A Holland man has been ordered by authorities in Erie Township, Michigan, and Lucas County to stop erecting buildings on Turtle Island in Maumee Bay until he has secured building permits for his work.
A trust apparently directed by Keith Fifer, 45, bought the 1.5-acre island from Jim Neumann of Luna Pier on a land contract for an undisclosed sum about five months ago, Mr. Neumann said.
The Ohio-Michigan line runs through the middle of the island, which is about four miles northeast of the mouth of the Ottawa River.
Ruins of a lighthouse, which guided ships until 1904 when the Toledo Harbor Light replaced it, have been Turtle Island's only structure for decades.
A tip in May about building activity on the island sent Lucas County officials to the island, where they found several buildings under construction. Mr. Fifer had not yet recorded his deed, so the officials assumed the owner was still Mr. Neumann. When he told the officials he sold the island, they sought out Mr. Fifer, said John Walters, the county's chief building official.
Meanwhile, authorities had posted signs prohibiting construction on the island, but the signs were taken down, Mr. Walters said. When authorities reached Mr. Fifer, he told them the land was part of a federal deed, and neither state had jurisdiction over the property, Mr. Walters said.
But Mr. Neumann said he paid taxes to Monroe and Lucas counties during his ownership, and auditors' records from Lucas and Monroe counties show that taxes have been paid on the property for years, said Mr. Walters and Erie Township Supervisor Dan Bonkoski.
Mr. Fifer met with Mr. Bonkoski on Wednesday.
“We told him to stop [construction], and it has stopped,” Mr. Bonkoski said.
Mr. Fifer yesterday declined a request for an interview when a Blade reporter visited his home.
Mr. Fifer has not disclosed to officials what he intends to build. Mr. Neumann said Mr. Fifer told him he wanted to refurbish the lighthouse.
“I thought it was ambitious but that they could probably pull it off,” Mr. Neumann said.
Mr. Neumann had wanted to build an inn and conference center, but the plan never materialized.
“I never really got the financing to do it. It was a much bigger project than I thought I could handle,” he said.
Another previous owner, Toledo contractor Terry Mohn, had hoped to restore the lighthouse in the early 1990s, but that effort also failed.
Turtle Island was named for Chief Little Turtle of the Miami Nation, who lived in the area about 200 years ago.
According to legend, tribe members used to retrieve gull eggs from the island - an important food source for the Miamis.
Some scientists believe the island, made up of clay and gravel, once was attached to the mainland near East Toledo.
First Published July 12, 2002, 10:18 a.m.