A decrepit but popular dock used by boaters visiting Leland has been removed with little chance that it will be replaced.
The 96-foot dock, which lined the Leland River at a state-owned boat launch located between the Bluebird and Riverside restaurants, was removed on April 10 by a MDNR crew. The project had been granted a permit by the state Water Resources Division of the Department of Environmental, Great Lakes, and Energy.
Township residents quickly expressed their displeasure. Leland Township supervisor Susan Och reported that her “phone blew up” as news moved through the community. Six written complaints had been received prior to the Township Board meeting held Monday night. She received two email complaints that morning.
Stephanie Rosinski, unit supervisor for Traverse City and Leelanau state parks, said the dock had become dangerous and needed removal. The MDNR in 2019 had asked Och if the township was interested in repairing the structure. However, Och at the time determined that the township lacked funds for such a project, she told the Enterprise.
A related letter sent by the state to the township at the time invited discussion about a possible land swap for property at Suelzer Park in East Leland. The state was hoping to build a larger and more user-friendly launch on north Lake Leelanau in exchange for what was termed the “Carp River boating access site.” The request was not discussed by the Township Board.
The state is not considering putting in a replacement dock. Rosinski said the launch site was never meant as a place for people to leave boats for long periods.
“We don’t have plans for putting in another one. That is not the intent of a boating access site, to put a boat in and then leave it tied up,” she said.
The MDNR moved a small dock to the site hoping to place it on the west side of the launch, which would supplement the remaining permanent dock that juts into the Leland River on the east side of the launch. However, installation of the second dock would not meet setback requirements from the Bluebird property.
Och wishes the MDNR would have properly maintained the river-lining dock in Leland as its use will be missed.
“I think what was not understood by the DNR is this is a boating community,” Och said. “This community is all about boats … people come all the way from the south lake to have an ice cream cone, to go shopping, to go to church. This is a major disappointment to people throughout the county; it’s not just a Leland thing.”
Skip Telgard, owner of the nearby Bluebird Restaurant that is being rebuilt, said the dock made the site more efficient as skippers would launch, then tie up their boats on the adjacent dock to prepare for the day, as they loaded coolers, fishing gear and passengers, the next boat was being backed in for launching.
“People used it all the time,” Telgard said.
More than the dock will be missed. Gone, too, are two shade trees that made the nearly halfacre lot fronting on River Street attractive for picnics.
Rosinski said the MDNR plans to plant young trees at the park. She’s hoping the township will enter into an agreement with the state to continue mowing the area and provide two picnic tables and trash barrels, as it has done for years without the benefi t of an official contract.
“The DNR is open for discussion,” Rosinski wrote in an email to Och. “Maybe for this year, we create a use agreement for mowing, trash and picnic tables and that gives the township some time to decide if they want to do a longer operating agreement at the site, or just leave it as is.”
Discussions are likely to ensue between the MDNR and township on the land swap as well. In her supervisor’s report Monday evening, Och wrote that the township Parks and Rec Committee had recommended “that we initiate discussion about swapping land and launch in Leland for equal square footage at Suelzer Park.”
Suelzer Park, which is located off N. Lake Leelanau Drive south of Houdek Creek, has 1,000 feet of frontage and ample room for parking. The Carp Lake launch has 312 feet of frontage on the Leland River and parking for only five vehicles with trailers.
Per Och’s report, “The land swap idea was rejected by Leland Township in the past because of the condition of the launch ramp on the Leland River, which was thought to require extensive repairs.”
Och also provided a land value comparison based on township equalization records stating that the per-foot worth of land near Suelzer Park is $8,500 while “inland waterfront in Leland village (is) valued at $4,600 per front foot.”
The Carp Lake launch was purchased with an allocation from the state Game Protection Fund in 1956 for $2,000, which equates to $6.41 per linear foot.
