Summary
The Leelanau Township Parks and Recreation Committee met on 09/17/25 at 5:30pm with members Jon Thatcher, Tom Mayhew, Julie Preneta, Eric Potes, and Elizabeth Schwind present; Court Wengreen and Dan Toole were absent. The committee approved prior meeting minutes, reviewed park status reports, and approved a series of ordinance revisions along with the committee's duties and responsibilities. The next meeting was set for October 15, 2025 at 5:30pm.
Public Comments
No public comments were made during either public comment period (items 2 and 7).
Parks and Recreation Matters
Woolsey Airport: work has started on the terminal building (Dan Toole, who oversees this area, was absent). Braman Hill: youth work crews began September 17 and were expected to continue through the following week; volunteers are still needed to complete the work, with dates to be determined. A shade structure arrived but the installation timeline is unclear, and the skatepark project is in progress. Christmas Cove, Omena Beach, and Peterson Park had no updates. Buster Dame: additional trees are being planted; pickleball is planned to return, but new nets will be required since the existing nets were relocated to Braman Hill. A committee member raised the idea of adding a playground, picnic tables, and grills to better utilize the rest of Buster Dame, though no decision was made. The committee's next five-year plan is set to begin development in spring 2026. A prior proposal to install cameras at Braman Hill was shelved for the moment.
The committee approved several park ordinance changes: removing Woolsey from the general Park Ordinance to create a separate Woolsey Airfield Ordinance; adjusting park hours from sunrise-to-sunset (10pm) to one hour before sunrise to one hour after sunset; reducing the permit/rental application window from 60 days to 15 days; removing the requirement that animals stay in designated "Animal Walk Areas" on a leash; retaining the prohibition on aircraft landing on park beaches; adding an exception for the Braman Hill fire ring to the no-fires rule; and adding an exception for the Braman Hill Recreation Area Shooting Range. All changes were approved unanimously. Jon Thatcher motioned to approve the duties and responsibilities document as-is, seconded by Tom Mayhew, and it passed unanimously.
Other Business
Committee members were informed they can email the township treasurer with meeting dates attended in order to receive their stipend. The fee schedule was noted as having recently been determined by the township board.
Action Items
Recruit volunteers to complete Braman Hill work (dates to be determined). Determine installation timeline for the newly arrived shade structure. Obtain new pickleball nets for Buster Dame. Begin development of the next five-year plan in spring 2026. Members should email the township treasurer to log attendance for stipend purposes. Next meeting scheduled for October 15, 2025.