Public Meeting on Oakland County ORV Park

Started by LPM606, November 14, 2017, 08:14:53 AM

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LPM606

Here is a message from Jim Kitson that was posted on the GLFWDA FB page.  Lets see if we can't get a bunch of us in our Club shirts at this meeting and any other friends in the ORV community as well!  See the GLFWDA page for exact details.

To all my wheeling friends, it's time to poop or get off the pot;
For those of you that have shown interest in the Oakland County ORV park, now's the time. Many people have said "let me know how I can help". Well, we did that last month for the Oakland County Board of Commissioner's meeting and we had a whopping 25 people show up. LAME (and many thanks to those of you that did) But for those that didn't, we need your help.
On Wednesday December 6, 2017 @ 1:00 pm, there is a Parks Commission meeting. At this meeting, they will be discussing and hopefully voting to move forward with discussions with the MDNR. Realize what this means....... at this time, they have not even decided if they want to participate in an ORV park. They have had lots of discussions and meetings but have NEVER officially gotten on board.
So, this is one of the meetings we need to Flood with people and we need YOU!
Now for those of you that will say that you work during the day, I ask you how important is this ORV park to YOU?
Have you ever taken a half day off to leave early to head north for the weekend?
Have you ever taken a half day off to get out on the lake?
Have you ever taken a half day off to go golfing?
Have you ever taken a half day off to do some chores at home?
Have you ever taken a half day off to get out on the slopes?
The list is endless but the point is, if YOU WANT IT, and IT'S IMPORTANT ENOUGH TO YOU, YOU HAVE MADE THE TIME.
So, I'm calling you guys out, do you want this or not and are you really willing to go the extra mile? PLEASE make the effort to show up and ask your wheeling friends to make the effort. My goal is to have so many people show up that the parking lot is packed and there are people standing outside in the lobby.
THIS IS YOUR OPPORTUNITY TO HELP!
Now that you have made the commitment to attend, please plan to speak during the public comment. This happens at the beginning of the meeting. You don't have to say anything other than "I support the ORV park" or "I agree with him" or whatever. What is important is this; STATE YOUR NAME AND WHERE YOU ARE FROM

TechJeeper


Ken

Ken

2014 Copper Head Jeep JK Willys Wheeler with 3 inch lift, Front E-locker, Rear Limited Slip.
Warn Wench and Bumpers. 315 tires.

astrogiblet


LPM606

I was at the meeting today along with Fellow members Paul Hittie, Jeremy Richert and Ken Feusse  and a veritble who's who of the Off-roading community in Michigan.  I spoke during the public comments Period for myself and the club noting we are a family oriented group out on the trails in Michigan and beyond at least once per month, that we travel as far as 9 hours+ to enjoy this recreation with our families, and that the excellent Oakland county park system (which includes family friendly venues such as water parks, campgrounds and dog parks) would be well served catering to another family oriented user group.  I let them know that we defy the defy the "Beer swilling Redneck" Stereotype that seems to be so deeply entrenched in the public mind!  See Notes from GLFWDA's FB page below:

RV Update round December 6th

To all of you who attended the Parks Commission meeting, thank you for making the time to attend. For many of you, I know it was a long drive and a sacrifice of vacation and/or personal time. Many of you came up to speak to me and I appreciate the kind words. I was not able to spend any time chatting, and I apologize for that. No slight was intended.

So many of you are thanking me for this, and you have it backwards. I'm just the poor sap who typed out a cry for help. YOU FOLKS are the people who deserve the thanks. Every one of you who spoke, sat in a chair, stood along the wall or drove your rig made a HUGE IMPRESSION on the commissioners and their staff. Keep in mind that they have NEVER NEVER NEVER had this large of a turnout for any issue, let alone that everyone who was there was in support of the park. No opposition, no disagreements, but rather a strong showing of family, camaraderie, friendship and a sincere willingness to help.

The number reported to me was between 300-325 in attendance, NOT INCLUDING the board members. WOW!!!So what does this mean to you and the future of the ORV park? I'm seeing some misleading posts so let me try to clarify.

There are two distinct things to be aware of.

1) The vote today does not mean that the county is moving forward with the park. It means that the county has agreed to enter into studies and negotiations with the DNR to "POSSIBLY" operate the park. This negotiation will result in an OPERATING LEASE AGREEMENT between the county and the state. Think of it like buying a house. You may go out and get pre-approved for a loan and sign on with a real estate agent, but you haven't agreed to buy a house yet. You are just shopping. The county voted to officially shop.

2) The DNR owns the land and has the intention to open an ORV park hopefully operational in late 2018. So what if they cannot develop an operating agreement with the County? The state will have to go back to the drawing board to determine how the park should be operated.

So you may say "so why was it so important for me to take a vacation day if nothing really happened?". Here is why. If the county had backed out today, the state really doesn't have a backup plan. It would have stalled, for how long, I don't know. Instead, YOU gave the county the confidence that this is a good thing.
Paul Hittie and I stayed to meet with Jason Fleming of the DNR and Jon Noyes from Oakland County. You all heard Jason say he wants to get things rolling. Our meeting was to discuss how to move forward with volunteers who will be part of a planning group. Jason is going to work out a format and present it to us for review. More to follow on that but realize we may not see anything till after the new year.
We broke up about 4:30 which is about the time the commission meeting broke up. We ended up talking with some of the commissioners and staff. They told us over and over that we did a great job, they were impressed with the crowd and the turnout and that we definitely made a positive impression. They were very impressed with the diversity, the distance people drove to be here and the show of dedication.

Great job everyone!

Paul Hittie

I was totally amazed with the turn-out, and like Ed mentioned it was like a family reunion.  Folks were there that I haven't seen in years.  Lots of positive comments, none negative.  Still a long way to go though. 

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