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Baileys Harbor Zip Line OK’d

The Peninsula Room of the Door County Government Center looked like a Baileys Harbor reunion the night of June 4 when a public hearing was held by the Door County Board of Adjustment (BOA) on a proposed zip line for Baileys Harbor.

The majority of people in attendance were in support of the zip line planned by Todd Haleen, owner of First Choice Charter fishing and Lakeshore Adventures in Baileys Harbor.

Haleen had hoped to open the zip line this July because the project found unanimous approval from the Baileys Harbor Plan Commission and Town Board in March, and was then approved for a conditional use permit on April 3 by the county’s Resource Planning Commission.

But rival zip line operator Michael Fischer of Gravity Trails, which operates at Egg Harbor Fun Park, spent $450 to file an appeal on May 2, saying the Baileys Harbor zip line plan “did not meet the burden of proof for all criteria against which a conditional use permit must be evaluated” and that “the proposed project is not consistent with the comprehensive plan.”

His appeal forced another review of the project in a public hearing before the BOA.

First to testify before the board was Gordon Rowley, who chairs the Baileys Harbor Plan Commission, and who noted that Haleen’s plan received unanimous support from the Plan Commission because it fits into the town’s plan to emphasize locally owned small businesses.

Haleen testified that the application sailed through the appropriate town and county agencies without any opposition, except one letter from Baileys Harbor resident Mike Neal, whose home would face the parking lot. Haleen said he talked with Neal and moved the parking lot and planted a couple of trees to help avoid his line of sight.

“But we were totally blindsided by a direct competitor that never submitted anything (during the process),” Haleen said. “Michael Fischer of Gravity Trails was the only person who came to the hearing in opposition. He came with a barrage of detailed questions and false statements in an attempt to stop us from continuing.”

Haleen said a letter of opposition submitted by Fischer stated, “that safety was not a concern of mine.”

“My company has taken more than 5,000 groups out into the open waters of Lake Michigan, and in more than 40 years has never once had an accident. That’s a lot of trips,” Haleen said.

He also mentioned kayak tours, scuba diving trips, and bicycle and jet ski rentals without an accident.

“The only way that is possible – safety is and always has been my No. 1 concern,” Haleen said.

Haleen also mentioned an unsigned letter that was sent to residents of the Sun Plaza subdivision in Baileys Harbor, which was meant to look like a document from the county Planning Department. Haleen lives in the subdivision himself and said when the letter arrived to “stir up the neighbors” of the planned zip line – which Haleen said is ½-mile from the site – he knocked on each door and explained what was going on. He described the unsigned letter as one of the “malicious tactics” used by his zip line competitor.

Haleen wound up his testimony by saying, “A negative approach to competition only fosters hard feelings and never has a positive impact on the people involved. Working alongside competitors and exiting businesses to provide better and safer services is the only answer.”

In his sworn testimony before the commission, Fischer said he filed the appeal because he was concerned about the consistency of decisions by the county rather than this particular project.

“The system only works if everyone plays by the same rules,” Fischer told the commission.

“Zoning is not a perfect tool,” commission chair Lars Johnson told Fischer.

The zip line property is at 8650 Hwy 57 and consists of 21 acres owned by Haleen’s friend Chris Warecki, who said he bought the property to develop a subdivision, but when the bottom fell out of the housing market, Warecki sold a chunk of the property to his neighbor, The Ridges Sanctuary, and retained the 21 acres. Haleen will lease the property from Warecki.

Due to the delay caused by the appeal, Haleen said it’s too late to try to open the zip line this year, but he expects to be up and running next spring.

“I was happy with the numbers who came out in support. A lot of people from Baileys Harbor,” Haleen said after the meeting. “I’m pleased by the decision, and it’s going to be really good for Baileys Harbor. It will add a lot to what we have to offer.”