Today, is the first day of SPRING! In true Northern Michigan fashion, the heavy snow and slick conditions early this morning closed school and added another day to Spring Break week!

I just wanted to give everyone a heads up-I will be enjoying some time with my family next week and not posting.

The last few weeks, we have focused on telling success stories of Harbor Springs. Particularly, we have been focused on our students.

Wow! Have you all responded!

Last week, the City Council received an update on the Shay locomotive the students at the Industrial Arts Institute in Onaway restoring. Built in 1907 by the Lima Locomotive and Machine Works in Ohio, the engine was invented by our own Ephraim Shay. The plan is that the restored locomotive will join his "Aha" boat in Shay Park later this spring. Given the amazing job the students in Onaway did on the boat, I can't wait to see the engine.

I was thinking about Ephraim Shay as I watched our championship winning Harbor High School robotics team this weekend. Most of those kids went through Shay Elementary. I wonder if his spirit of invention and innovation rubbed off on the team. Our town certainly has a long history of residents, like Shay and his son, finding solutions to complicated problems.

In perhaps the strongest robotics state in the country, with the Big Three motor companies all supporting the competition-the Harbor Springs Rams Robotics Team leaves the weekend as the 4th ranked team out of hundreds in the entire state!

Talk about punching above their weight. There are no divisions in robotics, so Harbor competes against schools 5x bigger, and yet…they are a top 5 team in the whole state of Michigan. And likely sitting in the top 25 in the country. AMAZING!

Just home from Opening Night of Mamma Mia!

The show is AWESOME! I don’t think there is any high school anywhere who is putting on a show as good as Harbor!

The kids did amazing (including mine, who I could not be more proud of)! Anna, Caleigh, MaKayla, Gimi, Onim, Brian, Zavier, Jacob, Stella, Katie, The Ginger, Lukas and ALL the ensemble were funny, talented and just looked like they were having a blast together!

Hi there! I want to take a moment to shine some light on the talented young people that call our community home.

Just a few examples to be proud of:

Both the Harbor Springs High School and Harbor Springs Middle School bands earned "1s" (the highest rating) at festival this spring. If you haven't heard them play, they have a concert on April 30th. It is remarkable how great they sound.

For months, Harbor Springs students have been working their tails off on stage to get ready for Momma Mia this weekend (Friday and Saturday at 7, Sunday at 2). Tickets at Between the Covers It is going to be amazing!

We have an amazing week ahead of us in beautiful Harbor Springs full of talented Rams of all kinds!

It all culminates with this weekend's Harbor Springs Public Schools presentation of Mamma Mia! Donna and the Dynamos take the stage Friday, March 14th at 7pm, Saturday, March 15th at 7pm and on Sunday, March 16th at 2pm. Tickets are available at the box office before the shows or from our friends at Between the Covers

After nearly a year, I feel like our community is turning a corner toward healing after a period of vitriol, personal attacks, and frankly dangerous threats and actions leveled at our fellow citizens and city officials.

We all have a responsibility to one another to continue our journey down the path of civility while seeking common ground. This arraignment in Cadillac today is a good reminder of how easily things can get out of hand. We are better when we root our civic conversations in respect.

This last weekend, while Sara was at Toy Fair, I spent a few days showing the kids New York City. It was a whirlwind (and kinda cold) but we had a blast!

One of our many stops was the Natural History Museum. As we wandered the Theodore Roosevelt Memorial Hall, I thought about how upset I would imagine the former president would be about attacks on his beloved National Parks. When we visited the Statue of Liberty, I tried to thank the Park Rangers I saw as we climbed to her crown. It was easy to tell how much they each enjoyed their work and the story of America they were trying to tell with sincerity. To be honest, I found our visit to Liberty Island inspiring…but also heartbreaking.

Hey there. Of all the posts I have written, this one might be the toughest. So, hang with me, please.

Last night, after multiple meetings and discussions with people I respect and care about, I joined the call to discontinue Harbor Springs' pursuit of RRC certification.

I am the resident appointee to the RRC committee. People I disagree with in so many respects were lined up to oppose RRC. People I have stood shoulder-to-shoulder with, and value, spoke out in favor of the RRC.

In the end, the reason I supported and worked for the Council's unanimous decision to stop our RRC effort was straightforward.

As I told Council last night, I just cannot see a path forward where we come together as a community as long as pursuit of RRC certification is hanging over our heads.

Happy Valentine's Day to all you sweethearts of Harbor Springs!

In honor of this day of romance, join me on a trip down memory lane. Back to a warmer time when we were receiving love notes in our mailboxes (nearly every day) about the zoning issue.

I have heard a few question why we need to rewrite the zoning code. I feel like we have missed one BIG reason why we should be working through this process: It is exactly what we were promised was going to happen if we repealed the code.

A few years ago, the kids wanted a pool so we became social members up at Birchwood. The pool was fun, but the price went beyond where it made sense. But we have stayed on the email newsletter list. The other day something caught my eye and made me chuckle.

While we in Harbor Springs are struggling (like so many communities) with the issues of rising home costs and short-term rentals combining to push working folks out of town, Birchwood is announcing a "Building Boom." The home prices aren't particularly affordable to most, but 40 new homes means 40 new neighbors. Overall, that is great!

Hi there! I've got a bit of a cold. Part of the crud that has been going around.

As the plow trucks made the rounds this weekend, I got to thinking that combating the snow takes a lot of both salt and sand. Which creates a crud all their own.

So, with the caveat that this sinus pressure has made me a bit salty, let's talk a bit about sand.

A few folks are continuing to talk about the zoning issue as if nothing has changed.

Tons has already changed and more will change in the weeks to come. I think they are having the fight they want to have, but it's not one that reflects the reality of what is happening here in town.

There are so many who have participated in person and online during the listening sessions set up by the Planning Commission. The vast majority have come with concrete ideas about what needs changed, concerns, and genuine praise for those who are listening to them.

At the last Planning Commission meeting, the consultant who has been involved in several zoning code processes in cities across Michigan, said no city has done more to reach out to its citizens and listen to them than Harbor Springs. That is something we can be proud of.

Letters were sent to every homeowner inviting input. We are working through 10 open listening sessions. The majority of these meetings have been available on Zoom for those who are out of town.

Hundreds of comments have been made, heard and recorded.

A little over a dozen residents joined Planning Commission members and a member of the City Council in another Town Hall to listen to one another about the zoning code. New Commission member Kenny Stewart once again moderated the discussion.

The meeting began with a review of decisions made at the last Planning Commission meeting on January 23, which included:

• Agreement that the gaps and risks in the current zoning code should be addressed

• A vote to being the process to update the zoning code

• An vote to agree to use the framework (not the language) of the repealed ordinance #439

• A plan to review the content of all the articles of the repealed #429 ordinance

  • Will work through each article at Planning Commission meetings

  • The exact order and pacing is to be determined

  • Will save discussion of articles 2 and 3 (the most contentious an consequential) until last

Our little town is not Brigadoon. We don't appear from the mist in late May and return to the ether on Labor Day. No, we are a year round city.

And in this year round city, tonight we get to celebrate some graduates who brought glory to Harbor Springs on the track, pitch and hill! Tonight at 6:30pm in between the basketball games at the gym, the Harbor Springs High School Athletic Hall of Fame Class of 2025 will be inducted.

I received an email a few weeks ago that I have been thinking about a lot. It suggested that I have a bit of "humble pie." The well-made point was because the "Yes" folks prevailed and the "No" side lost, it was our "side" that needed to persuade the "Yes" voters not the other way around.

It has stuck with me. In part, because I think there is some truth to it. And, honestly, we could all use a bit of humility and self-reflection.

Who in the world are we, Harbor Springs? It has been a puzzle, indeed. Had you asked me in November who we would become, I would have given you an answer that might have sounded a bit like the Mad Hatter.

But this week in the frozen tundra of our little town, the Planning Commission has shown that we can and should believe in impossible things. This week, their faith in the process and commitment to listening has allowed us to show that we can be civil. We can work together. And we value community and consensus.

Tony Johnson a member of the Planning Commission kicked off the meeting with introductions and Marie Wayman again took to the flip board to take notes about what was said during the meeting.

After some table setting by Bull Mulder, chair of the Commission the public was asked for comments.

On a freezing night and with some residents wrapped in blankets at City Hall, new Planning Commissioner Bob Buckner greeted the hardy guests who braved the cold to talk about zoning.

Marie Wayman again took to the easel and flip board to make sure all comments were recognized and recorded.

Emails and letters went out to all residents and property owners to invite them to this meeting and the coming meeting.