Water access and improvements will feature prominently on Monday’s Traverse City commission agenda – with the board set to approve a Kids Creek culvert project, easements for Grand Traverse County to improve public access at the Beitner kayak launch and Natural Education Reserve, and an agreement for a Long Lake Township water connection extension.

Kids Creek Culvert
Commissioners will vote Monday to approve a contract for just over $823,000 with Elmer’s Crane and Dozer for the construction of a Kids Creek culvert on Eleventh Street between Elmwood Avenue and Division Street.

According to the city’s Bay Brief, the project will replace an existing undersized culvert – “improving stream flow and addressing water quality concerns while restoring habitat for indigenous aquatic life. The work is part of a broader effort to support the eventual removal of Kids Creek from Michigan’s Impaired Waters List.” Beyond updating the aging infrastructure, the new culvert “incorporates green infrastructure and stream restoration elements designed to improve stormwater management, restore natural stream function, and protect water quality within the Kids Creek watershed,” the Bay Brief states.

The city has been partnering with The Watershed Center Grand Traverse Bay on various Kids Creek restoration projects, including this new culvert. The Watershed Center helped secure a $550,000 state grant for the Eleventh Street project, with the city providing a local match and coordinating construction. Work on the new culvert is expected to start this spring. Site plans note that thru traffic will be restricted around Eleventh Street between Division and Elmwood during construction, but local traffic will be maintained to residences and businesses. Pedestrian detours will also be in place.

Natural Education Reserve
Grand Traverse County is seeking to partner with the city to add two gravel access roads, reroute an existing trail, and add a crossing at the Keystone/Beitner/River roundabout to improve access within the Natural Education Reserve.

The city owns a nearly 54-acre parcel within the reserve near the roundabout area. The Grand Traverse County Road Commission is planning to replace the Beitner bridge later this year and has been told by the state that a park entrance will no longer be allowed on the north side of the bridge. The road commission is trying to provide a different access point for river users to the Boardman. The county is therefore seeking an easement on city land to construct a new park entrance road running parallel to Seabrook Lane. According to the county’s application, that would allow the closure of the existing Beitner entrance and provide safer access to the river landing.

The county also seeks to extend one of the roundabout legs north to the Oleson Bridge parking lot, which will allow for closing the Oleson Bridge lot entrance off Keystone Road and consolidating vehicle access at the roundabout. Finally, the county noted that the Boardman–Ottaway River Trail – which currently exits the reserve at the Keystone Rapids trailhead – requires “users to walk or bike along Beitner Road and cross to reach Hoosier Valley Road to continue on the trail.” The county is seeking to reroute the trail to the Oleson Bridge trailhead parking lot, route the trail from the parking lot to the roundabout, then cross from the west to the east side of the roundabout and continue south toward Hoosier Valley Road “along a safer roadway-adjacent alignment.”

City department heads are generally supportive of the county’s request, though suggested considering a different location for the pedestrian crossing. They also had questions about long-term ownership and maintenance of any new infrastructure. The recommended motion Monday would allow city staff to execute an agreement “with the condition that the improvements are made and maintained at no cost to the city.”

Long Lake Water Connection
Finally, commissioners Monday will consider approving an agreement with Garfield Township for a water extension that goes into Long Lake Township via Cedar Run Road. According to a memo from City Attorney Lauren Trible-Laucht, the water line was extended by Garfield Yownship “without the city’s consent, and city water is currently serving Black Bear Farms (100 residential units).” Two additional connections were promised by Garfield Township for developments that haven’t yet been connected to the water line, according to Trible-Laucht: Evergreen (93 residential units) and O'Grady/Brook Valley (40 residential units).

Those two developments have an expected maximum day demand of 0.13 million gallons per day (MGD). “The most recent peak maximum day demand for Garfield Township was 4.1 MGD, which occurred in August 2025, compared to their 6 MGD capacity” under the township’s bulk water agreement with the city, Trible-Laucht wrote. Garfield Township has proposed to allow the three developments to be connected to the water line with a promise no further connections will be made without the city’s express consent. The three developments would be considered township customers, and the water usage would come out of the township’s 6 MGD capacity.

“The primary reason that city staff has been willing to entertain this proposal is that the area in question is high in nitrates and therefore the groundwater is less than desirable for wells,” Trible-Laucht wrote. “Additionally, Garfield has committed to the construction of an additional water storage reservoir to help reduce peak draws on the city's water system in the summer months.” The agreement requires Garfield Township to handle all customer billing through the county’s Department of Public Works, construct the new water storage reservoir within 18 months, and submit any future requests for development connections in Long Lake Township to the city for case-by-case approval at its sole discretion.

Pictured: Kids Creek