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Kalamazoo ECC presses city commission to seek seat in Asylum Lake management talks as Western considers transfer to county
Summary
The Kalamazoo Environmental Concerns Committee discussed Western Michigan University's proposal to transfer Asylum Lake Preserve management to Kalamazoo County and debated asking the city commission to seek ECC inclusion on any advisory body, citing concerns about preserve protections, a $3,000,000 foundation fund, and unclear operational definitions of 'park' vs. 'preserve'.
The Kalamazoo Environmental Concerns Committee spent the bulk of its meeting discussing a proposed transfer of Asylum Lake Preserve from Western Michigan University to Kalamazoo County, and members agreed the city commission should be asked to seek ECC participation in any advisory or management body that oversees the preserve.
Committee members described recent Western budget conversations, saying Western reported maintenance costs of roughly $150,000 a year for Asylum Lake — a figure members flagged as uncertain and tied to how foundation and university expenditures were accounted for. Committee members also noted the Kalamazoo Foundation holds an endowment of about $3,000,000 designated for Asylum Lake management that the county would absorb if the transfer proceeds.
Why it matters: Asylum Lake lies inside Kalamazoo city limits and was established under legislative conservation…
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