By the time the snow flies next winter, the county Road Commission will have completed repaving most of the streets and roads within the unincorporated village of Lake Leelanau.

At its meeting Monday the Leland Township Board voted to improve and repave Gertrude Street, Main Street and Plamondon Road in Lake Leelanau, with the township contributing $63,000 for its portion of the costs. The Road Commission will put up matching funds.

In March, commission manager/supervisor Herb Cradduck presented a list of county road improvement projects that were scheduled to start this spring in Leland Township. One of the more extensive projects, resurfacing Lake Street from Van’s Garage south to Reynolds Street, was shot down by the board after residents who live on Lake Street objected.

The board asked the commission to bring alternative projects to be considered, and two
options were presented: the Lake Leelanau pavings, or resurfacing Popp Road from the Centerville Township line north to the entrance to the Provemont Ponds Natural Area. The board rejected the Popp Road project since board members said the road didn’t appear to be in that poor of condition.

Supervisor Harry Larkin said the Road Commission also considered improvements to Grand Avenue, Chandler and River streets in Leland, but wants to wait until proposed residential development projects are done before resurfacing those streets. “When the projects are done this year, we’ll have taken care of all of Lake Leelanau’s paving needs,” he said.

In other business, the board:

• Reviewed a request from township resident Amy Chatfield and Empire resident Char Verschaeve to establish a township composting and yard waste recycling area.

Verschaeve, who works in landscaping, said the township should consider expanding the already existing yard waste area at Provemont Pond to make it a composting area. The board asked Verschaeve and Chatfield to gather more information and perhaps form a citizens committee to further investigate the matter.

• Reviewed information provided by township harbor master Russell Dzuba on the Small Harbors Coalition. Dzuba said 50 harbors around the state are forming the coalition to help address funding problems for maintenance projects like annual dredging of harbor entrances. For 2008, Dzuba said the Leland Harbor has an “earmark” of $145,000 set aside in the federal government’s budget for dredge work in the harbor. But, the Army Corps of Engineer’s Detroit office has only approved dredging 10,000 yards of material from the harbor entrance. The dredge work is expected to occur sometime this week or next.

Dzuba said the coalition would like to change how small recreational harbors, like Leland’s, are funded. “They want to go away from the earmarks and annual appropriations to lobbying for a perpetual appropriation,” he said. The board directed Dzuba to keep the township updated on any progress concerning the coalition and the harbor dredging.

• Unanimously authorized township maintenance man Ken Hagstrom to purchase an aluminum dock not to exceed 35 feet in length from the shoreline and not to exceed $2,400 in costs, and place the dock at the end of Chandler Street or Grand Avenue.

Larkin said the township received a petition signed by 27 residents along Chandler Street in Leland to place a public use dock at the end of the county road right-of-way.

• Unanimously approved having Hagstrom purchase a 25-foot flag pole with accompanying solar-powered light, with costs not to exceed $1,300. The new flag pole would be placed at the East Leland Cemetery. The board would also like Hagstrom to get a cost estimate for putting in solar-powered lights to illuminate the flag at the Beechwood Cemetery as well.

• Approved 4-1, with Lederle opposed, reappointing John D. VanRaalte to the township fire administrative board. Lederle said he was concerned the township was in violation Public Act 57 of 1957 which states, in part, that members of a township fire department, like VanRaalte, can not serve on fire administrative boards. Other board members did not agree with Lederle’s interpretation since the Leland fire board is advisory in nature.