News photo by Kayla Wikaryasz On Tuesday Michael Kramer is seen giving public comments during the Alpena County Board of Commissioners Finance, Ways, and Means committee meeting.

KAYLA WIKARYASZ

News Staff Writer

ALPENA — Concerns of residents about the fairgrounds development project dominated public comment at Tuesday’s Alpena County Board of Commissioners Finance, Ways, and Means committee meeting. Banter between board members and the public forced Board Chairman John Kozlowski to use his gavel several times to regain decorum.

Public comment centered on the polarizing debate of a fairground development proposal and the county’s decision to move forward with negotiations without the fair board.

During the first public comment portion of the meeting, Alpena resident Justin Sorensen presented questions to county commissioners, stating he is unsure there are authentic supporters of the proposal.

“There has been a lot of talk and not a lot of action, but my question is, all of the things that we have seen about this project with the fairgrounds, who is in support of this?” he said. “I can say there’s probably people in every commissioner’s district that have come forward and shown that they do not trust this project. They do not want this project. I would like to know, why has there been no one come forward and said, ‘We want this?'”

At the second public comment portion of the meeting, Alpena resident Michael Kramer gave a comment noting that he is in support of the project.

“I’m rising to speak for the apparently silent majority of Alpena citizens that appreciate the heavy lifting that you guys are doing to try and make the fairgrounds into a viable, sustainable asset,” he said. “It is a huge asset for Alpena County and we are not utilizing that asset very effectively at all.”

“My wife and I walk down there a lot and we look at it … it’s just unused and it’s decrepit, falling apart. We need to stop that,” he added.

Board Vice Chair Brenda Fournier also gave comments at the end of the meeting stating that residents of Alpena County have approached her, sharing concerns that they are afraid to speak in support of the project out of fear of being bullied or harassed.

At the meeting Fournier suggested that community members are “not speaking out” because “they are scared to death of the fair board.”

Members of the public laughed in response to her statement.

Fournier clarified on Wednesday and told The News that she meant to say community members who are in support of the project are concerned about receiving harassment on social media from those who are against the project.

She added that she believes discourse online has negatively impacted the trajectory of the development project.

“I think it got out of hand from the get go,” she said.

The News asked Alpena County Fair Board President Courtney Tauriainen for comment regarding Fournier’s claims. Via text message, Tauriainen said she believes the board acted professionally throughout the whole process.

“The fair board directors have presented themselves with nothing but professionalism since the initial presentation of this proposal,” she said. “I choose not to respond to Commissioner Fournier’s comments. I will use my time constructively to preserve and protect the future and integrity of the Alpena County Fair.”

The News also asked Tauriainen if she believes the behavior of those debating the project online and on social media is harmful for either side. She said that she believes that “open discussion” is representative of “healthy communities.”

“People have the right to form beliefs and opinions through their own experiences, observations, and research,” she said. “Open discussion and disagreement are part of healthy communities and helps bring differing perspectives to the conversation.”

Kozlowski told The News that he hasn’t had anyone personally approach him concerning fear of harassment but that he understands how business owners, for example, would be intimidated to speak out for or against a project like Blackwaters in fear of their business being negatively impacted.

“I can see that happening in a small town,” he added. “It could impact a person’s business.”

Though some residents may feel like their opinions are not considered, Kozlowski said that he takes in consideration comments made during public comment and direct conversations from constituents before making decisions.

“I do take people’s comments to heart,” he said. “For anybody that says that (their opinion) doesn’t matter .. it does matter. It raises questions for me. I do hear people’s comments and I try to investigate.”

For example, Kozlowski said that concerns regarding the Bi-Path and the boat launch made sense to him and he said that he is advocating that those parts of the property stay accessible to the public.

“I thought that is a good point and we should keep that open so people can use it,” he said.

Kozlowski also noted claims made online and during public comment that the City of Alpena has been kept in the dark about the project. He said that is false as Blackwaters “didn’t go straight to Alpena County.”

He explained that Blackwaters first approached the city with its plans before approaching the county.

“The city is aware of what is going on,” he added. “The city would have known before the county.”

Alpena County Commissioner Dan Ludlow said that he is also not privy to any direct harassment from the opposing side, though it could be true.

“I don’t know of anybody that has talked to me but that doesn’t mean it isn’t happening,” he said.

Mirroring Kozlowski’s statements, Ludlow said that the opinions and comments from the public are important and that he takes them seriously.

“I take everyone’s opinions and use them for my decisions,” he said.

He added that the discourse online is not constructive and that information shared is often misleading.

“Number one, I try to avoid that whole thing,” he said. “A lot of stuff on Facebook, social media, is half truths … someone made up a story,” he said. “That causes more problems than solutions … but everybody is entitled to their opinion.”

Kayla Wikaryasz can be reached at 989-358-5688 or kwikaryasz@TheAlpenaNews.com.