City Council

City of Harbor Springs 160 Zoll Street | P.O. Box 678 Harbor Springs, Michigan 49740-0678 www.cityofharborsprings.com (231) 526-2104 Natalie Stackhouse Melissa Georges Jamie Melke Sarah MacLean Richard Swarthout Danny Rotert Maggie Koss Parks and Recreation Board Meeting Agenda Tuesday, July 14th, 2026 – 5:30PM Programming Subcommittee Meeting at 5:00 PM 1. Call to Order – Chair Rotert 2. Roll Call – 3. Approval of June 19th, Meeting Minutes 4. Board Communications 5. Public Comments 6. Discussion Items A. New Business 1. Exclusion Policy Draft Discussion B. Old Business 1. Events on Public Property (Purpose statement) 2. 2026 Facebook Questions (Master Plan Updated) 3. Summary and Discussion of Cobalt Geo fencing data and survey (Master Plan Updated) 4. Childs Park – Relocation of Hanna Recognition plague 7. Public Comment on Agenda Items 8. Parks Report 9. Adjournment (Next Meeting Tuesday, August 11th 5:30 PM) You can also sign up to receive meeting notices via e-mail. Follow this link and submit the required form: https://www.cityofharborsprings.com/government/meetings-at-city-hall/#cc-meetings-form-container. The City is providing residents with the option to attend and participate remotely in all public meetings. To facilitate remote participation, the City is providing the public the opportunity to participate via Zoom at https://zoom.us/j/7770202234?pwd=bTNUUnNYWFYxYkU0Zm5wOXlNSncxdz09 , or by watching on YouTube at https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC239_EvAg4uoL6zwho6JmAw/featured. If you have a hearing or other disability that would prevent you from attending this meeting electronically, cannot participate by any of the above options, or need contact information for a board member, please contact thoneysette@cityofharborsprings.com.  City of Harbor Springs Parks Board Meeting Minutes Tuesday, June 9, 2026 DRAFT Page 1 Chair Rotert called the meeting of the Harbor Springs Parks Board to order at 5:30 PM in the Council Chambers of the City Hall, 160 Zoll Street, Harbor Springs, MI 49740 1. Roll Call and Verification of a Quorum Present: Natalie Stackhouse, Melissa Georges, Jamie Melke, Richard Swarthout, Danny Rotert, and Sarah Maclean Student Representative: Absent Absent: Maggie Kloss Zoom: None City Staff: Interim City Manager Kyle Knight, and Tina Honeysette 2. Approval of the Presented Agenda 3. Approval of meeting minutes Motion by Maclean to approve the June 9th meeting minutes, second by Georges. . Ayes – 4 Nays- 0 Absent- 1 4. Board Communication – 5. Public Comments – John Wayman, 483 E. 3rd Street, recommended the Tree Board consider implementing an irrigation system to help water newly planted and established trees during periods of dry weather. 6. Discussion Items – A. New Business 1. Summer Events and Dates were discussed and decided for the following: • Dino Dig: Scheduled for August 11, 10:00 AM–12:00 PM (3 groups). • Walking Club: Every Tuesday beginning June 16 at 10:00 AM; locations will vary each week. • Swimming & S'mores: Scheduled for July 28 and August 4, 5:30–7:30 PM. • Pickleball Open House & Clinics: Mark will be contacted regarding open house dates and scheduling of clinics. • Fall Fest @ Marina Park: Scheduled for Saturday, October 3, 11:00 AM.  City of Harbor Springs Parks Board Meeting Minutes Tuesday, June 9, 2026 DRAFT Page 1 No motion made. B. Old Business 1. Events on Public Property Policy: Board discussed the beginning steps in updating its policy for events on public property. No motion made. 2. 2026 Summer Public input items for the Master Plan Update Board discussed posting a series of questions on social media to gather feedback. No motion made. 7. Public Comment on Agenda Items 8. Parks Report Knight and Honeysette give overview of parks and admin updates. 9. Adjournment Meeting of the Parks Board adjourned by Chair Rotert at 7:00 PM X City Staff CITY OF HARBOR SPRINGS Parks and Recreation Board Subject: Park Ejection and Exclusion Authority (modeled on Portland City Code 20.12.265) Board Background The Problem Once again, this summer we are getting complaints and police calls about the behavior of a man at the beach whose conduct is making girls, uncomfortable. The person and behavior are well known to beach goers, life guards and the police. Last summer, I called in a complaint to Chief Knight after my daughter came home and told me about this individual’s behavior. Our beach staff and responding officers currently face an all-or-nothing choice at City parks and the waterfront: make an arrest, or do nothing. When a person's conduct is unsettling or persistent but falls short of a chargeable crime, there is currently no lawful, graduated tool to interrupt it. A park exclusion ordinance fills that gap by authorizing a warning, a same-day ejection, and — for repeated or serious conduct — a temporary ban from the park, all keyed to observed conduct and subject to written notice and a right of appeal. The Portland model Portland City Code 20.12.265 is the most widely adopted and litigated template of its kind. Its strengths are that it (1) rests on conduct, not a person's status or appearance; (2) contains an explicit First Amendment savings clause; and (3) builds in due process: written notice, a stated basis, and an appeal with a defined review standard. Those features are what make this kind of ordinance defensible when challenged. The Portland Ordinance is Not a Perfect Fit Portland's ordinance bites hardest on two things: operational disruption (interfering with park business or permitted activities) and dangerous or threatening behavior (where a reasonable person could believe they are in imminent danger of physical harm). Conduct that is deeply uncomfortable but neither disruptive nor overtly threatening (the "just shy of illegal" case like we have in Harbor Springs) does not automatically fall within either of those two hooks. The draft below adds a third, carefully bounded clause for harassing or alarming conduct This language has been drawn from Michigan's stalking and harassment statutes so it borrows definitions Michigan courts already accept. This is the provision most likely to be tested, and the one the City Attorney should scrutinize. Even with it and ordinance like this, contemporaneous documentation of a pattern (dates, witnesses, officer incident reports) remains the practical backbone of any enforcement and of any eventual state-law harassment or stalking complaint. Model Ordinance (Draft for City Attorney Review) CHAPTER [ ?_] — PARK EJECTIONS AND EXCLUSIONS Sec. [_?_].1 Purpose. To ensure compliance with the rules governing conduct at City parks and to provide a safe environment for park users and City operations, and in addition to any other remedy allowed by law, ejections and exclusions from City parks are authorized as provided in this Chapter. Sec. [_?_].2 Protected activity. Nothing in this Chapter authorizes the ejection or exclusion of a person for lawfully exercising rights protected by the Michigan Constitution or the Constitution of the United States, including free speech and lawful assembly. A person exercising a protected right who also commits an act that is not protected may be subject to ejection or exclusion as provided in this Chapter. Sec. [_?_].3 Definitions. A. Park means any park, beach, waterfront, trail, playground, or recreation area owned, leased, or controlled by the City of Harbor Springs, including all improvements and posted areas within it. B. Authorized officer means a law enforcement officer, and any City employee the City Manager designates in writing to exercise authority under this Chapter. C. Ejection means an order directing a person to leave a park immediately and not return for the remainder of that day. D. Exclusion means an order prohibiting a person from entering or remaining in a park for a specified period of time. E. Disruptive activity means conduct that obstructs, disrupts, or interferes with the operation of the park, with permitted activities, or with other users' lawful use of the park. F. Park violation means conduct in a park that would constitute a violation of federal, state, or local law, or of any City park rule or regulation. G. Dangerous or threatening behavior means behavior that would cause a reasonable person, exposed to or experiencing it, to believe the person is in imminent danger of physical harm. Actual bodily injury is not required. H. Harassing behavior means a knowing and willful course of conduct directed at a specific person that would cause a reasonable person to feel terrorized, frightened, intimidated, threatened, harassed, or molested, that actually causes that person to feel so, and that serves no legitimate purpose. "Course of conduct" means a pattern of conduct composed of a series of two or more separate acts evidencing a continuity of purpose. Constitutionally protected activity is not included within the meaning of harassing behavior.* * Subsection H is adapted from MCL 750.411h (stalking). Sec. [_?_].4 Authority to eject or exclude. A. An authorized officer may eject a person who engages in disruptive activity, a park violation, dangerous or threatening behavior, or harassing behavior, directing that person to leave the park for the remainder of the day. B. An authorized officer may exclude a person who engages in any conduct described in Subsection A. Sec. [_?_].5 Oral warning. A. Before issuing an ejection or exclusion, an authorized officer may give an oral warning and a reasonable opportunity to stop the conduct. Failure to give a warning does not invalidate an ejection or exclusion. B. No warning is required where the conduct constitutes a felony or misdemeanor; dangerous or threatening behavior; or harassing behavior as defined in this Chapter. Sec. [_?_].6 Length of exclusion. A. An exclusion is for 30* days, unless a longer period applies under this Section. B. If the person has been excluded from any City park within the prior [three] years, the exclusion is for 90* days; for two or more prior exclusions within that period, 180* days. C. The exclusion is for 90* days if the conduct constitutes an offense against a person, an act of abuse subject to mandatory reporting under Michigan law, intimidation, or harassing behavior directed at a minor, with escalation for prior exclusions as provided in Subsection B. * These lengths are from the Portland Code. In Harbor Springs, 60 days would essentially be a summer ban. Sec. [_?_].7 Place of exclusion. The place of exclusion is the park where the conduct occurred. Where the conduct involves an offense against a person or harassing behavior directed at a minor, the exclusion may extend to all City parks / a defined set of parks, as the City Manager determines. Sec. [_?_].8 Notice of exclusion. An exclusion must be issued as a signed written notice that includes: • the date, length, and place(s) of the exclusion; • whether disruptive activity, a park violation, dangerous or threatening behavior, or harassing behavior is the basis, and the specific provision violated where applicable; • a brief description of the conduct; • notice of the right to appeal and how to file; and • a warning of the consequences of violating the exclusion. Sec. [_?_].9 Appeal. A person issued an exclusion may appeal in writing to the City Manager within five business days of issuance, unless an extension is granted for good cause. Sec. [_?_].10 Effect of appeal. If an appeal is timely filed, the exclusion is stayed pending the outcome, except that an exclusion based on dangerous or threatening behavior or on harassing behavior directed at a minor is stayed pending appeal. If the exclusion is affirmed, the remaining period takes effect on issuance of the decision. Sec. [_?_].11 Standard of review. The appeal decision-maker reviews the matter anew and upholds the exclusion if a preponderance of the evidence shows the person more likely than not engaged in the conduct, and the exclusion is otherwise lawful. Reliable hearsay may be considered. A sworn written statement of the issuing officer is admissible, unless the appellant requests the officer's presence at the hearing. Sec. [_?_].12 Modification. After the appeal period has run or an appeal has been decided, an excluded person may request modification in writing to the City Manager, stating good reason and the modification sought. The City Manager may weigh the seriousness of the conduct, prior violations, and any particular need to enter the park, and may grant or deny the request in whole or in part. Sec. [_?_].13 Violation of an exclusion. A person who enters or remains in a park in violation of an exclusion is subject to a municipal civil infraction, punishable as provided in [Section __ of the City Code]. * *The assumption is the City has a fine structure for other violations that might work here. Purpose: The parks, beaches, open spaces, walkways, waterfront, streets, and recreation areas of the City of Harbor Springs exist, primarily, as open and common ground — places for the benefit and enjoyment of all, where anyone may gather, rest, play, and share in the beauty of Little Traverse Bay without gate, fee, or invitation. In a place where so much of the shoreline lies behind private lines, these public spaces stand as a deliberate promise: that some of the most beautiful ground in Harbor Springs belongs to everyone together and to no one alone. These resources were built and sustained by the taxpayers of this City, the generosity of donors, and the support of the State of Michigan, so that the natural beauty, recreation, and gathering places of our community might be preserved and kept accessible to every generation that follows. The first purpose of this policy is to preserve and maintain that open access — to keep these spaces well-tended, welcoming, and free to all — and to guard against any use that would diminish the community's shared enjoyment of them. Special events on public property should be limited in number, orderly in form, and compatible with the character of the community. When they occur, they should supplement the enjoyment of our shared spaces rather than supplant the free enjoyment of them. This policy is intended to regulate the time, manner, and place of events, but not their content. Parks & Recreation Master Plan Facebook Questions Facebook listening series — post copy & rollout schedule Rollout calendar Wk Suggested date Post Theme 2 Tue, Jul 21 Barriers to visiting What keeps you away? 4 Tue, Aug 4 Passive parks Shay / Zorn / Marina 5 Tue, Aug 11 Values / vision What matters most Tuesdays tend to perform well and space the posts so they don't compete with each other for attention. Dates are suggestions — shift the whole series as needed. Post 1 — Barriers to visiting What keeps people from using the parks more? Post copy We want our parks to be places for all. So we'll ask the honest question: What keeps you from visiting our City parks more often? Pick the one that fits you best None of these? Tell us in the comments — the barriers you name are exactly what the Master Plan is here to fix. Poll options • Parking is tough (especially in summer) • Not sure what's available or when • Cleanliness / upkeep • They feel too crowded • Missing amenities (restrooms, playground, shade) Post 2 — Passive parks (Shay / Zorn / Marina) The waterfront and green spaces — add vs. preserve Post copy Let's talk about our waterfront and green spaces: Shay Park, Zorn Park, Marina Park, and the quieter corners in between. What would you most like to see in these spaces? Pick your favorite These are our “sit back and enjoy the view” parks, so we especially want to get the balance right. Tell us in the comments! Poll options • More shade (trees, small pavilion, umbrellas) • More picnic tables & benches • A community garden • More landscaping & flower beds • Keep them simple — nature is the amenity Post 3 — Values / vision The big-picture closer — what matters most Post copy Now the big-picture question that guides it all: When you visit a park, what matters most to you? Choose the one you value most Your answers here shape the “why” behind our whole Five-Year Plan. Thanks for being part of it, Harbor Springs! Poll options • Clean, well-maintained spaces • Trails & walking paths • Green, open space • Restrooms & basic amenities • A place that feels safe and welcoming Parks Board Brief — Visitor Data & the Parks Source: Cobalt Visitor360 Foundational Reports, April 2025–March 2026 (downtown core + city-wide) What this is. Cobalt produced two mobile-location visitor studies for the same 12-month window. One report geofenced to the downtown core and one to the entire city limits. Stated accuracy is ±3–5%. The notes below read the data specifically for what it means for the parks. The waterfront is the prime destination Cobalt’s city-wide heat map concentrates in yellow along the downtown waterfront. The Main Street / Bay Street corridor and the City Beach/Zorn Park/Marina Park beach frontage represent the highest number of in the city. The waterfront park corridor stands out as the clear draw. The parks are not incidental to the visitor pattern; they anchor it. City-wide visitation heat map (highest visitation in yellow). Source: Cobalt Visitor360 city-limits report; basemap © Esri/HERE/Garmin. Key findings Extreme summer concentration. Downtown visits peak near 231K in July and collapse to 45–64K in the November–March off-season. This represents a 4-to-5x swing. This quantifies what the 2024 and 2022 parks surveys implied: heavy waterfront use in a short summer window. It confirms summer event programming is well-timed, and it strengthens the case for the Kiwanis winter-draw investments as among the few things that could put visitors in the parks during the dormant months. Saturday is the peak day in both studies (~16–18% of weekly visits). Friday is second. This may be useful for scheduling events and anticipating demand needs. Monthly visits. Values read from the report charts and approximate. Our visitors come from far away. About 16–19% of visits come from within 4–5 miles (locals and townships), but roughly 62% travel 100+ miles, including 16–22% from 250+ miles. Top home origins beyond Harbor Springs and Petoskey are downstate metros (Grosse Pointe Farms, Royal Oak, Birmingham, Southgate) plus out-of-state points in Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, Tennessee, North Carolina and Florida. This directly supports a point raised in the 2022 comments: a large share of park users are tourists and seasonal downstate homeowners who don’t pay city property tax. That cuts both ways: it’s a fairness objection to a resident and township contributions, and it’s evidence the parks are a regional/tourism asset, which supports funding which goes beyond current allocations. What is clear is parks in Harbor Springs drive visitors and visitors drive sale tax revenue. Parks should be seen as a large piece of the City’s asset package and prime contributor to property values and time spent in town by visitors. Beyond valuable green space, parks are true revenue generators.  Distance from home. Percentages are exact figures from the reports. Top named origins, sized and heat-shaded by share of visits (from the reports’ top-ZIP table). The visitor profile seems to favor family amenities. Visitors skew younger than the county (median age ~42 vs 47), higher-income (median household ~$90K vs $74K), more educated, and more white- collar. Length-of-stay splits between quick stops and a solid block of 150+ minute visits. It is the longer stay group that seating, shade, and playgrounds serve. Both point toward the prior surveys’ most- requested items like playground improvements. A comment from a parent in the 2022 survey highlighted the point: “if there were a playground right there, we’d stay longer and spend more.” A survey caveat These are downtown and city-wide geofences, not the parks themselves. They count everyone passing through (shoppers, workers, and through-traffic) not park visitors specifically. It is fair to say the parks sit in the highest traffic corridor with an affluent, family-leaning visitor stream. It would not be fair to cite these totals as park attendance. For true per-park numbers, Cobalt offers point-of-interest reports for individual parks, trails, and boat launches which may be worth inquiry. Bottom line: the waterfront parks sit in a tourist-driven, summer-concentrated, affluent-family visitor revenue stream. The data potentially argues for family amenities where the traffic already is, winter- draw investment at Kiwanis to fight the off-season “fall off,” and a funding conversation that realistically reflects how much parks generate in tax revenue from non-resident visitors. 2024 Harbor Springs Parks & Recreation User Survey Summary Results summary — approximately 366–369 responses per question Who responded Local and highly engaged. 72% full-time year-round residents, 22% seasonal, 6% visitors. By location, 41% live in the City of Harbor Springs, followed by West Traverse Township (18%) and Little Traverse Township (17%), with smaller shares from Pleasantview, Friendship, Cross Village, and Readmond. This is largely a resident voice rather than a tourist one. Capital project preference (Q3) Respondents favored the Eastern Section of the Boardwalk ($450K goal) over Harbor Way / the Wheelway extension through the Shay Tunnel ($800K goal), 57% to 43% — a clear but modest lean toward the boardwalk for the next year's focus. Park usage & visit frequency (Q4–Q5) The waterfront parks dominate: Zorn Park / City Beach (88%), Marina Park (80%), Zoll Street / Dog Beach (70%), and Kiwanis Park (65%). Lower-traffic sites are the Skatepark (32%), Kosequat Playground (29%), and Pickleball Courts (27%). Usage is heavy overall — 52% visit very frequently (7+ times/year) and another 20% frequently; only ~12% rarely or never visit. Program participation (Q6) A slim majority — 52% — participated in no programs in the last 12 months. Among participants, Fall Fest led (38%), then Sledding & S'mores (21%), with the Easter Egg Hunt and Saturday Yoga near 13% each. High park usage paired with low program usage is a notable gap. Top priorities going forward (Q7, weighted rank) Rank Requested amenity / activity Score 1 More programs for kids and/or adults 5.65 2 Skating rink at Kiwanis 5.20 3 Kiwanis building update 4.66 4 Playground improvements / additions 3.84 5 Picnic pavilion (non-waterfront) 3.52 6 Shuffleboard 3.49 7 None of the above 1.64 The top of the list reinforces the participation gap: residents want more programming, and the next two items point toward a Kiwanis-centered investment theme. Preferred communication (Q8) & open comments (Q9) Residents expect digital-first outreach: social media (66%), City website (56%), and email (50%) far outpace flyers (30%), the Tourist Park banner (21%), and community meetings (18%). 124 respondents left written comments (245 skipped); the comment text is not included in the results file. Treating it as if it were a random sample, the margin of error is roughly ±5% at 95% confidence — but it's a voluntary survey, so it's best read as a strong signal of engaged-user sentiment rather than a statistically representative read of the whole community.  Parks Director Report Tuesday, July 17th Administrative & Park Updates • Zorn Beach Bathroom Building: Unfortunately, we had issues over the 4th of July weekend with reported electrical pokes when using the faucets. Voltage was low but unacceptable. Isse was addressed and fixed. Bathroom doors and the lifeguard room door have been installed with two electronic locking systems and one keypad lock system. The geese solar lights have been deployed on both grass and sand areas. Several modifications of light location have been experimented. Overall lights have been effective deterring geese. • Community Events: School, Chamber, and Historical Society events have been added to the city website. • Safety: Concerns regarding unwanted harassment have been addressed with the City Attorney. • Skate Park: Weeding has been completed, with mulch being finished in a few remaining areas. One part-time employee has been assigned to help keep the area clean and assist Nate with restroom maintenance and trash pickup. Thank you to the small group of volunteers who helped with the weeding. • Lifeguards: The lifeguard team is doing a great job despite being short-staffed. It has been challenging for the public to understand the required safety protocols and staffing ratios. We need to help ensure a safe and comfortable atmosphere for them and the community. Programming Updates • Program events have been added to the city website calendar and the Programming and Recreation page. They will also be promoted on the City's social media pages. • The Walking Club has been advertised on social media, and participants continue to receive updates through a group text.  WALKING CLUB Lace up your walking shoes and join us on our walking journey through our beautiful area! When: Every Tuesday, next, July 14th @ 10 AM Location: Upper Zorn Park (will vary each week) Hosted by Harbor Springs Parks and Recreation  Swimming & S’mores At Zorn Beach th th July 28 and August 4 5:30-7 PM T! Beach EVEN Game s! FREE Call (231)526-2104 or email thoneysette@cityofharborsprings.com for details and ways to get involved Follow us on Facebook, Instagram or the City website for cancellations due to weather  Dino Dig Tuesday, August 11th 10 am -12 pm @ Zorn Beach Kids will get to experience Paleontology work and expand on their love for all things dinosaurs! Recommended for ages 2-7 $10 per child Registration is required, please contact parks at thoneysette@cityofharborsprings.com Hosted by Harbor Springs Parks and Recreation  Spri ngs Marina b o r Par r Ha k FALL FEST SATURDAY, OCTOBER 3RD 11-2 PM HOSTED BY THE PARKS AND RECREATION DEPARTMENT