To the editor:
I recently read articles on the National Park Service and the dock disputes on N. Manitou Island. I had the pleasure many decades ago to meet and hear stories from Rita Hadra Rusco.
She was a lifelong resident of N. Manitou Island, and her their head postmaster. She wrote a book about the history, and her life on the island named “Between Sunrise + Sunset.”
I won’t got into the disturbing details of her high with the federal government to keep her home on the island, but will give you some advice.
Don’t believe the engineers hired know anything about ice and the location to place a dock.
When the National Park Service decided to replace a dock in the 1980s, they picked a different location. Rita told them (the engineer) that location would not be good due to weather conditions. The engineer knowing better than an old woman went ahead with the plan.
After $1 million, the new dock lasted one year before the weather destroyed it.
Let’s not let history repeat itself.
Janet Sarb Lake Leelanau
