Petoskey's State of the Community highlights successes and challenges

PETOSKEY — The Petoskey Area Regional Chamber of Commerce hosted its annual State of the Community on Feb. 23 where more than 200 community leaders, politicians, business owners and residents gathered to hear highlights from the past year.

The event took place at the Crooked Tree Arts Center in Petoskey, which chamber president Nikki Devitt described as the "jewel of the community." The State of the Community had previously been set to take place earlier in February, but was rescheduled after the arts center suffered some flooding damage.

More: Petoskey State of the Community rescheduled to Feb. 23

The chamber divided the event's featured speakers into six categories: Tourism, education, environment, nonprofits, government/economy, and health care.

Devitt started off by saying that “a lot was accomplished” in 2023, including a growing chamber membership of “over 750 members, which constitutes us as one of the largest chambers in the state of Michigan.”

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After asking the audience to stand up and shake each other’s hands, Devitt emphasized the importance of community teamwork.

“It has become abundantly clear to me that in the last four year our community, like so many others, has been and continues to be confronted with persistent challenges — workforce, housing, child care, infrastructure, population," she said. "While these issues continue to be a part of our daily lives, for our businesses and our community members these challenges are prompting us to adapt and innovate. It takes us all, everyone in this room, our community and our countless partners to address these challenges and that is what we do best.”

Tourism

Mary Beth Bennett, new owner of the Terrace Inn and 1911 Restaurant, spoke about her success in bringing year-round tourists to the area.

Bennett purchased the historic Bay View property in July, right in the middle of the busy summer season. She is the Inn's fifth owner.

More: 'Sometimes life just pans out as it should': New owner embraces Terrace Inn's history

Bennett described how she strives to embrace the past tradition of her establishment while also looking forward to what appeals to modern visitors.

“Being a place where people come to get away from it all. Our goal is to be the place that people want to come to at the end of the night after exploring all the beautiful trails, waterways, lake shore, galleries and shops that downtown Petoskey has to offer,” said Bennett.

Education

Scott Koziol, superintendent of the Charlevoix-Emmet Intermediate School District, and Anne Morningstar, president of Art and Design at North Central Michigan College, spoke about the innovations and collaboration happening on the educational front in the region.

From construction trades to culinary arts, Koziol highlighted the 20 different programs and over 50 CTE classes offered in all 11 Char-Em districts. He also explained the importance of the special education millage renewal that will be on the May 7 ballot, as the funding helps the more than 1,150 students with disabilities in the ISD each year.

Morningstar spoke about North Central Michigan College’s efforts to diversify enrollment and develop a creative workforce that is “meeting students where they are."

Environment

Andi Tolzdorf, director of Emmet County Recycling, described the leadership role the county’s recycling program has taken in the state, including in curbside recycling and the new food scrap and event recycling programs.

Kieran Fleming, executive director of the Little Traverse Conservancy, described the big expansions the conservancy has made in the past year, now growing to encompass over 70,000 acres of land.

In December, the conservancy announced its biggest financial investment in land to date when it purchased 56 acres with a ¼ mile of shoreline on Little Traverse Bay near Bay Shore for the new Enji-minozhiiyaamigak preserve.

More: Little Traverse Conservancy purchases 56 acres along bay

Government/Economy

The Honorable Jennifer Deegan, judge for Emmet County’s 57th Circuit Court, spoke about the collaborative efforts involved in creating the new Emmet County Recovery Program.

The program is designed to improve community safety and reduce criminality by providing “intensive treatment and supervision services” in partnership with several community stakeholders, including Harbor Hall and the Emmet County Sheriff’s Department.

The program is entirely funded through grants.

Nonprofits

Kathy Petersen, executive director of the Northmen Den Youth Services, addressed the importance of providing food to the more than 400 students who visit their youth pantries weekly across Northern Michigan.

Northmen Den Youth Services is an organization that addresses youth hunger and helps run 15 food pantries out of several area schools, including in Petoskey, Alanson, Harbor Springs and Pellston.

The group recently celebrated a $6,000 donation that will help provide students with fresh food and appliances to take home at the Alanson and Pellston student food pantries.

More: Northmen Den receives $6,000 donation for appliances, food in Pellston and Alanson

Health care

Joanne Schroeder, president and CEO of Munson Hospital Charlevoix, highlighted the expansions that Munson is making into the Emmet County area, including a new health care facility that will go into the old Art Van Furniture building at 1619 Anderson Road.

The Community Health Hub in Petoskey is part of Munson Healthcare’s Regional Care Transformation Plan, which was announced in September.

The Regional Care Transformation Plan will also include expansions in virtual care access and regionalizing some inpatient services intended to maximize resources across the system.

More: Munson Healthcare proposes new Petoskey Community Health Hub

To watch a full recording of the State of the Community, visit petoskeychamber.com.

— Contact reporter Annie Doyle at (231) 675-0099 or adoyle@charlevoix.

This article originally appeared on The Petoskey News-Review: Petoskey's State of the Community highlights successes and challenges