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MICHIGAN OCZM GRANT #NA-SO-AA-H-CZ157 SUBTASK 3L1-/J , Ir~ HT 393 M52 F73 N"LLL4,MSivWOp-y *-sC Pt. I ~~~~~~ENGINEERSIPLA NNERSIA RCHI TEC TS I I~~~~~~~~~~GADRPDMCIA 90 |rs~~~ t ~~~~~FRANKFORT COASTAL ZONE MANAGEMENT PLAN DATA BASE AND ANALYSIS PART I l... . DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE NOAR CCi; AL SFF:VICES CENTER 223: :OUlTr HOBSON AVENUE CHARLESTON, SC 29405-2413 |3 t~ Pr-opzotz of CSC Lb.-,ary This document was prepred in part .' through financ:al , ss'-anc� provided hv the Coastal Zone M1an-.seme. Act of 1972 administered by the OFfice ro Coas' Zone "Fnc!jiement National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration di ct PREPARED ,FOR: PREPARED BY: The City of Frankfort Williams & Works c 412 Main Street 611 Cascade West Parkway SE Frankfort, Michigan 49635 . Grand Rapids, Michigan 49506 1981 TABLE OF CONTENTS DATA BASE Page 1. Regional Location 1 2. County Setting 1 3. Climate 1 4. Physiography and Geomophology 3 5. Air Quality 9 6. Water Quality 9 7. Vegetation 9 8. Fauna 9 9. Municipal Services 9 10. Existing Land Use 12 11. Harbor Facilities 12 12. Population 15 13. Transportation 19 ECONOMIC CONDITIONS 1. Manufacturing 22 2. Retail Trade 26 3. Tourism 28 4. Agriculture 28 5. Oil and Gas 28 6. Labor Supply 28 7. Water Borne Commerce 30 RECREATION/TOURISM 1. Public Facilities 43 2. Private Facilities 46 3. Activities 47 4. Cultural and Historic Elements 48 5. Recreation and Tourism Forecasts 48 TABLE OF CONTENTS PAGE 2 ANALYSIS Page 1. Economic Analysis 50 2. Open Space Assessment 51 FIGURES I - Regional Location 2 2 - Generalized Geological Characteristics, Benzie County 5 3 - Topography, City of Frankfort 6 4 - Soils Interpretations 8 5 - Generalized Zoning, Coastal Areas 11 6-::Generatized Land Use, Coastal Areas 13 7 - Harbor Structures and Dimensions 14 8 - Transportation Facilities 20 9 - Scenic View from M-22 47 TABLES I - Summary of Climatic Averages for Frankfort, Michigan 4 2 - Permanent Population, Benzie County 16 3 - Population Characteristics, Benzie County 17 I4 - Age Distribution, Benzie County 18 5 - Total Population, Benzie County 18 6 - Employment by Industry, Benzie County 23 7 - Employees and Establishments by Industry, Benzie County 24 8 - Employment by Manufacturing Industry, Benzie County 25 9 - Tourist Spending 26 10 - Retail Sales by Major Category, Benzie County 27 11 - Total Labor Force, Benzie County 29 12 - Occupational Structure, Benzie County and the State of Michigan 29 13 - Unemployment Rates, Benzie County 31 14 - Tonnage and Passengers by Year, Port of 32 Frankfort-Elberta I~~~~~~~~~~~~~~3 TABLE OF CONTENTS PAGE 3 TABLES (cont) Page 15 - Tonnage and Passengers by Year for Selected Ports 33 16 - Commodity Profile, Port of Frankfort-Elberta 36 17 - Trips by Draft and Type, Port of Frankfort-Elberta 38 S 18-Forecasts of Future Eastbound Traffic Projected to 1985 40 19 - Forecasts of Future Westbound Traffic Projected to 1985 41 20 - Percentage of Cross-Lake Freight for the Ports of Frankfort and Ludington 42 21 - Forecast of the 1985 Cross-Lake Freight for the Ports of Frankfort and Ludington 42 22 - Frankfort Park Facilities 44 23 - Projected Campsite Requirements, Benzie County 49 24 - Recreation Participation by Activity, Region 10 49 I~~~~~~~~~~~~~~4 DATA BASE INTRODUCTION The Data Base for the Frankfort Coastal Zone Management Plan is organized into three sections: general setting, economic conditions, and recreation/ tourism conditions. The coastal park site inventory provides more specific information on man-made elements, natural elements, and perceptual char- acteristics. GENERAL INFORMATION 1. Regional Location The City of Frankfort (approximate latitude 44038' and longitude 86015'), Benzie County, Michigan, is located on Lake Michigan. It is situated approximately 200 miles from Chicago, 220 miles from Detroit, and 150 miles from Sault Ste. Marie. Its regional location is shown in Figure 1. Deep draft harbors in the Frankfort general vicinity are Manistee and Ludington, located 28 and 54 miles to the south respectively. The nearest recreational craft harbors are Arcadia, located approximately 10 miles to the south, and Leland City, 40 miles to the north. 2. County Setting The City of Frankfort (population 1,603; 1980) and the Village of Elberta (population 556; 1980) flank Betsie Lake. Other principal communities of Benzie County are Honor (population 281; 1980), Benzonia Township (population 2,461; 1980), Thompsonville (population 258; 1980), and Beulah, the County Seat (population 454; 1980). The population of Benzie County was 11,205 in 1980. Benzie County is the smallest of Michigan's 83 counties with 202,240 acres of land. It has over 50 lakes totaling about 24,000 acres of water surface, the largest, Crystal Lake, is over 15 sq miles in size. The two prominent rivers in the county are the Platte and the Betsie. The Betsie, which is over 40 miles long, is a designated Natural River. 3. Climate Lake Michigan tends to temper the local climate. The prevailing winds are westerly. The average growing season is 147 days and the average boating season is 120 days. Precipitation averages 30.92 inches and snowfall 66.4 inches. I~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~qr 0 I~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~CD U~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~I FiureT GREGINLEOATO *GAR~~~~IY BEFRNDFR COASTAL ZONE MANAGEMENT PLAN I -WILLIAMS a WORKS "tw Detailed weather data for Frankfort are not available. The U.S. Department of Commerce (NOAA) has a climatolog station at Manistee, 28 miles south of Frankfort. Climatic averages are summarized in Table 1. 4. Physiography and Geomopholoqy Geologic Processes - Current topographical features in the Frankfort region have resulted from Ice Age events and shoreline dune formation. The Port Huron substage of the Wisconsin stage is most responsible for the region's characteristics. The region contains most features that can be caused by glaciers, including various moraines, glacial lakebeds, deltas, glacial drainage channels, outwash plains, ice-block lakes, drumlins, kettle holes, kames, kame terraces, and eskers. The shoreline dunes are an indirect effect of glaciation. In general, Benzie County consists of large ground moraine areas, including part of the Manistee Moraine. Various other features are concentrated in the northern and western areas. Generalized geological characteristics are shown in Figure 2. Topography - Lake Michigan and Betsie Lake, varying between 576 and 580 feet (international Great Lakes datum), are the lowest elevations in the region. The moraine hills within two miles northwest of Betsie Lake rise to about 970 feet, providing a local relief of about 400 feet. The communities of Frankfort and Elberta occupy low terraces with elevations rising to about 30 feet above lake level. Sand dunes, south of Betsie Lake and west of Elberta, rise to about 310 feet above and adjacent to Lake Michigan. High dunes are also found along the shoreline for about two miles north of Frankfort. Generalized topography for Frankfort is shown in Figure 3. Geology - Shales of the Ellsworth and Antrim formations form the most shallow bedrock in the region. This bedrock lies at 450 to 550 feet below the land surface. Soils - A detailed U.S. Department of Agriculture soil survey for Benize County is not available, however, general soils information is available from a variety of sources. Agricultural soils in Benzie County are primarily well- drained loams and sandy loams of the Nester-losco-Emmet Association. In addition, deeply drained sands of the Wexford-Emmet-Kalkaska-Rubicon Association can also be found. Soils are commonly 2 to 5 feet deep, overlying glacial deposits. Soils in the Frankfort area generally include Eastport Sands and Croswell Loamy Sands of low fertility and rapid permeability. The potential for erosion by surface water runoff is related to the steep slopes of 12% and greater. Sandy soils of the dunes are susceptible to Boca water and wind erosion, where unprotected by vegetation. In general, the dunes are sta- bilized, however, some blowouts exist where the protective vegetation is broken. -3- TABLE 1. SUMMARY OF CLIMATIC AVERAGES FOR FRANKFORTa, MICHIGAN (1941-1970) MEAN PRECIPITATION- SNOW, SLEET-b TEMPERATURE- MONTH �Fahrenheit Inches Inches QOCentigrade) (Centimeters) (Centimeters) January 23.4 (-4.8) 2.02 ( 5.13) 19.7 ( 50.0) February 24.1 (-4.4) 1.64 ( 4.17) 12.8 ( 32.5) March 31.7 (-0.2) 1.84 ( 4.67) 10.0 ( 25.4) April 44.3 ( 6.8) 2.81 ( 7.14) 1.7 ( 4.32) May 54.3 (12.4) 2.73 ( 6.93) 0.1 ( 0.25) June 64.3 (17.9) 3.01 ( 7.65) 0 0) July 69.1 (20.6) 2.72 ( 6.91) 0 ( 0 ) August 68.4 (20.2) 2.66 ( 6.77) 0 ( 0 ) September 61.1 (16.1) 3.66 ( 9.30) 0 ( 0 ) October 51.6 (10.9) 2.74 ( 6.96) 0.1 ( 0.25) November 38.9 ( 3.8) 2.97 ( 7.54) 7.7 ( 19.6) December 28.3 (-2.1) 2.12 (5.38) 14.3 (36.3) Annual Average 46.6 (8.1) 30.92 (78.54) 66.4 (168.6) aRecorded at Manistee, Michigan bPeriod of Record: 1927-1956 Source: U.S. Department of Commerce, NOAA I~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~........ I "1~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~.~ '.*.. ....... I~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~..... I~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ . ... I~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~.......... . .. yg:~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ I~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~..... . .... I~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~........ I~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~..... ... I~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~.... . I - LEGEND-~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~.......... I~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ . .............. PERCHED DUNES~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~.... ...... E~~~~~~~~~~l: EMBAYMENTS~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~..... ..... I END AND INTERLOBATE MORAINES Figure 2~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~............ MAN ISTEE MORAINES BENZIE COUNTY~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~........... GLACIAL DRAINAGE CHANNELS GENERALIZED GEOLOGICAL................... BLUFPS CHARACTER I STI CS~~~~~~~~~~~.................. I _ _~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~.................... IPTTTT ICE BLOCK LAKE AREA CITY OF FRANKFORT......................... COASTAL ZONE MANAGEMENT PLAN...... I-WILLIAMS ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~....WORKS.......... g *~ ~ ~ ~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~. . . .. *.. 3~~~~~~~ ~~~...... .-. ..\.. *~~~~ ~~~~~~~ ~~~. ... ....L .. I~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~. .~..... :~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~..7........ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~... ..... .fl~~~~~oo ~~~~~~~~~BESI . H L ~~~~~~~~~~... .......Y I~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~. ..... I ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Figure 3 TOPOGRAPHY CITY OF FRANKFORT COASTAL ZONE MANAGEMENT PLAN I -~WILLIAMS Ek WORKS The Lake Michigan shoreline has a white sand beach which is desirable for recreation. The Lake Betsie shoreline has disturbed and man-made soils in places. Soils interpretations for the Frankfort coastal area are shown in Figure 4. Lake Hydrology - Water levels in Betsie Lake are controlled by the Lake Michigan level and inflow from the Betsie River. The Betsie River is a small shallow stream. It drains about 260 square miles, over a length of 40 miles. It has about 33 miles of tributaries. Betsie Lake, which forms the Frankfort-Elberta Harbor, is about 1 1/2 miles long and varies from 1,000 to 2,000 feet wide. The Lake Michigan level varies from year to year. In general, the level has a seasonal rise and fall of about 1.2 feet. The lowest levels are usually during the winter months. The highest levels are usually during the summer months. There are also irregular variations in the lake level caused by storms and seiches. These fluctuations may attain a 1.8 foot rise in the lake level. Lake Michigan elevations are referred to the mean water level at Father Point Quebec (International Great Lakes Datum, 1955). Low water datum for Lake Michigan is referenced at 576.8 feet. Lake levels have been declining since 1974. Currents - There are no known studies of the Betsie Lake currents. The most likely producer of significant currents is the Betsie River. There are also wind drift currents generated within Betsie Lake. Lake Michigan seiches may produce currents of short duration. The net flow of water, due to the Betsie River, is northward and westward into Lake Michigan. The movement of the water is slow. The features of the Betsie Lake shoreline are not related to a significant current flow. Lake Michigan Erosion - The Lake Michigan shoreline, north of the breakwaters, is classified as a "critical erosion area - not protected". The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has determined-that in the area 1,000 and 11,.000 feet north of the breakwater, about 111,000 cubic yards of beach and bluff material is being lost annually. Flood Hazard Area - Flood hazard areas extend from 100 to 200 feet inland from the north shore of Betsie Lake. The potential flood area is south of Main Street and west of the Shore Road. The 100-year flood level for Lake Michigan, in the vicinity of Betsie Lake is 583.8 feet. Groundwater - Groundwater in the area is abundant. Domestic wells are easily developed and their water quality is generally excellent. An extensive aquifer underlies the entire region. The City lies on an underground drainageway. -7- Figure 4 ~%~~ :*~; CITY OF FRANKFORT:;:;,:;: -LEGEND- ~~~~~~COASTAL ZONE MANAGEMENT PLAN I LAKE BEACH a- LAKE BLUFF %�, ,~ ; ? 35 LEVEL SWAMP AREAS:4 ; ,' '':': : 4 UNDERGROUND DRAINAGE-WAY . 5 GENTLY SLOPING, ROLLING6 UPLAND ' ;>','~~;;�' 6 STEEP UPLANDS ~' ,iFN NOTE: LAKE BETSIE SHORELINE SOILS ARE DISTURBED OF? MAN-MADE IN PLACES. o1 250 T0 oo FEET AUGUST, 198 1 85819 WILLIAMS Ek WORKS = 5. Air Quality I 00 Detailed air quality data for the Frankfort area is not available. The U.S. EPA has classified the region with a priority III rating. This implies a relatively unpolluted condition. 6. Water Quality Water quality throughout the Betsie River drainage basin is:considered generally good:.: In most.areas, it meets applicable standards. for partial body contact. Water quality in Betsie Lake is not as good. U.S.::EPA has classified harbor sediments as polluted. 7. Vegetation 3 k Vegetation in Benzie County, due to the diverse terrain, ::exhibits a wide variety of plant associations-. These range from Pioneer Beach Grass to Maple-Beach Climax Forest, both of:which are evident in the Frankfort area. The south- 3 ; east end of Betsie Lake is swampy. 3;-0 8. Fauna Shoreline birds include sandpipers, killdeer, and plovers. Birds associated with open bodies of water include. mostly diving ducks, gulls, and terns. . A total of forty species of:mammals are found in the Frankfort area. :Generally, these include squirrels, rabbits,:' skunks, racoons, rats, mice, chipmunks, moles, and deer. .The near shore area at Frankfort is a productive alewife nursery. Coho and Chinook salmon are found in offshore waters from mid-July through :September. The Betsie River is a designated trout stream. :Lake Trout, Brown Trout, and Steelhead Trout have been planted in the Frankfort Harbor by the Michigan Department of Natural Resources. Trout make upstream runs in September and October and:after spawning, return downstream in May and June. :I 9. Municipal Services Political Structure - Frankfort has: a charter form of government administered: by a mayor and four council members. They are elected by the City-at-large. The City also has an economic development corporation (EDC),: airport-harbor commission, planning commission, and a parks and recreation commission. :I ::: : : :f : :: :: : ::: f : 0: I Ef:XrX0 S: :00: :t ;0V Utilities - Residents of the City of Frankfort draw upon the groundwater ;for their potable water supply.: The City operates wells to which they add sodium fluoride. The system includes mains :of 2 iln. through 8 in. Some hydrants are onj4 in. lines. The system needs some looping to maintain adequate pressures and-fire.:flow. Most of the residences, com- mercial and i:ndustrial users are connected to the system, however, there are some private domestic wells in use. The City of Frankfort also has about 600 sanitary sewer customers. The I ;0 collection system:includes some combined storm sewers, however,. some separation has been accomplished. The treatment facility provides primary treatmen:t only and discharges into Betsie Lake. It has an estimated average flow. of 206,000 gallons per day. Other:utilities in the area include:electricity (Consumers Power Company), gas (Michigan Consolidated Gas Company), and telephone (Michigan Bell Telephone Company). ;I f Zoning - The City of Frankfort has a Zoning Ordinance which has been in effect since 1976. This Zoning Ordinance provides for three classes of residential zoning, three classes of commercial zoning, one class of in- dustrial zoning, and two classes of special zoning:(public lands and uses, and critical environmental or high risk erosion land). :: : The following generalized zoning map (Figure- 5) shows districts ::near Lake Michigan and Betsie Lake. The:Lake Michigan frontage is zoned CEHRE-l (Critical Environmental or High Risk Erosion)l. This district permits I public park :uses, single-family residential uses and certain special uses. Shoreline development must have a 200-foot setback in this district. Just inland from the CEHRE-1 area-, the Lake Michigan shoreline is zoned R-IB (Medium Density Residential). This district permits single-family, two-family, and certain planned unit developments. :I :;:;The Betsie Lake shoreline, from the inlet. to Tenth Street is zoned P-1 (Public Lands) ;and C-3 (Commercial Water Front). In the public lands district, recreation, open space,: and governmental facilities are permitted. In the C-3 district, all uses are:subject to special use approval. The6 uses enumerated are water/retail oriented such as: marinas, restaurants, motels, and retail specialty shops. I The Betsie Lake shoreline from Tenth Street to Lake Street is zoned L--1 (Limited Light Industrial). This district is intended to accommodate in- dustrial, warehousing, heavy commercial, and manufacturing uses. It is also intended to buffer such uses from single family residential areas. The remainder of the Betsie Lake shoreline is zoned R-1A (Single-Family i Residential). This district is intended for single-family residential development without public water and sewer. In addition, certain educa- tional, religious, and public uses maybe; permitted by special use approval. -10 10. Existing Land Use The pattern of existing land use fits well with the zoning. Generalized land use (Figure 6) is shown.on the fol lowing, map. 5 0: lMuch of the existing:development along Betsie Lake either ignores the water- front.or is unrelated to it. Many of the stores have only service entrances and storage on the water front side. In any other community, such property would be highly coveted. Most of the industries have room to grow. Other uses-(e.g. Luedtke's con- struction equipment and the city's garage) conflictrwith the dominated commercial land use pattern. :I ii11. Harbor Facilities An outer basin, formed by arrowhead breakwaters, protects the channel con- : T: necting Lake Michigan and Betsie Lake. The breakwaters are 450 ft apart at the outer ends (harbor mouth). The north arm is 1972 feet long and the south arm is 2588 feet long. The entrance channel is 1078 feet long on the north I 0:and 891 .feet long on the south. The U.S:. ArmyCorps of Engineers maintains depths:of 24 feet at the harbor mouth, 20-23 feet:within the breakwaters, ,22 feet in the entrance channel, 18 feet in Betsie Lake (to Sixth Street), and 10 feet in:the recreational anchorage. Authorized depths are shown i:n Figure 7, harbor:structures and channel dimensions. . V.:l:In 1941, the City of Frankfort has dredged the area east of Fifth Street for recreational craft. The ,Michigan Waterways Commissi on has helped the City I 0: : with the rehabilitation of the municipal docks and boat launching ramps. In addition, it appears that a channel has been dredged to the Luedtke engineering property in the industrial area. The remainder of the lake gets:increasingly shallow and becomes swampy. Frankfort has several commercial docks, including: GCarland Marine Service, ::: :Jacobson Marine, Luedtke Engineering Company, Olsen Fish Company, and the charter fishing boat docks. Elberta has the car-ferry terminals (consisting of 2-car ferry sups, a sharf, and railroad yards), Koch Fuel service;, and a private marina. All of the south shore and much of the north shore of Betsie Lake has rail service. The developed areas are served by public sewer and water. The low areas, along the north-east shore, probably will not have public sewer and water in the near future. Electricity, gas, and telephone are available throughout the area:. I ~~~~~~~~~~-12- f; : : . ; ff : f t : : ; ; ::' ; '. ; : : T? SIJ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~- -F.t -� i 'EXI FRSTING ZONINGE CITY OF FRANKFORT rs ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ W; A~~- '-0 +----:_i-~~-$,-t -�u i �-:�sr--C- '.4---- . COASTAL ZONE MANAGEMENT PLA- WILLIAMS a WORKS AUGUST, 19I8519 I~I Hr 03s~;~ 03 -- --m -Bi: -:;~:"-lMiN i;TRE� a.~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~., I~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~C- �~~~~~~;i~~~~~~~~:-:..,.: w-i i~~~~~~~~~~~~~�ls� *�--a-;�-; :r::::R::-~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~-,- - .1 CITY~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~. OF ., .4.V.4C COASTAL ZONE MANAGEMENT PLAN 1~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~10 FEET WILLIAIMS a WORKS -uuTls sl Figjure 6 GENERALIZED LAND.US COASTAL AREAS CITY OF FRANKFORT COASTAL ZONE MANAGEMENT PLAN 1~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~�~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~:I~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ �i i FEET AUGUST, 14l WILLIAMS 8k WORKS ?~~~TEL~~~ LEUPT 444~~~~~~~' 444--~~~~~~44 ~~~~44 44l� 4-~ 4 'X--,�a~r-- ~ ~ ~ I I i;~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~44 I aa~~~~~i:~~~~~��~~~r~~~":. 1~~~~~:. �~~~~~;��~- ~~~"~~~~~4~~~~~~~~- ~ ~ ~ ~ 4 4.~ -44, t~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~4 Figure 6~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~44 I GEN EWALIZED LAN D US E~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~44 - ~ ~ ~ ~ OSA 4 44S :I~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~74 -IT 14 F.4444444 I~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~CATLZN AAEETPA 4 4~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~uuTle _____________ --- -!a'a - -; - --1 - ___ __ - '7)4 - r r a V 3 2::i*772I7 j17O - - - a a --; - --.- 7 A a II -fl FOREST AVENUE ---a - M-II5 7 I- - I ,54 a6 3 -.-'1� - -j MAIN STREET f3 * 12 * ;U.**** 35 V77i aa a 3 - - 4, 17' - a 4 23 14 9 - - ,- PROJECT ----- if -j - lOFT U PROJECT a DEPTH I 32 9 DEPTH -i,', - 01-. PROJECT, .... A K E t 0i9 23FT 0 -, '- 0 -- - . 8 J. - a'-- Ii:- ID - CT DEPTH 22 FT I PROJECTDEPTH 20 FT a t-'7-t--a' a a a>aa, aaaa a a a-il a a a.a a - a- aaaj -- - .,a - - - a - ta a( aa ,Ja - aa 20, 5 AA(E- a' I MJ'C - - - -- ,--- 3 a a I HARBOR Figure 7 aa. aa-; aa a' "ri CHANNEL DIMENSIONS ,a.,aK, afla Jj.a CITY OF FRANKFORT a aa -; - aa.a a -a,a* aaaaaa laaa a ata' COASTAL ZONE MANAGEMENT PLAN 'a- a - aa.a-a U a ,-aaa ,aaaAa- WATER DEPTH FEET N ______ AUGUST, a %at:a I ~~12. Populati~on E ~General - The population of Benzie County peaked in the early 1900's. The population then decreased until the mid-1900's. Benzie's demographics is directly related to the area's economy. Permanent Population - The permanent population of an area supports the pri- mary labor force. It requires goods and services on a year-round basis. The population of Frankfort and Benzie County are shown in Table 2, perma- nent population. I ~The county population has been increasing since the 1930 low point. According to the 1980 U.S. census preliminary counts, it has now surpassed the 1910 peak. I ~While the county population has been rising, the Frankfort population has been decreasing. Between 1940 and 1980 there is a net decrease of 42 people, I ~and between 1970 and 1980 Frankfort decreased by 63 people. Various sources have attempted to project Frankfort's demographics, however, these are questionable. Frankfort's demographics will depend upon the regional economy. If the economy declines, so will the population. If the economy thrives, the population will grow. I ~The magnitude of change is proportional regarding the tourist and agricultural industries. A major addition/loss to the industrial economy would have a very direct impact on the population. Age, years of schooling, and family income for Benzie County (1970) are shown in Table 3, population characteristics. This information is not yet available for the 1980 census. Table 4 shows age distribution for the City I ~of Frankfort (1970). Frankfort has an average density of 515 people per square mile (1980), and I ~3.1 people per dwelling unit (1970). Seasonal Population - The seasonal population of a resort area is often a significant factor. Table 5 shows total population (permanent plus seasonal) for Benzie County. I ~August has the largest population. The total population about triples from the base (permanent) population. March has the smallest population, about 13% additional. PERMANENT POPULATION TABLE 2 1900 1910 1920 1930 1940 1950 1960 1970 1980 Benzie County 9,685 10,638 6,947 6,587 7,800 8,306 7,834 8,593 11,165 Frankfort -- -- -- 1,642 1,605 1,690 1,660 1,597 Source: Benzie County 1900-1970: Michigan Manual, 1979-1980 Frankfort 1940-1980 and Benzie County 1980: U.S. Census of Population -16- TABLE 3 POPULATION CHARACTERISTICS BENZIE COUNTY AGE BY PERCENT OF 1950 1960 1970 TOTAL POPULATION Under 15 years 30.2 31.8 29.5 15-24 years 14.3 13.0 13.2 25-39 years 17.2 15.0 15.5 40-64 years 27.7 27.6 27.5 65+ years 10.6 12.6 14.3 YEARS OF SCHOOL COMPLETED BY PERSONS OVER 25 YEARS BY PERCENT OF TOTAL PERSONS 8 or under 44.4 40.4 23.8 1-3 high school 19.3 20.3 23.0 4 high school .23.7 23.5 33.5 1-3 college 8.9 10.1 10.8 4 college 3.7 5.7 8.9 Median years completed 9.4 10.4 12.1 FAMILY INCOME BY PERCENT OF TOTAL FAMILIES Less than $3,000 69.0 28.3 11.6 $3,000 - $5,000 25.8 28.8 16.2 $5,000 - $7,000 3.5 24.4 16.0 $7,000 - $10,000 1.2 14.4 21.8 $10,000 - $15,000 0.3 3.5 22.3 $15,000+ 0.6 12.1 MEDIAN 2,133 4,563 7,760 SOURCE: U.S. Census of Population, 1950 - 1970 -17- TABLE 4 AGE DISTRIBUTION (1970) 0-4 5-14 15-24 25-44 45-65 65+ Years Years Years Years Years Years Frankfort 103 383 222 330 374 248 SOURCE: U.S. Census (1970) TABLE 5 TOTAL POPULATION BENZIE COUNTY Permanent Seasonal Residents Visitors Total Multiple of Growth January 11,165 2,884 14,049 1.26 February 11,165 2,204 13,369 1.20 March 11,165 1,423 12,588 1.13 April 11,165 2,093 13,258 1.19 May 11,165 5,983 17,148 1.54 June 11,165 14,553 25,718 2.30 July 11,165 19,509 30,674 2.75 August 11,165 21,873 33,038 2.96 September 11,165 4,438 15,603 1.40 October 11,165 3,485 14,650 1.31 November 11,165 2,942 14,107 1.26 December 11,165 2,257 13,422 1.20 SOURCE: Data Research Center, Inc. 13. Transportation I ~Transportation facilities in the Frankfort area are shown in Figure 8. Roads and Highways - Frankfort is served by M-22 (north-south) and M-115 (east-west). M-22 is a scenic highway which also functions as a regional arterial. US-31 is the main north-south route. It is located seven miles east of Frankfort. M-115 functions as a feeder to US-31 from Frankfort. I ~US-31 is an arterial of statewide importance. It begi~ns at the Indiana border and continues through to the Mackinac Bridge. In the process, it provides access to every major community along the eastern shore of Lake Michigan. I ~The US-31 southern approach to the Sleeping Bear Dunes park is estimated to carry 30% of the park's traffic. It is estimated that M-115 (east of US-31) I ~will feed traffic from south and central Michigan to this segment of US-31. It is estimated that 717,000 annual vehicle trips will be generated by the national park when it is fully operational, of which 215,000 (annual) will be by the US-31 southern approach. I ~M-22 is estimated to carry less than 15% (10,755 trips annually) of the national park's traffic. This percentage could be increased if traffic improvements were made in the Frankfort area. The lowest traffic volumes occur in January and February at about 60% of the average daily traffic. July and August are the peak months when average daily traffic can double. Water Borne - The Frankfort-Elberta Harbor is the only port for large ships I ~or barges in the county. Nearby deep draft harbors include: Manistee (28 miles south), Ludington (54 miles south), Charlevoix (75 miles north), and Traverse City (92 miles north); as measured by nautical routes. The Frankfort-Elberta Harbor is home port for the car-ferry, Koch Fuels, Luedtke Engineering and Construction, and a number of charter fishing boats. At the present, the future of the car-ferry (and the future tug-barges) is I ~unsettled. Railroad - Two railroad lines traverse Benzie County. The C&0 railroad serves the western coastal areas of Michigan - Petoskey to Chicago, Illinois. The Ann Arbor railroad provides service from Toledo, Ohio through Frankfort/ I ~Elberta (via the car-ferry) to Manitowoc, Wisconsin. Little of the tonnage shipped on these lines comes from, or is destined for, points in Benzie County. Inbound construction materials and outbound ag- I ~ricultural products (fruit) make up the bulk of the tonnage with an origin/ destination in the County. 1 -~~~~~~~~~~~19- 3~~~~~~~RNFR NORiPO ~~~~~~~~~~~~BNOIA I~~~~~~E UT I~~~~'atRo~ TD o T 0 AITEMSEGNCDLA S~~~~~~~~~~~~Fgr ~~~~~~~~~~~~RNPRAI O N ) U~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~FCLTE -~~~~~~~~~~ITYO RNFR 3~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~OSA Z ONE MAAEMNPA ~~WILIAM 8kWOK I ~Air - The Cherry Capital Airport (Traverse City) provides commercial air passenger and shipping transportation for Benzie County. This airport offers charter service and regularly scheduled interstate/intrastate service. The Cherry Capital Airport is capable of handling the smaller commercial jet aircraft. I ~The Frankfort City-County Airport is a general aviation facility. It is capable of handling only small private aircraft. The Frankfort Airport I ~is a popular destination for tourists and vacationers. I ~~~~~~~~~ECONOMIC CONDITIONS I ~INTRODUCTION The timber industry was the most important element of the local economy until the end of the 19th century when the forests were depleted. The economy then switched to wholesale/retail trade, dairying, and fruit growing. The Frankfort area has a long history of tourism, with the early vacationers coming by ship from Chicago. Fishing was an early industry, however, the sea lamprey reduced the available quantity of fish in the 1950's. As a result, nine Frankfort fishing companies went out of business. Today Frankfort's economy is tourism, agricultural products, transportation, and I ~industry. The U.S. Census 1970 reports that manufacturing, retail trade, and services employ 20.9, 17.3, and 28.7 percent, respectively, of the Benzie County labor force. Agriculture and transportation have declined I ~since 1950, yet still are a noteworthy component of the employment picture. In 1970, 7.1 percent of the labor force was employed in agriculture and 7.0 I ~percent was employed in transportation. (-See Table 6, Employment by Industry). The 1977 Census of Business Information is presented in Table 7, Employees and Establishments by Industry. Ii~~. Manufacturing In 1970 and- 1960, about 20% of the Benzie County labor force was employed I ~in manufacturing. In 1950, about 8% was employed in manufacturing. The size of the manufacturing component has kept pace with county population growth. There has been a shift in the type of manufacturing from furniture to food I. ~products. There has also been employment growth in the manufacture of elec- trical machinery, equipment, and supplies and the manufacture of textiles and textile products. Employment by industry is shown in Table 8. The 1977 Census of Business reports some growth in industries employment, from 596 (1970) to 615 (1977). The Frankfort-Elberta area supports several industrial, including: Pet Milk Company Frozen food I ~~Frankfort Garment Company Women's garments Frankfort Manufacturing Company * ~~~(Div. of Allied Products) Cold-heading tools and machined parts I ~~Pheoll Manufacturing Company (Div. of Allied Products) Fasteners for electronics Allied Products Corporation Cabinet doors I ~~Production Industries Conveyor chains H.W. Jencks, Inc. Electrical coils Elberta Packing Company Fruit packing and processing Smeltzer Orchard Company Fruit packing and processing Luedtke Engineering Company Marine construction * ~~~~~~~~~~~-22- TABLE 6 EMPLOYMENT BY INDUSTRY BENZIE COUNTY PERCENT OF TOTAL EMPLOYMENT INDUSTRIAL CATEGORY 1950 1960 1970 Agriculture, Forestry, and Fisheries 20.5 10.4 7.1 Mining .2 -- -- Construction 8.3 6.4 9.4 Manufacturing 8.3 20.3 20.9 Transportation, Communications, Utilities 14.2 15.9 7.0 Wholesale Trade 20.0 1.1 3.3 Retail Trade 6.6 15.9 17.3 Food and dairy products stores 1.4 4.1 1 0 Eating and drinking places 3.1 2.4 2.3 Other retail trade 2.1 9.4 14.0 Finance, Insurance, and Real Estate 7.1 1.8 3.1 Services 18.3 23.0 28.7 Business services 2.0 .2 .1 Repair services .2 1.3 1.8 Private households 2.1 3.3 1.0 Other personal services 2.1 3.1 4.0 Entertainment and recreation 1.0 .8 .6 Hospitals 1.7 4.1 5.4 Education services 5.0 6.7 10.5 Welfare and religious -- 1.3 1.1 Other professional services .7 2.2 4.2 Public Administration 3.5 3.5 3.2 Not Reporting 1.2 1.8 -- SOURCE: U.S. CENSUS 1950, 1960, 1970 -23- I ~~~~~~~~~~TABLE 7 EMPLOYEES AND ESTABLISHMENTS BY INDUSTRY I ~~~~~~~~~BENZIE COUNTY, 1977 I ~INDUSTRIAL CATEGORY NUMBER OF EMPLOYEES NUMBER OF ESTABLISHMENTS Agricultural services, forestry, U ~~fisheries construction 0-19* 2 Construction 125 50 I ~Manufacturing 615 19 Transportation and public utilities 20-99* 8 I ~Wholesale trade 26 8 Retail trade 408 92 Finance, insurance, and real estate 64 14 Services 410 62 Other 0-19* 2 I ~~~~~~Total 1,679 257 * *~Figures shown as ranges to avoid disclosure of individual establishment sizes. I ~SOURCE: U.S. CENSUS, 1977 * ~~~~~~~~~~~-24- TABLE 8 EMPLOYMENT BY MANUFACTURING INDUSTRY BENZIE COUNTY 1950 1960 1970 Furniture 219 176 57 Primary Metals 5 4 0 Fabricated Metal 29 8 43 Machinery except electrical 16 57 39 Electrical Machinery Equipment and Supplies 1 15 88 Motor Vehicles and other Transportation Equipment 11 8 21 Other Durable Goods 11 20 40 Food and Kindred Products 39 155 189 Textile Mill and other Fabricated Textile Products 20 52 89 Printing Publishing and Allied Industries 16 16 21 Chemical and Allied Products I 0 0 Other Non-Durable Goods 4 5 9 TOTAL MANUFACTURING EMPLOYMENT 373 516 596 SOURCE: U.S. CENSUS OF POPULATION 1950, 1960, 1970 -25- I ~2. Retail Trade Frankfort is within the Traverse City region of influence. Traverse City's retail trade area is estimated to include most of northwest Michigan, west of 1-75 and north of Manistee/Cadillac. Locally, Frankfort is also competing with Beulah, Benzonia, and Honor in basic retail trade. Much of Frankfort's retail trade serves the only immediate Frankfort area or is tourist oriented. Many of Frankfort's stores 3 ~close during the off-season. Recreation and tourist trade are important economic components of the Frankfort economy. The data research center estimates that the average daily spending is $35.00 per visitor (Beach Survey, 1978). Their 10-county average for tourist spending is shown in Table 9. N ~~~~~~~~~~TABLE 9 TOURIST SPENDING 1978 Food - Grocery stores, bakeries, eating and drinking places 53.0% Lodging_- Hotels, motels, cabins, and campgrounds 15.4% I ~Other - Contains both services and retail trade 31.6% TOTAL 100.0% I~~ SOURCE: DATA RESEARCH CENTER Seasonal visitors also contribute to the county's retail economy. Total sales in February are about 43% of those in July. While some of this may represent off-season "belt-tightening", the differential is notable. Food is a basic commodity which should not be particularly sensitive to the season. Food sales in February are about 34% of those in July. Retail sales by major category are shown in Table 10. *Environmental and economic impact of the Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore I ~ ~Park, Benzie and Leelenau County Planning Commissions, August, 1973 -26- TABLE 10 RETAIL SALES ESTIMATES BY MAJOR CATEGORY BENZIE COUNTY FEBRUARY SALES JULY SALES TOTAL SALES 1,228,525 2,825,125 Building Materials 141,600 244,675 General Merchandise 32,800 67,375 Food 396,800 1,159,950 Automotive 365,075 690,000 Apparel 19,475 52,650 Furniture 28,950 58,975 Miscellaneous Retail 102,400 247,025 Non-Retail 141,450 304,075 SOURCE: Wilber Smith & Associates, Base Studies: Inventories and Analyses, Benzie County, Michigan, September, 1973. -27- 3. Touri sm Tourism and recreation have long been an important component of Frankfort's I ~economy. During the lake steamboat era, Frankfort was a regular port of call for tourists and summer residents. There are many recreational acti- vities in the area to attract tourists. Since the next chapter presents this subject in detail, it will be deferred from here. 3~~4. Agriculture Agriculture is considered an important element of the regional economy, I ~however, there is statistical evidence that it is on the decline in the region. Agriculture accounts for about 6% of the county's earnings in 1977. In 1950, about 20% of the labor force was employed in agriculture. In 1970, it had dropped to 7%. There was a 39% decrease in farmland between 1954 and 1969. The northwest Michigan area is a major producer of cherries for the national market. They are Benzie County's major export product. Apples and other orchard fruits are also important agricultural products in the region. I ~Benzie county has about 57,000 acres in saw and pole timber and about 41,000 acres in young timber. I ~Fruit production is important to Frankfort's economy because of the three processors in the Frankfort/Elberta area. Is~~. Oil and Gas I ~Exploration/production of oil and gas appear to be a growth industry in the region. Several sources note its virtual non-existance in the early 1970's. Between 1977 and 1978, oil production in Benzie County nearly doubled, from I ~28,175 barrels to 47,323 barrels per year. Gas production during the same year decreased slightly from 28,827 to 26,186 thousand cubic feet per year. I ~6. Labor Supply in many areas, the existence of a labor supply and the availability of jobs are mutual requirements of population growth in the Frankfort area. There appears to be a net out-migration of persons in the working age group. There is a net in-migration in the retired age groups. The scenic and environmental E~~quality of the region has a positive effect on the labor supply. The Benzie County labor force (male/female) is given in Table 11, Total Labor Force. The percentage of females has increased by over 53% to about 41% of the total labor force. Some of this growth has been in traditional female areas (retail trade and services), however, most of the increase has been in textiles, electrical machinery,,and fruit packing. The occupational structure 3 ~~~~~~~~~~~-28- TABLE 11 TOTAL LABOR FORCE (14 years and older) BENZIE COUNTY 1960 1970 PERCENT CHANGE TOTAL IN LABOR FORCE 2,797 3,221 14.3 Male 1,939 1,903 - 1.9 Percent Male 69.3 59.1 -- Female 858 1,318 53.6 Percent Female 30.5 40.9 -- SOURCE: U.S. Census of Population 1960, 1970 TABLE 12 OCCUPATIONAL STRUCTURE: 1970 PERCENTAGES OCCUPATION BENZIE COUNTY MICHIGAN White Collar 35.1 44.9 Professional, technical, and kindred 11.5 14.2 Managers and administration (exc. farm) 7.5 7.0 Sales workers 5.3 6.8 Clerical and kindred 10.8 16.9 Blue Collar 40.8 40.7 Craftsmen, foremen, and kindred 15.8 15.4 Operatives (exc. transport) 16.2 17.5 Transport equipment operatives 3.4 3.8 Laborers (exc. farms) 5.4 4.0 Farm 6.3 1.5 Farmers and farm managers 3.0 1.0 Farm laborers and farm formen 3.3 0.5 Service 17.8 12.9 Service workers 16.8 11.9 Private household workers 1.0 1.0 SOURCE: U.S. Bureau of the Census. Census of Population: 1970. -29- I ~of the labor force for Benzie County and the State of Michigan is given in Table 12. The percentage of farm workers is well above the state average, 3 ~however, the percentage of white collar workers is a little below the state average. The labor force in Benzie County peaks toward the end of the summer. This work force depends upon the availability of student workers and seasonal workers. Peak employment for agriculture is May through October. Fruit processing usually begins in July and ends in December. Thus the mid-winter period of January through April has the lowest employment. The Data Research Center, Inc. conducted a community life survey in 1978, in which they determined commuting patterns for Benzie County. About 74% of the labor force remains in Benzie County. The remainder commutes to Grand Traverse County (21%), Manistee County (3%), and other counties (1%). Only Leelanau and Manistee send commuters to Benzie County (3.8% and 2.0% respectively). No other nearby counties have any significant number of commuters coming into 3 ~Unemployment has been a persistent problem in the Frankfort area. The seasonal variations noted above compound this problem. Unemployment rates for September and mid-March are presented in Table 13. The Difference between the seasonal 3 ~and the off-season is dramatic. 7. Water Borne Commerce Commercial vessel traffic at the Port of Frankfort-Elberta is5 mainly the railroad car ferry. There are also a few local charter fishing boats, oil barges, and construction vessels using the harbor. Occasionally, a lake freighter or barge will call. I ~The car ferry traffic is generally through shipments which neither originate nor terminate in the Frankfort area. Other commercial traffic is dep endent upon specific businesses such as Koch Fuels or Luedtke Engineering, Passenger I ~traffic is carried by the car ferry. Freight tonnage and passengers carried are shown in Table 14. Freight tonnage I ~peaked in 1970 at 1,632,508 short tons and has been decreasing since. The 1976 freight traffic was about a fourth of the 1970 freight traffic. Passenger traffic peaked in 1971 at 29,666 and has been decreasing since. The number of passengers carried in 1976 is less than half of those carried in 1971, I ~Freight traffic and passengers (where applicable) for selected ports which are in competition with Frankfort are shown in Table 15. Frankfort's tonnage I ~has been the lowest of all ports providing car ferry service. While Ludington and Muskegon had very similar traffic tonnages, Frankfort shipped about half of each of these ports. Like Frankfort, Ludington's and Muskegon's freight I ~traffic peaked in 1970, and have been declining since. 3 ~~~~~~~~~~~-30- TABLE 13 UNEMPLOYMENT RATES BENZIE COUNTY MARCH SEPTEMBER 1973 20.5 6.5 1974 13.5 7.4 1975 17.8 11.6 1976 15.7 9.1 1977 18.4 7.6 1978 13.3 5.9 1979 16.8 8.4 1980 19.2 13.4 -31- TABLE 14 TONNAGE AND PASSENGERS BY YEAR PORT OF FRANKFORT-ELBERTA YEAR PASSENGERS 1961 11,781 1962 11,005 1963 12,610 1964 20,641 1965 22,943 1966 24,216 1967 27,537 1968 26,107 1969 25,225 1970 22,577 1971 29,666 1972 21,614 1973 15,076 1974 13,021 1975 14,077 1976 13,410 SOURCE; U.S. Army Corps of Engineers -32- TABLE 15 TONNAGE AND PASSENGERS BY YEAR FOR SELECTED PORTS Frankfort Traverse City Ludington Muskegon Year Freight Passengers Freight Passengers Freight Passengers Freight Passengers 1967 1,528,805 27,537 204,353 -0- 3,836,254 170,083 3,606,906 95,415 1968 1,597,619 26,107 198,840 -0- 3,639,093 182,228 3,765,652 101,034 1969 1,614,480 25,225 288,325 -0- 3,664,748 174,224 3,402,747 101,096 1970 1,632,508 22,577 286,711 -0- 4,664,748 177,353 3,554,628 111,594 1971 1,563,448 29,666 308,475 n0- 4,258,442 205,389 3,541,910 742 1972 1,353,101 21,614 446,244 -0- 3,368,015 176,598 2,835,823 -0- 1973 1,176,446 15,076 422,447 -O- 2,541,739 179,055 2,922,730 -0- 1974 801,645 13,021 405,158 -0- 2,178,835 188,426 2,508,138 m0o 1975 644,659 14,077 364,777 -0- 2,123,507 149,251 1,945,311 -0- 1976 433,067 13,410 398,277 .0- 2,338,774 156,218 2,270,826 -0- FREIGHT GIVEN IN SHORT TONS SOURCE: U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Passenger traffic is similar. In 1967, Ludington's passenger traffic was about six times that of Frankfort. By 1976, it had increased to about twelve times Frankfort's. Until it was discontinued, Muskegon also had more passenger traffic. The discontinuence of the Muskegon passenger traffic caused a temporary increase in passenger traffic at the other ports. It coincided with each port's peak passenger year. Traverse City does not have a car ferry service. Consequently, its freight tonnages are much lower than any of the other ports. Its commodity profile is very specialized and almost entirely centered around coal, gasoline, and fuel oil. The lack of a car ferry also means that there is no passenger service, Frankfort's commodity profile is shown in Table 16, however, most of these materials are shipped through. In 1976, the port received or shipped a total of 433,067 tons of freight, of which only 13 tons had a local origin/destination. This was all in fresh fish. Table 17 shows the number of trips, inbound and outbound, by vessels of various drafts and types. The car ferry dominates this table with over 1,000 trips. There is also a sizable (256 trips) usage by small vessels. CROSS-LAKE TRAFFIC FORECASTS In 1980, Kearney Management Consultants prepared the Forecast of Cross-Lake Michigan Rail Car Ferry Traffic for the Michigan Department of Transportation, It reports an increase of total freight traffic in'1979 as a result of rate flag-outs by the Michigan Interstate Railroad (which uses the Port of Frankfort-Elberta). Kearney's forecast of the 1985 demand for cross-lake rail service was based on six scenarios: DESCRIPTION OF TRAFFIC FORECAST SCENARIOS Scenario Number Description I Base Case - No Change - Status Quo * Service differential between cross-lake and Chicago remains the same. � Rate advantages continue for commodities presently under flag-outs (except potash). � No rate advantage for commodities not included under flag-outs. -34- 2 Rate Advantage Cross-Lake - Service Improves � Flag-outs continue on specified commodities. a New flag-outs on other commodities. * Service improves for cross-lake compared to Chicago. 3 No Rate Advantage Cross-Lake - Service Improves * No flag-outs on any commodities. * Service improves for cross-lake compared to Chicago. 4 No Rate Advantage Cross-Lake - Service Same � No flag-outs on any commodities. * Service differential between cross-lake and Chicago remains the same. 5 Service Declines - Regardless of Rates * Deterioration in cross-lake service compared to Chicago. 6 Rate Advantage Cross-Lake - Service Same 3 Flag-outs continue on specified commodities. * New flag-outs on other commodities. � Service differential between'cross-lake and Chicago remains the same. SOURCE: Forecast of Cross-Lake Michigan Rail Car Ferry Traffic, Final Report, Michigan Department of Transportation; Kearney Management Consultants, June, 1980, Table 11-2, page 11-8. -35- TABLE 16 COMMODITY PROFILE, PORT OF FRANKFORT-ELBERTA 1976 (SHORT TONS) COMMODITY TOTAL RECEIPTS SHIPMENTS LOCAL TOTAL 433,067 295,434 137,620 13 Field Crops 855 559 296 Miscellaneous Farm Products 1,560 1,540 20 Forest Products 977 86 891 Fresh Fish, except Shellfish 13 13 Coal and Lignite 900 -- 900 Building Stone, unworked 92 36 56 Sand, Gravel, Crushed Rock 1,086 -- 1,086 Clay 1,332 72 1,260 Phosphate Rock 81 -- 81 Nonmetallic Minerals 8,104 1,814 6,290 Meat, fresh, chilled, frozen 662 662 -- Meat and Products 69 69 -- Tallow, Animal Fats, and Oils 335 335 -- Animal By-Products 139 139 -- Dairy Products 2,762 2,762 -- Vegetables and Prep 1,800 1,623 177 Prep Fruit and Vegetable Juice 6,333 6,241 92 Wheat Flour and Semolina 16,006 15,946 60 Grain Mill Products 3,273 3,253 20 Sugar 832 832 -- Alcoholic Beverages 800 361 -- Miscellaneous Food Products 1,402 1,125 277 Textile Fibers 214 22 192 Timber, Posts, Poles, Piling 186 186 -- Pulpwood, Log 1,944 -- 1,944 Wood Chips, Staves, Moldings 1,043 1,043 -- Lumber 35,212 35,212 -- Veneer, Plywood, Worked Wood 18,540 18,500 -- Wood Manufactures 2,772 2,574 198 Furniture and Fixtures 476 414 62 Pulp 7,941 6,886 1,055 Standard Newsprint Paper 17,051 12,661 4,390 Paper and Paperboard 40,978 33,461 7,517 Pulp and Paper Products 62,845 58,200 4,645 Sodium Hydroxide 1,881 199 1,682 Sulphuric Acid 90 -- 90 Basic Chemical and Products 28,191 22,717 5,474 Plastic Materials 43 -- 43 -36- TABLE 16 (CON'T) COMMODITY TOTAL RECEIPTS SHIPMENTS Soap 99 -- 99 Paints 56 56 -- Nitrogenous Chemical Fertilizers 296 -- 296 Phosphatic Chemical Fertilizers 330 -- 330 Insecticides, Disinfectants 304 304 -- Miscellaneous Chemical Products 86 -- 86 Gasoline 158 -- 158 Distillate Fuel Oil 11,861 11,861 -- Residual Fuel Oil 13,369 6,650 6,719 Lubricating Oils and Grease 113 -- 113 Asphalt, Tar, and Pitches 37,962 37,962 -- Coke, Petroleum Coke 399 -- 399 Liquefied Gases 180 -- 180 Asphalt Building Materials 521 38 483 Petroleum and Coal Products 493 -- 493 Rubber and Miscellaneous Plastics 210 15 195 Glass and Glass Products 60 -- 60 Structural Clay Products 5,055 -- 5,055 Lime 25 -- 25 Miscellaneous Nonmetallic Mineral Prod. 4,411 2,894 1,517 Iron and Steel Primary Forms 41 -- 41 Iron, Steel Shapes 51 -- 51 Iron and Steel Plates, sheets 12,859 -- 12,859 Ferroalloys 1,047 211 836 Iron and Steel Products 24,934 25 24,909 Nonferrous Metals 260 260 -- Lead and Zinc, unworked 2,760 2,760 -- Aluminum and Alloys, unworked 241 241 -- Fabricated Metal Products 4,165 483 3,682 Machinery, except electrical 1,332 127 1,205 Electrical Machinery and Equipment 751 726 25 Motor Vehicles, Parts, Equipment 13,624 12 13,612 Misc. Manufactured Products 308 180 128 Iron and Steel Scrap 629 629 -- Nonferrous Metal Scrap 287 287 -- Textile Waste, Scrap, Sweep 137 137 -- Paper Waste and Scrap 24,701 29 24,672 Waste and Scrap 17 17 -- Commodities 115 -- 115 SOURCE: U.S. Army Corps of Engineers -37- TABLE 17 TRIPS BY DRAFT AND TYPE PORT OF FRANKFORT-ELBERTA 1976 VESSEL DRAFT Passenger Towboat (FEET) and Tanker or Dry Cargo Tanker TOTAL (INBOUND) Dry Cargo Tugboat SELF PROPELLED VESSLES NON-SELF PROPELLED 19 3 3 18 1 2 3 17 514 514 13 5 5 12 or less 118 4 4 126. TOTAL 632 4 9 6 651 (OUTBOUND) 18 1 1 17 514 514 13 1 5 6 12 or less 118 3 4 5 130 TOTAL 632 4 9 6 651 -38- Kearney's Forecasts of 1985 eastbound and westbound traffic are presented as Tables 18 and 19 respectively. The most favorable scenario (No. 2) forecasts a 60% increase (62,433 total carloads) in traffic between 1979 and 1985. The least favorable scenario (No. 5) forecasts a 50% decrease (16,145 total carloads) in traffic between 1979 and 1985. The "no-change" scenario (No. 1) forecasts an 8% increase (42,355 total carloads) in traffic between 1979 and 1985. The Kearney Forecast aggregates all traffic between the Ports of Frankfort and Ludington, Michigan and the Ports of Manitowoc and Kewaunee, Wisconsin. An approximation of the division of this traffic between the Ports of Frankfort and Ludington may be derived based upon historical tonnages shipped by these ports. Based upon a 10-year average (1967-1976), Frankfort ships/receives 26.4% and Ludington ships/receives 73.6% of the total cross-lake Michigan traffic (see Table 20). This approximation assumes that the traffic which used the Port of Muskegon was divided equally between Frankfort and Ludington or was lost to the Chicago route. The application of these percentages to the Kearney Forecast for 1985 is shown in Table 21. The most favorable scenario (No. 2) forecasts 16,482 carloads shipped/received by Frankfort. The least favorable scenario (No. 5) forecasts 4,262 carloads shipped/received by Frankfort. The "no-change" scenario (No. 1) forecasts 11,182 carloads shipped/received by Frankfort. ' ~~-39- M-~ ~I ~ ~ ~ M TABIR18 f ! M !UI " FORECASTS OF FUTURE EASTBOUND TRAFFIC PROJECTED TO 1985* (CARLOADS) Future Scenario Number Historical Traffic Levels Geographic/Commodity Category 1 2 3 4 5 6 1978 1979 1. GBW Related Paper 12,120 16,475 10,420 8,390 5,300 12,120 7,066 8,470 2. GBW Related Food Products 1,296 1,724 1,420 1,088 579 1,296 541 925 3. GBW Related Machinery, Fabricated Metal Products, and Stone 1,500 2,500 2,100 1,500 650 1,600 247 720 4. Manitowoc Service Dependent Paper 1,485 2,440 2,054 1,485 0 1,715 56 374 5. Manitowoc Service Dependent Food and Farm Products 542 614 493 496 316 603 458 493 6. Manitowoc Service Dependent Manufactured and Fabricated Metal Products 753 1,225 975 753 300 895 412 480 7. Minnesota Food and Feed Grains 2,045 4,615 2,470 1,420 300 2,800 1,094 2,868 8. Minnesota Manufactured Goods 554 1,043 939 618 260 764 32 575 9. Minnesota Paper 675 800 425 150 50 675 431 500 10. Minnesota Lumber and Wood Products 783 1,320 1,270 783 70 783 297 783 11. Canadian Potash 1,000 5,900 1,150 920 0 4,250 276 4,093 12. Western Clay 1,300 1,600 260 260 0 1,300 35 816 13. Western Lumber 200 200 0 0 0 200 2,069 2,353 14. Western Food Products 1,000 1,200 725 725 300 1,000 542 760 15. Miscellaneous Commodities 1,430 1,340 1,340 1,340 670 1,340 1,650 1,340 TOTAL EASTBOUND CROSS-LAKE VOLUME 26,593 42,996 26,041 19,928 8,795 31,341 15,206 25,550 NOTE: * Forecast data, as well as historical traffic levels, relate to only those movements between Kewaunee and Manitowoc, Wisconsin, and Frankfort and Ludington, Michigan. mm- - - - - m- m m lw N M - TABLE 19 FORECASTS OF FUTURE WESTBOUND TRAFFIC PROJECTED TO 1985* (CARLOADS) Future Scenario Number Historical Traffic Levels Geographic/Commodity Category 1 2 3 4 5 6 1978 1979 1. Michigan Paper Products 3,900 4,400 4,400 3,900 1,700 3,900 1,738 3,330 2. Michigan Chemicals 6,800 7,300 7,300 6,800 3.650 6,800 4,504 6,619 3. Autos and Auto Parts 1,150 1,500 1,300 1,150 400 1,150 1,227 732 4. Scrap Materials 1,300 1,575 975 840 375 1,300 970 600 5. Georgia Clay 1,750 3,800 2,200 1,350 800 1,750 460 1,324 6. Coal 77 77 77 77 35 77 77 77 7. Primary Metals 250 250 250 250 125 250 207 250 8. Miscellaneous Commodities 535 535 535 535 265 535 535 535 TOTAL WESTBOUND CROSS LAKE VOLUME 15,762 19,437 17,037 14,902 7,350 15,762 9,718 13,467 NOTE: * Forecast data, as well as historical traffic levels, relate to only those movements between Kewaunee and Manitowoc, Wisconsin, and Frankfort and Ludington, Michigan. TABLE 20 PERCENTAGE OF CROSS-LAKE FREIGHT PORTS OF FRANKFORT AND LUDINGTON (SHORT TONS) Total 1967-1976 Average/year Percent Frankfort 11,701,119 1,170,112 26.4 Ludington 32,614,155 3,261,416 73.6 TOTAL 44,315,274 4,431,527 100.0 SOURCE: Computed by Williams & Works from Table 15 TABLE 21 FORECAST OF 1985 CROSS-LAKE FREIGHT PORTS OF FRANKFORT AND LUDINGTON (CARLOADS) Percent Future Scenario Number 1 2 3 4 5 6 Frankfort 26.4 11,182 16,482 11,373 9,195 4,262 12,435 Ludington 73.6 31,173 45,951 31,705 25,635 11,883 34,668 TOTAL 42,355 62,433 43,078 34,830 16,145 47,103 SOURCE: Computed by Williams & Works from Tables 18, 19, and 20 -42- I ~~~~~~~~RECREAT ION/TOURISM I ~INTRODUCTION This section inventories recreation and tourism facilities and opportunities. It includes detailed information for the park master plan, but focuses on the recreation, tourism, and seasonal vacationer component of Frankfort's I ~Lake Michigan and Betsie Lake offer the Frankfort area with excellent recreation/tourism opportunities. The recreational boating season lasts about 120 days, from June through September. The Frankfort-Elberta Harbor is popular with weekend and seasonal boaters, as well as those traveling along the Lake Michigan shoreline. I ~The poor water quality in Betsie Lake limits its fishing opportunities. Likewise, the lake is not used for swimming, since it does not meet the requirements for total body contact. I ~Lake Michigan is 'popular for fishing, swimming, and boating in the Frankfort area. The lake is making a "comeback" from the barren years of the 1950's. Ii~~. Public Facilities I ~Local: Parks - Frankfort has five designated municipal-parks. Market Square Park,'Mineral Springs Park, Rotary Park, Cannon Park, and the C.S. Kibbey Memorial Launch Facility. The city operates a marina adjacent to Mineral Springs Park. The city also maintains the Lake Michigan beach at the harbor breakwater., but it is owned by the State of Michigan. Park facilities are described in the following matrix (Table 22). Selected photographs illustrate park features and conditions. Frankfort's parks range in condition from new or excellent to poor and needing repair. The city marina operates at about 100% of design capacity in July and I ~ ~~August, and at about 50% of design capacity in June and September. Most of the boats are in the 20 to 39 foot class with power boats and j ~~~sailboats about evenly represented. Schools - Through the use of joint use agreements, the sports fields, gymnasiums, and auditoriums of the Frankfort schools can be used for organized recreation. These facilities are not tourist oriented. Museums - There are no public museums in Frankfort. Regional: The Frankfort area offers a wealth of recreation/tourism opportunities. The facilities of regional impact are inventoried on the following page. 1 ~~~~~~~~~~~-43- - m -- - -- - -- - -- -e TABLE 22 FRANKFORT PARK FACILITIES SIZE PARK (acres) FACILITIES COMMENTS Market Square 1.5 Tennis courts, shuffleboard, play- Not intended to serve tourists ground equipment Mineral Spring 6+ Playground equipment, flowing mineral There are some mature trees along Main Street, spring, picnic facilities, group shel- however, the landscaping is struggling in the ter, restrooms, charter fishing boats, new areas. The marina, charter fishing boat marina, shuffleboard, and parking. area, group shelter, and playground equipment (see marina facilities below) is all new and in excellent condition. The shuffleboard courts appear to be used little. The mineral spring is in need of repair. (City Marina) Transient and seasonal berths (4 @ 60', All facilities are relatively new and in ex- 18 @ 45', and 20 @ 30'), gasoline and cellent condition. diesel fuel, water, electricity, rest- rooms (with showers), and sanitary pump out facilities. Rotary -Open space Functions as a part of Mineral Springs Park Cannon I Picnic facilities and historic cannon. This park is well landscaped and has some mature trees. It is in good condition. Parking is not readily available. C.S. Kibbey -Boat launching ramps, restrooms, picnic Primarily a boat launching facility. It is new Memorial Boat Launch facilities, manager'ssite, and parking. and in excellent condition. Lake Michigan -Swimming beach, playground equipment, This park is owned by the State of Michigan and Beach parking maintained by Frankfort. Fishing is popular from the breakwaters. There are minimal improved facilities and parking routinely becomes short. It is an excellent sand beach; however, wind erosion appears to be a problem. Parks - In Benzie County there are about 65,250 acres of recreational/ state forest lands, 17,080 acres' of lakes and streams, 36,230 acres of open space, and 60,962 acres of other forest land. There are over 23 designated public or private parks within the county, including national, state, and local parks. The largest single park (60,748 acres planned) is the Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore. It is located along Lake Michigan in Northern Benzie County and southern Leelanau County. This park is being developed based upon the twin concepts of interpretation and recreation. The interpretation concept will be educational, focusing on the unique land forms and vegetation. The recreation concept is to provide a variety of public recreation opportunities. In general, these facilities will include: swimming, camping (modern and primitive), picnicing, snowmobiling, boating (launch and marina facilities), horse- back riding, restaurant/lodging (South Manitou Island), visitor centers, nature-hiking-bicycling trails, interpretive overlooks, and a maritime exhibit (South Manitou Island). One of the visitor centers is planned for a location on M-22 in the vicinity of Long Lake. A new park road will connect it to US31 between Beulah and Honor. A boat service to South Manitou Island is also under consideration. It would originate from the Frankfort-Elberta Harbor. The Benzie State Park has been incorporated into the National Lakeshore. Its 200 campsites are not planned for expansion by the National Park Service. The State of Michigan maintains a variety of lands along the Betsie River. These include the Betsie River State Forest and the Betsie River Wildlife Preserve. Within the county, there are more than 58,000 acres of state forest land. Unless otherwise designated, like the Wildlife Preserve, all state forest lands are open to general recreation (hunting, fishing, and camping). There are over ninety campsites (none for R.V.'s) in these state forest lands. The Betsie River wildlife preserve encompasses a low marshy area. It is located along the Betsie River and M-22 between Lake Betsie and Airport Road. There are thirteen roadside picnic tables or scenic turnouts in the county. These are typically maintained by either the state Department of Transportation or the County Road Commission. The Department of Natural Resources also maintains ten public access sites (boat launches) within the county. Environmental Management Areas - There are two environmental management areas in the Frankfort region - the Betsie River Wildlife Preserve (discussed above) and the Betsie River. The Betsie River is a state designated Natural River under P.A. 231 of 1970. Natural rivers are intended to remain free flowing and not intensively developed. Museums - The Benzie County Historical Museum is located in Benzonia. -45- 2. Private Facilities Local: Marinas - There are two private marinas in the Frankfort-Elberta Harbor Jacobson Marina and Betsie Marina. They have more than 100 slips total. Each provides a full range of marine services. Campgrounds - There is one campground in the immediate Frankfort area. It has 85 campsites with electricity and an R.V. sanitary disposal station. Summer Retreats/Camps - The Congregational Summer Assembly is a religious based summer community. It provides recreational services to its members. Crystalaire Camp, a private summer camp, is located on Crystal Lake. It has 85 campsites, and offers a full range of activities, including swimming, sailing, tennis, basketball, fishing, baseball, ceramics, weaving, and silk-screening. Crystalaire also offers specialized camps such as the 1981 Crystalaire Running Camp. Ski Areas - The Chimney Corners Ski Area is located on North Shore Road. Golf Courses - The Frankfort Golf Club is located on M-22. It has nine holes. The Crystal Downs Country Club is located on Sutter Road. It has 18 holes, and is a private course. Regional: Boating Facilities - There is a marina and a yacht club located on Crystal Lake. Several canoe rentals are located along the Betsie and Platte Rivers. Typically they spot and pick up the canoes and canoers. Often they also offer other boat rentals, souvenirs. hunting/fishing equipment, camping supplies, and convenience groceries. Campgrounds - There are seven campgrounds in the Frankfort region. They provide about 360 designated campsites. They range from modern R.V. sites to primative tenting areas. Most (321) can accommodate R.V.'s. Summer Retreats/Camps - There are a variety of summer camps and re- treats in the region. Among these is the Crystal Lake Art Center (Crystal Downs) and the National Music Camp (Interlochen). Ski Areas - Crystal Mountain is located on M-115 in Thompsonville. It has beginner, intermediate, and expert trails (14 total), lodging, dining, and entertainment. It is operated as a year-round resort with a golf course, tennis courts, and conference facilities. Golf Courses - The Crystal Lake Golf and Country Club is located in Beulah. It has 18 holes. Crystal Mountain (Thompsonville) also operates a golf course. It has 18 holes. -46- 3. Activities Frankfort and the Frankfort region offer a wide variety of recreation ac- tivities and special events. Although summer is the prime season, there are activities year round. Recreational Activities - Water sports are particularly popular in the Frankfort area. Due to its natural assets - Lake Michigan, Betsie Lake, Crystal Lake, the Betsie River, and the Platte River - it can offer most every kind of water based activity. The Frankfort-Elberta Harbor is a designated harbor of refuge and a natural stopping point for Lake Michigan boaters. The boat launching facilities also make it popular with trailer- based boaters. The area's lakes and rivers are popular for game fishing. Lamprey control and re-stocking has improved the fishing for steelhead trout, chinook salmon, coho, and brown trout. However, some reduced catches have been reported recently. Sport fishing off the harbor breakwaters is popular. The Betsie River is a designated trout stream. Hunting is also popular in the Frankfort area. Common quarry are white-tail deer, ruffed grouse, woodcock, rabbits, ducks, and geese. Many people, especially seasonal residents, enjoy the area's open space and scenic resources. They enjoy the natural diversity of the area and its natural qualities. The lakes, forests, and land forms all contribute to the visual environment. The fall "color season" is but one example. FIGURE 9: Scenic View From M-22 I FIGURE 9: Scenic V- ew From M7 _ During the winter, skiing (cross-country and downhill), ice fishing, and snow mobiling are popular. Special Events - Frankfort hosts the National Spring Festival each summer and a salmon fishing festival each August and September. Thompsonville hosts morel mushroom hunting each spring 4. Cultural and Historic Elements The National Register of Historic Places does not list any districts, sites, buildings, or structures in Frankfort. One site, the Mills Community House in Benzonia, is listed in the National Register of Historic Places. Nevertheless, the Frankfort area is rich with history. There are indian mounds located near Benzonia, and more are suspected along the Betsie River. The purported grave of Father Marquette is in Frankfort and an historic marker has been raised nearby. There is a commercial water-powered sawmill in Benzonia. The Point Betsie lighthouse is located a few miles north of Frankfort. The Michigan History Division has indicated that some of Frankfort's older neighborhoods may be eligible for designation as an historic district. The Crystal Lake Art Center is located in Crystal Downs. Presscraft Papers, a custom printing house where visitors may watch the printing, is located in Benzonia. The National Music Camp is located in nearby Interlochen. 5. Recreation/Tourism Forecasts Recreation and tourism are difficult to accurately forecast for a unit the size of Frankfort. Demand for this industry is influenced by several factors which are not within Frankfort's control. Since tourists do not recognize political bounldaries, areawide forecasts are more meaningful. The National Park Service estimates visitation at Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore will be 3,195,000 in 1983. They estimate its capacity is 3,869,000. Historically, Benzie County's population about triples in August. Monthly population multipliers are given in Table 5, on page 16. The Benzie County population has been increasing, although Frankfort's population has been decreasing. The Comprehensive Development Plan for Benzie County (Wilber Smith & Assoc. 1974) estimates a need for 470 campsites in 1983. They anticipate that the National Park Service will provide an additional 199 campsites and the remaining 271 will be provided by others (see Table 23). Michigan Department of Natural Resources has projected recreation, for the northwest (Region 10) area, to 1990. They project about a 10% increase in boating, fishing, picnicing, and lake swimming (see Table 24). -48- TABLE 23 PROJECTED CAMPSITE REQUIREMENTS TO 1983 BENZIE COUNTY, MICHIGAN Balance Needed (1983) Existing 1983 Total To Be Provided By: Area (1972) Need Required NPS* Others National 386 695 309 199 110 Lakeshore Betsie River 194 290 96 - 96 Chain Platte River 135 200 65 - 65 Chain Benzie County 715 1,185 470 199 271 Total SOURCE: Comprehensive Development Plan, Benzie County Michigan, Benzie County Planning Commission, Wilber Smith & Assoc., May, 1974 *: National Park Service TABLE 24 RECREATION PARTICIPATION BY ACTIVITY REGION 10 PERCENT OF CHANGE ACTIVITY 1972 1980 1990 1972-80 1980-90 Picnicing Number Participant 199,000 219,000 242,000 10.4 10.5 Activity Days 2,376,000 2,608,000 2,875,000 9.8 10.2 Swim in Lakes No. Part. 257,000 283,000 306,000 10.1 8.1 Act. Days 6,251,000 6,874,000 7,357,000 10.0 7.0 Power Boating No. Part. 179,000 199,000 217,000 11.3 9.0 Act. Days 3,120,000 3,468,000 3,768,000 11.2 8.6 Other Boating No. Part. 71,000 79,000 86,000 12.1 9.1 Act. Days 1,129,000 1,267,000 1,381,000 12.3 9.0 Fishing No. Part. 197,000 218,000 238,000 10.3 9.4 Act. Days 4,011,000 4,442,000 4,839,000 10.8 8.9 SOURCE: Department of Natural Resources, State of Michigan Resource Reports, Planning Region 10 * -AQ- I ~~~~~~~~~~ANALYSIS I ~INTRODUCTION This section contains an economic analysis and open space assessment of the Data Base. Frankfort has many assets and some potential problems. They are discussed in this section.. Ii~~. Economic Analysis Economic Base - The basic economic purpose of a community is often expressed u ~as the "Economic Base". This is the main driving force of the local economy. Lumber was the original economic base. Tourism was soon added. When the lumber industry declined, the economic base changed to general agriculture. Today, the economic base is tourism agricultural processing, transportation, and manufacturing. -Tourism and agricultural processing are not only seasonal, but very dependent on favorable weather. The transportation component is mainly dependent upon railroad and car ferry service. The loss (or temporary failure) of one or more of these components would have a serious effect on 3 ~Frankfort's economy. Future Economic Growth - The Kearney Study forecsts an. 8% increase in cross- lake traffic (1985) under a "no-change" scenario. They also predict a 60% 'I ~increase under the most favorable scenario, or a 50% decrease under the least favorable scenario, Presently there are several state actions pending which could affect these forecasts. I ~Regional forecasts of industrial growth are good. Growth in the manufacture of electrical machinery, equipment, and supplies; and textiles and textile products are anticipated. Frankfort's industrial growth will depend on its ability to compete in the region, and the on the national economy. R ~The exploration/production of oil and gas has been identified as a regional growth industry. The Frankfort-Elberta port may be in a desirable position to provide transportation and support services to this industry. Tourism is forecasted to increase in the area due to national lakeshore. The U ~National Park Service predicts that by 1085 park visitation will increase to I a~bout 83% of capacity or 3,195,000. A need for about 470 additional campsites in Benzie County has been identified. Frankfort's tourism will depend on three factors: 1) Its draw from the National Lakeshore, especially day excursions and people coming/leaving the park. 2) Its ability to develop alternate recreational attractions (such as I ~ ~~boating) and alternate seasonal attractions (such as winter sports. 3) The weather. 3 -~~~~~~~~~~~50- In our auto-dependent society, a community can be very dependent on its highway service. The main approach to the National Lakeshore is expected to be from the south along US31, which bypasses Frankfort. Thus communities such as Benzonia and Beulah will be in a good position (geographically) to attract tourists from the National Lakeshore. Frankfort, however, is not without its advantages in this respect. The car ferry provides a tourist I ~stream from Wisconsin and points west, from which Frankfort can draw. In addition, M-22 can be promoted as the "scenic and educational" route. I ~Frankfort's natural features (especially Lake Michigan and Betsie Lake) present an opportunity to develop a specialty shopping and dining atmosphere, which would not be available along US-31. Economic Variables - As are most small communities, Frankfort's economy is I ~related to the national economy. If it slumps, then so will Frankfort's. Since agri cul ture and tourism are-dependent on favorable weather conditions, important components of Frankfort's economy would be adversely affected by unfavorable weather. A prolonged period of poor weather would severely impact I ~the tourist industry. The elimination of car ferry and related railroad linkages would adversely affect Frankfort's unemployment picture, and isolate several regional industries. I ~Elimination of the automobile and passenger cross-lake service would cut off a tourist stream upon which Frankfort's tourism is very dependent. Infrastructure and Physical Implications - Of all the economic variables, I ~infrastructure and physical development are most directly under local control. Frankfort can create opportunities for economic growth through the development of roads and utilities. Many communities, including Frankfort, have extended I ~this concept by developing industrial parks. Communities can also encourage physical development (which in turn would produce economic growth) through various financing, regulatory approval, and management techniques. Tax abate- I ~ments and economic development corporation bonds are amoung the most common. I ~On the Frankfort waterfront, the City Marina is a good example of these techniques. This marina, developed with public funds supports the tourist industry and many secondary economic components. Many similar opportunities, especially joint public-private, exist along the Fran kfort waterfront. 2. Open Space Assessment 3 ~Available data and local input suggests that the open space and recreational needs of the local population, with respect to the coastal zone, are being met. There is excellent public access to Betsie Lake and good access to Lake 3 ~Michigan. Betsie Lake open space will increase when the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers U ~confined disposal facility is finished. At that time, all the shoreline between 5th Street and 10th Street will be used for public recreation. Much of the Betsie Lake shoreline is not in a natural state. The entire shoreline from the Coast Guard Station to (and including) Mineral Spring Park has been improved with man-made structures. Many of the soils in this area are fill and most of the lake bottom has been dredged. The area between Mineral Spring Park and the C.S. Kibbey Memorial Boat Launch is I ~committed for the confined disposal facility. When it is constructed, the natural areas in this stretch will be filled and improved. Thus between the Coast Guard Station and the boat launch no environmental management � ~areas exist. Between 10th Street and Lake Street, is an industrial area. With the exception of a channel to the Luedtke construction yard, most of the shore- 5 ~line is unimproved. I~~~~~~~~~~~-2