Manistee, Michigan – A leadership team has been jointly formed by the Village of Onekama and Onekama Township to support community-wide participation to develop and implement the first joint master plan for the Village and Township. The purposes of the diverse team are to encourage full participation by all community interests in preparing the precedent-setting plan and to help guide the process that is being managed by the firm Beckett & Raeder. This is one of the few cases in Michigan where a village and township have developed a joint master plan

Team members include:

Susan Barnard
Dan Behring
Bob Evans
Bob Hinsel
Scott Johnston
Beth McCarthy
Evie McNeil
David Meister
Margaret Punches
Bob Wangbichler
Bob Wendt


The community-driven process will result in a plan that will be reviewed and approved by the governing bodies of the Village and Township. A community-wide forum is set for Thursday, July 17, 2008 from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. at Onekama’s Farr Center to identify community priorities for the master plan and subsequent implementation programs. Over 90 people recently participated in a similar forum that was followed by a meeting with over 50 students from Onekama Consolidated Schools.

The joint master plan is scheduled to be completed by the end of 2008. Efforts are underway to develop funding to implement the plan. Funding for plan development was provided in part by a grant from the Manistee County Community Foundation, made possible through the funding support of the W. K. Kellogg Foundation. The Manistee-based Alliance for Economic Success is managing the grant and assisting with facilitation of the project.