As I have already mentioned, every letter that was written to the Hayes Township Planning Commission prior to the public hearing on 12 May 2010 was read except a handful of letters that Lyle refused to read. In his refusal to read those letters, he suppressed the free speech of those who wrote the letters. They were all written by me or members of my family. They were all written on different topics related Michigan Moto Mania and the decision that was set before the Planning Commission at the time. Since they were not read at the public hearing, I have decided to reproduce them here.
If there is any information to update, I will write it after the letter.
This first letter deals with the camping issue.
Hayes Township Planning Commission
C/O Hayes Township Clerk
P.O. Box 310 Harrison, MI 48625
Will there be camping at Michigan Moto Mania Offroad Extravaganza or won’t there be camping at Michigan Moto Mania Offroad Extravaganza?
According to the minutes of the Hayes Township Planning Commission’s “Special Meeting” dated 21 Oct 2009, Doug Longenecker had said that as part of the special use he was requesting, he was planning to have “camping and rustic areas” in his racing compound.
He was also advertising his camping areas on the Thumpertalk website as early as 14 March 2010.
After the March 16, 2010 Hayes Township Meeting when concerns were raised by the residents of Mostetler Road about this for-profit racing and riding facility, his local fan base began touting how good this facility will be for Harrison. He was painted as a concerned businessman who did not want to compete with the local businesses, but compliment local businesses, the better to garner public support for his commercial venture.
Mr. Longenecker himself began fostering this image in interviews with local newspapers. He told the Clare County Cleaver in an article on 18 March, “We will not offer any camping sites; this will provide local campgrounds with increased business as well.” Joanne Sherrick, after visiting the facility herself wrote in a letter to the editor of the Cleaver on 1 April, “Doug was quick to comment that there would be limited camping available. Instead of putting in a campground which he certainly could do, he is passing this business to our local motels and campgrounds.” To the Clare Sentinel, in an article on 9 April 2010, Mr. Longenecker said that his facility would not be a campground. Again, on 22 April, the Clare County Cleaver quoted Mr. Longenecker as saying, “…There won’t be any camping on the property, which will force any visitors to stay at local hotels and campgrounds…” Yet, for all these words and quotes from Mr. Longenecker, as late as today, May 12, 2010 on the Thumpertalk website, he lists among the amenities of Michigan Moto Mania camping, firepits and RV hookups.In the 2010 Welcome to Harrison Directory, the Michigan Moto Mania ad lists rustic camping as a feature of the racing and riding facility.
And, according the notification letter from Hayes Township, the Special Use being considered at the 12 May 2010 meeting includes camping and rustic areas.
So which is it? Camping or no camping? This inconsistency is characteristic of the other inconsistencies revolving around Michigan Moto Mania since Doug Longenecker came to Harrison with his divisive proposal.
I urge the Planning Commission to consider these and the other inconsistencies such as hours of operations, scope and magnitude of the facility, is it a racing facility or is it a family riding facility? And the many different site plans, none of which are yet in compliance with the Hayes Township Ordinance.
Thank you for your consideration,
Karen Laskowsky
Update:
The Thumpertalk Website under Where to Ride still (as of 6 Dec 2010) lists Michigan Moto Mania and exactly the same (now inaccurate) information as it did when Doug first posted it in January 2010. Even as he was saying that there was not going to be camping, his advertisements on this site and in other places were not amended to change the status of camping at Michigan Moto Mania.
In Doug's eagerness to get Michigan Moto Mania pushed through the Planning Commission, he willingly gave up camping so as to not appear to compete with the local overnight accommodations.
The Planning Commission agreed that Doug could have his special Use for Michigan Moto Mania, but one of the restrictions they put on the facility was to disallow camping, presumably because of the concern with Doug competing with the campgrounds and motels already in Harrison.
Then in late July, someone got the bright idea to start calling Michigan Moto Mania a resort, which is an allowable Special Use in the A-R zone. The problem is, without overnight accommodations, Michigan Moto Mania is not a resort - That's by the Hayes Township Zoning Ordinance definition of a resort. That didn't phase the proponents of Michigan Moto Mania - as far as they were concerned, it was a resort. Genine Hopkins now refers to it as a resort in all articles she writes for the Clare County Cleaver (the Moto Mania PR and Propaganda Paper), as she has since it first appeared in late July in one of her articles. Jaynie Smith Hoerauf, Doug Longenecker's attorney argues that it is a resort based solely on the activity that will take place at the Gamble-Longenecker property if it is ever allowed to open. The fan base also calls it a resort. Steve Rauch, the self-appointed PR front man for Michigan Moto Mania says, "just throw a few campsites back in there and it will be a resort."
Saying it's a resort doesn't make it a resort no matter how badly people want it to be a resort.
That was in the run up to the final Zoning Board of Appeals meeting where the Special Use was overturned.
Now Doug is planning to apply for a new Special Use using the "resort" argument.
Tell me, where now is all the concern for the businesses (the motels and campgrounds already in and around Harrison) with which a Michigan Moto Mania with camping will be competing? All of a sudden Doug is done trying to ingratiate himself with that part of the business community for the sake of getting his Special Use approved. That really was the point wasn't it? It wasn't about helping out the other businesses in town so much as it was getting the project approved, wasn't it? Now that the point has been rendered moot by the Zoning Board of Appeals' decision to overturn the Special Use, it doesn't really matter whether the competing businesses like it or not. The altruistic Doug Longenecker, whose concern is for the other businesses in town, is going to apply to become yet another business with overnight accommodations. Because the other ones are so full up with no vacancies that Harrison needs a new one.
Because Doug cares so much about Harrison.
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