John Hall chair of Rotary Camps and Services introduced the program for the day by first acknowledging those members who have spent an inordinate amount of time over the last year and a half working on the purchase of the former Traverse City Light and Power Coal Properties.

This meeting was a chance for us to be heard through the magic of technology, giving immediate feedback and interest tracking. Through a series of questions we were able to help prioritize the focal points to be observed. An interesting process that I am sure will be aggregated and presented for future reference. Bob Stow gave an overview of this community based project and John Noonan was responsible for bringing the technology alive for us to give our impressions.

Hall first introduced Mike Dow acknowledging his generous donation of land that became home to The Discovery Center and helped lead the way to an even greater expansion that will now include this new purchase. By working with Elmwood Township, the Greilickville location will open the area for use by locals and tourists alike making this corridor a valuable addition to our park and recreation system.

As such, Mike Dow was honored with a Paul Harris Fellowship, along with those members of Rotary Camps and Services -  Mike Wills, Rob Lovell, John Noonan and Bob Stow ­– whose efforts and energy have made this project a reality we can all be very proud of. Congratulations to each of these honored people.