Otsego County Economic Alliance seeks $3.75 million to fix failing Treetops Resort wastewater plant

The Otsego County Economic Alliance asked the subcommittee for $3,750,000 to repair and modernize a failing wastewater treatment facility that serves the Treetops Resort and surrounding properties, testimony said. The proponents said prior budget cycles included an allocation that was returned to the state after the City of Gaylord declined to use the funds for the resort project. Nut graf: Presenters said the plant is a privately owned, community-impacting system; without upgrades the resort and adjacent workforce housing plans cannot proceed. The economic alliance would serve as fiduciary if reallocated funds are approved. Jason Shepherd (introduced by the Otsego County Economic Alliance) said the dollars were originally allocated to the City of Gaylord three budget cycles ago; because of boilerplate language and disagreements over annexation and use, the funds were returned and proponents are now seeking reallocation to the Otsego County Economic Alliance so the resort can complete repairs and enable adjacent growth. Committee members asked whether the system is private and how funds would flow. Witnesses said the plant is an internal private system monitored under state and county oversight; requested funds would be held by the Otsego County Economic Alliance acting as fiduciary and then used under contract with the resort. No formal action was taken during the hearing. Ending: The committee did not vote; proponents said they would work with staff to finalize the reallocation approach and financial controls.