TRAVERSE CITY — Grand Traverse County Park and Recreation recently announced that it is seeking community input for the development of the County’s plans for the recently acquired Greilick property.
The draft plan follows several in-person public input sessions and discussions among the Parks and Recreation Commission’s Strategic Planning Committee.
Residents are encouraged to review the draft plan and complete a brief survey. The survey will be available until midnight on Sunday, Jan. 12.
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“We have had the opportunity to hear from and listen to the community on how they would benefit from responsible use of the property,” Director of Grand Traverse County Parks and Facilities John Chase said. “This draft plan is the result of that feedback and we believe it represents the recreation interests of the community as a whole.”
According to the business plan, the county is purchasing 196 acres of the former Camp Greilick property for use as a public park. The property is located in the Forest Lakes area in the SE quadrant of the County. The property borders Rennie, Spider, and Bass Lakes.
The Grand Traverse County Parks and Recreation Commission intends to manage the property for public benefit with objectives of preserving natural resources, providing recreational opportunities, and enhancing community engagement.
The property was originally purchased by the Rotary Club of Traverse City in 1923 for use as a camp to enable youth to experience outdoor recreation and education. The Rotary Club operated the property until 1955 when it was turned over to the Boy Scouts of America (BSA) to be managed as a Scout camp. The BSA operated the property, then known as Camp Greilick, until 2015.
In 2002, the Grand Traverse Regional Land Conservancy worked with Rotary Camps and Services and the Boy Scouts of America to place a Conservation Easement on the property to protect and preserve the conservation value of the property.
The property was placed on the market for public sale in late 2023. The county continued to express interest and could not meet RCS’s aggressive timeline for a purchase commitment. Recognizing the possibilities and benefits to the public, GTRLC secured the property with the support of a conservation-minded donor to allow time for the County to complete necessary due diligence before committing to purchase.
The County and GTRLC have contracted with Otwell Mawby to conduct a Phase 1 and Phase 2 environmental assessment on the property. The Phase 1 assessment identifies the historical uses and current infrastructure that could contribute to environmental impact.
After those possibilities for impact are identified, the Phase 2 assessment conducts more detailed testing on the property where those uses are to have occurred to identify if the impact was within or outside accepted limits.
Following these assessments, the County filed a Baseline Environmental Assessment to formally identify potential pre-existing hazards on the property. The property contains approximately 87,000 square feet of development, which includes buildings, asphalt, and other permanent structures. There is approximately 4,300 feet of frontage on Rennie, Spider, and Bass Lakes.
“Our vision for the park is to protect and preserve the conservation value of the property and dedicate it as a public space where County residents and visitors can experience passive and active outdoor recreation, learn to be better stewards of the environment, and develop skills to improve their outdoor experience,” the plan reads.
The property has 4,310 feet of combined frontage on Rennie, Spider and Bass Lakes. Approximately 3,300 feet of the frontage is on Rennie Lake.
The property contains numerous recreational amenities, including:
- Waterfront access on Rennie, Spider, and Bass lakes
- An 18-hole disc golf course
- A bouldering wall and climbing tower
- A teams course
- Archery, rifle and shotgun ranges
- An orienteering course
- Basketball courts
- Rustic campsites
- Besser Lodge
- Six full-service cabins with 10-person capacity
- Six mini-glamping cabins with a two-person capacity
- Six Adirondack day-use shelters
- Amphitheater bowl
- A chapel
- A picnic pavilion
The property is served by an asphalt driveway from Scout Camp Road. That driveway serves a parking lot with approximately 105 stalls as well as providing access to a maintenance garage area, the main pavilion, and Besser Lodge.
It is supported by a Conservation Easement held by the Grand Traverse Regional Land Conservancy. This easement has been in place since 2002 and restricts the activities that can occur and how the property is maintained. The county is taking steps to strengthen the terms of the existing easement to further protect the natural areas.
According to the plan, several of the buildings on site were formerly used for nature and outdoor education. The conceptual plan for the park utilizes the existing infrastructure currently in place for activities, rental and programming. Minimal replacement of structures is planned in the near term with additional replacement, particularly for restroom facilities, is planned for the longer term.
Due to the age of the buildings on the property, testing would occur for asbestos-containing materials and lead paint prior to demolition or renovation where appropriate.
Limited areas of the property will be open to hunting during the appropriate seasons. Initially, only bow hunting will be allowed with potential expansion to firearm hunting. Hunting will be managed through an internal permitting process with hunter limits. Signage will be placed to notify visitors of hunting on the property and hunters will be required to follow state regulations. Shoreline fishing will be available for park visitors.
Plans for 2025 on the property include grounds cleanup/repair, building cleanup/repair, well and septic testing, trail cleanup and repair, trail signage, the continuation of property clean up, elective demolition, pouring new disc golf tee pads, determine swimming location, install safety protocol at the beach, repair cabin steps and locate portapotties.
According to the draft plan, the park will operate using a combination of funding from three primary sources. At full programming, the park is anticipated to self-fund approximately 58% of total expenditures, excluding endowment funding.
The Forever Camp Greilick fund has been established by the Grand Traverse Regional Community Foundation and Grand Traverse Regional Land Conservancy. This fund was originally established many years ago and contained approximately $150,000 at the time the property was transferred to Grand Traverse County. Subsequent to the transfer, the County Board of Commissioners committed to contribute $250,000 to the fund, following by a challenge match where each dollar contributed by the public, up to $500,000 would be matched with $0.50 by the county.
The fund currently has approximately $438,000, including the County’s commitment and newly raised public contributions. The target is to fund the endowment at $1.5 million, thereby producing $60,000 in annual revenue to support ongoing operations management and reducing the need to seek extensive programming.
Development of the park from its current state will be the responsibility of the Parks Department with assistance from the Facilities Department. The Director of Parks and Facilities will serve as the Project Manager.
To view the full draft business plan for the property, click here.