Only three of five Grand Traverse County road commissioners were present for their board meeting Thursday, but tensions still flared over multiple agenda items including a planning contract for South Airport Road and commission communications.

The Grand Traverse County Road Commission (GTCRC) was asked to chip in $20,000 toward a $70,000 contract with Todd Sanders of Fortis Forge to facilitate a planning process for a new design for South Airport Road. Grand Traverse County will cover $30,000 of the contract, while Garfield Township will cover $20,000. GTCRC has convened a steering committee of community leaders to determine long-term solutions for the corridor, with Sanders to provide 16 weeks of facilitation work. That work already started earlier this month after county commissioners approved funding and would continue through the end of the year.

Road Commissioner Alisa Korn was skeptical of the price tag, saying $70,000 for a four-month job “honestly is a lot of money.” Pointing to past criticism GTCRC received over its perceived waste of funding on a Hartman-Hammond bridge that never materialized, Korn said GTCRC was now spending substantial money on another east-west corridor study. “The irony is kind of clear to me,” she said.

Road Commissioner Joe Underwood said GTCRC could execute a new design for South Airport for “significantly less” money than the steering committee, saying the project has “already turned into a colossal waste of money.” However, Chair Alan Leman said that given how important South Airport Road is to the region, “different groups in the community having a shared vision” is crucial for local buy-in and funding support.  

The discussion took a personal turn when Underwood said he’d never support the facilitation contract because of Todd Sanders’s marriage to Maura Sanders, Peninsula Township’s supervisor. Underwood cited concerns about an antagonistic relationship between Peninsula Township and GTCRC. Peninsula Township has submitted extensive Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests to GTCRC and raised questions about equitable road commission investment in township roads.

When it was pointed out that Korn is also married to a township official – Garfield Township Trustee Chuck Korn – Underwood said that was irrelevant. However, Chuck Korn was the sole ‘no’ vote during Garfield Township’s decision last week to support the facilitation contract, also citing concerns about Peninsula Township’s relationship with GTCRC. Other Garfield Township trustees said they didn’t see a conflict of interest and noted Todd Sanders is just facilitating the process, not deciding the outcome.

Both Alisa Korn and Maura Sanders slammed having their marriages brought into the discussion. Sanders tersely addressed what she called Underwood’s “misogyny” in public comment, saying she didn’t expect him to retract his comments because “I believe you do not have the ability to understand how inappropriate they were. I do expect that half of the entire community, the female half, might really question your motives.”

County Drain Commissioner Andy Smits implored the board to move forward with finding an “expedient” solution for South Airport Road, saying it’s almost failed twice from flooding in recent years. Road commissioners ultimately tabled the facilitation contract, with plans to revisit it at an upcoming meeting when all members are present. Road Commissioners Jason Gillman and Haider Kazim were absent Thursday.

Tensions also flared over GTCRC’s communications committee, a subcommittee that works on public outreach. Leman expressed concerns about messaging “themes” going out to the public – though did not go into detail – and said the entire board should review communications. When Underwood asked why Leman wanted to “control” that, Leman snapped: “Because I don’t believe the communications committee was ever authorized to speak entirely for the road commission.”

“I don’t think you speak for the whole commission,” Underwood responded, “but you have a tendency to speak out in public very much.” Leman then suggested Underwood was “uncomfortable” being out of the spotlight since he’s no longer in a chair or vice chair role. Leman ended the discussion by repeating that GTCRC communications should be reviewed by the entire board going forward.

Also at the GTCRC meeting…
Road commissioners discussed safety improvements to the North Long Lake Road/Strait Road/East Long Lake Road and Cedar Run/Gray areas. GTCRC was initially eyeing a potential roundabout at North Long Lake Road/Strait Road/East Long Lake – what’s called a “peanut” or “dog bone” design, or an elongated roundabout that is really two roundabouts separated by a narrow boulevard. However, GTCRC Manager Dan Watkins said the roundabout, which was designed under a previous administration, is too small for the corridor and can’t accommodate truck traffic.

A roundabout would also likely cost $4 million before property acquisition costs, which could be substantial, he said. By contrast, GTCRC could put up a traffic signal for an estimated $500,000. Board members will decide at a future meeting whether to apply for grant funding or simply move forward with a signal project for the corridor. GTCRC is also designing a light for the Cedar Run/Gray intersection, which would likely be installed next year, Watkins said.

Finally, GTCRC is exploring whether to accept Molon Drive, a private drive off Cass Road, into the public road system. GTCRC doesn’t normally acquire dead-end roads, but Watkins said there’s an opportunity to connect Molon Drive to Logan Valley Road and Racquet Club Drive. That would provide connectivity out to Cass Road from the South YMCA area, potentially offering a key detour route when South Airport Road is reconstructed in the future, he said.