Summary
This document consists of public comment letters submitted to the Leelanau Township Board for its July 15, 2026 meeting (and intended also for the August Parks and Recreation Committee meeting), rather than board-adopted minutes. Resident Beth Verhey submitted a letter addressing the upcoming 5-year Parks and Recreation (P&R) Plan and the relationship between P&R planning and Woolsey Memorial Airport, and forwarded a May 12 public comment letter from Woolsey descendants Amy Rafferty and Lynn Contos regarding the Board's new airport ordinance.
Public Comments
Beth Verhey, a full-time resident and wife of P&R committee member Daniel Toole, submitted a letter urging the Board and P&R Committee to more regularly integrate P&R input into Board decision-making and budgeting, including standardized funding for multi-year park maintenance plans. She proposed the Township explore "user contribution" funding mechanisms similar to the marina boat launch and lighthouse, citing examples from Elmwood, Leland, and Suttons Bay. She suggested inviting a TART representative and/or Elmwood Township officials (who received a $400k Michigan Natural Resources Trust Fund grant for a trail) to present on non-motorized trail partnerships. Verhey also recommended the Board and P&R Committee establish parameters for alternative uses of P&R land, referencing her past support for using part of the Buster Dame acreage for attainable housing (raised at the April 28 special housing meeting) and the pending cell tower lease proposal on Braman.
Verhey forwarded a May 12 letter from Woolsey descendants Amy Rafferty and Lynn Contos, writing on behalf of the SWAT volunteer committee, who requested the Board delay approval of the new Woolsey airport ordinance to allow further consultation with the P&R Committee and stakeholders. They emphasized historical, environmental, and dark-sky values of Woolsey and referenced past "Keep Woolsey Green" advocacy against runway paving. They submitted letters of support from the Northport Area Historical Association (NAHA), Leelanau Historical Society (LHS), Recreational Aviation Foundation (RAF), EAA Grand Traverse Region Chapter 234, Northport Lions Club, and Leelanau Dark Sky. Verhey noted the descendants' letter was omitted from the Township's posted May 12 public comment record, though the attached support letters were posted.
Affordable Housing Initiatives
Verhey reiterated her personal support, previously voiced at the April 28 Township and Village special housing meeting, for making part of the Buster Dame acreage available for an "appropriate attainable housing project."
Parks and Recreation Matters
Verhey praised the P&R Committee's planned community survey for the next 5-year P&R Plan and its earlier youth survey. She urged continuation of non-motorized trail and walkway goals carried over from the 2016-2021 and 2022-2026 Plans, citing recurring public themes of "new trails and connecting existing trails" and "walkability, safe routes, and bike lanes." She asked that Woolsey-related park projects (site master plan, wildlife viewing platform, canoe/kayak launch on Mud Lake, event-hosting improvements) remain linked to the new 5-year Plan, noting past investigative work by former Supervisor Rick Cross with EGLE should be revisited. She recommended representatives from RAF, EAA 234, the Lions Club, and Woolsey descendants be included on the panel established under the new airport ordinance.
Infrastructure Projects
A proposed cell tower lease on Braman property was noted as heading toward a public hearing; no decision was reported in this document.
Action Items
Verhey requested that Township representatives contact NAHA, LHS, RAF, EAA 234, the Northport Lions Club, and Woolsey descendants for input as the panel under the new Woolsey airport ordinance is formed, and for feedback during the Board/P&R Committee's planned review of that ordinance in the coming months. She asked that the historic terminal building restoration project's next phase incorporate community input gathered through the 5-year Plan process.