Mullett Fudges the Facts on Grant Application

Many of us are blessed to have the capability to give of our time and resources to family, friends, and the community. It truly is better to give than receive. The Michigan Natural Resource Trust Fund (MNRTF) practices charity annually by giving millions of dollars of revenue received, most from oil and gas leases on public lands, as grants to needy recreational projects while spending a sizable amount acquiring and creating even more public lands. In 2014 the MNRTF gave about $6.5 million dollars in recreational development grants and spent about $18 million dollars to acquire private land for local governments ($8,880,000) and the DNR ($9,369,900). Unlike us, the DNR’s annual charity giving returns a large share of the funds to themselves; 100% of acquisition grants were funded while only 34% of recreational development grants were successful.

I remember as a child sitting on Santa’s knee at the JL Hudson Department Store. I assuredly fudged the truth and said I had been a good boy in the hope of finding those toys on my Christmas wish list under the tree. Santa brings toys to good little girls and boys and the MNRTF Board delivers their grants to those who follow their rules. The MNRTF Board encourages trails, picnic pavilions, fishing piers, playscapes, boat launches and signage and rewards buzz-words with points. On-line applicants are coached on the point system used to score applications and the applicants and projects are largely self-policed. Outright lies are treated the same as fibbing to Santa.

The 2013 Topinabee Beach Park project gained points with a never built “fishing/viewing pier” and instead delivered a large storm sewer sized for the TDA’s envisioned MDOT “Streetscape”. That secret storm sewer was the second most expensive component of the Topinabee Beach Park recreational improvements completed in 2013. 

 When the secret could no longer be hid, quoting the June 2015 minutes from the MNRTF Board Meeting held in Alpena: “Mr. O’Hare further stated that as to the storm water runoff issue, there has not been an effective storm water system in place to handle the runoff from the highway to the parking areas and surrounding areas. A drainage system does exist along US-27, but it is decades old and is environmentally outdated. When the park was constructed, it incorporated a modern stormwater system that addressed the immediate concerns, but it also had the capacity to accommodate runoff from this project should additional stormwater systems be added, as is part of this plan. It was also designed to accommodate any future streetscape improvements.” 

Contrary to Mr O’Hare’s spin, the park’s lawns, trees, sand beach and a playground did not create immediate concerns or any need for a storm sewer. It was not until this year that Mr O’Hare was forced to disclose the plan was to eventually dump polluted M-27 storm water into Mullett Lake next to the beach where your kids swim. Mr O’Hare has now publicly admitted the next phase of the MDOT storm sewer again hides within another Mullett Township “recreational improvement”.

The “recreational improvements”, a proposed paved parking lot allegedly needed because of increased park use will accommodate only 15 vehicles. It includes the grant seeking buzz-words; kayak rack, rain-garden and interpretive signage. The truth is the new parking lots will only accommodate about half as many vehicles as the existing gravel lots that naturally filter storm run-off. This MNRTF Grant application is simply another attempt to use a MNRTF recreational grant to install sewers for a future MDOT grant funded project that will not pay any costs outside of the M-27 right of way.

The Mullett Township Board has now fudged formal Resolutions of Collaboration saying Mullett Township shared use of recreational assets and parks, including costs and maintenance, with both Burt and Tuscarora Township. This Resolution has absolutely no basis in fact. It is fabricated only to gain MNRTF points. Did these two townships join the conspiracists in Mullett Township ? Are both the Burt and Tuscarora Township Boards going to sit on Santa’s knee and also fib that they have collaborated on shared township recreational costs? 

Update: November 13, 2015

A FOIA request to Tuscarora Township
 

Please provide any  recreational facility "collaborative agreements" between Tuscarora and Mullett Townships and any documents that substantiate the paragraph submitted to the MNRTF, re: TF 15-0009 Grant Application.

The following "events" were submitted to the MNRTF Board as "collaborative" events shared by Mullett and Tuscarora Townships. Please provide any documents identifying and substantiating which, if any, of these events that Mullett and Tuscarora Townships collaborated on.  Evidence of that might include written collaborative agreements,  invoices showing shared costs, advertising "tear sheets" identifying township sponsors, etc., or any documentation that  substantiates the above paragraph that states "Tuscarora and Mullett Township, for example, coordinate in the provision, scheduling, and programming at their two main parks (Topinabee Beach Park and Marina Park)". 

Marina Park and Topinabee Beach Front Park Events
 Art and Wine Night
 Family Fun Night
 Pizza of the North Competition
 Rubber Duck Races
 Lobsterfest
 Battle of the Bands
 Entertainment Tent
 Topinabee Fireman’s Association Annual Chicken BBQ
 Topinabee Community Church Annual Picnic
 Farmer’s Market
 Friends of Topinabee Library Board Meetings
 Story Time in the Park
 Bass Fishing Tournaments
 Walleye Fishing Tournaments
 Host Station for Michigander Bike Ride
 Host Station for Dal-Mac Bike Ride
 The Big Chill Winter Festival
 Private Family Parties and Picnics
 Annual Lapeer Michigan High School Track Team Field Trip
 NMARN and TDA Annual Community Rummage Sale
The November 10, 2015 response from Tuscarora Township Clerk Sue Fisher: Records requested denied because "Record Does Not Exist" .

A FOIA Request to Burt Township:

Please provide any  recreational facility "collaborative agreements" between Tuscarora and Mullett Townships and any documents that substantiate the paragraph submitted to the MNRTF, re: TF 15-0009 Grant Application.

The November 12, 2015 email response from Burt Township Clerk Donna McDougall

Hi Carl,
Burt Township only contracts with Mullett Township for fire protecton services and library services.
If you have any other questions, please let me know.
Thanks,
Donna McDougall, Clerk
Burt Township