Mood:
quizzicalTopic: Celebrate Owasippe
Friday, July 07, 2006
By John S. Hausman
MUSKEGON CHRONICLE STAFF WRITER
It's not every day that controversy arises over a seemingly benign proclamation recognizing a Boy Scout council's 95 years of service.
But it happened Thursday at a Muskegon County Board of Commissioners committee meeting.
Commissioner Nancy Waters asked fellow commissioners to approve a resolution recognizing the pending 95th birthday of the Chicago Area
Council of Boy Scouts of America, owners of the Owasippe Scout Reservation in Muskegon County's Blue Lake Township.
A letter from the council requesting such a resolution had gone to all county commissioners and other local government officials in Muskegon County. But the deceptively routine request came at a time of intense controversy over the council's wish to sell the beloved, beautiful, undeveloped property to residential developers.
Many area residents and the township's government oppose the plan, and the Scout council has sued the township seeking to force a rezoning of the property to allow its controlled development.
Most commissioners sought to separate the "happy birthday" resolution from the camp development dispute. "We're supporting the Boy Scouts," said Commissioner Louis A. McMurray.
But Commissioner Chuck Buzzell, whose 2nd District includes the Owasippe area, disagreed. "How do you separate it?" he said. "The council is suing Blue Lake Township. Many, many people in my district
are violently opposed (to the council's plans)."
Yet the township's supervisor, Don Studaven, spoke from the audience in support of the resolution. "My first reaction (on reading the
council's letter) was, 'The heck with it -- they're suing us,'" Studaven said. "The first thing I said was, (they've) got a heck of a lot of nerve."
"Then I said, 'That's class. ... Our township will do a resolution. I think it's a class act." The resolution then passed on a voice vote, with only Buzzell audibly voting "no."
?2006 Muskegon Chronicle
