Showboat, Teelander Resignation and Airbnb Rentals Focus of City Council Mtg

More than 30 citizens filled the council chambers last night, likely spurred in part by news that Lowell had removed the name “Robert E. Lee” from its Showboat. However, if they were hoping for some explanation from City Council, it wouldn’t be forthcoming. While citizens shared their views on the subject, council members were mum.

While the Showboat might have been what drew people to the meeting, it wasn’t the only thing on the agenda. The council also accepted Alan Teelander’s resignation and were asked whether they wanted to consider an ordinance to allow rentals in the city through websites such as Airbnb.

Showboat Spurs Citizen Comments, Not Much Else

A Lowell resident shares his thoughts about changing the name on the showboat.

Before moving to the first agenda item, Mayor Mike DeVore turned the floor over to City Manager Mike Burns. He read a statement reiterating previous comments explaining his decision to remove the name “Robert E. Lee” from the Lowell Showboat. He said the committee working to rebuild the boat was already discussing a name change.

“No matter what path I chose, someone was going to be unhappy,” Burns said. He added that recent events, including the violence that occurred during demonstrations in Charlottesville over a Confederate monument there, played into his decision.

During citizen comments for items not on the agenda, five people spoke. They included one Zeeland resident and four Lowell residents and were nearly evenly split between those for and against removing the name “Robert E. Lee” from the showboat.

Tonia North of Lowell said her concern wasn’t about changing the name as much as the feeling that it was forced upon the community. “We wanted to be able to do that [change the name] on our terms, not on our country’s terms,” she said. Another Lowell resident asked about the process for reinstating the showboat’s name, but no information was provided in reply.

Council members did not respond to citizens other than to thank them for their comments.

Teelander Resigns, Applications Being Accepted for Vacant Seat

Alan Teelander explains his reasons for resigning from the Lowell City Council.

After citizen comments on the showboat, an emotional Alan Teelander took the podium to explain his resignation from the council. He noted he has biracial grandchildren and was distressed to be accused of racism because of his comments about the showboat’s name.

While Teelander says he is not racist, he did feel as though this was the right time to step away from the council so he could focus on personal interests. “I haven’t had my bass boat in the water in three years,” he said. “It’s time.”

Teelander noted he had become involved in city politics because he was worried about the future of the community, but he believes it is in good hands now. “Know we are better now that we were two years ago,” he said while concluding his comments.

After his remarks, the City Council voted to accept Teelander’s resignation. Under the city charter, a replacement must be named to fill the vacant seat within 30 days. Interested city residents should submit a letter of interest to the city clerk no later than 12pm on August 31, 2017.

Should Airbnb Rentals be in Lowell?

The last major issue to be discussed during the meeting was whether Airbnb rentals should be allowed in the city. Apparently one resident was renting out his home while he was temporarily living elsewhere. When neighbors complained about the extra traffic and noise, the city contacted the owner and learned it was being rented to travelers.

Currently, city ordinances do not allow short-term vacation rentals in Lowell. “Once you turn these into a rental property, technically you would lose your homestead right,” Burns said of one hurdle to legalizing these arrangements for residents.

However, the property owner in question sent a letter requesting that the rentals be regulated and not banned by the city. He noted that vacationers inject money into the local economy, and owners of temporary rentals are highly motivated to keep their property maintained and their neighbors happy. “After spending $50,000 to fix up my house, the last thing I want it someone coming and being disrespectful,” he wrote

Burns suggested the council might want to send the issue to the Planning Commission for consideration, and DeVore indicated it would be good to have a Committee of the Whole with the commission prior to a future City Council meeting.

Other Business and Council Comments

In other business, City Council approved the closure of Broadway Street in October for Larkin’s Annual Chili Cook-Off. Proceeds from this year’s event will go to fund the Rebuild the Showboat effort.
The council also passed a resolution designating September 15, 2017 as Prisoner of War/Missing in Action Recognition Day.

During council comments, members noted they took a trip to Fenton to see the work Burns had done there as that community’s assistant city manager. The visit was deemed highly positive. Councilmember Greg Canfield also said the Lowell Dog Park is in need of additional donations for maintenance, and Jim Hodges noted the Pink Arrow Community Day was a wonderful event. DeVore said he was at the Kent County 4-H Youth Fair for five out of seven days, and the annual event was a great success.

The meeting wrapped up in 42 minutes. The next Lowell City Council meeting will be held on September 5th at 7pm in City Hall.

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