Dear friends and neighbors,
We are, again, proud to announce that we did indeed acquire the 52-acre parcel of land just west of Honor. We all have been successful in our fundraising efforts for the purchase of this beautiful piece of property.
The Michigan Department of Natural Resources (DNR), Traverse City Rotary Charities and a whole lot of individuals and organizations with both large and small donations have come through with funds to make this happen. The Grand Traverse Regional Land Conservancy (GTRLC) continue to be instrumental to our success. In addition, as always is the case with community projects such as this, volunteer efforts will make the future look bright for our community. We have a great team of individuals and organizations supporting our efforts and are working towards our common goal.
As you know, the plan is to establish the Platte River Park along the river between US 31 and Indian Hill Road and make careful developments on it. This will be the only accessible public landing on the river upstream from Platte Lake. It will provide a great place for neighbors and visitors of all ages and abilities to enjoy the park.
The status at this point is that the GTRLC holds the deed which will be transferred to Homestead Township sometime later this year once funding has been processed and all the administrative pieces are in place. We are already making plans to manage the nice blueberry patch for all to enjoy fresh berries at harvest time.
Meanwhile, we will continue to move forward by developing plans for the park. With that in mind, our group of volunteers will host a public forum in which our neighbors and other interested parties will weigh in on how the park will be developed. This will take place on June 28th at 7 pm the Gathering Place in Honor (the Senior Center). Weather permitting, we will host a visit to the property between 4 and 6-ish that day for anyone to walk the property and spark the imagination prior to our meeting. Please mark your calendar for this event.
Our fundraising campaign continues. Please visit our website at www.restorehonor.org to find the donation button. You can also see our introductory video and maps at this site
Also, a group of us is beginning to work with the Advocates for Benzie County (ABC) to find ways to re-purpose Platte River Elementary School in light of that it no longer functions as a school (as a result of waning student population). Our working title for the facility is “Platte River Community Center.” 20 classrooms, a full-scale gymnasium, and a ready-to-go hoop house are available for use/rent at this time. The facility is located right off US 31 in the Village and has infrastructure in place already. At this point, we are looking at short term lease arrangements to gauge the interest by for-profit and not-for-profit organizations and entrepreneurs. The facility will need upgrades down the road which we are hoping will be implemented as needed once the place is buzzing with activity. More on this later.
Please stay tuned for more information in the near future. There will be opportunities to engage with this at any time. Let us know of you interest to be involved. We hope to see you on June 28th.
Honor Area Restoration Project (HARP) Board
Comments