Have a wonderful winter. This site will be actively updated again beginning in May 2012. In the meantime, work will continue on Harbor Drive. The new store and toilets near the city beach parking lot will open in May, nearly a dozen Highland Park cottages will remain for sale (a most unusual situation), and all of us year-rounders will be looking forward to your return.
PARKING: Thanks to Julie Beaton for sending us the following from the City Website:
Q. Dear Friends,
I rent a cottage in Highland Park every summer for two weeks. It is a marvelous place for friends and relatives to meet. There is one pitfall and I'm hoping you can give me guidance on this: we have two allotted parking spaces that we can use overnight. When we have a gathering of many, despite my request for my guests to carpool, often it's impossible, and we haven't enough parking for visitors overnight. During the day, we can park in the cemetery lot on Lake Avenue, but at night, we're at a loss of where to park where it is not subject to being ticketed.
Please let me know where it is legal to park close to Highland Park overnight.
Thank you for your assistance in this matter!
A. This email is in response to your inquiry.
I live in Highland Park year-round and play the "parking game" if we have company. Anyone (with the exception of a sleeping camper/trailer) may park overnight on City Streets that are not signed "No Parking" or "No Parking from 3:00 a.m. to 6:00 a.m.: (or something like those times).
The area closest to Highland Park is on the north side of Lake Avenue across the street (more or less) from Lake Forest Cemetery. If you look, you will see that it is not signed with respect to limited times. If the Lake Avenue area is full, you or your guests may park on other City streets that are not signed. We have occasionally parked one of our cars remotely to leave a space for a guest when we knew we were having a visitor.
Visitors to cottages, condos, hotels and other locations with limited parking will be able to purchase an overnight parking sticker from an unmanned parking kiosk in the parking lot behind the Kirby, Zephyr, Theatre Condos (near First and Franklin). The kiosk takes cash and credit cards and an overnight pass is $5.00.
If you just have evening guests, the public may park in the Bil-Mar Parking lot from 9:00 p.m. to 2 or 3:00 a.m. (read the sign for exact times).
It's good to seek alternatives as there are also days when the cemetery parking lot is closed to only folks attending a Memorial Service at Lee Chapel.
Coordinating with your guests, getting folks to car-pool and parking remotely and utilizing Harbor Transit are other options to consider. Highland Park was established before cars so the planners didnÕt leave much space to accommodate them. Just another piece of our history and quirky neighborhood.
Happy scouting the city for overnight on-street parking!
Q. Thank you so much for your speedy response. I am relieved to hear of legal overnight parking that is not far from the cottage. We have in the past done quite a dance to make sure all the parkers have their cars kept from the impound lot! I appreciate all the options you list and now I will be much more relaxed about this.
A. You are more than welcome. If I had a map of all the overnight-allowed on-street parking IÕd send it but there isnÕt one. Just check the signs. In the summer, the overnight on-street parking can be more generous as we are not (hopefully) plowing snow!
Enjoy your visit.
Did you see the article in the Grand Haven Tribune about Highland Park's 125th anniversary?
Artist, Judy Mehring who lives at 26 Crescent Hill in Highland Park created a 14X10 canvas stretch print in celebration of Highland Park's 125th anniversary.
Many residents purchased the print at the annual meeting and at the Labor Day Breakfast. Now the print is available at the HPA store on Saturday and Sunday mornings. If you couldn't make it to any of those places and want a print, please call Donna Spicuzza at (616) 846-1052, and she'll be sure that you get one.
Prints cost only $15.00 each!
Don't miss having this print in your home or cottage. It is a historical year and this is a great way to commemorate it.
According to the Grand Haven Tribune Highland Park resident and Grand Haven City Council Member, Ed Nieuwenhuis, and his wife Sandy were in a serious accident on I-96 on Thursday, August 18th. Ed and Sandy live at 36 Lovers' Lane.
Thanks also to Chuck Holman and Charles Jeltema who purchased the paint and painted the little shed in our park. It looks great. The shed's roof still need to be replaced. Our dues are low, but there is not enough money in the budget to cover the cost to replace the roof(The last quote obtained for the roof was $902.00 for asphalt; $2,400.00 for cedar shakes). If anyone is willing to spring for all or part of the roof replacement please contact Joe Skendzel (616-842-8128 or 616-304-9010 (cell) or octubre22@aol.com). We would all appreciate having a spiffed up entrance to Highland Park.
Although this "Members Only" page contains news for HPA members, it's open to the public. Anyone who wants access to it may view it.
Minutes from the annual meeting have been sent to members via email along with a calendar of HPA events and other information. If you didn't receive it, are a resident of Highland Park and want to be on the email list for such information, please send me an email at tdonahue@alsi.net with your name and address.
From: Meg Weideman
My cottage at 99 Popular Ridge has recently been listed with Dennis Van Hall. You can get information about the cottage by going to http://www.vrbo.com/144495. It can also be rented after August 20th. You can reach Meg at (734) 476-7402. Besides being a wonderful place to spend the summer, the cottage can generate rental income in the summer because of it's incredible location and beautiful vista of the beach.
From Keasha Palmer:
We wanted to let everyone in Highland Park know that the Hillside Cottage, 91 Poplar Ridge (next to Will/Julie Beaton) is for sale. Owned by the same family since the 1930s, it was renovated last year with a new roof, porch, foundation, kitchen, bath, and more. We will be listing the cottage with a realtor within the next month, so if you or anyone you know might be interested. Thank you!
Keasha (Thrall) Palmer
keasha@charter.net
616 874-9199
Please email Tom Donahue at tdonahue@alsi.net and tell him about any changes to your name phone number or email address and any changes you know about related to other Highland Park Association Members, so the roster remains up-to-date.
Click here to read the Association Bylaws and Rules
Some cottages have changed hands and some parking signs have been damaged. If you need a new sign for your parking spot, Please have one made that emphasizes the unique aspects or your cottage or interests. The board will no longer supply uniform signs for parking spots. If your cottage ownership has changed, please be sure to notify Sally Hipp, HPA Board Secretary at hipps@gvsu.edu and Tom Donahue at tdonahue@alsi.net
Looking for a good handyman, dentist or plumber? Check the services your neighbors like. If you want to add or delete a service email Tom with the information.
If you have suggestions for improving this website, please email the webmaster, Tom Donahue, at tdonahue@alsi.net
Highland Park's public website is located at:
www.highlandparkassociation.org