January 2007

Landscapes of Community

What do the owners of the Dairy Lodge, a BATA driver and a local building preservationist have in common? One thing is Interlochen Public Radio's (IPR) Landscapes of Community Interviews by with Peter Payette. In this series of radio interviews you will hear about the controversial history of the Dairy Lodge's sign with owner Carol Popp, one BATA rider's story from driver Stewart McFerrin, and the salvaging of bricks from the Stage Milliken Building downtown by Mark Nixon. Just click a highlighted location on the map in the upper right of this page to pull up a picture and audio segment for each interview.

Listening to the River

Great Lakes Children's Museum environmental educator Mary Manner explains how a perfect winter morning paddle near Neah-ta-wanta Point two years ago led her to join the Listening to the River (LTTR) program and a network of place-based educators. Explore the Grand Traverse Bay watershed and learn about this ‘voluntary and self-directed' informal science education program funded by the National Science Foundation. A special feature with this article is a video produced by Kate Trainer featuring an experiential learning hike with the LTTR students.

City Fishing

Drop your truck downtown at the garage, grab your fishing rod, and walk a couple blocks to one of Northern Michigan's best city fishing spots. That is just what local writer Bob Butz suggests doing on Traverse City's Boardman River during your lunch hour. Take time to experience downtown fishing, you never know what you are going to catch in this award-winning article City Fishing.

Life on Kid’s Creek: A voyage in the spirit of Mark Twain

In his third award-winning article, Life on Kid's Creek: A voyage in the spirit of Mark Twain, Richard Fidler takes us on a journey down Kid's Creek. Slinking through the city like a snake, the creek is now tamed -but it wasn't always so. Kid's Creek once brought flooding and damage to Traverse City. Richard shares vivid descriptions of historical photos, surveyor records, maps, local accounts, and stories of how Kid's Creek has left its imprint.

ADUs: An Affordable Housing Option for Traverse City?

For young families, affordable housing options in Traverse City are rare. The growing demand for housing of all types suggests that the affordable housing issue must be addressed. A regional planner from the Northwest Michigan Council of Governments (NWMCOG) and a resident of the Central Neighborhood, Megan Olds explains that one option for expanding housing may be to allow accessory dwelling units or ADUs in her article ADUs: An Affordable Housing Option for Traverse City?

Downtown Traverse City’s Economic Past, Present & Future

How do we measure the success of downtown Traverse City? In this article, Rob Bacigalupi, Deputy Director of the Traverse City Downtown Development Autority (DDA), describes the indicators of downtown health, highlights current improvement efforts, and the role of planning in attracting good jobs and private investments for a successful retail sector. How would you maintain a vibrant downtown? Please join the discussion by adding your comments at the end of the article.

Jewels on the Watershed
Local writer and dog owner, Jacalyn McLeod, shares her opinion on the undeveloped jewels in our community and the gems created by growth. Jacalyn describes how the selflessness of neighbor and life lessons learned from northern Michiganders, have affected her beliefs on community development. She believes that we live in this place for both quality of life and quality of the people. She thinks we should welcome new people with open arms to share in the wealth she found here. What do you think?

Northern Michigan Songwriters in the Round: Cedar Tree

Written by Dennis Palmer, Cedar Tree is our fourth Northern Michigan Songwriters in the Round Musical Feature. Dennis wrote the song about the former Village of Good Harbor shortly after moving to the Grand Traverse Region 22 years ago. You can still see the pilings from the former "town by the water's edge that kept the wood burning schooners fed".

New Grand Entrance: An update on the City Opera House
In our first Downtown Happenings segment, Gerie Greenspan describes the new Grand Entrance that will be open this February at the 115 year old City Opera House. A tribute to a bygone age of high style, the Mathia Lobby will soon invite guests in from Front Street to enjoy the shows and festivities.