TWIN LAKES: Township rejects settlement offer

Peter Kobs, The Record-Eagle, Traverse City, Mich.
·2 min read

May 22—TRAVERSE CITY — Long Lake Township has rejected a settlement offer that would return ownership of Twin Lakes Park to Grand Traverse County.

Township Supervisor Ron Lemcool said the board received the settlement offer in a May 3 email from plaintiff attorney Brace Kern.

Trustees then discussed the matter in a closed session last week for about 30 minutes. When they returned from closed session, the vote was 5-0 against accepting the offer.

"This will be the only time that this offer will come at no cost," Kern wrote. "If you refuse this settlement offer, all future offers to settle will require the payment of damages in addition to the above requirement."

The same offer has been made to county officials, Kern said. County commissioners are expected to discuss the matter at their June 5 meeting.

The 176-acre park was formally transferred to the township in September 2023 and is now part of a 2024 master plan for a multi-use development "corridor" along Long Lake and Strait Roads.

The vision for that corridor includes a new community center, housing, businesses, recreational activities, historical exhibits and other public amenities. The 122-page master plan, with various maps and survey results, is available on the Long Lake Township website.

Plaintiffs in the case are landowners James Gallagher, trustee of the James K. and Patsy A. Gallagher Trust, and Chazz McCall, trustee of the Charles William McCall Trust.

They allege that the park transfer violates a deed restriction from 1941-1943 when the late Circuit Court Judge Parm C. Gilbert donated the land to the county.

They also allege the park transfer reduced their real property rights and values, while breaching contractural and due process rights.

Long Lake trustees contacted by the Record-Eagle declined to answer questions about the Twin Lakes lawsuit, referring all inquiries to Lemcool. Attorneys for the township also declined comment.

If the county board also rejects the settlement offer on June 5, Kern said the lawsuit will proceed.

In the meantime, Kern submitted a detailed list of 155 "admissions" (legal inquiries) to both county and township officials as part of the lawsuit's discovery process. He also gave notice to six local officials, including three sitting county commissioners, that they will be subject to a sworn deposition in mid-July if the matter isn't settled before then.

The next meeting of the Grand Traverse County board is scheduled for Wednesday, June 5, at 9 a.m. in the Governmental Center at 400 Boardman Ave. in downtown Traverse City.