Message from the Board of Directors President (November 2025)

This month we are transitioning out of fall as most of the trees are now bare and we are getting ready for winter and for some of us we are getting ready to head into the woods for annual November ritual of deer season. We did see a very minor snowfall this week, but I think many of you that live south might have received much more snow that we did. As usual, there is still much activity happening within the Association.

The committee working on the pool replacement and expanded fitness center project has expanded to nearly 20 members that will be helping in different aspects of the project. Several sub-committees were formed such as; design/cost sub-committee to work with the architects on a revised plan that would reduce the project cost by a minimum of $250,000, a special assessments sub-committee is working on the funding aspect of the project, a get out the vote sub-committee that will be calling members reminding them to return their proxy forms and answer any questions members may have on the project. As of today, we have an alternative plan, “Plan B”, that we fully expect will be less in overall cost, but it does come with sacrifices from the original design. The architects are working with contractors to get us a cost estimate for the revised plan. No decision has been made to scrap the original plan and only move forward with the revised plan as the special assessment sub-committee is looking into how much of a mortgage the Association can afford that would reduce the amount of the special assessment for either design (Original or Plan B).

We are researching enrolling the PIHA Common Properties into the Family Forest Carbon Program which would provide the Association with an income stream and allow us to get a Forest Management Plan created. If you are not familiar with a Forest Carbon program, is a pathway for landowners to improve forest health and help mitigate climate change while earning an income to cover the cost of taking care of their land. It helps landowners implement improved forestry practices in their woodlands that result in greater amounts of carbon stored in their trees. Companies and other organizations can purchase verified carbon credits generated from the additional carbon sequestered on woodlands enrolled in the program. For example, Taylor Swift buys carbon credits primarily to offset the environmental impact of her private jet travel, which has drawn significant public criticism due to its high carbon emissions. California operates one of the most robust carbon markets in the world and every business that emits emissions into the air must purchase carbon credits to offset their emissions.

As everyone is likely already aware, both petitions filed in the 53RD Circuit Court for Presque Isle County Court to establish Lake Level SADs were denied by the Hon. Kimberly S. Gildner, Presiding Judge on Monday November 3rd, 2025. What does this mean? As of this update, the establishment of the SADs for both lakes and the requested changes to the existing Lake Level Orders for both lakes will not occur. However, the next steps are now with the Presque Isle County Board of Commissioners as to how they will proceed.

We continue to work the past-due member accounts. Additional invoices are being mailed, phone calls are being placed, and small claims court cases continue to be filed. In the cases where we have received a judgment, but the responsibly party has not paid we are moving to set-up garnishments or have a warrant issued against the individual. This brings me to my next subject that maybe some will not agree with me, but I recently purchased some land in the area and the Title company made the following clear to me:” Since closing is so close to the Winter Tax bills coming out – the treasurer may still have their system set up with the seller’s name. So, if you do not receive the winter tax bill in the mail, it is still YOUR responsibility to pay those”. Why do I mention this? It is every members responsibility to pay your PIHA Annual Assessment on time as they are due the same time every year. All the effort that we must spend on collecting unpaid assessments is just money wasted that could be used for member services. Unfortunately, we are spending money on collections and not member services.

We continue to work with PIE&G regarding the issue of them not supplying sufficient power capacity at the Campground, this remains as work-in-progress. All but 2 trailers were all moved into storage at the Campground by the bonded and insured mover this past Saturday and Tim and the Campground Manager are getting everything ready for the Seasonal Rate drawing on Monday December 1st at 1:30pm at the Clubhouse, members do not need to be present.

If you are interested in serving on a PIHA committee, please reach out to the Chair of the committee or any of the BOD members. You can find the contacts for the Committees on the “About Us” tab on the PIHA website.

From a Social Activities standpoint, here are events planned out for the next 30 days; On Thursday November 27th, join the PIHA family for Thanksgiving Dinner at the Clubhouse! The Social Activities Committee will provide turkey, gravy, and drinks (water, coffee, tea). Members to provide side dishes. Register at the Clubhouse desk and receive a ticket for entry & sign up to bring a side dish. You MUST have a ticket to enter as the Clubhouse is closed on Thanksgiving Day. Doors open at 3:00pm with dinner served at 4:00pm. On Saturday November 29th is the annual Outdoor Christmas Tree Lighting ceremony at 7PM. Enjoy hot chocolate and Christmas caroling to celebrate the start of this beautiful season! Tree lighting will occur in the PIHA Clubhouse parking lot. On Saturday December 6th is Christmas in Presque Isle. This is not sponsored by PIHA, but is a daylong event hosted by multiple community groups. The Natural Resources Committee is sponsoring a trail hike at the New Lighthouse at 4:30pm, the hike will be the trails around the point at the New Lighthouse.

Click here for a link to see all the activities for Christmas in Presque Isle.

On Saturday December 13th at 10am is Breakfast with Santa serving pancakes & sausage, crafts, cookie decorating, games and coloring. Bring your wish list for Santa! This is a great event for the kids and has been a big hit every year! That same day in the evening will be a Christmas Potluck at 5pm, bring your favorite potluck dish to share and join holiday celebrations with friends in our community!

I am sure I missed something and did not cover all the organizations in the area that may be hosting events. Please always review the PIHA website, Grand Lake Association website, & Presque Isle Township Museum Society websites for the most accurate details on all these events.

In addition to all the events and activities mentioned above, don’t forget we have shuffleboard courts at the Clubhouse, jumbo Jenga set, basketball equipment is available at the Clubhouse, indoor games, volleyball, horseshoes.

The next PIHA Board meeting will be Tuesday December 9th, starting at 6pm.

Best regards,

Michael Grochola
President – PIHA Board of Directors

Grand Lake & Lake Esau Special Assessment Districts (SAD) – Status as of 11/10/25

Both of the petitions filed in the 53RD Circuit Court for Presque Isle County Court to establish Lake Level SADs were denied by the Hon. Kimberly S. Gildner, Presiding Judge on Monday November 3rd, 2025.

What does this mean? As of today, the establishment of the SADs for both lakes and the requested changes to the existing Lake Level Orders for both lakes will not occur. However, the next steps are now with the Presque Isle County Board of Commissioners as to how they will proceed.

Camper’s Village Water Shut-off Date

The water system at the campground will be shut down for the season on November 3rd. The bath house/restrooms will also close this same day. A port-a-potty will be available adjacent to the camper’s pavilion.

Pool & Fitness Center Project Updates

For anyone looking for continued updates and information on the PIHA Pool Replacement and Expanded Fitness Center project, a new tab called “Pool and Fitness Center Updates” has been created on our website that is dedicated to this project. It can be found under “News & Events” tab on our homepage.

Official Information regarding 2026 Seasonal Camping Rate:

• Any members in good standing who have not already done so and would like to be included in the list for the seasonal camping rate draw must contact the Campground Manager’s Office at (989)595-2174 by 5:00pm on Friday November 28^th.
• An open meeting to draw for the 37 available seasonal rate discounts will be held on December 1^st at 1:30pm at the Clubhouse.  You will not need to be present.
• Season is from May 1st to October 31st.
• The seasonal rate of $2,200.00 includes electricity.
• Members selected will be contacted by the Campground Manager to make a site selection.
• A nonrefundable deposit of $1,100.00 will be required at the time a site is assigned for the season.
• The deposit may be refundable under extreme circumstances with the approval of the Executive Director.

Pool Committee Newsletter (9/26/25)
The Pool Committee met on September 24, 2025. The increase in numbers of involved members, now at 18, and their enthusiasm brought new energy to the committee.
While most of the votes received on the pool replacement and expanded fitness center project was “Yes” (63%), it wasn’t enough to approve the project, which requires a 66.67% majority for the special assessment to pass per the Restrictive Covenants that govern the Association.  Given that a majority of members did vote “Yes”, we think it is important to try to understand why some members voted “No” and to determine if modifications to the project and special assessment amount could get us to the 66.67% votes needed to approve the project. Therefore, the pool committee will continue and develop recommendations to provide to the Board of Directors to vote upon a path forward.
The committee reviewed and discussed the comments on the proxies from members who voted “No” and considered the reasons why many members may have not voted at all, with the goal of developing ideas to convince more members to vote “Yes”. The committee also discussed ways to potentially reduce the special assessment amount by modifying the current project and/or identifying different financing options.
The committee agreed to develop subcommittees to do more research and propose recommendations to the Board of Directors:
1. Research Committee – Survey membership and analyze voting results to understand why they might have voted “No” or why they did not vote at all.
2. Communications Committee – Identify different methods of communicating information on the project.
3. Design Committee – Consult with our architects to identify where changes could be made to the current design to reduce costs but retain key changes that members requested from the previous surveys.
4. Get out the Vote Committee – Identify methods to encourage all members to vote.
5. Special Assessment Committee – Review financing options, special assessment amount, and payment options for the special assessment. The pool committee extends an invitation to any member who would like more involvement with this commitment to preserve and improve the great facilities we all enjoy here at PIHA.
Respectfully submitted by David Larkin, Committee Chair

Important Notice Regarding PIHA Campers Village (9/26/25)

At the end of the 2025 Camping Season (December 1^st, 2025) all RV’s, accessory structures, and all other personal items are required to be removed from all seasonal sites to allow for needed maintenance to be completed.  As an option for seasonal campers (this year only) on November 8^th, any RV’s ready to be moved to storage can be moved at no charge by our licensed and insured contractor.  This must be requested in advance by the owner no later than October 31^st, 2025.  Seasonal Campers will be provided free storage until April 30^th, 2026.  Please contact the Campground Office if you need assistance removing accessory structures.  Any property not removed by April 30^th, 2026 will be removed by PIHA at the owner’s expense. 

Per the previous notice we are announcing the following additional information for the 2026 Camping Season:

2026 Campground Rates were established at the September 9^th, 2025, Regular Board Meeting. 

• 2026 Seasonal Rate (includes electric) May 1^st through October 31^st – $2,200.00
• 2026 Transient Camping Rate – $38.00/night
• 2026 Rustic Camping Rate (no electric or water) – $25.00/night
• 2026 Cabin #1 – $80.00/night + 1 day security deposit
• 2026 Cabin #2 – $120.00/night + 1 day security deposit

There will be a lottery to allocate a limited number of sites at the 2026 Seasonal Rate and each year going forward.  If you want to be part of the lottery for a Seasonal Rate for the 2026 Camping Season, please contact the Campground Office.

The lottery details, including date and time of the lottery, will be announced once it has been finalized by the Rules Committee and approved by the Board of Directors.

Special Assessment Voting Results (9/20/25)

To view results of the recent voting of the Special Assessment for the pool replacement and expanded fitness center project, click here.

Owners Forms Now Downloadable on Website

Information on PIHA by-laws and policies tab is now available in a downloadable form under the “Owners” tab of the PIHA website

Summary of PIHA Annual Meeting (June 2025)

The 51^st Annual Meeting of the Presque Isle Harbor Association is in the books! And it was a great meeting with awesome attendance. A huge ‘thank you’ to all that attended!
The first presentation was regarding the proposed pool project. The BOD secured the services of Shoreline Architects, from Petoskey, to design the new pool area and fitness center. Shoreline had a video presentation of the overall design including the new pool area, wading area, spa and disability entry to the pool and spa. Additionally, the proposal includes an enlarged fitness room, improved locker rooms and new family/disability changing rooms. Those drawings will remain available for review in the clubhouse. Shoreline is setting up a website for all members to access to view the materials that were presented in the meeting. Shoreline answered all questions from the membership. A couple of ideas were presented that the BOD will need to discuss.

Mike Grochola, Chair of the Pool Committee, presented the financial piece of this project. While the actual costs of the project will not be known until the project is formally bid on by contractors, Shoreline has discussed the project with a local commercial contractor in Alpena and the BOD has a written estimate on the installation of the pool and spa. At this point, we have high confidence in the total cost of the project. PIHA is prepared to cover the 20% down payment and closing costs for a short-term commercial building loan with the balance to be assessed to members in a one-time special assessment. The Special Assessment will be based on the present dues assessment methodology of primary lot is 100%, and secondary lots are 50% of the primary fee. Each primary lot would receive an assessment of $900 if paid in full when the assessment is charged. Secondary lots would be $450 if paid in full at time of assessment. The BOD has proposed the payment plan allowing members to pay the special assessment over 3 years but would increase the cost somewhat to $1000 for the primary lot and $500 for the secondary lots. The payments would be split into equal payments over the 3 year period.

Annual Financial Audit: The results of the Annual Audit performed by an independent CPA firm was presented by Vickie Fields. Our auditors again find our association to be in good financial standing. Unfortunately, we did not receive copies of the Audit Report prior to this meeting. Copies will be available Monday, June 23 at the clubhouse. Copies should be available for download online shortly.

The minutes from the June 2024 Annual Meeting were read and approved. Those minutes will be posted to the webpage.

Tim Supinger, Executive Director, presented a report on the Association. The new roof has been completed (except over the pool building). He expects to receive a final claim decision from the arbitration judge by the end of next week.

Committee liaisons presented their reports. If you are interested in joining a committee, look to our website to see the chairperson or the board liaison – contact individual for further information.

The Natural Resources Committee meets monthly with a goal to promote being outdoors and enjoying the beauty we have here in PIHA.

The committee has supported the following:

• Monthly organized trail hikes that normally end with a cook-out, they are posted on the website, FB, and Activities board in the Clubhouse. The upcoming dates are June 28th, July 19th, August 23rd, September 27th, October 18th
• Created a new trail connecting Trails #1 and #2 to avoid the use of Briar Lane, the trail is still under construction but can be used
• Implemented a Trail Hazard reporting mechanism on the website
• Worked with the PIHA Maintenance Department to keep all the trails open
• Worked to clear debris from the Ice Storm on all trails along with many others in the community
• Created the 2025 Summer Trail Challenge to encourage members to get out and enjoy the PIHA trails and to find the hidden tokens for prizes
• Heather Rawlings, Fish and Wildlife Biologist, has agreed to lead both the September and October hikes. Her suggestions are: Ocqueoc Falls, Besser Natural Area, Southern part of Rockport Recreation Area for bats, quarry and sinkholes.
• The hike on June 28th will be to promote the PIHA Trail Challenge
• The committee is open to additional members that would be interested in serving

Communication Committee: You should be receiving a monthly correspondence from PIHA. We communicate via 4 sources:

1) All notices are posted on our website, www.presqueisleharbor.org

2) All notices are posted on our Facebook page

3) Emails go out to all members with a current email on file and

4) All events are on the bulletin board in the clubhouse.

If you are not receiving at least monthly correspondence from PIHA, please verify your email address with the staff and check your spam folder.

Rules Committee: A few updates were approved by the board. There is a definition of ‘domestic partner’ and approved such as ‘immediate family’. In addition, we have defined acceptable fireworks at the campground. The updated rules should be available on our website in a downloadable form within the next week. In addition, you can obtain a current copy from the staff. The required form for any new or changes to the structure on your lot is now available for download with a link in Rule 21 or under ‘downloadable forms’ on the webpage.

Clubhouse, Beach and Pool Committee: The GL Beach House will be staffed daily from 12-8pm through summer. The restrooms at NB Beach House will remain locked. You can get the door code from the front desk.

Awards were present to outgoing board members: Rob Crook, Dennis Fauver and Matt Ulrich.  Thank you for your commitment to PIHA. It is truly a blessing that our board members give freely of their time, education, experience and commitment for a minimum of 3 years.  Thank you so much!!!

The results of the Election were announced before closing the Annual Meeting. The new/returning Board members for a 3-year (2025 – 2028) term are:

Rob Crook: His second 3-year term

Sarah Moe Melching: New member – elected to a 3-year term

Anna Skowronek: New member – elected to a 3-year term.

The meeting was adjourned at 1:05pm

Upcoming Committee Meetings

To view any upcoming PIHA committee meetings, please follow the tab located at the top of the website called “News and Events – Calendar of Events” (or click here) to view any scheduled committee meetings.