Motorists entering Leelanau County may soon have a welcome mat of sorts if one county commissioner has anything to say about it.
District No. 1 County Commissioner Rick Robbins, who represents Elmwood Township on the county board is looking for design ideas for a new sign at the recently-completed roundabout at M-72 and M-22.
“What I’m looking for is ‘Welcome to the Gateway of Leelanau County,’” Robbins said. “I’m trying to find artists, someone that makes signs, and trying to see if we have any artists out here that want to do it or help out to do it.” The new roundabout is the product of a $25.8 million construction project to rebuild a 2.2-mile section of M-72 (Grandview Parkway) and M-22 (Bay Shore Drive from US-31 (Division Street) in Traverse City to Cherry Bend Road in Elmwood Township that started in April of this year and finished in November.
County Commissioner Gwenne Allgaier also offered support for a potential artist project.
“It would be welcoming to our beautiful county,” Allgaier said. “I love the roundabout. It makes going into town so much easier. I always got stuck on that hill (M-72) and the lights there did not work for Bay street and Grandview.”
Robbins has been meeting with the Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT) about getting the right approvals for the potential design.
“I thought we had to involve the city because it is annexed into the city,” Robbins said. “But, I don’t have to go through their engineers or ordinances. Everything is going to be right through the highway department.”
Robbins has already met with MDOT, seemingly going along with the idea, while the state plans on planting flowers around the roundabout come spring. He reiterated the need to find out what the majority of county resident want and a conversation with the Grand Traverse Band is needed.
“You drive all over the state and see them engraved with the city’s name and what year they were established. I’m open for anything,” Robbins said.
The cost of a project could be upwards of $10,000, according to online estimates.
Robbins is looking to get a local artist (Leelanau) to help come up with a design for the sign, and ideas can be sent to his email address, [email protected].
