18-03-2025
Speakers talk education, community needs during Harbor Springs State of the Community
HARBOR SPRINGS — Community leaders and residents met at the Pier Restaurant in Harbor Springs on Thursday, March 13 to discuss the State of the Community.
The event featured people from various sectors of the Harbor Springs community speaking about the work they're doing in education, business, public safety and more.
Bonnie Kulp, executive director of the Harbor Springs Area Chamber of Commerce, and Derrick Brown, the board chairman for the chamber, spoke during the event.
"Our mission to promote, enhance and contribute to the success of our business community and enrich the visitor experience guides every action we take," Brown said. "Over the past year, we've continued to build on our strong tradition of community engagement and economic development."
He added that the chamber has 464 active members, including 46 new ones that joined in 2024. Additionally, there are 74 nonprofit members, many of whom are sponsored by other businesses and community members for their membership.
Additionally, the weekly newsletter has more than 4,600 contacts with a 57% open rate.
The chamber was also able to award a $3,000 culinary scholarship during the group's 29th annual Taste of Harbor Springs event.
Harbor Springs Public Schools Superintendent Brad Plackemeier and Char-Em ISD Superintendent Scott Koziol spoke about their organizations and the opportunities they offer for area students.
Plackemeier said the district is lucky to offer as many options as it does for such a small district, with less than 800 enrolled students. From things like robotics to CTE courses to athletics, there are many extracurricular options for students in Harbor Springs.
Harbor Springs hosts the audio engineering and video editing, drones and cosmetology CTE courses for the ISD. Next year, Plackemeier said the cosmetology program will likely have students with enough hours to allow them to offer haircuts and facials.
Plackemeier also spoke about the status of construction projects taking place in the district, including the new Shay Elementary School. The brand new school is open for its first year.
Koziol spoke about the various CTE courses that are available to local students, as well as the funding that goes to each district as a part of the ISD's regional enhancement millage. The 10-year millage proposal allows districts to offer more options and opportunities for their communities.
Koziol added that there are 1,300 students in the Char-Em ISD enrolled in its special education services, which cover ages 0-26.
More: Harbor Springs schools get ready for summer construction projects
City manager Victor Sinadinoski spoke about various projects happening in the city during the State of the Community.
For example, Sinadinoski provided information about construction projects coming to Kiwanis Park, the continued work from the planning commission on updating the zoning code and the electrical substation project that is needed to handle the added electrical load during the summer.
Additionally, he touched on collaborations between the Harbor Springs Area Historical Society and the city in creating a historical corridor. That partnership will continue with the addition of a locomotive to Shay Park and upgrades to the Andrew J. Blackbird Museum and Shay Hexagon House.
More: Harbor Springs Area Historical Society wrapping up fund drive for Main Street projects
Harbor Springs Police Chief Kyle Knight celebrated the successes of the past year, including collaborating with Harbor Springs Public Schools to host a School Resource Officer.
Since Knight started at the department in 2017, he said he has seen the average age of the staff go down and miles traveled and time on foot patrol go up.
"One of my objectives being the chief is to try to get us out on the road," Knight said. "Be visible, be available and just make a difference — and part of that is we do less reports and it's helped us."
He also spoke about the department's reaccreditation from CALEA, which they earned again in 2024.
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Pellston Regional Airport Director Ryan Bachelor spoke about his work at the airport and the impact it has on the community.
According to Bachelor, the airport directly or indirectly provides $60 million of economic impact to the region.
Bachelor added that one of his goals at the airport is to help update infrastructure. He also hopes to bring more education, mentioning a Char-Em ISD CTE class that teaches area students how to fly and helps them work towards a pilot's license.
The airport will see a new flight this summer, bringing even more passengers to Northern Michigan. Back in September, the airport announced that a 4-year contract will allow SkyWest to offer flights to Chicago via United Airlines.
More: Pellston Regional Airport to offer flights to Chicago starting next spring
Seth Johnson, president and CEO of the United Way of Northwest Michigan, spoke about the group's work and the needs they see in their communities.
One statistic Johnson highlighted is that 34% of the people in the United Way's region are considered Asset Limited, income constrained and employed, or ALICE.
"I just like to say that means 34% of the households in Emmett County are one flat tire away from an emergency," he said. "They're one flat tire away from really having to make tough decisions, and that's the reality that we have. At United Way, we are working to address that in many different ways."
The group works to make sure resources are readily available for people in the community, from housing support to child care to dental care.
In Charlevoix and Emmet counties in 2023, Johnson said United We Smile, a free dental clinic offered with the support of University of Michigan School of Dentistry, donated $110,000 worth of dental work.
The full 2025 Harbor Springs State of the Community report can be found at
— Contact reporter Karly Graham at kgraham@ Follow her on X, formerly known as Twitter, at @KarlyGrahamJrn.
This article originally appeared on The Petoskey News-Review: Harbor Springs State of the Community 2025 speakers give local updates
