The Whitehall City Council appeared receptive to a proposed new policy that would set aside an annual amount in the city budget to award to deserving nonprofits. The proposal was a response to recent requests by council member Debi Hillebrand to compile the requests into one rather than disbursing funds as they're requested each year.
No formal action was taken, but the council appeared in favor of the policy. Council member Bryan Mahan suggested a budgeted amount of $25,000 to start with, as City Manager Dan Tavernier's compiled list of the awards made by the city over the 2025-26 budget year amounted to $24,525. They included "one-offs," Tavernier said, like contributions to the refurbishment of the sail sculpture near the causeway bridge and the water fountain next to WaterDog Outfitters that were requested by the Arts Council of White Lake and the Snow Farmers respectively; however, Mahan noted that there will always be one-off funding requests in a given year.
Under the proposed policy, nonprofits seeking contributions from the city would be asked to make any planned requests by March 1 of a given year so they could be accounted for in May budget meetings. The requests would then be scored on several criteria, such as impact on the city, financial need and community benefit.
Hillebrand said the written policy was a good start and she would also like to see a match from the receiving organization, similar to the facade grants the city has been awarding. Council member Scott Brown added that there should be a maximum for any one organization to request so deserving organizations can receive help.
Tavernier presented the city with some estimates for potential improvements received in a 2025 energy audit of City Hall, the Department of Public Works Building and the Playhouse at White Lake. The total cost estimate for improvements for the three buildings was nearly $600,000, though obviously the city will not pursue all potential improvements. Tavernier noted the costliest single items on the estimates - accounting for more than half the total - appeared to be solar panel installations, which due to the limited real estate occupied by the three buildings would be unlikely to be worth the cost. He added that some of the items have been "checked off," like occupancy lighting sensors at the DPW building, which provide some energy savings.
The council unanimously approved a $6,000 facade grant for Lake Land Getaway, the in-progress property previously known as Lake Land Inn. Property owner Jeremy Garcia of DreamStay, who pursued the grant, included estimates in his application for over $50,000 worth of improvements he is making to the property, which include a new sign, replacement of multiple doors, new exterior lighting and landscaping, and adding a sidewalk to comply with the Americans with Disabilities Act.
Bob Smart, president of the White Lake Association, spoke to the council regarding a recent letter he sent requesting an annual contribution from the city of $1,000 for help monitoring White Lake. He said he's planning similar requests of other municipalities.
Smart said the request, which the council did not take action upon at the meeting, is because of his belief that the lake is "our most important community asset. It supports our recreation. It supports our tourism. It supports our local businesses, our property values and our quality of life. It makes Whitehall a very special place to live and visit."
Referring back to the time when White Lake was listed as an environmental Area of Concern, Smart said it is important to continue the work that got White Lake delisted from that designation, lest it revert.
"That was a long process...a lot of work," Smart said. "I'm worried if we don't continue to monitor and protect it, it could fall back."
Brown shared his disappointment with last week's Tax Increment Finance Authority board meeting, specifically with the failure of his motion to change the time of the meetings of that board - in addition to the Local Development Finance Authority and the Brownfield Redevelopment Authority - to take place during times more accessible to the public.
"They like it at lunchtime because they get a free meal out of it," Brown said of other board members, who did not advance his motion to a vote.
He added that he wants the topic on the board's May work session. He hopes to eliminate the lunch that is served at the meeting and put a $25 cap on the amount of provided food.
That work session will also include the city's budget work session after the council approved starting the session, normally at 5 p.m., a half-hour early to account for that topic. The budget public hearing will follow during the May 26 city council meeting.
Tavernier shared communication he's had with noted Great Lakes ultra-marathon swimmer Jim "The Shark" Dreyer. Dreyer is planning a 22-mile swim during which he will tow 250 cannonballs that total 1,500 pounds, and he is considering Whitehall as one of the places to do it. The swim would be a fundraiser to raise money for a statue or monument honoring veterans; the 22 miles is symbolic, Tavernier said, of the 2013 Department of Veteran's Affairs study that estimated 22 veterans die by suicide each day. Donors would be able to 'buy' the cannonballs for use in the creation of the monument.
"I think it's a righteous endeavor," Tavernier, a 20-year veteran of the Coast Guard himself, said.
He added that the time frame Dreyer is planning his swim coincides with the planned Maritime Festival and joked that it would make for a good "photo op" if Dreyer swam up to the beer tent during the festival.
