Smartzone CEO visits the council, dangerous buildings code and zoning ordinance updates nearing completion
Hancock City Council, Oct. 20, 2021
Meeting Highlights
Click the headline to see the corresponding video clip
Visit from David Rowe, CEO of MTEC SmartZone
David Rowe, who took over as the CEO of MTEC SmartZone on the first of August this year, introduced himself to the Hancock City Council.
Rowe grew up in the area before moving to Denver for work and moved back to this area in 2013. He has a variety of business development experience.
He shared with the council some of the successes he’s seen already in the last seven weeks with funding and development of new, local, technology-based businesses.
He also touted the past and coming visit by delegations from Finland as part of the FinnZone initiative.
Dangerous buildings portion of city code discussed, moved toward approval
The council took up the discussion of an amendment of the dangerous buildings code for Hancock, which City Manager Mary Babcock said would update the current ordinance to align with the state of Michigan’s rules to make proceedings easier and give the city more latitude.
The ordinance was drafted and approved by the city attorney.
Under the new statute, there is a provision that would make ignoring an order from the council a misdemeanor.
“Normally we try to make things a civil infraction,” Mayor Paul LaBine said.
He said he wasn’t comfortable with anything the council ordered ending with sending people to jail, and that a civil infraction, which doesn’t involve jail time, was easier to execute.
The rest of the council agreed after a few minutes of discussion and asked that the provision be changed to a civil infraction.
The ordinance change will need to go to a public hearing, Babcock said she would get the change made before the proposed ordinance is published for the hearing.
Council takes no action on appointment of Adam Griffis to Hancock Planning Commission
Out of concern for the near-finalized zoning ordinance, members of the planning commission including Councilor Kurt Rickard advocated for avoiding filling the recently vacated seat on the commission. The concern is that a new member may want to make significant changes and delay the long-awaited process.
Councilor Whitney Warstler refrained from participating in the discussion because applicant Adam Griffis is her husband. Mayor LaBine said that wasn’t an eliminating factor for Griffis because there was already precedent for that situation.
Present members of the commission agreed to meet with Griffis, the sole applicant for the open position, at the next planning commission meeting and talk about how to proceed.
Other Notes:
Councilor John Haeussler was absent from the meeting and excused by the other councilors.
The city has been approved for a grant that will help fund electric vehicle charging stations in Hancock.
A new website for the city is nearing completion.
The city has been receiving good feedback on the location and progress of the dog park. It should be minimally open before the end of the season and open through the winter with the help of volunteers before more equipment is installed next year.
Hancock is hosting a holiday decorating contest again this year, with the theme of The Grinch/Whoville.
Refill UP is opening in Hancock to offer a waste-free option for refilling household soaps and detergents.
Sunshine Coffee and Used Books is opening soon near Finlandia University’s campus.
Kangas Cafe is for sale.
James DeClerck was appointed to the Board of Review with a term ending on Dec. 31, 2024.
The city council approved the purchase of code enforcement tracking software from Comcate.
Councilor Rick Freeman Jr thanked the police for their diligent patrolling near the school during student commuting hours.
Calumet Village Council working to pass new rules of procedure, considering short-term rental ordinances, launches negotiation team
Calumet Village Council, Oct. 19, 2021
Editor’s Note: This is not the story I set out to put together. I intend to have coverage of the Calumet Village Council much like what I’ve been producing for the cities of Houghton and Hancock, but there are some technical hurdles to overcome, just as there were when I first started there. Please bear with me as I adapt to these new challenges.
Meeting Highlights
Photo from Michigan Tech Archives, via VillageofCalumet.com
Draft rules of procedure reviewed, criticized by public
The hot topic of Calumet Village’s public comment section was new rules of procedure that the council has drafted and is looking to pass (p. 13 of the Agenda and Documents above). These rules govern how the council plans their meetings, discusses matters, appoints new members to vacant seats, and votes on things.
Some of the attendees expressed frustration that a council consisting of some different members had passed other rules last November but that the council did not follow them. They asked what the purpose of the new rules was if they were going to be ignored.
Councilors countered that the purpose was to update the rules to match what they intended their procedures to be, but that in any case, the rules were not binding.
The document says the council adopts Roberts Rules of Order “as a guide”, and then follows with several provisions. Of special note is the procedure for replacing village councilors, as there are currently two vacant seats on the council.
The council “may or may not appoint persons to fill such vacancies”.
Planning commission continues to tweak zoning ordinances
Colleen Kobe, the chairperson for the Calumet Planning Commission, stood to give a report on the development of the new Calumet Village Zoning Ordinance. She highlighted two topics she thought the council should consider before the new ordinance come to a public hearing.
The first was short-term rentals, often referred to as AirBnBs. Because they are not defined in the ordinance, they are not a legally permissible land use anywhere in the village, even though some apartments within the village are evidently being rented out through these arrangements.
STRs do not fall into the same category as a bed and breakfast under Calumet’s ordinance because the owner or operator is not on-site during the time of the guest’s stay.
Kobe said they could either continue to omit STRs and they would continue to be a non-permitted use, or they could define them and add them to certain districts, or they could create an entirely separate STR ordinance and add it as a regulated use in the new zoning ordinance.
Members of the village council agreed to collect information about other local STR ordinances, particularly Hancock and Houghton’s, and talk about what they would like to see and what is practical for Calumet during their next work session.
The other topic was marijuana manufacture and sales, which is currently disallowed in Calumet. Buffer zones included in the state law mean that nowhere within the village is allowable for a marijuana business without a special exemption being carved out in zoning.
Kobe said in a memo (p. 29-30 in the Documents) that personally, with marijuana purchases available in Houghton and likely elsewhere soon, she didn’t feel the time necessary to work on a marijuana ordinance was worth taking that time away from things like the STR ordinance and completing the rest of the overhaul.
“Adding marijuana to the workload stops progress in our tracks,” she wrote.
The council discussed having a village-wide referendum to see if village members favored an ordinance allowing marijuana businesses to be developed and decided it was worth it for some clear direction on the matter, as the only other vote data they have is for the statewide law, not a local ordinance.
Negotiation strategy agreed upon with Calumet Theatre
While members of the council had hoped to be able to negotiate behind closed doors with the entire council in attendance, that process is disallowed under the Open Meetings Act.
Instead, a negotiation team consisting of two members of the council and the village manager will meet privately with theatre representatives to come to a new draft lease agreement, which will then be presented to the entire village council at a public meeting for approval.
Councilor Elise Matz said she felt like everyone was on the same page now, it was just a matter of executing an agreement.
Other Notes:
The November meeting has been moved to 6:30 p.m. on Nov. 16.
Nurses draw a red line
UP Health System-Portage nurses rally to draw attention to staffing and retention issues
Around 90 people walked the Portage Lake Lift Bridge with signs and chanting to support nurses in their contract negotiations with UPHS-Portage on Thursday afternoon.
Kendra Benson, right, preparing for the march.
Kendra Benson has been a nurse at UP Health System-Portage for four years. She’s also worked with Upper Great Lakes and for a year in Detroit. She participated in the rally and interviewed with several media outlets.
“What we want is a fair contract,” Benson said. “We’ve been in negotiations now for going on six months, and they’ve pushed back our contract three separate times.”
She said that the meetings aren’t accomplishing much more than scheduling more meetings, and so now the nurses are putting public pressure on the hospital system to bargain in better faith. Benson said they’re pushing for safe staffing levels and a better recruitment and retention plan.
“So, in order to recruit and retain we need a wage scale that is competitive with our local hospitals,” Benson said. “Which, up here, we’re the lowest-paid nurses in the area, that’s including Marquette.”
Benson said some of the nurses are being mandated to work 18-hour shifts, and that the hospital is hiring part-time staff to work long hours similar to a full-time nurse, but without benefits.
“We want to feel appreciated and we feel, you know, even after all this pandemic and whatnot, we don’t feel appreciated,” Benson said.
Danielle Hamlin, in the red and black plaid, walking to the lift bridge from Bridgeview Park.
Danielle Hamlin has been nursing at UPHS-Portage for 21 years and has been part of several contract negotiations in the past.
“Three years ago they cried poverty and we did not get a raise…” Hamlin said. “Now we’re just trying to be competitive with the hospitals all around.”
Hamlin said the wages at UPHS-Portage are lagging behind other local hospitals by as much as $1.70 an hour. For an employee working 40 hours per week, that calculates out to about $3,500 per year.
She said after the staff cuts during the COVID-19 pandemic, the hospital hasn’t been restaffed to meet the needs of fully reopening.
“We like two dayshift nurses, two nightshift nurses, and a swing shift and we’re way beyond—the ED (emergency department) is not at all at that,” Hamlin said. “We have eight nurses I believe, right now, and we’re supposed to be staffed with 15.”
She said that the lack of staff has kept those nurses remaining at the hospital busier than ever before. When other departments are full, which Hamlin said the intensive care unit currently is, patients have been shifted into the emergency department instead.
“It’s not the proper care,” Hamlin said.
She said the nurses have also requested that security be posted in the emergency room due to an increase in violent incidents with patients, but the hospital has yet to have anyone posted there.
“Some of the staff left because of not feeling safe,” Hamlin said.
Hamlin said the hospital wants to offer signing bonuses for new employees but hasn’t agreed to what they feel is necessary for staff retention.
“So right away, those people are making more than us,” she said.
Hamlin said she felt sad because she used to love her job, but it has become difficult to keep going in for long shifts, with few coworkers, and low pay.
The Michigan Nurses Association, which represents unionized nurses in Michigan, also supports the Safe Patient Care Act, of which Upper Peninsula Senator Ed McBroom is a cosponsor.
The bill sets patient-to-nurse ratios for different departments. An intensive or critical care unit would have to be staffed 1-to-1, all the way down to rehabilitation care, which can be staffed 1-to-5 under the bill. It also limits the amount of overtime a hospital can ask a nurse to work in its effort to meet those staffing goals.
There are currently no patient-to-nurse ratios mandated by law in Michigan.
Problems for hospital departments like understaffing, unsafe working conditions, and stagnant wages are a problem nationwide, with reports from USA Today, Yahoo Finance, Financial Times, Reuters, and numerous local outlets around the country running articles and editorials about it over the last month.
Some hospitals have even had to halt pediatric and trauma admissions or call in the National Guard to maintain staff.
UPHS-Portage is operated by LifePoint Health, a privately held company. Their most recent SEC filings available are from 2018. In the most recent annual filing, they claim $6.2 billion in revenue in 2017 and $102 million in net income (page 50). Macroaxis, an online investment analysis tool, projects their 2021 net income to be $143 million and revenue at $4.86 billion.
UPHS - Portage administration declined to be interviewed for this story, but did provide Copper Beacon with a written statement:
The employees represented by the Michigan Nurses Association (MNA) are critical members of our team, and we support them and respect their right to assemble and speak freely to the community they serve. We understand that the hospital’s contract negotiations with the MNA will likely be addressed. While we cannot comment on specific elements of those negotiations out of respect for the bargaining process, we are confident that the result will be a mutually agreeable contract for all. In the meantime, please rest assured that we will not be distracted from providing excellent care to our patients and community.
UP Health System – Portage takes very seriously our commitment to delivering high-quality, safe, and compassionate care close to home, and we strive daily to create excellent workplaces for our employees. Especially during this pandemic, which has arguably been the most challenging situation the healthcare industry has ever faced, we want to recognize and support our staff and clinical teams who have cared for our patients during this time.
Many cars honked in support of the protestors. Several people waved or shouted. One dog barked repeatedly out of the window of a passing SUV.
Police department seeks accreditation, annexation principle approved, and remaining meetings rescheduled
Houghton City Council, Oct. 13, 2021
Meeting Highlights
Click the headline to see the video clip
Police department receives grant to seek state accreditation
During his report, Chief John Donnelly told the board that the police department has been awarded a $38,000 grant to pursue accreditation for the police department. They would be only the second police department in the Upper Peninsula, after Marquette, to achieve accreditation.
According to the Standards Manual from the Michigan Law Enforcement Accreditation Commission, the agency that offers the accreditation in question, achieving it “acknowledges the implementation of written directives, policies and procedures that are conceptually sound and operationally effective.”
Chief Donnelly said it means “your department is doing what your policies say and your policies say what your department is doing.”
Among the things the Standards Manual lays out, the department must develop and swear officers to a code of ethics, have a clear and enforced policy for controlling records in accordance with Michigan statute, adhere to annual in-service retraining procedures, and a lot more. (And I don’t usually use that kind of emphasis.)
Auditors confirm that the policies are in place and being practiced. Chief Donnelly said they have two years to complete the process, and much of the work will be done by Lt. Nick Roberts and Office Manager Polly Salmi, who he also gave much of the credit to for acquiring the grant.
Council gives go-ahead on annexation plan ‘principle’
City councilors gave general support to pursue the annexation plan for the proposed county jail site discussed at Tuesday night’s county commissioners meeting. More detailed agreements will come before the council for final approval.
Because of holidays and the second public engagement night, the council moved the November meeting to Nov. 17, and December’s to Dec. 1 and 15.
Other notes:
The Dee Stadium is open, and public skating times will be re-established soon.
The next public engagement session for the future of the lakeshore parking deck area is being scheduled for Nov. 10.
Road construction on Michigan Tech’s campus should be wrapping up soon, until after graduation.
Councilor Mike Needham plugged the Copper Country Ski Tigers’ Gear Swap coming up this Saturday.
New administrator's first meeting, jail property annexation finds a road forward, Secure MI Vote discussion, more
Houghton County Commissioners, Oct. 12, 2021
Editor’s Note: I goofed the beginning of the video up a little, but it evens out after a couple of minutes and I caught my mistake. Luckily, I had two cameras there!
Meeting Highlights
Click the underlined headlines to see the video, or other underlined text for more information and sources.
Public comment erupts over Secure MI Vote
The public comment started with two residents standing to speak in support of a resolution opposing the Secure MI Vote petition initiative. The second resident was interrupted by several people before trying to continue and being told her time to speak was over by Chairperson Al Koskela.
Another resident stood and also expressed his concern about the possible legislation, and said that “we all know what the game is”, and said that the bill would be approved into law by the Republican-controlled legislature without a statewide referendum or the chance for a governor’s veto.
“This is an attempt to make an end-run around a legislative process,” William Keith said and asked the commissioners to take a principled stand against it.
Later in the meeting, Commissioner Gretchen Janssen and Commissioner Glenn Anderson supported the resolution to oppose the Secure MI Vote petition. Anderson specifically opposed anything that made absentee voting more difficult for the elderly population.
However, upon voting, the commissioners were split 2-2, Commissioner Roy Britz being absent. Without at least three votes, the resolution failed.
One citizen implored people to read the legislation.
So I did, and here’s what I found.
The bill does require the last four digits of the elector’s social security number to be part of the registration application, but I don’t see anything that requires it to be on the outside of an envelope. I guess that’s up to whoever designs the applications.
It quite drastically changes the ID requirement. Whereas the previous law allows a person to be identified through a comparison of signatures or offering other information that matches the voter registration list, this law adds a photo ID requirement for all voters.
Excerpt from the proposed legislation.
Where previously being unable to complete the ID requirements meant that you had to sign an affidavit and then your vote was challenged according to the standing practice, the new law requires them to fill a provisional ballow that will be segregated from other ballots and only processed if the voter returns to their local clerk with qualifying ID within six days.
The proposed law also establishes a fund to pay for IDs if an applicant claims hardship and signs a form that is yet undeveloped.
While these requirements may not seem extreme for many of us, people in larger cities, well known to be Democrat “strongholds” are worried the new ID rules could swell already long lines at polling places beyond any capacity they have to manage.
The law entirely bars any person employed by the state from sending unrequested absent voter ballot applications. Those applications must include a driver’s license number, state ID number, last four digits of a social security number, or the applicant must visit the clerk in person to present photo identification.
In some places, the bill changes the word ‘elector’ to ‘individual’, but in others, it changes the word ‘voter’ to ‘elector’. I don’t know why.
It also contains a clause that prohibits private funding to run elections, but it also prohibits “in-kind contributions” from individuals, which many are concerned means volunteering will no longer be lawful. I have to agree the wording is vague enough to be interpreted that way.
There were many complaints about election clerks being overworked during the 2020 election. How much harder will it be without extra outside grant funding, and maybe without volunteers? I might have to ask an election clerk.
Fifth Street fire update from Commissioner Tikkanen
Commissioner Tom Tikkanen said the 5th Street fire cleanup is “virtually completed”, and that the EPA may even be interested in helping clean up a fire site on 7th street, too.
Tikkanen said the effort of governments and representatives at all levels came together to make the cleanup possible.
Commissioner Glenn Anderson later added that Tikkanen himself was also a big part of the cleanup effort.
Transfer station and recycling update
Commissioner Tom Tikkanen said that the County Clerk’s office is accepting applications for a transfer station manager, which is also going to start accepting card-based payments next week.
Recycling at the transfer station is going to be available Monday through Friday during the normal transfer station hours (but not Saturday), and later hours are being planned for some weekdays soon, too.
From May through September, 12.5 tons of recycling have moved through the transfer station.
Tikkanen also plugged an upcoming event organized by the Copper Country Recycling Initiative which will feature two speakers.
Tracy Purrenhage has decades of experience managing public and private sector solid waste and recycling programs, and Brad Austin is the Director of Operations at the Marquette County Waste Management Authority, which is where Houghton’s recycling goes.
The meeting is at 1:30 p.m. on Oct. 21, at the Carnegie Museum in Houghton.
New county administrator greeted - Elizabeth Bjorn
There wasn’t much of an introduction, but Chairperson Al Koskela did greet the new county administrator, Elizabeth Bjorn, and thanked outgoing administrator Ben Larson for 14 months of work. Other commissioners and county employees later added to their thanks and listed some of what Larson helped the county accomplish; recycling at the transfer station, union negotiations, sale of the old transfer station, and budgets for the transfer station and marina.
Sheriff Saaranen’s first update to the board
Sheriff Josh Saaranen said the Sheriff’s Department is still working to fill the positions left open after the late Sheriff Brian McLean’s death and his own promotion to Sheriff, and picking up projects after Sheriff McLean’s sudden passing.
Jail property annexation may move forward soon
The Houghton-Portage Township Board has agreed to temporary annexation so that the county can move forward with the land purchase and plans to build a new jail, but wouldn’t agree to a permanent annexation until a millage is passed. If the jail isn’t built and the property is sold off again, the township wants to retain it if taxable.
Commissioner Glenn Anderson pushed to close the purchase before Administrator Larson’s last day on Oct. 22. The board has already approved the purchase.
Postponed one week to Nov. 16.
This is a bummer for me because now it conflicts with my coverage of the Calumet Village Council. The county surely takes precedence, but I don’t like missing one, especially so soon after starting coverage there.
I’ll try to squeeze both in, but it may not be possible.
Tuning in to the vulnerable
PHF-sponsored radio technology arrives in the Keweenaw Area to safeguard those who are prone to wander, and easily lost
At a press conference Monday morning, representatives from four local sheriff’s departments announced the beginning of a partnership with Project Lifesaver, sponsored by the Portage Health Foundation and also in partnership with Superior Search & Rescue.
Project Lifesaver partners with municipalities and trains emergency responders on how to use their technology to locate missing individuals who are registered with the project. Registered people, often those with a cognitive disorder who are more likely to wander away from home or their caregiver, wear a small, non-removable radio transmitter with an individualized signal. When they’re reported lost, trained personnel can tune in and track the signal using triangulation.
Houghton County Detective Lieutenant Charlie Klein
“It’s older technology than GPS, but it’s better for our area,” Houghton County Detective Lieutenant Charlie Klein said.
Lt. Klein took the lead in the press conference, introducing the new program and answering reporters’ questions.
He spoke plainly about the reason the program was being pursued.
“Back in April this year, we all witnessed the tragedy that took place in Ontonagon,” Lt. Klein said, referring to the unfortunate death of 17-year-old Cam Besonen, who had autism and walked away from home.
“After watching the tragedy unfold, I saw a need in our community to protect our most vulnerable people with cognitive disabilities,” Klein said. “I know firsthand how challenging and stressful it can be for a family that has a loved one with a cognitive disability. My wife and I have a five-year-old with Down syndrome.”
He began looking for a way to prevent the loss of another vulnerable community member, and through his search found Project Lifesaver. Whereas the search for Cam Besonen went on for 72 hours, Lt. Klein said the average rescue time with Project Lifesaver is 30 minutes, and they boast a 100% recovery rate since their founding in 1999.
“After finding Project Lifesaver, I approached my undersheriff Kevin Capo and the late Brian McLean and asked for the green light to figure out a way how to implement this program in our communities,” Lt. Klein said.
They and the sheriffs from Keweenaw, Baraga, and Ontonagon Counties all agreed it was a program that should be brought to the area, but the cost to establish it here was an issue. They approached the Portage Health Foundation and submitted a grant application. PHF has granted $34,000 toward the startup costs for all four counties and the fees for the first 50 families that enroll.
Ontonagon County Sheriff Dale Rantala
Ontonagon Sheriff Dale Rantala didn’t mince words about the loss of Cam Besonen this year. His body was found less than a mile from home.
“That was the worst day of my career,” he said. “Telling the parents that we found him, but not alive.”
He thanked Lt. Klein for taking the initiative to find a way to keep it from happening again.
In addition to the loss of life, he also shared that the search operation lasted 72 hours, took 2,474 man-hours, and cost $185,557. Sheriff Rantala thinks that if Project Lifesaver had been used, the search would have been over in ten minutes.
“I would love it if we have this technology and we never need it,” Sheriff Rantala said. “But if we need it, it’s going to have a much better outcome than I had.”
Ontonagon County Undersheriff Tonya Stefonich, Baraga County Sheriff Joe Brogan, and Houghton County Sheriff Josh Saaranen (left to right) at Monday’s conference.
Besides the initial grant for the technology and training for the officers to use it, Portage Health Foundation is covering the fees for the first 50 families to enroll, about $350 each. They’ve also launched an information, application, and fundraising webpage where the public can learn more and donate to support the program.
“The hope is that none of these families that participate in this will ever have to pay money to use it,” said PHF Marketing and Communications Director Michael Babcock.
Each sheriff’s department will have its own locator equipment, and Superior Search and Rescue has agreed to offer support with using it in the field, too. Batteries in the worn transmitters need replacing every two months, and law enforcement is planning to do the battery changes and replacing the single-use wristbands themselves.
Some of the specifics are still unknown to the participating departments, as the initial, 3-day training begins tomorrow. It includes not only how to use the technology itself, but also how to implement the program and what behavior to expect from someone with a cognitive disability who is lost.
Babcock noted that Besonen’s loss was not the only incident that has happened in the last year.
There will be a public information session about the program announced by the Portage Health Foundation within the next two months. The departments all hope to begin registering families and distributing wristbands in December.
UPDATE: The Houghton County Sheriff’s Office announced on Nov. 5 that enrollment for Project Lifesaver is now open. To start the enrollment process, you can email Sheriff Josh Saaranen at jsaaranen@houghtonsheriff.com, Detective Charlie Klein at cklein@houghtonsheriff.com, or complete the online interest form on the Portage Health Foundation information website. Or you can call the Houghton County Sheriff’s office at (906)482-0055.
COVID-19 in the Upper Peninsula, around the nation
I have been reluctant to do more reporting on COVID-19, which might be why I haven’t come up with any decent ideas for new angles that haven’t already been done ad nauseam.
If you feel like you know of a COVID-19 story that hasn’t been told already, please let me know. As much as it drags and grinds on all of us, I do feel that telling as many stories as possible in this moment of history is very important. Every story only happens once.
In the meanwhile, here’s a quick look at local, state, and national numbers.
The Western Upper Peninsula Health Department reports that we have been deep in the “High Transmission Rate” area for weeks now. Here’s their report, but it’s a little hard to break down so I’ll do a little number crunching below, too.
Obviously, red is bad, and there’s a lot of red. That’s pretty easy to interpret. Where all that redness comes from is the Case Rate/100,000 population number. Anything over 100 is considered high, and as you can see, Houghton County is at 308.2. Of course, Houghton County only has a population of around 37,000, so we don’t need 308 cases to get to 308 per 100,000, that’s just the ratio.
A quick comparison to last week’s numbers shows that this isn’t a significant departure from the trend, but the percent positivity has gone down slightly from a week before that.
According to data from michigan.gov, Aspirus Keweenaw reported that they had three COVID-19 patients in their ICU, with 42% bed occupancy. UP Health System - Portage reported three COVID-19 patients, but none in the ICU, and 44% bed occupancy. The state average bed occupancy is currently 83%, with at least two hospitals reporting 100% occupancy.
On Monday, Lake Linden and Calumet both reported new school-based outbreaks of COVID-19 to the state. Lake Linden reported one involving 9 students at the high school and another with 8 students at the elementary. CLK schools reported an outbreak involving 13 students at the high school.
Data from michigan.gov/coronavirus
As you can see from the graphs above, the number of deaths (in red) in Michigan is lagging behind the previous waves, but the fact that we haven’t seen the peak of this fourth wave yet is troubling.
Data from Johns Hopkins University of Medicine shows that all in all, Houghton County and the nearby counties aren’t doing too poorly, with cases seeming to be concentrated in states to the south and west of Michigan so far.
It also shows that we’re the most virulent country on the planet (in part due to our size, the data isn’t population-adjusted, but Russia, China, India, and Canada all have much better 28-day totals than us).
New village clerk established, new sheriff resigns old elected position
South Range Village Council, Oct. 7, 2021
Editor’s note: This room and table setup are about the worst I can imagine for recording purposes. I did what I could with what I had, nonetheless. Village President George Eakin told me he’s hoping to stop using the COVID-19 safety set up for their next meeting, and if they move back to the smaller room most of these issues will be gone. Otherwise, I’m going to have to take some radical measures to capture better audio and video in November. I appreciate your patience while I establish this new, regular coverage.
Meeting Highlights
Click the underlined headlines to be taken to the corresponding video.
New village clerk welcomed, training in progress
The new village clerk, Kristen Archambeau, was in attendance for the first time in her new role. The village approved adding her to the village bank and credit card accounts and thanked previous clerk Joe Morgan for his work.
Sheriff Saaranen resigns from the village council
Thanking the village for the opportunity to serve as trustee, Sheriff Josh Saaranen resigned his position on the council because of his new position as Sheriff. Both being elected positions, he can’t hold them concurrently. The council later accepted the resignation, although several expressed their regret at losing him on the council. The village voted to post the open position in order to appoint someone to the vacant seat at the next regular meeting.
Other notes:
Trustees discussed a citizen's concern about speeding after-dark ATV traffic on Whealkate Drive. Signage, closing gates, and other alternatives were discussed. Trustees and village employees said they would reach out to the road commission to see what could be done.
Another citizen came to the council about an issue with constantly running water in his basement. The village plans to test the water to see if it has residual chlorine in it, which would indicate it may come from a municipal line.
Another citizen invited the council and public to a presentation on recycling happening on Oct. 21 at the Carnegie Museum and online.
The village has asked the sheriff’s department to look into several campers parked in the village that people seem to be living in.
Dollar General is investigating land and easements in South Range.
The council discussed buying new office equipment and software for the new village clerk.
The council approved the lowest bid for a new furnace and heater in the DPW garage, contingent on it including removal of the old equipment.
CEDAM fellow introduced, patrol car grant application approved, Waste Management contract extended, more
Hancock City Council, Oct. 6, 2021
Meeting Highlights
(Click the headline to see the corresponding video)
New CEDAM fellow, Sadiq Dahir Edo, introduced
Edo will be joining the city staff for 15 months and will focus on helping with the zoning ordinance update. He works 40 hours a week and is paid through a grant from the Community Economic Development Association of Michigan. You can learn more about him from his cover letter inside the meeting documents, but in short; he’s originally from Kenya, grew up in Grand Rapids, and holds a bachelor’s degree in environmental studies and sustainability from Northern Michigan University.
660 Quincy Street sees brick face deterioration
County building inspector Todd LaRoux was called in to inspect some masonry coming off of the building at 660 Quincy Street. He said the building was structurally safe to be used, but there is the danger of more brick being dislodged.
Waste Management contract extended for 3 years
Like the city of Houghton did last month, Hancock has extended their contract with Waste Management for 1 year at a 4% increase, but unlike Houghton, they also locked in for 2 years following that with an increase linked to the national WST index.
Councilor John Haeussler pointed out that when the cities privatized their garbage collection, they did so together to be able to get an acceptable deal with Waste Management, filling in some historical context. Several of the councilors weighed in with observations and opinions.
Also unlike Houghton, there was one vote against the extension on the Hancock council. Councilor Will Lytle conceded that the council had little alternative but to renew the contract, but voted against it nonetheless.
Police vehicle grant application moved forward
The council approved a USDA Rural Development application for a grant toward a new patrol car. City Manager Mary Babcock said they usually get a new car every other year, but the last one arrived late, so they’re applying for this one to try and get back on their normal every-other-year schedule.
Haeussler plugs upcoming hockey history talk
Councilor Haeussler plugged his upcoming history talk on Oct. 14.
Councilor Haeussler’s event poster:
He also shared that he would likely be absent from the next meeting due to needing to be at an appointment with his heart doctor in Marquette which had been rescheduled four times already. Councilor Haeussler previously resigned his position due to health concerns before regaining his seat on the council shortly thereafter.
Other notes:
Councilor Ron Blau was absent from the meeting and was excused by the rest of the councilors.
The assessor’s report showed that in the last three months, there’s a trend in Hancock of rentals being sold as primary residences, and sale prices have increased over the last three years.
There were no public comments during the meeting.
City clerk Linda Kalinec has been certified by the state to run future city elections.
Interviews for the director of the Department of Public Works are being scheduled for next week.
The city beach is closed, and the campground is closing by mid-October.
The new city dog park is planned to be open to some extent before winter, but won’t be fully completed until next spring.
The city renewed the contract with Munetrix, which helps the city with its transparency reporting and capital improvement plan.
The council approved two paving bids from Bill Siler, one for some late-year street paving projects (including one area a citizen had commented on at a previous meeting), and another for the basketball court at Terrace Park.
Councilor Kurt Rickard shared that he visited the new Jim’s Pizza and enjoyed it.
People of the Heart walk for the water a 3rd time
Plus meet one of Copper Beacon's new board members!
I took the opportunity this week to highlight an upcoming event while also introducing you all to one of Copper Beacon’s future board members, Kathy Smith. For those of you that don’t already know, Copper Beacon is the name that we’ve chosen to succeed Late Edition as we relaunch as a nonprofit.
Check out the video, and stay tuned to other coverage for more Copper Beacon updates!