BENZIE
Youth corps to get to work at Sleeping Bear
TRAVERSE CITY -- The first teams of students to work as part of a new regional youth conservation corps are expected to start next month, organizers said.
The students, to be part of the fledgling Northwest Michigan Youth Conservation Corps, will work on a variety of environmental projects at the Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore while filming their experiences for a series of video diaries.
The specific schools and number of students have not yet been decided, but it is likely they will be from Leelanau or Benzie counties with proximity to the national park, project manager Bill Watson said.
Watson developed the program after leading a similar effort for several years at Traverse City High School. The idea is modeled after the Depression-era Civilian Conservation Corps and pays students minimum-wage stipends to perform environmental work.
He hopes two teams of six to eight students can start this spring, with a third added this summer. Initial efforts likely will be focused in Leelanau County, he said, because of the availability of funding.
Students from Forest Area, Suttons Bay, Benzie Central, Frankfort, Brethren and Bear Lake high schools, Northside Alternative High School in Kalkaska and Casman Academy in Manistee have expressed interest in getting involved.
Grand traverse
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Parents offer feedback to TCAPS district
TRAVERSE CITY -- Liz Williams' family could be the poster children for school transitions.
Her oldest, in ninth grade, is part of the first freshman class in years to attend high school in Traverse City. Her sixth-grader was part of the shift from junior high to middle school.
And her youngest, in kindergarten at Willow Hill Elementary, started classes this fall at a building that welcomed new staff and students after three schools closed last June.
Williams was one of 762 elementary parents in Traverse City Area Public Schools who filled out questionnaires during conferences last fall, the latest in a series of surveys to help district officials better understand how parents view their schools.
"I'm hoping that they'll take my input," Williams said. "I'm very happy at my schools." The surveys addressed such issues as school conditions, communication, safety, transportation and academics. Parents were asked to assign a letter grade from A to F for 24 statements and offer written comments.
Results show more than 90 percent of parents gave A or B grades to a number of items, including safety and communication.
In all, the parents represented 1,099 students in preschool through fifth grade.
Former Cherry Fest director tapped for BATA
TRAVERSE CITY -- Tom Menzel is trading cherries for buses.
Menzel is slated to become the next executive director of the Bay Area Transportation Authority after board members on Monday offered him a post that's been open for more than a year.
Menzel, 64, of Traverse City, stepped down last year as executive director of National Cherry Festival after three years at the helm.
"I'm very excited about the opportunity, because I think that BATA is such a critical part of the community," Menzel said. "It touches so many lives and it needs to be healthy. It's a great opportunity to give back to the community."
BATA's seven-member board of directors spent the past year-plus scrutinizing the organization's finances and operations amid a budget deficit, red-flagged audit letters, a string of accidents that injured bus riders and other concerns.
Salary information wasn't available Monday evening, but Menzel told board members he was willing to work for $1 per month for about three months.
"It's hard to argue with Tom's qualifications," said BATA board chairman Rob Bacigalupi.
Menzel served as treasurer and mayor of Rolling Meadows, Ill. He's the former president of the Northwest Suburban Alliance for Commerce and Industry, and he also worked for companies McGraw Hill, Xerox, Allstate and Leelanau Industries.
Former library board member sues officials
TRAVERSE CITY -- A former library board member filed suit against several city officials, alleging they refused to turn over documents requested under the Michigan Freedom of Information Act.
George Galic served on the Traverse Area District Library board from 2004 until late last year, when Mayor Michael Estes didn't renew Galic's appointment. Estes ignored a city commission committee's recommendation to re-appoint Galic and instead chose retired English professor Jerry Beasley.
Galic in January filed a FOIA request with the city asking for "all correspondence, e-mails and documents" from July to December that discuss city appointments to the library board.
He received a batch of e-mails and documents from the city, but he believes some relevant e-mails weren't included in the FOIA response.
"If it went through the city servers, I think we got it," said David Bieganowski, the attorney who filed both the FOIA request and the lawsuit on behalf of Galic. "If it went from commissioner to commissioner, I don't believe we got it."
Galic's suit, filed last week, names the city, Estes, and commissioners Jim Carruthers, Deni Scrudato and Barbara Budros. The suit alleges commissioners often use their personal computers for city business, so they could have discussed the library appointment on personal accounts.
"The refusal of Michael Estes to provide e-mails ... from his personal e-mail account that may meet the substance of the plaintiff's request is in violation of the FOIA," the suit reads.
In an e-mail attached to the city's FOIA response, Estes said "any and all e-mails" on his personal computer are his "personal property and as such are not subject to FOIA."
Park may be home to $2M fire hall
TRAVERSE CITY -- Garfield Township's newest, most popular park may soon host a $2 million fire hall.
Township officials on Thursday will consider giving or leasing about three acres at East Silver Lake Park to Grand Traverse Metro Fire Authority for a fire station. The donated section is mostly open field on the northeast corner of the 84-acre park on East Silver Lake Road.
"The board is relatively supportive of it, but they want to make sure the community as a whole is supportive," said township Supervisor Chuck Korn. "We need a fire station on the west side of the township."
The township's attorney ruled there are no legal impediments to using park land for a fire station, though the property was purchased through a dedicated park millage, Korn said.
The proposed fire station location isn't essential to the park's character, Korn said, and a fire station may help cut down on park vandalism, he added.
The Metro fire authority consists of Acme, East Bay and Garfield townships and is funded by a 2 mill property tax levy.
Metro officials have wanted to put a second station on the west side of Garfield Township for more than two years, said Metro Chief Patrick Parker. About 70 percent of the authority's calls are in Garfield Township, which has one station.
"Considering our run volumes and future growth, that's where we need another fire station," Parker said. "We expect we'll be able to knock response time down by three minutes a call in that area."
Those minutes are crucial for responding to heart attacks, fires and other emergencies, he said.
A new fire hall was already Metro's top priority, but it took on added urgency when the U.S. Fire Administration announced it had $210 million in federal stimulus money available for new stations, Parker said.
Grant applications for stimulus funding are due at the end of May.
Parker said the project matches well with grant guidelines because it will be shovel-ready, improve response time, create jobs and serve a growing population.
Garfield Twp. plans new conflict policy
TRAVERSE CITY -- Garfield Township may require its officials to publicly disclose their financial interests in the township under a proposed conflict of interest policy.
Supervisor Chuck Korn said he wants specific rules in place that address potential self-dealing among township officials.
"The attitude of the previous administration was you know in your own mind if it's a conflict," Korn said. "I want a clear conflict of interest policy."
Korn wants all elected and appointed township officials, employees and vendors to disclose any property holdings or business interests in the township. The township board will discuss his proposal during a 6 p.m. work session today at the township hall.
In calling for a policy, Korn singled out a rezoning involving former township Supervisor Lee Wilson, ex-assessor Aaron Mead and township attorney Kent Gerberding. They were partners in RBT Properties LLC, a company that rezoned and developed a parcel in the township from 2003 to 2005.
Wilson recused himself from the board's rezoning vote.
"It was acknowledged and dealt with so there was nothing improper about it," Gerberding said.
But the action raised questions during last year's elections that saw six of seven board members swept from office.
"I suspect there have been other conflicts as well, but we don't know about them because we don't have a policy requiring disclosure," Korn said.
Residents, experts weigh in on dams
TRAVERSE CITY -- The conversation about what to do with the Boardman River dams continued Thursday night, as area residents and experts weighed in on the issue.
Opinions remain polarized about whether the dams should be retained and used for hydroelectricity generation, or if they should be dismantled for an overall benefit to the river's fishery and recreational opportunities along the stream.
"I believe all of these dams should be restored and refurbished ... at no cost to taxpayers," said Cheryl Walton, of Williamsburg.
Walton believes the crux of the issue is an improved fishery versus renewable energy opportunities, with the latter being more important, she said.
Others disagree.
Local attorney Jeff Jocks spoke about the benefits of a free-flowing river and questioned whether Northport resident Charles Peterson -- the only person to express a business interest in returning the dams to power generation, despite never before operating dams -- had the ability to soundly operate the structures.
"Sincerity does not equal expertise," Jocks said.
Traverse City and Grand Traverse County commissioners questioned both Peterson and consultants about the dams and costs to return them to hydroelectric use.
County Commissioner Addison Wheelock Jr. questioned why consultants' estimates regarding the restoration of hydroelectric capabilities ranged by millions of dollars.
"I cannot make a decision based on this range of numbers," he said.
On the other side, Mayor Michael Estes questioned Peterson's credibility and work experience to operate the dams, after Peterson submitted cost estimates for the first time just prior to the meeting.
"Did you just draw up these numbers this morning?" Estes said.
Peterson said his company, Arizona-based Peterson Machinery Sales, has the finances to fund this project and can do so at a "significant savings" over consultant estimates.
Woman injured in fall from Manitou mast
GREILICKVILLE -- A thin layer of plastic may have helped save a woman's life when she plunged from the mast of a local "tall ship."
The woman, a first-year-crew member on the Manitou, was preparing to come down from the ship's riggings when she fell about 35 feet to the deck. She ripped through a layer of protective shrink wrap on her way down.
"I think if anything it only could have benefitted, but I just don't know," ship captain and owner Dave McGinnis said. "I'm just incredibly thankful that she's alive."
The woman, whom McGinnis wouldn't identify, is an "experienced sailor" who's previously worked on ships, he said. She was practicing climbing the rigging on the side of the ship's rear mast when she fell.
"The next thing I knew, I heard her yell out and she was falling," McGinnis said.
She ripped through the shrink-wrap cover and landed on the deck. Fire authorities who responded said she was conscious, though they wouldn't detail her injuries.
The woman was wearing a safety harness, but may have unclipped it as she prepared to descend.
"I honestly don't know why she fell at this point ... we haven't been able to talk to her," McGinnis said. "I'm not sure if she'll remember."
Authorities took her to Munson Medical Center, where she remained Thursday afternoon. McGinnis said her family hopes to keep her condition private.
kalkaska
Road repair budgets are at breaking point
KALKASKA -- Donald Hinds refuses to drive down Old M-72 in Kalkaska County, even though he lives about a block away.
The two-mile stretch is riddled with potholes and patches, and is a navigation nightmare, rattling vehicles traveling between M-72 and Valley Road.
"It's been that way for years," Hinds said. "There's so many potholes. Gee, whiz. You get run off the road in the winter because of the potholes."
It's a familiar story across the region. State funding cuts and a long, tough winter with steep snow removal costs left local road-repair budgets at a breaking point.
In Benzie County, road officials may not be able to do any major road work this spring after an expensive, snowy winter, said Bob Weaver, road commission manager.
"As of right now, we have no local projects," he said.
Some potholes dotting county roads could be left without patches this year.
"We will be doing that mostly on the primary roads and not as much on the local roads," Weaver said.
To compound the budget problem, the price of coal-based road patching material went up more than 30 percent, he said.
Grand Traverse County road officials don't yet know how much money they can spend on spring road repairs.
"We really won't know until the middle of April," said Jim Valade, maintenance supervisor. "It doesn't look pretty."
leelanau
Tour of Leelanau being offered
PESHAWBESTOWN -- Residents and visitors are invited to a one-hour tour of Leelanau County's cherry blossom-covered countryside.
The second annual Leelanau Cherry Blossom Tour will be held May 16.
Tour buses leave from Eagles Ridge Conference Center in Peshawbestown, where there will be music and free cherry brats, drinks and cookies.
An opening ceremony is at 9:30 a.m., and tours begin at 10 a.m. The last bus leaves at 2 p.m. The tour includes two stops at farms near Omena and northern Suttons Bay Township, where farmers will explain their work.
Tour maps are available for those who wish to drive on their own. Maps will be posted at www.leelanaunews.com and www.theconservancy.com.
Last year, about 600 people took the tour.
WEXFORD
Area's urban forestry is recognized
A number of spots in northwestern Lower Michigan were designated Tree City USA communities for urban forestry.
Among the recognized cities and villages are: Boyne City, Cadillac, Charlevoix, Frankfort, Gaylord, Manistee, Traverse City and Mackinaw City. The towns were noted for their focus on urban forestry programs last year.
The Tree City USA program promotes proper tree care and management in urban areas and calls attention to the economic, health and aesthetic benefits trees offer. The program began in 1976 and each year, Michigan has had a growing number of designated communities.
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