This page is devoted to the reason for our existence as a group, which led to our formation, the effort to try to save the McNally Cottage, and her View of the Straits . . .

www.IssueUpdates.info .............Saving the McNally Cottage............www.IssueFeedback.info

McNally Cottage and the View of the Lake
Let Us Save Both...

On Tuesday, September 8, 2009, the Planning Commission tabled a decision that will determine the fate of the McNally Cottage. Unfortunately, the issue will be discussed again at the next Planning Commission.

what can we say to ourselves, our children, our land and our souls, if we do not step up in this limited window we have left? We were openly invited to come up with something up to this fall, and by all calculations that is later this month, willingly, by the owner of the property who has every right to build if we do not come up with something as a community.  Vocal opposition alone will not do it.

Full demolition of the McNally Cottage could occur as early as November 1 if approved at the next meeting.

The developer has already expressed a willingness to negotiate for the saving of the lakeside lot, and would hopefully open his heart to the saving of the McNally Cottage as well? Are other options still available? 

If we allow one of the oldest buildings downtown to be ripped apart, we rip apart our hearts and our souls.

The cottage is not one that has won awards. It is a more simple building, unassuming, and very very American. A family for over one hundred years could have profited more than they ever did from the nearly 200 feet of commercial real estate, among the most valuable per foot in the United States,
Instead, they kept the family tradition alive.

We still have many family traditions here, passed down from generations almost from the beginning of time on this sacred place.

Are these traditions one by one all to be torn down?

The last open view greets visitors now. Is this worth saving? Do we have hearts and souls to give to make this possible? The last open place left downtown to enjoy the harbor, the breeze, the lake, to watch the boats and feed the ducks and the seagulls, to step into the water, to contemplate the beauty and wonder of nature still left downtown, for us and future generations... can we save it?

 We had every hope something would change over the winter and until now, for we did not hear anything about any plans over the summer. Now hoping that something would happen to stop this, is over. We now know what will happen if we do nothing.

The McNally cottage, for 120 years standing defiantly, looking over the harbor from a by-gone era, will be GONE FOREVER, if we sit and let it happen...

WE HAVE GOT TO STEP FORWARD AND COMMIT OUR LABORS to changing this. It depends on us. We cannot complain if we did not help to save these for future generations.

Please contact your city mayor, your city council members, your planning commission members, even if you don't live here, this island is open to all to cherish and to care for and to feel a part of. Express your opinions to this group of people who by their active support can work to help make this possible.

 if you can, offer your help, the time now for volunteers is urgent.

but importantly and URGENTLY, please write, call, stop and talk to, and e-mail by yourself or with our help. Our e-mail is SAVEOURISLAND@AOL.COM for any questions.
Call 1-866-MAC-ISLE to volunteer and visit

this website, often, to check for updates...

and to find out what you can do, and join

SAVE OUR ISLAND

continued...

 

 


Our harbor is what defines us as a community. If we lose or continue to lose access to it, we will lose forever what we could have been. Many years ago, or actually not long ago, the entire beach downtown was walkable from one end to the other.

The years since have not been kind but instead made us much poorer. If there is a chance as many have tried to reverse this process, the chance is now...

Updates Feedback

Oral Histories
(click for the stories)

A Committee to Formulate a Strategy to Save the Cottage by attempting to raise funds to save the beautiful side yard filled with the most unique lilac trees, forming a natural area in the center of downtown, breaking the urban landscape, and, like a fountain, creating a relaxating center and maintaining an ambience in existence as long as the Main Street. With the funding, and community heroes to help rehabilitate with their hands, bringing down the financing cost to a good intentioned developer or individual or group who can run and maintain the cottage with tax credits for rehabilitating the cottage for its historic role, as the bed and breakfast of the downtown.

>Click here for more info<

The updates are too many to fit here any more, they will be moved to:

www.IssueUpdates.info

A lawyer and non-profit advocate from Grand Rapids has reviewed the summaries of the reports from the

planning commission meeting and the summaries of the city's actions, and is working to formulate a strategy

beginning on Monday. Questions and suggestions to this website's e-mail address will be forwarded to him, and

answers provided directly or by staff, under his advice.
Any information will be forwarded, and as new updates become available, they will be posted.
The community's active involvement is critical.
More updates later. (9.11.09)

It is critical for everyone to find out what exactly was happening and to urgently ask to help the city in this

process, for if it ends, it is over.
Apparently by the city lawyer's comments in the paper, not shared with everyone, the conclusion made that it is not

possible using the historical preservation to prevent the cottage from eventually being demolished. Why is this

conclusion only revealed now?
The Mayor is adamant in her determination to not let this happen. We need to actively support her...
Everyone support the Mayor and let your phone calls and conversations be directed toward the members of the city

council and planning commission that you want this process to not end, and that like the mayor, you are determined

to not let this process end... (9.12.09)

Please bear with us, new updates will be posted soon. There has been very helpful feedback, but the work load is very heavy, and the lawyer is about to make an update, so therefor sorry for the lack of postings. Please check nightly. comments of any kind are appreciated. Anonymous information is appreciated. The community support is extremely appreciated. (9.14.09)

The response has been good and the feedback helpful, but what we need is people with time and passion to give, no updates as of yet, hopefully tomorrow, work is progressing and feedback on the full story is desperately needed, as well as historical material from whoever can supply it. Hopefully tomorrow will bring more good news... (9.15.09)

Lawyer Eric Starck of Rhoades McKee in Grand Rapids filed FOIA(freedom of information act)requests with the city for all documents relating to former McNally Cottage properties since the end of August 2008 covering both sides of the street, the historic McNally house property and the lakeside beachfront property & the last open lakefront. (9.16.09)

Extremely important day. More on this later. (9.17.09)

The organization is now complete for full legal non-profit abilities as reported Friday by Rhoades McKee of Grand Rapids. The foundation drive is still under way, however. This weekend will be very important. (9.19.09)

thursday, friday and saturday were the biggest days of this foundation drives beginning.
if the most senior members are with us, from this sacred place,
the stage is set and our fingers are crossed ...
now all that is left for us to do is get on our hands and knees and pray,
for if anything is going to happen it will begin happening today.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Sorry but comments will be moved to a new link site:

www.IssueFeedback.info

"Arise, sleeping turtle, Awake! The spirits that reside within your nest, await... they tell us if we listen, what we may not choose to hear. Do not in this gentle slumber, fear..."

--------------------------------------------

(THE FOLLOWING IS NOT FOR WHO YOU THINK)

"THE RICH MAN AND POSTERITY

What do I say about my life?
That during my short life,
I cared more about myself than about posterity?
That it was more important to carry a few extra dollars into the grave,
than for posterity & history
to save?
Is this the statement of my life as a summary display?
Etched upon my tombstone:
For thee, For Money, I did SLAVE"

(But This is:)

An amazing person has more than he imagined in the two palms of his two hands,
There is some MAGIC at work here
and at the center a man,
that never imagined his purpose in life
lay right before him
(although right now he bangs the table)
That as an outsider he changed everything,
And Actually Wound up Better
than He Had Entered.
(and made US all better!)
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remember at these meetings what a famous person once said, in paraphrase more or less:

"what defiles a man is not what goes into his mouth but what comes out of it"

He was referring to being condemned by others for drinking, but what it means we think is that when you say something bad about someone, or maybe when you say anything, be very careful about what it says about you.

just one of the comments at the meeting apparently stated that the McNally family for 50 years never put 50 cents toward improving the property. Knowing reality, this is truly a disgusting thing to say. This family,the McNally's, which never actually in reality got FOR themselves 50 cents toward benefiting themselves FROM it while they lovingly maintained it, made sure that it was freshly painted at all times, which it is NOT any more now. Members of the family lovingly cared for it for really nothing to themselves, just chipping in as family members do, to all of our benefit, not for just 50 years but nearly 120! Such a statement, whoever said it, will reek for all eternity, to all of us who respected others, especially a family with roots, like the Doud's to the 1840's which the McNallys have also such roots, newcomers compared to the members of this group, but respected greatly, for the services they have given to us. And lovingly respected for working on behalf of the island we love. and of course for keeping the beach open. We love and respect and praise them for all time.

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"A FAILED POEM BUT HOPEFULLY NOT FAILED DESTINY

A man came to town and wandered around and around,
until finally he tricked & traded for two treasures -
in one hand he then held the key to our destiny,
in the other hand the key to our past.
He built a mighty empire in one hand,
based upon the locomotion of the past,
the other hand was a trick hand,
which he thought would last and last.
until one day we called out the hand
And from there we built our future -
Wedded to the past & the mast.
We re-found our Harbor
and became complete:
EQUESTRIAN
PEDESTRIAN
AMERICAN HISTORIUM
NATIVE INDIAN OCEANARIUM
(our small inland oceans)
NATIONAL PARKARIUM
MACKINARIUM
HAPPINARIUM ."

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In arguing against preservation, another comment said that in essence that the history of Europe was far more important than our own insignificant history here as it is so much older. We have not educated well and need to remind that we had the first true republic in the history of the world, and everyone in the world now looks to US. We have an amazing, remarkable, and inspiring past and great things lie ahead, some even occurring now?
We do not feel inferior any more to any one.

OUR GREAT NATION IS REALIZING NOW THAT OUR HISTORY REALLY MATTERS. AND THAT ALL OF IT, MATTERS.

so therefore we also have to educate ourselves, that the real history of this place goes back more than "just a mere" one hundred, or two hundred or so, years ago.
Try several thousand,
AT LEAST.

We believe it to be far far longer.
And it is all of our history, it belongs to all of us.

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another comment appears to be that because wood rots, we cannot preserve history here. We need to remind that there is a building called the Grand Hotel, as there are many other buildings spread all over our country made largely of wood, historically important, with active restoration (and government assistance to those who will bother to care for the past), one of which is a central building to our community, St. Anne's Catholic Church, a place where we mark the passage of time. And we do need the reminder. Unpainted wood rots, which the McNally house now has, her exterior paint coat peeling exposing what was for so long carefully painted, but now neglected, which is a reason for urgency and concern. And fear. This is not ultimately a game.

One last note about "rotting" or the impermanence of what we create or is created.
One day we will all pass on to another place, and our bodies will indeed pass into the earth, which is from where we all come.
There will be tombstones that perhaps mark our last spot, but perhaps not. We hope these will be not moved by someone who cares not about our existence here, for however short, but if not, at least what remains of our bodies, please respected.
Perhaps some passing notice can be made of this? We lay all around here, our ancestors, below your feet, although we think you don't remember or even think of it.
The very least we ask is that at least if not remembered, or thought of, at least they that are us be not disturbed, nor moved, nor excavated, for some building or other some reason, and tossed and thrown carelessly into some landfill.
Would you do this to the graves of your fathers?
They in fact are your fathers & mothers as we are all one in reality, all brothers (and sisters) now.
And we are sorry for our own errors and being condescending as we have been condescended to for so long and are still, yet we too need to stop fighting.
We hope that finally we can truly take all of the past seriously, both the physical and the spiritual, though entwined as one.
It is from now on the least we hope and because we are all one, we give forgiveness and ask for it too, but believe you will recognize wrongs and work to right them. None of us is perfect and we recognize that too but some wrongs have got to be righted and these are truly the most important moral wrongs of all. Our ancestors are us, to forget them is to lose ourselves. They loved us and cared for us, and we must care for them and never forget them and in so doing rediscover who we really are and what it really is to be human. As chilren we must learn that to lose our ancestors is to lose ourselves. They taught us who we are and gave us everything of any real importance we have. They do speak to us if we listen. And help us, and forgive us.
Let's start respecting them and the past.
To anyone who doesn't understand what we are talking about, the shores of this island are where our ancestors lay buried.