The following is an editorial recently submitted to the Grand Haven Tribune. It is also on our blog. We welcome your comments at this link: https://friendsofgrandhaven.com.

City council has been asked countless times to survey the public to help decide what to do (if anything) with Chinook Pier. To date council has refused. It remains a mystery why. What could be better than to know what the public thinks and wants? Isn’t that what city leaders are elected to do?

Maybe city council doesn’t care what the public thinks, but we do. Friends of Grand Haven has a survey we’d like each of you to take by clicking the link below. Also, pass the link along to 5 others and encourage them to take the survey, too. That would give us 6,000 replies. If you have a view on what to do with Chinook Pier and want your voice to be heard, this is how to do it right from the convenience of your living room chair. It doesn’t matter if you want it all built out, left an open green space, or something in between. Take the survey, express your views, and be heard. Thanks. Brent

Click this link and take the survey here: https://friendsofgrandhaven.com/surveys-2/

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Tag Line: Chinook Pier Puts Public At Odds With City Hall

The public and city hall don’t see eye-to-eye on whether to build out Chinook Pier. The public says NO. City council says YES.

The plot just thickened. Results of a recent city hall straw poll echo the public view; DO NOT BUILD! 190 comments came from 90 individuals during city committee meetings, emails, and a Chinook Pier open house.

40% said keep it an open green space. 25% said don’t block the waterfront view. 45% said don’t build a children’s museum. More than double those who said build one. 35% said parking will be worse. 30% said wait for now, get public input, or coordinate with Harbor Island. How many said contrary to all these? Few to none.

City council ignores all this. At its July 19, 2024, meeting, council instructed our city manager to get developers shovel ready. Is it a tin ear? Tone deaf? Pig headed? It certainly isn’t the transparency and public engagement council members promised when they asked for our votes.

Even the developers told city council decisions about Chinook Pier will impact our waterfront for decades. They said engage the public long and hard before making any decisions. Ignored!

Why so hell-bent on building when the public says NO? It’s not the taxes. The museum is 50% of the $15 million buildout. It’s nonprofit and won’t pay taxes. The other buildout will only pay $50-75 thousand taxes to our city, a drop in the bucket against our $18 million budget. Is $50 thousand worth giving away over 2,000 ft (more than 1/4 mile) of our downtown waterfront and the view that goes with it?

This gives new meaning to “Damm the torpedoes, full speed ahead.” City council has shattered public trust. It should back up and include the public in the decision process.