Published: November 10, 2007 11:00 pm      

Cited lodge is lauded by planners

TRAVERSE CITY -- Area planners named Tamarack Lodge on East Grand Traverse Bay an "Outstanding Development," despite accusations it illegally destroyed vegetation and filled more than 200 feet of exposed Great Lakes bottomlands.

Tamarack was one of five winners of the annual development award given by the Grand Traverse County Planning Commission and the local county chapter of the Michigan Township Association.

The award was presented Nov. 1, four days after a Record-Eagle story about Tamarack being cited for violations by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality.

Tamarack's award was approved by a committee of township and county planners.

Grand Traverse County Planning Director John Sych, a member of the awards committee, said he was unaware of the wetlands violations.

East Bay Township planning commissioner Ralph Bergsma, who formerly owned the property and who nominated Tamarack, said he knew about the violations.

"It's a crock, we had the same problems when we owned it," Bergsma said. "Any little blade of grass that grows up there they have a problem with."

In October, Tamarack's developer, Richard "R.C." Hermann, said when they raked the beach with a small tractor the only vegetation removed was along the edge of a wetland on the western end of the beach. Regulators disagreed.

DEQ officials determined Hermann groomed 458 feet of beach and added up to 10 inches of fill without a state permit.

The Army Corps of Engineers said the work "is grossly out of compliance" and a "knowing and willful violation" of the Clean Water Act.

Don Reinke of the Army Corps of Engineers enforcement division said historical photographs show "significant" vegetation has been removed from over 200 feet of beach.

Hermann has a current permit granted in 2004 from the Army Corps of Engineers to smooth out a 200-foot-long by 50-foot-wide beach section on the eastern edge of his property.

"Per our permit, he shouldn't have been grooming anywhere near the (western) wetlands," Reinke said.

Reinke said the Army Corps of Engineers will require Hermann to restore the area by raking out the fill and replanting vegetation where needed.

Hermann, who could not be reached for comment on Friday, told the Record-Eagle in October he would comply with any restoration requirements.