A Message From the President…
January, 10, 2021
Hello everyone!
I would like to start off by wishing everyone a HAPPY NEW YEAR and hope you are all doing well in these unprecedented times with the Covid-19 Pandemic.
I would like to welcome you to the Friends of Grass Lake Township Website. I will be writing a Monthly Letter to keep our members, residents and friends up to date on what is happening in Grass Lake Township. With the loss of our Local Newspaper this Website will be even more important in keeping our residents updated on what is happening in Grass Lake.
Our Group was formed in 2017 in opposition to a proposed mining operation in close proximity to our Local High School. After the Township Planning Commission approved the Mine in October of 2017 the FOGLT filed suit in the Jackson County Circuit Court. The Circuit court ruled in favor of the FOGLT and voided the Planning Commission’s approval of the mine.
The Township and L&L Development then filed an appeal of the Jackson County Circuit Ruling to the Michigan Court of Appeals. After several months of negotiation the FOGLT, Grass Lake Charter Township and L&L Development reached an out of court settlement that all parties agreed to. All parties agreed it was in the best interest of the Community that L&L would not move forward with the mining operation and all court actions were dropped. Permanent restrictions were agreed to and placed on the property concerned to allow only R-1 development. L&L has a proposed residential plan for the property that will include 51 new homes. The restrictions have been recorded with the Jackson County Registrar of Deeds and are permanent and will transfer with the property.
Since the settlement, the FOGLT have moved on to helping our community in any way we can. We attend every meeting of the Township Board, every meeting of the Planning Commission and are staying involved in keeping the residents informed.
There are many new things we have started including a Scholarship Program for Students at Grass Lake High School, the Angel tree Program, Helping getting a new Mining Ordinance approved for the Township, Donations to the local food banks etc.
One of our upcoming events is a FOGLT Sponsored Cultural Demonstration and workshop of the Australian Didgeridoo Musical Instrument for students of grade 3, 4, and 5 of the George Long Elementary School. The Program is Co-Sponsored by the Copper Nail and the Michigan Council of Arts and Cultural Affairs and will be conducted by our very own internationally acclaimed, award winning local band, "Harper and Midwest Kind". Peter and Bobbi are originally from Australia and are looking forward to presenting the program.
Our Halloween Event “Haunted Forest” has become an annual event enjoyed by hundreds of community residents and our event for 2021 will be even bigger and better!! Thank you to John and Sally Hoskin for their unrelenting support for this event and to Dale Fisher for hosting the event at his farm on Norvell Road. These events require lots of work and volunteer help. Please click on our Volunteer tab to help out. Students can earn Community Service Credits for volunteering and have been a great help to our efforts.
We look forward to moving forward from the Mine Settlement concentrating on helping this community move forward and working together to keep Grass Lake and Grass Lake Township a Great Place to Live. I will be writing monthly letters to post on this website to keep our residents informed of local events and happenings.
Please join us and attend our meetings and get involved in the community. It is your Community! You can also keep up with us on our Facebook page. Friends of Grass Lake Township!
Thank You,
Rick Murphy, President Friends of Grass Lake Township
You can Help Us Continue to Help Our Community by:
Volunteering – We have many projects planned.
Speaking of helping our community... We coordinated the Whistlestop Park fountain donation. Held in mid-July, Traffic Jam-In has asked us for volunteers. At the Grass Lake Township's request, we are helping solve the recent recycling problem. Most importantly to continue helping our community we need help with our membership drive.
Please attend our meetings and bring your thoughts, ideas, concerns and potential members interested...
