1651 Frankfort Hwy
PO Box 2129 Frankfort MI 49635 (231) 352-9791 |
OPEN 9-Noon
Mon - Tues - Wed Click here for individual hours & emails CLOSED Thurs-Fri Click here for holiday closures This website information updated as of Sunday, July 6, 2025 at 8 p.m. 
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- SUPERVISOR Ferris is out of the office M-T-W; July 7-8-9; she is available by email, text and phone.
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- ZONING ADMINISTRATOR EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITY: Click here to take you to our Employment page as we are looking for someone to fill the CLT Zoning Administrator's position. We hope for an applicant who has experience as a ZA. But if not, we appreciate that an applicant wishing to learn the skills to be a ZA will need time to learn the job, thus we will provide time and salary as an "apprentice." Want to know more about this? Talk with us 🙂.
- LACK OF CEMETERY CLEAN UP: Please excuse that the township cemeteries are not as cared for as they should be. Our grounds keeping/mowing contractor was initially late in getting to the work, and then disappeared before the work was completed. Then, to insult to injury, a water spigot was run over and we had to turn off the water supply at North for a week or more. (It is now repaired.) Memorial Day is very special for most folks, honoring not only the war dead but visiting all our friends and loved ones who have passed on. So we sincerely apologize that the cemetery grounds were not reflective of the care and respect they deserve. The township staff scrambled to remedy the situation and has hired new mowing contractors.
- NO PLASTIC IN CEMETERIES: For more than a decade, there has been a NO PLASTIC rule in place regarding decorations. We value the "natural." There are also regulations about where earthen pots with organic flowers and other plantings can go, namely on either side of a headstone (but NEVER behind or in front.) Mowers must have clear lines or alleys with no obstacles which would impede their pathway. Also, remember that American flags are provided by the township only, and only to honorably discharged veterans of record. We order flags of cotton material and wood staffs, which are then displayed from approximately Memorial Day to Veteran's Day. Please contact us to correct any mistakes, such as missing the flag on your loved ones' gravesites.
- MISSING ITEMS FROM GRAVESITES: If you are missing artificial flowers, plastic pots, and other non-conforming decorations that you placed on a gravesite, these items may have been removed by staff and saved in a storage building. Please ask, as soon as you notice something has been removed, if you would like an item returned to you. Confused about what is allowed and what isnt'? Click to see the CLTwp Cemetery Ordinance for all regulations, or ask a staff member for clarity.
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- TRANSPARENCY IS OUR MIDDLE NAME: No secrets. Your local government reps at CLT want you to know what we know, what we do, what we are planning. If an issue takes you by surprise, it is not because we are trying to keep anything from you. Democracy needs our constituents to be interested, involved and informed. It is true, but ironic, that in this day and age of so many different types of non-stop-in-your-face media we are still having trouble communicating with our residents. We send out newsletters twice a year. We update this website several times a week. Draft and, later, approved minutes are always on our website to read or download. If you stop by, we're ready to answer your questions in person. We also video record view CLT Board meetings which you can then view via our YouTube channel. Every once in a while we screw up the mechanisms of videoing, but we only do that rarely and as a result, you have access for your viewing pleasure to official board business as it was being decided.
- THOUGHTS ON YOUR TOWNSHIP BOARD: Political geography in America today is defined by a variegated patchwork of rural red and urban blue localities. Given this, one might expect most local governments to be dominated by one political ideology or the other. And yet, a recent survey --taken by Civic Pulse and supported by the Carnegie Corporation of New York (CCNY)-- of elected officials from counties, municipalities, townships, and school boards reveals this is far from the case. They found the majority (58%) have some degree of ideological pluralism represented on their board. Crystal Lake Township is reflective of that majority. Not only do we have a mix of party affiliations, we have a mix of world views, outlooks and opinions within those party labels. The important thing is whether we are representing the township constituency and doing our work to serve you in a respectful, legal and ethical way.
- CELL PHONE TOWER AT THE 7TH STEET PUBLIC BEACH & BELLOWS PARK: Notice from the City of Frankfort's plan for a new 190+ foot communication tower, was given to the CLT Board last summer and we, in turn, presented all we knew to CLT constituents in our July Board Meeting. Click here for the link to the packet of material supplied to public by our Board July 17, 2024. Also, click here to see our Winter 2024-25 Newsletter in which we further conveyed information to our constituents about our Board concern for inter-governmental communication and this project, as well as others. CLT was originally approached about locating the proposed tower in our township-owned wooded acreage near the North Cemetery, but no one from the City of Frankfort nor the APC Tower Company communicated interest again before we learned in July that, instead, the City of Frankfort had already signed a contract at the end of May, 2024 and asking only for our zoning permit. The signed contract allowed construction and lease of a section of this Frankfort-owned parcel of land.* The City of Frankfort agreed with the companies that approached them that there was a need for such infrastructure to serve the wider community's desire for complete modern communications coverage. Bellows Park extends from Crystal Lake to Thomas Road. The location of the tower, perched on the wooded ridge, is on northeast corner of Bellows Ave and Thomas Road. (See photo, which shows view of tower from South Shore.) Any additional antennas are to be added in the near future.
JUNE UPDATE: A group of concerned citizens and neighbors are now appealing our ZBA's decision. The township has no position on their appeal. In accordance with legal process, it is now up to the court to review the decisions made, and determine what will happen next.
(*) Wondering about this Frankfort-owned "island" in the midst of our township? Although situated in the middle of CLT boundaries, the land parcel on which sits the public beach, the picnic pavilion, boat launch and tree-covered ridge, was donated by the Bellows Family back in the 1930's and thus owned by the City of Frankfort. The parcel is not annexed to the COF but is, instead, the owner of record and has maintained the park physically and financially through the many years. Most recently, the COF has applied for grants, and the neighboring Pugh family members contributed $250K to the improvement of the park. In the last decade, the beach area was made safer with a protective wall separating it from the road pavement, a rain garden was created to catch runoff, and a new pavilion was built. Further proposed changes for improved services include bathrooms.
- IRONMAN 2025 & 2026: Frankfort City Council voted to sponsor another two years of the Ironman Event. Once again, no direct or dedicated communication was received from the City to Crystal Lake Township to discuss or request cooperation. In order to hold the Ironman in much the same fashion as it was held its first four years, Crystal Lake must sign off with the proper authorities (Benzie County Road Commission) in order for Ironman to block regular public traffic/reserve for use solely by racers some of the roadways located within our township. We asked our constituents: Should the CLT Board agree to give permission for yet another two years? Very few responded to our query before the 12.18.24 Board Meeting, and it seems even the low response gives the impression that residents are split evenly. The result was the Board voted 3-2 to give permission for Ironman to use our CLT roads for 2025 and 2026. However, it was also decided that at the end of 2026, CLT will re-evaluate, ask for assurances that racers will not obstruct rescue efforts as they have in the past, and require that CLT have a "seat at the table" if Frankfort decides to sign any more contracts. These conditions must be met, the majority of the board said, or CLT's response for future permission to use/restrict traffic will be an automatic decline.
- FIBER INSTALLATION IN CLT: Are you seeing the workers and the tell-tale signs that bright orange colored tubing was trenched into the roadsides around our township? Cherry Capital Communications has already connected a large multiple of homes to the newly constructed Crystal Lake Twp fiber-to-home network; they are still working to finish their goal. If you are interested in signing up or would like more information, please go to https://portal.cccfiber.com or call 231-264-9970 option 1 for Sales. After signing up, there are several more steps to getting your home connected: 1) Fiber in conduit will be installed from the road to your home. 2) The fiber will be spliced into the network, which will allow for your home to be scheduled for activation. 3) At the time of activation, a fiber cable is installed in your home with CCC electronics. The electronics should be installed in the part of the home that has the most internet activity, typically a living room or office. For larger homes or multiple areas of the home, additional electronics can be installed. The connection will allow to customers (who were not served or underserved prior) to stream TV, work from home, improve cell phone service. Any questions on common applications we are happy to answer your questions. Click here to view a broadband projected service map.
