KALAMAZOO, Mich. (WOOD) — Western Michigan University have taken the first step to transfer management responsibilities of Asylum Lake Preserve to the Kalamazoo County government.
WMU trustees on Thursday approved a memorandum of understanding outlining the framework for the plan. The memo still requires approval by the county.
Discussions for the project had already been underway. University and county officials met last month with both the council that oversees the preserve and the volunteer Asylum Lake Preservation Group.
Asylum Lake Preserve could change hands
But some aired their concerns about the proposal Thursday. In a letter, a member of the university’s facility management department asked if county staff would have the specific knowledge and resources to quickly address the 274-acre preserve’s upkeep needs. In response, university staff said the changeover would create a point person to handle Asylum Lake with resources from Kalamazoo County Parks…