The Tonnadoonah Board was requested by some residents to look into my family's use of an RV trailer, which as I recently discovered, violated Tonnadoonah's archaic (circa 1960) "Warranty Deed" which included 10 deed restrictions. (Among others, it restricts the use of trailers and also limits the size of houses to a maximum of 2 stories.) I had never seen nor heard of this list - but someone had, and they asked the Board to get after me, so they voted unanimously to hire a lawyer and look into any "violations" they could pursue against me. Things came to a head at the 2022 annual meeting where I was singled me out for "not living up to Tonnadoonah standards". My family's lifestyle was effectively put on trial and I was publicly dragged through the mud. It was ugly, it was inhumane, and as a result, that session is seared in my memory banks. (I try hard to do things well and above board, so I don't take that kinda stuff lightly.)
This document explains (from a historical and a legal perspective) why I took exception to the situation with Tonnadoonah and the accusations made against me.
Some background on my family and on the legalities this issue. (1 page)
5-4-23 note to Kevin McCabe - Tonnadoonah President: Note to Kevin
5-20-23 follow-up note to all of the Tonnadoonah Board members: Note to the Board
Here is a list of issues and options for different means to consider apportioning Tonnadoonah dues: Different Dues Options (1 page)
Here is some additional information about my family's trailer usage:
Mark Hilal opinion that I requested regarding my rights to sustain the ("grandfathered") non-conforming usage to not only maintain an RV trailer on our property, but to remove it from time to time for trips with it. (3 pages) I got this opinion before I removed my parents old trailer as I wanted to make sure I wasn't doing anything wrong.
Kuhn Rogers opinion that I requested regarding my family's rights to sustain the ("grandfathered") non-conforming usage of maintaining an RV trailer on our property including the right to update the trailer itself. (4 pages)
Klevorn info for the Tonnadoonah Board containing everything he could dig up on me and my family from some very old deeds and Health Dept. records he was directed to. (7 pages) Of note, no deed restrictions were actually presented to my parents when they bought our property - just the disclaimer of "... and restrictions of record." (Gotta love those disclaimers.)
Letter to my lawyer in the summer of 2022 after the annual Tonnadoonah meeting.
Here is some additional information about my septic system:
Here is the Cease & Desist letter I got from the Health Department. This letter was issued before they ever spoke to me, got any information about the septic system, or performed any inspection. Once they completed their inspection, I was told my well permit was not going to be granted until they approved a compliant septic system, but I was under the impression the Cease & Desist was rescinded based on the fully functional system we have always had. Turns out I was mistaken on that. (FYI - a fully compliant system would need to be a pump based system, so it would be less reliable than the gravity one we have now.)
Health Dept. Cease & Desist Letter issued Sept. 17, 2021. (2 pages)
My most recent letter to the Health Dept. which calls out the numerous inaccuracies they propagated about our septic system that falsely supports their Cease & Desist. (4 pages)
Data file from MET (Mackinac Environmental Technology) showing the soil constituents around my septic system and the water table level.
Data report from Tip of the Mitt Watershed Council showing the E. coli level in lake water at my beach. (It was undetectable - ie none.)
We also tested 2 samples from ground water wells bored very near the septic drain field - those were also both negative
Wells #2 & 3 can be seen. (#1 was not successful due to blockage from a large rock.) 2 is thru the drain field, and 3 is adjacent to it.)