Published: October 25, 2009 08:30 am      

Week In Review: 10/25/2009

BENZIE

Well sealed to prevent contamination

BENZIE -- Workers sealed a 240-foot well in Benzie County as part of a statewide program to prevent chemicals from contaminating drinking water.

Dan Busby, a technician with the Michigan Groundwater Stewardship Program, used bentonite clay on Thursday to seal an abandoned well located off Lettau Road in Benzie County. The well is located on 6,000 acres held by the Grand Traverse Regional Land Conservancy.

"There's no chance of contaminants getting in there after that," Busby said.

The Michigan Groundwater Stewardship Program was established 15 years ago to prevent pesticides and nitrogen fertilizers from contaminating groundwater. Since its inception, technicians have assisted in the closure of nearly 8,000 abandoned water wells.

"There's more than a million abandoned wells in Michigan, so we still have a long way to go," said Roberta Dow, northern district water quality educator for the Michigan State University Extension Office.

Busby said the well closed Thursday was drilled in 1968 and most likely was used by a farmer to clean cherries after harvest season.

He continues to receive about 20 calls every year from northern Michigan residents who stumble upon abandoned wells on or near their property.

By failing to properly seal a well, groundwater can develop high-nitrogen levels, Dow said. This poses a serious threat because half of Michigan residents rely on groundwater for their drinking water, she said.

"Most folks just don't think they have to do it," she said.

GRAND TRAVERSE

Economy may determine millage outcome

TRAVERSE CITY -- Backers and opponents of a proposed road millage in Acme and East Bay townships agree on one thing -- the economy will likely determine the outcome of the Nov. 3 vote.

Both townships are separately asking voters to approve a 1-mill property tax levy for five years to improve local roads. The levy would raise about $317,000 its first year in Acme and $501,000 in East Bay, costing the owner of a home with a taxable value of $72,000 another $72 a year in taxes.

"People can simply not afford to do this right now," said Debbie Luhrs, who is leading the opposition against the millage in East Bay Township. "They want to raise the millage rate and charge people in my subdivision who are laid off, out of work and unemployed." Renee Kaufman, of the Fix Our Roads Committee, acknowledged the main argument against the millage is the poor economy.

"But is there ever a perfect time?" Kaufman said. "By improving this critical infrastructure you'll be making a lasting improvement in your community." Rick Cooper, of Acme, said in his township the road tax would cost most homeowners less than $8 a month.

"To my mind that's acceptable and not an overburdening cost, but that's why we are taking it to a vote," Cooper said. "People have to make up their own mind." Luhrs, who lives on a short piece of private road, views the millage as a way to get residents along private and subdivision roads to help pay to fix Holiday Road.

"It's not about fixing all the roads -- it's about fixing Holiday Road with all of our money," Luhrs said.

Commissioners OK partial smoking ban

TRAVERSE CITY -- Traverse City commissioners banned smoking at beaches, picnic shelters and playground areas, but stopped short of a total smoking ban in city parks.

Commissioners decided in a 6-1 vote in favor of a smoking ban "in park buildings, shelters and designated swimming and beach areas in city parks that have waterfront or playground areas." The ban takes effect Oct. 29 and violators could be asked to stop smoking, expelled from the park or ticketed.

Commissioner Ralph Soffredine said it was a move in the right direction, but wanted a more restrictive measure to ban all tobacco in city parks.

"I think we had an opportunity to take a stand and we failed to do that," Soffredine said. "It does take us a step further toward handling this health problem." City leaders agreed on the ban after dismissing two other options: a total ban on all tobacco in city parks, including smokeless tobacco, and a ban on tobacco in certain city park areas.

A total tobacco ban failed to receive enough support to pass because Commissioners Jody Bergman, Barbara Budros, Chris Bzdok and Mayor Michael Estes dissented.

Budros said she couldn't support a total ban because it would "legislate lifestyle," while Estes said he didn't support the notion because it would prevent smokers from lighting up inside their vehicles in city park parking lots.

Swine flu sweeps through region

TRAVERSE CITY -- Lisa DeBolt is a pharmacist by day.

But for the past week, she's maintained that role by night, too, even after leaving her job at Thompson Pharmacy & Medical in Traverse City.

Her four children are bed-ridden with swine flu.

"My 12-year-old came down with it last Friday," DeBolt said. "Ever since then, it went from one kid to another every 24 hours." Northern Michigan finds itself firmly in swine flu's grip, the bug -- technically the H1N1 virus -- responsible for school closings and rampant absenteeism, packed health clinics and booming sales of flu relief remedies.

All this after fewer than a dozen cases were diagnosed here in the months since June, after the H1N1 strain, which surfaced last spring, was declared a worldwide pandemic.

"Michigan has been one of only a handful of states not to have experienced widespread swine flu by this time, so it was bound to start here soon," said Dr. Michael Collins, medical director for the Grand Traverse and Benzie/Leelanau health departments.

Swine flu currently is the lone flu strain in Michigan, so health professionals are diagnosing patients with H1N1 if they show any sign of flu-like symptoms, Collins said.

And that's prompted plenty of foot traffic at area pharmacies, where the afflicted seek prescribed medications such as Tamiflu or Relenza, or over-the-counter symptom-fighting potions.

Thompson Pharmacy & Medical experienced such a flu-run this week that it ran out of Tamiflu, DeBolt said. The pharmacy should receive another shipment today.

And northern Michigan residents who've thus far avoided the flu bug stocked up on medication this week.

GT County vote to strip benefits reversed

TRAVERSE CITY -- Another day, another flip-flop for the Grand Traverse County board.

Make it a half-day, this time.

County commissioners on Tuesday voted 5 to 4 during a subcommittee meeting to strip taxpayer-funded health insurance benefits from the county's part-time county road commissioners. But the decision crumbled 12 hours later when one of the majority voters said he didn't understand the question.

The board's plan included expanding the road commission from three to five members, but stripping their free health insurance to cover additional salary costs. County Commissioners Larry Fleis, Ross Richardson, Christine Maxbauer, Mike Stepka, and Beth Friend supported that move, but Fleis on Wednesday backed away.

Fleis said he misunderstood the vote and doesn't support cancelling health insurance benefits for existing road commissioners. He thought the motion barred only the would-be two new members from receiving county-paid health insurance.

"I wouldn't be in favor of taking away something that they have presently," Fleis said. "When their term ends would be the time to adjust it." Fleis won't be present at an Oct. 28 meeting when Tuesday's vote was expected to be finalized, leaving a 4 to 4 split. Without a majority tally against them, road commissioners can expect to retain their health insurance.

"So what else is new?" said Commissioner Ross Richardson. "We were all in shock when (Fleis) voted for it anyway." County Commissioners Larry Inman, Addison Wheelock Jr., Dick Thomas, and Bruce Hooper voted against the plan.

Inman said he'll give the board another chance to craft a compromise. He pledged to vote for reconsideration at the Nov. 17 Ways and Means Committee.

"I think there are other issues at hand we need to discuss before we tackle this on a final vote," he said.

Swine flu outbreak closes school

TRAVERSE CITY -- Some middle school students in Traverse City will have an unexpectedly long weekend while custodians scrub their building after hundreds of students reported flu-like symptoms.

West Middle School is closed today and Friday after roughly 250 students said they were ill Wednesday morning, about 20 percent of the 1,209 sixth- through eighth-graders enrolled as of Sept. 30.

Traverse City Area Public Schools spokeswoman Alison Arnold said about 200 students reported feeling sick by the end of the day Tuesday.

The closure is in response to a fresh outbreak of the H1N1 influenza strain known as swine flu, which was declared a pandemic in June. Thus far, it has not been more severe than the seasonal flu.

But enough students became ill that closing the doors to allow time for recovery, as well as a chance to clean common areas and buses, seemed like a logical decision, Arnold said.

Students are in the middle of testing for the Michigan Educational Assessment Program, or MEAP. Principal Pam Alfieri said the district is working with the state education department to reschedule tests.

A Michigan Department of Education spokeswoman said schools that closed for flu soon will receive information about makeup dates.

"I think a lot of students were trying to come to school to hang in there and get through this," Arnold said. "We're watching this kind of hourly."

Expert: Area has coldest October since 1952

TRAVERSE CITY -- It's been a cold October. Very cold. Historically cold.

"I just don't go outside," said Arlene Emerson, a longtime Traverse City resident. "I just stay inside and crank up the thermostat." Residents across the region spent this month shivering in chilly temperatures, scraping frost from windshields and seeking warmth by dressing in layers and huddling beneath electric blankets.

It's been so frosty that records show it's the coldest October in northern Michigan since 1952, according to the National Weather Service.

"The average temperature through Oct. 20 is 43.9 degrees. More importantly, that's 6.9 degrees below normal this month," said Mike Boguth, NWS meteorologist at the Gaylord weather station. "Three degrees difference is significant and when you're talking almost seven degrees, that is historic." Monday was the first day temperatures climbed above normal this month, he said.

And area residents are gearing up for more.

"They've been all over it. They are buying the cold weather stuff," said Rob DeWeese, manager at DeWeese Hardware in Traverse City.

Hot items for cold weather preparations include plastic covering for windows, storm windows, weather stripping, spray foam insulation, electric heaters, roof cables to prevent ice buildup, hot water heater blankets, water pipe insulation tubes and attic insulation materials, DeWeese said.

"We've been selling it for a while. They got on it early this year, about a month ago," he said.

And homeowners aren't the only ones impacted by recent chilly temperatures. Area farmers struggled with crops through an unusually cool and rainy summer, so this chilly autumn is more of the same.

Forum focuses on public access channels

TRAVERSE CITY -- Local residents concerned with Charter Communications' recent announcement that it will move four public access channels into digital format and away from their current numerical positions can discuss the issue at a forum next week.

The League of Women Voters Grand Traverse Area chapter will host a public forum to address Charter's decision to move four public stations to the 900-block of digital cable channels at 7 p.m. Monday at the Traverse Area District Library, 610 Woodmere.

The four stations include Up North 2, NMC 13, TCAPS 98 and Government 99, and are scheduled to move into digital format Dec. 1.

KALKASKA

Public invited to provide input to DNR

KALKASKA -- Officials with the Department of Natural Resources will discuss proposed forest management treatments for the Kalkaska area of the Traverse City Management Unit next month.

Residents are encouraged to provide their input at the open house from 3 to 7 p.m. Nov. 12 at the Kalkaska Field Office, 2089 North Birch St.

Treatments could include timber harvesting, replanting or other management activities, but would not take effect until 2011.

The open house will focus on units located in Boardman, Kalkaska, Oliver, Garfield, Bear Lake and Blue Lake townships.