. "In saying this, we had an applicant call us — if it was a developer. If it was any private individual, we'd say flat out 'no,' just save your time. Since it's a school district, that's a little different. There's a public benefit there, and we felt we had a legitimate request."
As part of the Walled Lake Schools 2000 bond issue, $10 million was set aside to secure future school sites. While the district already owns about a 20-acre, landlocked parcel in the area, the district would like to expand its property there.
The recreation area land in question, approximately 150 acres located on both the north and south side of Wise Road, would not be used for a new high school, according to the district.
According to Yauk, if any portion of the land were sold to the school district in the future, the district would be unable to sell the land to a private entity because it was originally acquired by the state with fish and game funds.
However, Yauk said one variable that could change the DNR's position on the district's proposal would be a partial land "swap" involving a parcel the district currently owns within the Proud Lake Recreation Area.
According to Walled Lake Schools Superintendent James Geisler, the district set aside $10 million to secure school sites after voter approval of the 2000 bond issue. He said the district is not considering any type of land "swap," and is only interested in an outright purchase of the state land.
In addition to the possibility of the Walled Lake district acquiring some of the land, the Oakland County Parks and Recreation Department has expressed interest in managing the land.
According to Ralph Richard, executive officer of the Oakland County Parks and Recreation Department, the park would be used for educational purposes. He said if the land were turned over to the county, it would be used as a historical site, with a copy of the Nike base's master plan and tours of the area provided.
While both the DNR and the county have expressed interest in such a scenario, finding sufficient funds to manage the land is a problem.
The state does not pay municipalities in the form of property taxes like other land owners, but it does pay reduced amounts called Payments In Lieu of Taxes (PILT). If the county were able to take over the state-held land, it would have to find a way to make those payments — or possibly eliminate them — to the local government.
According to the Commerce Township Treasurer's Office, the DNR pays approximately $34,000 annually on the two parcels of state land located on both sides of Wise Road, which consists of about 550 acres in total.
Commerce Township has also expressed an interest in managing the site. However, meetings between DNR, and county and municipal officials are apparently at a standstill, according to Commerce Township Supervisor Tom Zoner. He said he attended a meeting with DNR officials earlier this year, which included members of the SOS Committee, the county parks department and officials from the Walled Lake schools district.
"We started talking about what we want and what (the DNR) wants," Zoner said. "They wanted the money for the land as it would be appraised. I asked what kind of appraisal they would live under, and the appraisal was based on the highest and best use, which to me was a joke. I told them so because it didn't make any sense for the state to put the land up for sale for a price based on the highest and best use. That's the last time that I heard anything, and that's been a long time."
Members of the SOS Committee state they have also been working with the township in hopes of having the land rezoned. The property is currently zoned as R1-B, which would allow it to be used as residential property. Committee members are requesting that the land be rezoned as parkland, which could help preserve the land and lower the market value so that the township, county or another conservation entity could acquire the land for less money. However, any rezoning would require approval from the DNR.
"It looks like it might be best if Oakland County Parks bought a portion of (the land), and possibly Commerce Township, too," Phillips said. "The only problem is that we don't have restrictions on the land to keep it preserved. In Commerce, we are fighting to get an ordinance ... somewhere along the line, the township thought it would be illegal to (rezone) it without the consent of the DNR. We are basically waiting for results with Commerce to rezone the land as recreational/park land with restrictions on it."
According to Yauk, any future plans for the Wise Road property would include efforts to preserve the land for recreational opportunity.
"We'd like to work with the community on that," he said. "We are doing that with Commerce Township and Oakland County parks and the school district, so maybe we can put something together that can appease everybody, so that we can, A, keep the property in public ownership and in a public use, and, B, restore the Fish and Game Fund."
According to the DNR and officials at the Oakland County Parks and Recreation Commission, the county is also looking at managing Dodge Park No. 4 in Waterford Township, as well as the Wise Road property. However, talks between the county and the DNR have also come to a standstill, according to Oakland County Parks' Richard.
"One of the key components to this thing on Wise Road was the schools," Richard said. "They are exchanging letters with the schools, and we are waiting to see what transpires with that.
"They are going around to these different counties and getting feedback from residents. I don't know when Oakland County is going to be listed to do that."
According to the DNR, the first phase of the land review, which involves updating the DNR's boundaries, has been completed. The second phase involves classifying all lands outside of the boundaries as lands that should be retained under DNR ownership, managed by other entities, or exchanged or sold for other lands.
The second phase of the process has been completed for Iron, Dickinson, Chippewa, Emmet, Charlevoix, Leelanau, Berrian, Cass, Branch and Hillsdale counties. Currently, Luce, Ontonagon, Gogebic, Antrim, Grand Traverse, Iosco, Arenac, Van Buren, Kalamazoo and St. Joseph counties are being reviewed under the second phase.
The DNR reports the next group of counties entering the second phase of the review will include Houghton, Mackinac, Alpena, Alcona, Mason, Oceana, St. Clair, Macomb and Calhoun counties. According to Yauk, Oakland County could be included for review by next fall; however, that's not certain.
"We do hundreds of land cases a year," he said. "This is going to take three or four years to get all these counties done."
While the Wise Road property is by far the largest piece of land deemed to be outside of the DNR's desired land boundaries, there are several others in the county that the DNR is hoping to re-manage, exchange or sell.
In the Highland Recreation Area, a 5,903-acre state facility in White Lake and Highland township, proposed boundary changes target the acquisition, sale or exchange of "several small to medium size in-holdings, located primarily along the borders of the park. The changes include expanding the present boundary south of Teeple Lake to encompass property near Lake Ona, located just north of Cooley Lake Road in White Lake Township. The DNR would also like to sell or exchange several long lot properties located south of M-59, and extend its boundary in the northwest corner of the recreation area, acquiring parcels between M-59 and Livingston Road, east of the CSX Railroad in Highland Township.
According to Highland Township Supervisor Triscia Pilchowski, the township has discussed acquiring property within the Dodge No. 10 state park, and land in the Highland Recreation Area.
"Once they do the assessment for the Highland Recreation Area, they will list the moratorium on their trails, which is of real interest to us," she said. "We are not interested in any other properties that were in there.
"We are very interested in Dodge No. 10, and we've made that very clear over and over to them. We've never dismissed, when it comes to the overall state land in Highland, and we remain open because we want to be very much involved in what they do there, if anything."
According to DNR Parks and Recreation Chief Ron Olson, the DNR will not be releasing portions of the parks. He said he has spoken to the township about how the parks play into the future development of the township.
"Dodge No. 10 is not on the list of being sold or traded or anything like that at all," Olson said.
The DNR has also targeted two in-holdings in the Pontiac Lake Recreation Area, a 3,800-acre facility in White Lake and Waterford townships. The DNR is considering extending the southern border of the recreation area, acquiring a large parcel of land on the north shore of Pontiac Lake, just north of Gale Road in Waterford. The state is also considering the acquisition of several smaller in-holdings north of Pontiac Lake Road, and a small tract of land on the east side of the recreation area, located north of the Gale Road and west of Williams Lake Road.
White Lake Township could also be receiving more state parkland in the future, if a bill introduced by state Rep. John Stakoe (R-Highland, White Lake) is passed.
According to White Lake Township Supervisor Mike Kowall, the bill would transfer about 30 acres of land located near McKeatchie and Grass Lake roads, known as Bloomer Park, to the township. Kowall said the township would like to acquire the land and use it for hiking, horseback riding and bicycle trails.
The DNR's Yauk said the department doesn't support the land transfer.
"We would just like the process to take its course," he said. "We haven't (reviewed) Oakland County yet (under the second phase of the project), but (the land) is outside the (Highland and Pontiac Lake recreation areas') boundaries. We will have further review with DNR staff and with the township and county officials about what to do with that. The legislation is kind of sidestepping that, in my opinion."
Kowall said he hopes any land within White Lake is first offered to the township for management.
"If the state wanted to be really fiscally responsible, they would go the Oakland County Parks, which is in the black and doing really well and is fully capable of working with that type of land and creating some type of park," he said. "People are very concerned about it ... the land belongs to the state of Michigan. It belongs to all of us."
Kevin Elliott
[signature]
"I was an acquisition radar operator, which would acquire a target during the Cold War time," Brittain said. "We could lock onto a target, and if the situation required, we could attack it and destroy it."
The base, which was activated in 1955, housed several Ajax and Hercules cruise missiles that could be used to defend against air attacks. Brittain was assigned at the base from the middle of 1966 to the end of 1968. "They guaranteed me a year-and-a-half in that field if I joined, then they sent me to Germany and I was in the same thing there."
Although the D-87 base was deactivated in 1974 and the launch area was demolished in 1994, Brittain can still describe the layout of the base from his home in Livonia.
"I think the building probably closest to the road on the left side was the motor pool area, then there was a building that went north and south, which was the mess hall. Then, another building as you go deeper in from the motor pool, the next would be the headquarters-command ... the third was the barracks. There were two trailers, like a semi, at each end of the building so that the (radar) units were portable."
Today, a tree-lined road, a few buildings and an overgrown concrete heli-pad are all that remain of the base.
"The last time I was there was some years ago," Brittain said. "I never thought I would ever feel
— I didn't know what I would feel, I wasn't expecting any feelings at all — but I'll never forget going there, and my heart sank. At the time, I found out that it was operated by the DNR."It came as a shock to me, my feelings did, that is. I suddenly had, like a camaraderie, with this thing that I never though of before ... the people, the units and everything else. That stunned me."
As for what he would like to see at the site now, Brittain said he doesn't have a clue. "I would love to see a marker there, I would say that," he said. "Something with some sort of recognition of the Nike-Hercules missile base ... and when it was deactivated and stuff like that."
Brittain is not the only person concerned about the future of the former site. Commerce Township officials, the Oakland County Parks and Recreation Division, the Walled Lake Consolidated School District and thousands of lakes-area residents have also expressed an interest in the site. That's because the site's current owner, the Michigan Department of Natural Resources (DNR), has announced the property does not fit into its current parks system and the department looking for someone to manage the approximately 600-acre site. If a new manager can't be found, the site could be sold.
The former missile base and the rest of the eastern portion of the Proud Lake Recreation Area are just some of the areas in Oakland County addressed in the DNR's Natural Resources Land Consolidation Strategy.
As title holder to approximately 4.5 million acres of land in Michigan, the DNR is implementing a land review process to identify pieces of land that don't fit into the department's current mission. Within Oakland County, the DNR owns approximately 30,000 acres of land. A portion of the department's land was purchased for natural resource and outdoor recreation use with funds specifically set aside for that purpose. Other lands were obtained as the result of tax reversion, many which were clear cut and reverted many times after being resold by the state. Because many of the tax reverted lands don't offer much recreational value and cost the department time and money to manage, the DNR is looking to rid itself of the land. Other areas, such as the former Nike base located in the eastern portion of the Proud Lake Recreation Area, were purchased for hunting. However, some of those lands are not being used for their intended purpose.
"That property was purchased with state hunters' dollars, from the Fish and Game Fund," said Paul Yauk of the DNR's Land Management Division. "Currently, the public can't use that for hunting. We want to make that fund whole, if we can find an alternative location for using hunters' dollars."
The DNR's land consolidation strategy is a multi-phased process that involves assessing the DNR's desired land boundaries and identifying what parcels the department owns that fall outside of those boundaries, a process that has already been completed. The second step is to review the lands outside of the desired boundaries and determine which may provide recreational opportunities. Those that have natural resource, cultural or recreational value may be kept by the DNR or remain protected and managed by an alternative entity. Those lands deemed of little value may be exchanged for other lands or sold at market value. Monies gained from the sale of most of the land will go back into a fund to purchase other lands desired by the DNR. For instance, there are many acres of land within each state park that are owned by private individuals, rather than the state. Monies gained from the sale of some lands may be used to purchase those in-holdings and make the parks complete.
"A review like this has not been done in decades," said Kerry Wieber, Northern Michigan Lands Coordinator for the DNR's Parks and Recreation Division. "It was to look at all the lands and find which were fitting in with the DNR's mission and which lands are not. The purpose is to consolidate within our boundaries.
"Our No. 1 preference is to do a land exchange and to exchange land that does not fulfill the DNR's mission for land that does. If there are no offers for exchange, then it would go to sale. Any money that we receive from that sale would go into funds that are for land purchase."
Tax reverted land that is sold goes to a land exchange facilitation fund, which is used to purchase land, as well, Wieber said. None of the proceeds are used to balance the DNR's budget or state budget, she added.
"It's a very common misconception that we are doing this to balance the state's budget, or the parks budget," Wieber said. "This has nothing to do with that, this is just a review that needed to take place."
While DNR officials say the consolidation process will help to provide opportunities to the public by divesting unused land, the thought of losing precious parkland has some lakes area residents concerned that once tranquil areas will be sold for development and diminish their quality of life.
Commerce resident Robert Phillips became aware of the DNR's plans to divest itself of the Nike base portion of the Proud Lake Recreation Area while working for the DNR during the summer. Concerned that the land near his home could be used for development, he and others formed a citizens group in last June called Save Our State Land Committee (SOS), which is focusing on preserving the Wise Road property. The group, which started as a small group that began passing out fliers to raise awareness, now has a base of over 4,000 people throughout the lakes area.
"We don't trust them," Phillips said of the DNR in the past. "We don't trust them with the parks they already have ... we think (the Nike base land) would be clear cut for a parking lot or something else. That's what we believe."
Since the group's formation, it has held several meetings with DNR officials and others interested in the land. While no concrete plans have been made for the land's disposition, several entities have expressed interest in it.
According to Yauk, the Walled Lake Consolidated School District filed an application to purchase some of the state land in 2004.
"Our first goal is to look at another public entity to manage that (land) as a park," Yauk said last year. "In saying this, we had an applicant call us — if it was a developer. If it was any private individual, we'd say flat out 'no,' just save your time. Since it's a school district, that's a little different. There's a public benefit there, and we felt we had a legitimate request."
As part of the Walled Lake Schools 2000 bond issue, $10 million was set aside to secure future school sites. While the district already owns about a 20-acre, landlocked parcel in the area, the district would like to expand its property there.
The recreation area land in question, approximately 150 acres located on both the north and south side of Wise Road, would not be used for a new high school, according to the district.
According to Yauk, if any portion of the land were sold to the school district in the future, the district would be unable to sell the land to a private entity because it was originally acquired by the state with fish and game funds.
However, Yauk said one variable that could change the DNR's position on the district's proposal would be a partial land "swap" involving a parcel the district currently owns within the Proud Lake Recreation Area.
According to Walled Lake Schools Superintendent James Geisler, the district set aside $10 million to secure school sites after voter approval of the 2000 bond issue. He said the district is not considering any type of land "swap," and is only interested in an outright purchase of the state land.
In addition to the possibility of the Walled Lake district acquiring some of the land, the Oakland County Parks and Recreation Department has expressed interest in managing the land.
According to Ralph Richard, executive officer of the Oakland County Parks and Recreation Department, the park would be used for educational purposes. He said if the land were turned over to the county, it would be used as a historical site, with a copy of the Nike base's master plan and tours of the area provided.
While both the DNR and the county have expressed interest in such a scenario, finding sufficient funds to manage the land is a problem.
The state does not pay municipalities in the form of property taxes like other land owners, but it does pay reduced amounts called Payments In Lieu of Taxes (PILT). If the county were able to take over the state-held land, it would have to find a way to make those payments — or possibly eliminate them — to the local government.
According to the Commerce Township Treasurer's Office, the DNR pays approximately $34,000 annually on the two parcels of state land located on both sides of Wise Road, which consists of about 550 acres in total.
Commerce Township has also expressed an interest in managing the site. However, meetings between DNR, and county and municipal officials are apparently at a standstill, according to Commerce Township Supervisor Tom Zoner. He said he attended a meeting with DNR officials earlier this year, which included members of the SOS Committee, the county parks department and officials from the Walled Lake schools district.
"We started talking about what we want and what (the DNR) wants," Zoner said. "They wanted the money for the land as it would be appraised. I asked what kind of appraisal they would live under, and the appraisal was based on the highest and best use, which to me was a joke. I told them so because it didn't make any sense for the state to put the land up for sale for a price based on the highest and best use. That's the last time that I heard anything, and that's been a long time."
Members of the SOS Committee state they have also been working with the township in hopes of having the land rezoned. The property is currently zoned as R1-B, which would allow it to be used as residential property. Committee members are requesting that the land be rezoned as parkland, which could help preserve the land and lower the market value so that the township, county or another conservation entity could acquire the land for less money. However, any rezoning would require approval from the DNR.
"It looks like it might be best if Oakland County Parks bought a portion of (the land), and possibly Commerce Township, too," Phillips said. "The only problem is that we don't have restrictions on the land to keep it preserved. In Commerce, we are fighting to get an ordinance ... somewhere along the line, the township thought it would be illegal to (rezone) it without the consent of the DNR. We are basically waiting for results with Commerce to rezone the land as recreational/park land with restrictions on it."
According to Yauk, any future plans for the Wise Road property would include efforts to preserve the land for recreational opportunity.
"We'd like to work with the community on that," he said. "We are doing that with Commerce Township and Oakland County parks and the school district, so maybe we can put something together that can appease everybody, so that we can, A, keep the property in public ownership and in a public use, and, B, restore the Fish and Game Fund."
According to the DNR and officials at the Oakland County Parks and Recreation Commission, the county is also looking at managing Dodge Park No. 4 in Waterford Township, as well as the Wise Road property. However, talks between the county and the DNR have also come to a standstill, according to Oakland County Parks' Richard.
"One of the key components to this thing on Wise Road was the schools," Richard said. "They are exchanging letters with the schools, and we are waiting to see what transpires with that.
"They are going around to these different counties and getting feedback from residents. I don't know when Oakland County is going to be listed to do that."
According to the DNR, the first phase of the land review, which involves updating the DNR's boundaries, has been completed. The second phase involves classifying all lands outside of the boundaries as lands that should be retained under DNR ownership, managed by other entities, or exchanged or sold for other lands.
The second phase of the process has been completed for Iron, Dickinson, Chippewa, Emmet, Charlevoix, Leelanau, Berrian, Cass, Branch and Hillsdale counties. Currently, Luce, Ontonagon, Gogebic, Antrim, Grand Traverse, Iosco, Arenac, Van Buren, Kalamazoo and St. Joseph counties are being reviewed under the second phase.
The DNR reports the next group of counties entering the second phase of the review will include Houghton, Mackinac, Alpena, Alcona, Mason, Oceana, St. Clair, Macomb and Calhoun counties. According to Yauk, Oakland County could be included for review by next fall; however, that's not certain.
"We do hundreds of land cases a year," he said. "This is going to take three or four years to get all these counties done."
While the Wise Road property is by far the largest piece of land deemed to be outside of the DNR's desired land boundaries, there are several others in the county that the DNR is hoping to re-manage, exchange or sell.
In the Highland Recreation Area, a 5,903-acre state facility in White Lake and Highland township, proposed boundary changes target the acquisition, sale or exchange of "several small to medium size in-holdings, located primarily along the borders of the park. The changes include expanding the present boundary south of Teeple Lake to encompass property near Lake Ona, located just north of Cooley Lake Road in White Lake Township. The DNR would also like to sell or exchange several long lot properties located south of M-59, and extend its boundary in the northwest corner of the recreation area, acquiring parcels between M-59 and Livingston Road, east of the CSX Railroad in Highland Township.
According to Highland Township Supervisor Triscia Pilchowski, the township has discussed acquiring property within the Dodge No. 10 state park, and land in the Highland Recreation Area.
"Once they do the assessment for the Highland Recreation Area, they will list the moratorium on their trails, which is of real interest to us," she said. "We are not interested in any other properties that were in there.
"We are very interested in Dodge No. 10, and we've made that very clear over and over to them. We've never dismissed, when it comes to the overall state land in Highland, and we remain open because we want to be very much involved in what they do there, if anything."
According to DNR Parks and Recreation Chief Ron Olson, the DNR will not be releasing portions of the parks. He said he has spoken to the township about how the parks play into the future development of the township.
"Dodge No. 10 is not on the list of being sold or traded or anything like that at all," Olson said.
The DNR has also targeted two in-holdings in the Pontiac Lake Recreation Area, a 3,800-acre facility in White Lake and Waterford townships. The DNR is considering extending the southern border of the recreation area, acquiring a large parcel of land on the north shore of Pontiac Lake, just north of Gale Road in Waterford. The state is also considering the acquisition of several smaller in-holdings north of Pontiac Lake Road, and a small tract of land on the east side of the recreation area, located north of the Gale Road and west of Williams Lake Road.
White Lake Township could also be receiving more state parkland in the future, if a bill introduced by state Rep. John Stakoe (R-Highland, White Lake) is passed.
According to White Lake Township Supervisor Mike Kowall, the bill would transfer about 30 acres of land located near McKeatchie and Grass Lake roads, known as Bloomer Park, to the township. Kowall said the township would like to acquire the land and use it for hiking, horseback riding and bicycle trails.
The DNR's Yauk said the department doesn't support the land transfer.
"We would just like the process to take its course," he said. "We haven't (reviewed) Oakland County yet (under the second phase of the project), but (the land) is outside the (Highland and Pontiac Lake recreation areas') boundaries. We will have further review with DNR staff and with the township and county officials about what to do with that. The legislation is kind of sidestepping that, in my opinion."
Kowall said he hopes any land within White Lake is first offered to the township for management.
"If the state wanted to be really fiscally responsible, they would go the Oakland County Parks, which is in the black and doing really well and is fully capable of working with that type of land and creating some type of park," he said. "People are very concerned about it ... the land belongs to the state of Michigan. It belongs to all of us."
Kevin Elliott
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