Contact: Tim Ervin
231-723-4325

For Immediate Release

CONSULTANT INTERVIEWS SCHEDULED
FOR ONEKAMA JOINT MASTER PLANNING PROCESS

Onekama, Michigan – The public is invited to participate in interviews with four firms competing to lead a joint master planning process for Onekama Township and the Village of Onekama. The interviews will be held on Tuesday, April 15, 2008 from 5 p.m. to about 9 p.m. at the Farr Center in the Village of Onekama.

In February, the Village and Township issued a request for proposals from organizations to facilitate and manage a community-driven process, supported by best practice, to develop a joint master plan. A sub-committee of the Village and Township reviewed proposals and recommended that four “finalists” be interviewed.

The selection of the consultant will be jointly made at a date and time to be determined by the Onekama Township Board and Onekama Village Council following the April 15 meeting. All participants in the April 15 meeting, including members of the general public, will be asked to rate responses from each of the four firms to be interviewed. Those responses will be considered by the Township Board and Village Council in making a final decision. Each interview is expected to last from 45 minutes to an hour.

The firms to be interviewed and the interview schedule are as follows:

Mead & Hunt 5 p.m.

Fleis & Vandenbrink 6:15 p.m.

McKenna Associates 7:30 p.m.

Beckett & Raeder 8:45 p.m.

The Manistee-based Alliance for Economic Success is assisting the Township and Village with the consultant selection process and will moderate the interviews. Funding for the joint planning process will be provided in part by a grant from the Manistee County Community Foundation, with funds provided by the W. K. Kellogg Foundation.