Recreation Plan

The Manistee County Recreation Plan (33 megabyte PDF file) was adopted on Tuesday, October 28, 2008, by the Manistee County Board of Commissioners.

Notice of Public Hearing

Notice of Public Hearing
Manistee County
Draft of the Recreation Plan

On Tuesday, August 19 at 10:00 a.m. at the Manistee County Courthouse, Board of Commissioners Room, 415 Third Street, Manistee, MI, 49660, the Manistee County Board of Commissioners will conduct a public hearing on the county’s proposed Recreation Plan. The plan evaluates existing recreation opportunities within the county, reviews public opinion regarding recreation, and proposes a five-year action plan, and other related items that the county wishes to pursue. A copy of the draft plan is available for review at the following locations:

1. Manistee County Planning Department
   Courthouse – 415 Third Street
   Manistee, MI, 49660
   (231) 723-6041
   Hours: Monday – Friday, 8:30 am – noon & 1:00 pm – 5:00 pm
2. Manistee County Public Library, during regular library business hours
   95 Maple Street
   Manistee, MI, 49660
   (231) 723-2519
   And at each branch library: Arcadia, Bear Lake, Kaleva, Onekama, and Wellston
3. Electronic PDF color version is available online (32 megabytes). A low bandwidth option that summarizes the action plan is also available.

Written comments regarding the plan should be submitted in advance of the public hearing to:
Sue Wagner, Manistee County Planner
415 Third Street
Manistee, MI, 49660
(231) 723-6041, fax (231) 723-1718

Notice of Review

Notice of Review
Manistee County
Draft of the Recreation Plan

The Manistee County Planning Commission has developed a draft Recreation Plan. The plan evaluates existing recreation opportunities, reviews public opinion regarding parks and recreation, and proposes a five-year action plan, and other related items that the county wishes to pursue. Copies of the draft Recreation Plan will be available for review at the following locations:

1. Manistee County Planning Department
   Courthouse – 415 Third Street
   Manistee, MI, 49660
   (231) 723-6041
   Hours: Monday – Friday, 8:30 am – noon & 1:00 pm – 5:00 pm
2. Manistee County Public Library, during regular library business hours
   95 Maple Street
   Manistee, MI, 49660
   (231) 723-2519
   And at each branch library: Arcadia, Bear Lake, Kaleva, Onekama, and Wellston
3. Electronic PDF color version is available online (32 megabytes). A low bandwidth option that summarizes the action plan is also available.

If you are interested in reviewing or submitting comments regarding the draft Recreation Plan, please send written comments to the address listed below by August 18, 2008. At 10:00 a.m. on August 19, 2008, at the Manistee County Courthouse, the Board of Commissioners will conduct a public hearing on the county’s proposed Recreation Plan.

For more information, please contact:
Sue Wagner, Manistee County Planner
415 Third Street
Manistee, MI, 49660
(231) 723-6041, fax (231) 723-1718

Update

This is a revised version of the draft recreation plan (32 megabyte PDF file) that was posted on May 12. Because the changes were relatively minor, only the full draft has been posted. Individual sections can be downloaded from the earlier post. The Manistee County Planning Commission will review the plan on June 26.

Revised Draft

The following is a revised draft of the Manistee County Recreation Plan, based on input and edits from the March 28 Steering Committee meeting, separated into fourteen parts:

1. Part 1 – Cover and Table of Contents (7.0 megabyte PDF file)
2. Part 2 – Introduction (2.0 megabyte PDF file)
3. Part 3 – Community Description (718 kb PDF file)
4. Part 4 – Administrative Structure (1.8 megabyte PDF file)
5. Part 5 – Inventory of Recreational Assets (part a) (2.2 megabyte PDF file)
6. Part 6 – Inventory of Recreational Assets (part b) (7.2 megabyte PDF file)
7. Part 7 – Inventory of Recreational Assets (part c) (1.3 megabyte PDF file)
8. Part 8 – Planning Process (604 kb PDF file)
9. Part 9 – Public Input (1.6 megabyte PDF file)
10. Part 10 – Goals and Objectives (1.7 megabyte PDF file)
11. Part 11 – Action Program (534 kb PDF file)
12. Part 12 – Appendix A (1.1 megabyte PDF file)
13. Part 13 – Appendix B (45 kb PDF file)
14. Part 14 – Appendix C (1.6 megabyte PDF file)

This is a full draft of the revised plan (31 megabyte PDF file).

Draft of the Manistee County Recreation Plan

The draft of the Manistee County Recreation Plan is now available for review. It is separated into twelve parts:

1. Part 1 – Cover (7.1 megabyte PDF file)
2. Part 2 – Table of Contents (130 kb PDF file)
3. Part 3 – Introduction (2.1 megabyte PDF file)
4. Part 4 – Community Description (725 kb PDF file)
5. Part 5 – Administrative Structure (1.8 megabyte PDF file)
6. Part 6 – Inventory of Recreational Assets (10.4 megabyte PDF file)
7. Part 7 – Planning Process (610 kb PDF file)
8. Part 8 – Public Input (1.6 megabyte PDF file)
9. Part 9 – Goals and Objectives (505 kb PDF file)
10. Part 10 – Action Program (560 kb PDF file)
11. Part 11 – Appendix A (5.0 megabyte PDF file)
12. Part 12 – Appendix B (45 kb PDF file)

This is a full draft of the plan (29 megabyte PDF file).

Second Input Open House Rescheduled

Tuesday, February 19

The next public open house will be held on Tuesday, February 19, from 4:00 pm to 7:00 pm at Brethren High School. The school is located in Dickson Township at 4400 North High Bridge Road, Brethren, MI, 49619.

This flyer provides additional information about the February 19 public open house.

Please stop in at your convenience to talk with recreation planners and community leaders. It won’t take long, just 5 to 10 minutes of your time. We want to hear your ideas and suggestions!

Wednesday’s Community Input Meeting Postponed

Due to the weather, tonight’s (Wednesday) planned public input open house at Brethren High School is postponed until further notice.

Tomorrow’s public input open house at Faith Covenant Church is still on, running from 4:00 pm to 7:00 pm.  The church is located in the City of Manistee at 475 Eighth Street. This flyer provides additional information about the public input open house.  We’ll see you there!

We Need Your Input!

As the Manistee County Planning Commission, in partnership with the Alliance for Economic Success, continues to develop the county’s 5-year recreation plan, input from residents is needed.

County leaders, along with Spicer Group, will gather ideas, hear comments, and listen to suggestions about recreational programs, facilities, and parks in Manistee County.

Two opportunities to provide input will be held at the end of January. These community input open houses will have the same format and are designed to give you flexibility of attending one open house or the other.

Please stop in at your convenience to talk with recreation planners and community leaders. It won’t take long, just 5 to 10 minutes of your time. We want to hear your ideas and suggestions!

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Wednesday, January 30, 2008

Postponed due to the weather.

The first public open house will be held on Wednesday, January 30, from 4:00 pm to 7:00 pm at Brethren High School. The school is located in Dickson Township at 4400 North High Bridge Road, Brethren, MI, 49619. This flyer provides additional information about the January 30 public open house.

[Edited on January 30, 2008]

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Thursday, January 31, 2008

The second public open house will be held on Thursday, January 31, from 4:00 pm to 7:00 pm at Faith Covenant Church. The church is located in the City of Manistee at 475 Eighth Street. This flyer provides additional information about the January 31 public open house.

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If you cannot attend either of the open houses and have suggestions on how to improve public recreation in Manistee County, feel free to submit your comments via the comment function on this website. All electronic comments are reviewed by the Administrator before they are posted. Anonymous postings are permitted. If you prefer to submit a comment without it being posted to this website, please say so and the Administrator will honor your request.will honor your request.

Steering Committee Meeting

The next Steering Committee meeting will be held at the Manistee County Courthouse on Friday, December 14 at 9:00 am, located at 415 Third Street in Manistee.  We’re meeting in the Manistee County Board of Commissioners Room.  The following files will be shared with the group:

1. Agenda - 49 kb PDF
2. Project schedule – 25 kb PDF
3. Draft flyer for January 30 input open house in Brethren - 172 kb PDF
4. Draft flyer for January 31 input open house in Manistee - 288 kb PDF

Facts About Wildlife-Associated Recreation in Michigan

The implications for Manistee County, with its 25 miles of Lake Michigan shoreline, 9 inland lakes over 50 acres in size, and 276 miles of rivers and streams, should be obvious.  According to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service in a report called 2006 National Survey of Fishing, Hunting, and Wildlife-Associated Recreation: State Overview that was released this summer:

• In Michigan, fishing ranked highest for total expenditures, at $1.6 billion.  Other activities included hunting ($0.9 billion) and wildlife watching ($1.5 billion).
• Among the 50 states, Michigan ranks fifth in terms of the total number of in-state anglers.  We have 1.4 million!  At the top are Florida, Texas, California, and Minnesota.
• Over one-third of Michigan residents are considered “wildlife watchers” (38%).

Clearly, fishing is big in Michigan!  If you don’t believe it, check out this video of the fishing activity at Tippy Dam Pond on Thursday, October 4, 2007.  Anglers were abundant and the salmon were biting!  What a beautiful day!

The National Survey of Fishing, Hunting and Wildlife-Associated Recreation provides estimates of the number of wildlife-related recreationists and their expenditures for 2006.