For Immediate Release
Contacts:
Mike Groleau
231.463.8201
mike.groleau@rjginc.com
Mac McClelland
231.633.6303
mac@otwellmawby.com
Barns Vision Drafted
(Press Release in Microsoft Word, here and as a .pdf, here.)
(A copy of the draft plan is available at the City Clerk’s office and on the web site here.)
Traverse City, Mich., May 11, 2007 – After four months of public meetings and input from hundreds of citizens, a draft vision has been prepared for the Barns and surrounding property at the Grand Traverse Commons for community comment. A meeting will be held at the Cathedral Barn on Thursday, May 17 at 6:30 p.m. to describe the plan and solicit input.
The plan envisions multiple and mixed uses for the property that include the themes identified throughout the community input process: agriculture, arts, community use, and recreation. The cathedral barn is proposed to be upgraded for large group gatherings, with the historical barns and other buildings available for proposals from community groups for uses that fit within the framework of the input process and legal and regulatory requirements of the property. A portion of the property will be designated for active cultivation in keeping with the historical use of the property that provided all the food necessary for the thousands of residents and workers at the former State Psychiatric Hospital, with a predominant portion of the property left as open space for passive recreational enjoyment by the community.
“The plan pulls together a tremendous amount of thoughtful and heartfelt input from members of the community and tries to meet a consistent and recurring theme we heard – that the Barns and the property evolve into an exciting and active place where people can gather to enjoy the history and the beauty of the property,” said Mike Groleau, Authority member.
The draft vision is the culmination of over a year of planning and four months of active input by the community. The joint City of Traverse City and Charter Township of Garfield Recreational Authority, which acquired the property with proceeds from a millage overwhelmingly supported by taxpayers in the City and Township, felt strongly that an open, community-based process that solicited ideas and opinions from citizens and interested groups was the most effective approach to determine the future of the Barns and the surrounding property.
“We’ve always said that we wanted to engage the community to help determine what the Barns were going to be when they grow up,” said Richard Lewis, City Manager and Authority member.