# WHITE LAKE ALERT! - Public Notice for Tannery Bay



## Hamilton Reef (Jan 20, 2000)

WHITE LAKE ALERT ! Muskegon County

Now is the time for all sport fishing organizations, MUCC, and concerned citizens to finally come forward to protect the beautiful White Lake natural resources, fisheries, Public Trust Doctrine, and the integrity of MDNR & DEQ employees that are trying to help us. A massive and destructive marina is proposed to destroy the fishery refuge of upper White Lake. Remember the permanent damage to White Lake by the Ellenwood Landing Marina in Montague. Note that the same network of corrupt local/state politicians and developers is alive, and well financed ready to again destroy more of White Lake for their personal profits. Many of our local corrupt politicians are in the money pockets of the developers. The White Lake fishery needs your help.

You only have a few days left to demand a public hearing.
http://www.deq.state.mi.us/lwmpnh-data/05610046pn.pdf


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## Hamilton Reef (Jan 20, 2000)

Community demands public hearing on Tannery

Send comments by Aug. 3 to: State of Michigan, DEQ, Land & Water Mgt. Division, 350 Ottawa, N.W., Grand Rapids, MI, 49503-2341. Ref. file# 05-61-0046-P
http://www.deq.state.mi.us/lwmpnh-data/05610046pn.pdf

http://www.whitelakebeacon.com/news.php?story_id=7696


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## Hamilton Reef (Jan 20, 2000)

Plan calls to raze tannery building 

http://www.mlive.com/news/muchronicle/index.ssf?/base/news-7/1122306526272160.xml&coll=8

Monday, July 25, 2005 By Susan K. Treutler CHRONICLE STAFF WRITER

The latest conceptual plan for a residential development at the former Whitehall Leather Co. site on White Lake calls for demolition of the century-old tannery building. 

While earlier drawings called for the tannery building to be converted to condominiums and shops reminiscent of Harbourfront Place in Grand Haven and the Amazon building in Muskegon, the latest do not. 

Still, a renovated tannery could end up as the centerpiece of the development, Mick McGraw, chief executive officer of Eastbrook Homes of Grand Rapids, said Friday.

Eastbrook Homes is a partner in South Shore Development with Tom Thornhill, who lives in Spring Lake and practices law in Muskegon. 

McGraw said there are several factors that will determine whether the building will be saved. 

He said saving the building will depend on whether it is determined to be environmentally safe, structurally sound, attractive and easy to maintain. Also, renovation would have to be economically feasible, he said. 

It has not yet been determined if all those criteria can be met, McGraw said. 

The stance is a departure from last spring when McGraw said the building, and the tannery's adjacent gymnasium which was once the scene of civic events, were historically significant to the community and any idea of demolishing them had been abandoned. 

"We have several site plans," McGraw said Friday. 

The new plan for the White Lake waterfront property has been presented to the state Department of Environmental Quality. DEQ approval is necessary because plans call for some shoreline wetlands to be filled in, and others to be created.

Whitehall Mayor Mac Hatch said Friday he was surprised that the tannery building was not shown on the plan submitted to the state. 

"A lot of people will be upset that that building is gone," he said. "I expect there will be a lot of comment at Tuesday's (city council) meeting." 

The meeting is 7:30 p.m. at city hall.

But Hatch said he thinks that perhaps the current site plan is being used just to move the permit process along. 

"At this point in time, nothing is final," Hatch said. 

"The plan has to go through the planning commission. There will be public hearings. There are a lot of hoops to go through," Hatch said. 

The new plan calls for residential home lots, a pool house, townhouses and a restaurant in addition to a private marina that could accommodate 121 boats. That is a departure from other plans which called for about 50 docks. 

Genesco, Inc., of Nashville, Tenn., owner of the 15-acre site, is poised to sell it to South Shore Development once environmental cleanup, dredging and wetland mitigation are approved by the state. 

The developers are anxious to get moving, and Whitehall officials have also eagerly awaited redevelopment that will translate into significant tax revenue for the city, the elimination of an eyesore and contaminated site, and population growth. 

Genesco is seeking permits to dredge 1,500 cubic yards of soil from a wetland on the site and add 28,772 cubic yards of fill. Some of the fill are will allow the developer to create a boardwalk along the waterfront.

Whitehall City Manager Scott Huebler said today that he expects a representative of South Shore Development to attend Tuesday's city council meeting. 

Specifically, the developer wants to fill: 

* 1.35 acres in the north area of the site, including Bush Creek. A new stream channel, 140 feet in length, would be created north of the existing creek and its bank secured with riprap. The developers want to fill wetland there to allow construction of boat docks.

* 1.04 acres along the shoreline. 

* Three-tenths of an acre east of the railroad bed at the site. 

* Five-tenths of an acre at another location on the site. 

The proposal calls for replacing the wetland filled in for the project with re-created wetlands on two sites owned by the city -- Svensson Park and Mill Pond Park. 

According to documents filed by the developer, Svensson and Mill Pond parks were historically wetlands that "appear" to have been filled in at one time in their history. Thus, the developer refers to "restoring" those areas. 

The tannery site and a large portion of adjoining lake bottom have undergone years of environmental cleanup. The ground, groundwater and bay were contaminated from years of tanning with arsenic and other chemicals, dyes, animal hides and hair. 

McGraw said he is unaware of any scheduled public hearing dates on the permit requests. 

DEQ officials affiliated with the project did not return The Chronicle's calls.


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## Hamilton Reef (Jan 20, 2000)

Family opposes making park into wetland 

http://www.mlive.com/news/muchronicle/index.ssf?/base/news-7/1122306660272160.xml&coll=8

Monday, July 25, 2005 By Susan K. Treutler CHRONICLE STAFF WRITER 

Descendants of the original donors of land used to create Whitehall's Svensson Park are opposed to a plan by Genesco, Inc., to turn a portion of the park into wetland. 

The company, poised to sell the former Whitehall Leather Co. site to South Shore Development for a residential complex, is trying to get a state permit to fill wetland at the tannery site to build a marina. 

To make up for the loss of wetland, they are proposing creating wetland at the park. 

Mick McGraw, president of Eastbrook Homes -- a partner in the project -- said only a small portion of the park would be made into wetland and a public boardwalk would connect it to the tannery-site development. 

The park is just south of the tannery site. 

But members of the Svensson family say the proposal would "turn Svensson Park into a marsh." 

The 3.7-acre Svensson Park was developed in the early 1990s, and has a boat launch, a footbridge, a play area and picnic tables. 

Jerry and Janet Grady are asking the public to oppose conversion of the park, which was donated to the city for public use by descendants of Carl and Johanna Johnson. The Johnsons developed a stretch of property on White Lake north of Main Street 150 years ago. 

The Johnsons immigrated to the United States in the mid-1850s and bought an acre on the White Lake shore for $50. There, they established a farm. The property included the mouth of a small brook -- Bush Creek. 

The Johnsons built a house, often took in boarders and vacationers, provided fruits and vegetables to the community and befriended Native Americans who lived along the lakeshore. 

Over the years, the family was instrumental in the settlement of Sweden Town on Whitehall's south end, with many streets named for family members. They also donated the land for Lebanon Lutheran Church. 

Their daughter, Nora, married Charles Svensson of Chicago and they continued the tradition. Their son, also Charles Svensson, and his wife, Jeanette, were the third generation to keep what had become a successful resort going. 

Center stage of the operation was the White Lake Villa, a reception hall and restaurant with a big screened-in porch. The White Lake Eagles bought the Villa in 1966. 

Janet Grady is the former Janet Svensson, and a member of the family for whom the park is named. 

They want the park preserved out of respect for her ancestors' rich history in the city. 

The Gradys want to force a public hearing on Genesco's request to the Department of Environmental Quality for permits to fill wetlands and turn any portions of Mill Pond and Svensson parks into wetland.


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## Ranger Ray (Mar 2, 2003)

Let's just turn the lake into one big boat.


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## Hamilton Reef (Jan 20, 2000)

In defense of the DNR Fishery Division that exact location of the marina site is one of the last fishery spawning refuge in the critical upper White Lake. The DNR and DEQ both have that area marked off as absolutely no marina. When I did the White Lake Assessment for the DEQ back in year 2000 I put in the fishery maps as an appendix so it could be used at this time in the public hearings and court.

I will state up front the same words I said in 1989 at the beginning of the Ellenwood Landing Marina fight. "There is no way the marina will get a permit to locate at that spot without the full corruption of the local West Michigan politicians and corrupt state officials inside the permitting division." I was 100% correct from 1989-present and I'll restate the same words in year 2005 for the WL Tannery marina. Being right does have it's cost. I received death threats and law enforcement did have me under watch.

There will be a Whitehall city council meeting tonight that should be a hot one. The lines in the community have been drawn between the citizens and the corrupt politicians in the pockets of the developers.


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