TRAVERSE CITY, Mich. (Michigan News Source) – What began as a series of land donations during World War II has evolved into a dispute over whether Grand Traverse County had the authority to transfer ownership of a public park that, according to a draft lawsuit, donors intended the county to own and operate permanently.
At the center of the dispute is Twin Lakes Park, a property in Long Lake Township that was assembled through a series of land donations beginning in 1941.
A gift to the county.
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According to Grand Traverse County records, retired Judge Parm C. Gilbert donated 25 acres to the county in 1941 for what would become Twin Lakes County Park. His total donation over time came to 75 acres. The property included frontage on North and South Twin Lakes and was intended to serve as a 4-H club and youth camp site. Additional donations over the following years from neighboring landowners expanded the park to approximately 176 acres. The property eventually included Gilbert Lodge and several camp buildings associated with youth programs that operated at the park for decades.
According to deed language and historical records cited in court filings, the donated land was intended to be owned and used by Grand Traverse County as a public recreational park. Opponents of the transfer argue those restrictions remain legally binding today.
County transfers the park.
For more than 80 years, the property remained a county park. That changed when Grand Traverse County Commissioners approved the transfer of Twin Lakes County Park to Long Lake Township in 2022.
Critics argue the county never had the authority to make the transfer because the original donations required county ownership and use of the property. According to court filings, the county transferred the park through a quitclaim deed, paid Long Lake Township $124,000 as part of the arrangement, and assigned a valuable cell phone tower lease connected to the property.
Opposition to the transfer came from within county government as well as from descendants and representatives of families involved in some of the original land donations. Before commissioners approved the deal, members of the Grand Traverse County Parks and Recreation Commission voted against the proposal and urged county leaders to retain ownership of the park. Despite that recommendation, county commissioners voted to move forward with the transfer.
Possible new lawsuit challenges legality.
The transfer has since become the subject of ongoing litigation. Although an earlier legal challenge was dismissed on jurisdictional grounds rather than the merits of the case, the dispute continues.
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Neighboring property owners and trustees connected to the original land donations have drafted a new lawsuit seeking to void the 2023 transfer and return Twin Lakes Park to Grand Traverse County.
The plaintiffs argue the county violated restrictive covenants attached to the donated property and ignored a 2014 memorandum from the county prosecutor’s office warning that the park could not be used for purposes other than a county park without obtaining releases from the appropriate parties. Attorney Brace Kern of BEK Law, who represents the plaintiffs, contends the deed restrictions require the property to remain under county ownership and control.
Why was the park transferred?
Court filings and previous public statements offer insight into why county officials might have pursued the transfer. According to the recent complaint, county officials expressed concerns about potential liability associated with drownings at the lake. In addition, Grand Traverse County Commissioner Rob Hentschel told the Traverse City Ticker that Twin Lakes County Park had been losing an average of approximately $45,700 per year since 2016. Supporters of the transfer argued that Long Lake Township could manage the property more efficiently while preserving public access.
Township points to improvements since taking ownership.
Michigan News Source reached out to Long Lake Township Supervisor Ron Lemcool about the improvements that have been made at the park since the transfer. Lemcool says the township has focused on restoring and preserving the property while following the improvement plan it presented before the transfer. Township crews have replaced roofs, repaired and painted buildings, repaired sewer tanks and drain field infrastructure, cleaned up gardens and trails, removed an unsafe cabin, and addressed other deferred maintenance issues.
(Cabin removed)
(Gilbert Lodge painted – before and after photos)
Looking ahead, the township plans to renovate the dormitory bathrooms by replacing the outdated communal shower area with individual shower stalls, allowing the park to once again host youth programs such as soccer, football and band camps. Lemcool said the township’s long-term goal is to preserve the park as a community resource while honoring the vision of the families who donated the land. “Our goal is just to make sure it stays available for everybody, honoring especially what the Gilbert family wanted for the park, which is to keep it open for people and youth.”
One more chance to settle.
The latest development concerning the Twin Lakes Park situation came on June 5, when attorney Brace Kern sent Grand Traverse County Commissioners and Long Lake Township trustees a draft complaint and offered an opportunity to resolve the dispute without further litigation. A similar settlement proposal was reportedly rejected in 2024.
After the commissioners went into a closed session during their June 17 meeting, Commissioner Penny Morris made a motion to authorize the County Administrator and the county’s civil counsel to offer to meet to discuss the Twin Lakes Park park matter with representatives of the potential plaintiffs and the representatives of Long Lake Township. The motion passed; however, so far, that meeting has not taken place.
Commissioner Darryl Nelson told Michigan News Source, “I was the only no vote on that motion (Mcallister and Hentschel were absent). I feel there is no need to re-visit the issue unless there is an actual lawsuit filed. The transfer of Twin Lakes was deemed legal in 2022 by lawyers from the county and Long Lake Township. As well as the heirs to Judge Gilbert, who donated the property, also agree with the transfer. There seems to be one person who is against the transfer who refuses to accept the transfer. I fail to even understand what her damages would be as the park is still open to the public and is in much better shape than it was prior to the township taking over the park.”
Gilbert heirs back the transfer.
Heather Cartwright, the great-granddaughter of Judge Gilbert spoke at the June 17 commissioners’ meeting. The Gilbert family is not involved in the lawsuit and Cartwright said at the meeting that she’s in contact with all of the judge’s heirs, explaining, “We fully and unanimously support the park transfer to Long Lake Township.” She went on to say that her family believes that the transfer is consistent with the original terms of the transfer documents and with Judge Gilbert’s intentions regarding the property. She concluded that the important word in the documents is the word “park” and not the word “county.”
For now, the park remains open and the township continues making improvements. But the central legal question remains unresolved: Did Grand Traverse County have the authority to give away land that was donated to the county in the first place? If the lawsuit moves forward, the answer could determine not only who owns Twin Lakes Park, but how Michigan courts interpret decades-old charitable land donations in the future.
