Election Elucidation
A look at Michigan's 2022 election calendar with County Clerk Jennifer Kelly
Photo by Arnaud Jaegers on Unsplash
Michigan’s 2022 election calendar is 18 pages long and full of jargon and references to state laws and other documents. It’s not particularly easy to understand.
Fortunately, Houghton County Clerk Jennifer Kelly agreed to a short interview where she helps to outline the process for people interested in running for local office. She’s also made herself available for other questions.
Editor’s Note: This podcast focuses on the August primary and November general elections. The opportunity to file for candidacy in the city of Houghton’s council election in May has already passed.
Ticket to Read
How libraries impact our community
In the digital age, information resources outside of the internet are often forgotten about and disregarded as anachronistic, but libraries still provide essential services to their communities, and act as points of contact for individuals and groups to connect, network, and grow.
A well-used keychain library card issued by the Portage Lake District Library.
Many libraries, especially rural ones like those found in the Upper Peninsula, often face challenges of insufficient funding and resources. To ensure the survival of libraries, it is important to understand what they have to offer and how community members can give back.
“I have always been a library user since I was a little girl, my family, my parents brought us to the library,” Susan Autio, interim director of the Portage Lake District Library (PLDL), said during an interview in her office.
Autio’s father was an educator and her mother went to school for a while as an English major.
“And so I come from a family of readers. And so, just going to the library was always a part of my life,” Autio said.
Back when it was at the Carnegie building, Autio introduced her children to the library. Eventually, there was a job opening for a library page, a position that involves shelving books and checking people in and out. Autio applied for the position and was instead hired as a library assistant.
Jennifer Strand, a librarian at Osceola DB-TC School Library, which also acts as a public library for Osceola Township, had a similar experience.
“My love of libraries started when I was in elementary school,” Strand said in an email interview. “I have always loved to read and was a library aide when I was in middle school.”
Portage Lake District Library worker Rae Hix shelves books on a Saturday morning.
Strand has been working at the library for 23 years.
“Although my job duties can be fluid working in a public school, I love my job for the time that I am able to be in the library. I thoroughly enjoy being able to help people find a book that they will love reading and/or help them with a task they need to complete,” She said.
Leo Siren, director at Ontonagon Township Library, describes his favorite part of working in a library as “helping people solve problems and access quality information.”
“My background is mostly in writing/editing and software, but the opportunity to apply for this role came to me when I moved back to my hometown after the financial crisis of 2008.”
“People who don't visit libraries because they ‘have books at home’ or ‘only read on the Kindle’ don't always realize that public libraries today offer ebooks, digital audiobooks, streaming movies, book clubs, classes, affordable printing and copying, and various other services,” said Siren.
Autio similarly expressed that people who think that libraries can’t compete with the internet are missing the facts.
“Yeah, you can do a lot of research on the internet and maybe not ever need a book to accomplish writing a paper anymore,” she said. “But that's just one thing.”
Autio emphasized that libraries’ resources do not stop at the physical. With a PLDL library card, one can access the Great Lakes Digital Library, a service that offers books to read or listen to, as well as some movies and music. Hoopla, another digital library, offers a variety of movies and music.
A couple of the available computers at Portage Lake District Library, with a view of the canal and lift bridge.
The PLDL also acts as a physical space that community members can utilize. Girl Scouts and veterans are just some of the groups who have used the library’s Community Room as a meeting space.
“People know that they can come to the library and they can either reserve the room or just meet wherever and they can get on the schedule,” Autio said.
The library also offers a Makerspace in collaboration with Superior Fab Lab, a community Makerspace in the Keweenaw. At the PLDL Makerspace, community members can work on a variety of creative endeavors. It offers tools for handiwork and sewing machines; as well as the library’s Cricut Maker, a computer-controlled cutting machine for fine detailing such as lettering.
Basic, a program in partnership with Michigan Tech has made its return to PLDL. Those who have questions about their computer, cell phone, or another electronic device may come in and seek the advice of the student volunteers. Basic is currently set to run on Saturdays from March 26 to April 30, from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m..
Preschool storytime is being offered Wednesdays at 10:30 a.m., and the summer reading program is coming up.
Ontonagon will also host a summer reading program, free for all participants under 18 years old. Participants do not need to be a member of the library or a resident of Ontonagon.
The Makerspace at Portage Lake District Library.
Despite the resources these libraries have to offer, they also have limitations.
COVID-19 brought additional challenges for these libraries as they tried to provide their services to a locked-down public.
“COVID limited us greatly in some ways. When the school closed completely, so did the library. However, with the food program continuing to run during school closures, I was able to distribute books with meals and with classroom work packets,” Strand said.
The Ontonagon Township Library was closed temporarily, then moved to curbside service and enforced a masking policy for some time as well.
“We also waived late fees throughout the pandemic, which has now become a permanent change to our policy,” Siren said.
Even before the COVID-19 pandemic struck, rural libraries struggled to meet the needs of their public and balance their budget, too.
“We want to be a hub for the community for all kinds of different reasons.” Said Autio. “To inspire learning and curiosity and early literacy.”
Strand also said rural libraries face the challenge of small budgets and limited space.
“I have to purge my collection more frequently than I prefer,” she said.
Being a library that is jointly a school and public library comes with its own unique challenges.
“In a school setting, you are at the mercy of their budget, which means that the library does not come first,” said Strand.
Community members who want to offer support can contribute back to their libraries in several ways.
“We always welcome donations of course. And volunteer. We do have volunteer opportunities,” Autio said.
Community members can join the Friends of the Library Group, an organization that hosts fundraisers to buy things for the library. Experts in a hobby such as woodworking or sewing are welcome to volunteer to lead a class.
Addressing the ways that community members can help libraries, Siren commented that “financial donations are always wonderful, but just showing up to programs or helping to promote our services by word-of-mouth is also great.”
Similarly, Strand stated that “one of the best ways for community members to contribute to their local library is to support it with their voice.
“Make sure that the administration knows that they want the library to be open and available. Use it when it is open and available and of course, we are always willing to accept book and monetary donations so that we can offer current material.”
National Library Week for 2022 was recognized from April 3-9, the theme being “Connect with Your Library.” According to the American Library Association, “...the theme is an explicit call to action—an invitation for communities to join, visit, or advocate for their local libraries.”
The week has passed, but Autio encourages people to “Just read. Get to your library, check some books out.”
Skiing, Skating and 'Studio'
What's happening at Copper Island Academy?
On March 1, students at the Copper Island Academy spent the day outdoors celebrating Laskiainen, a sliding festival with Finnish origins. Principal Steve Aho said the students arranged the events of the day, which included sledding, skiing a snow sculpture contest, a 3v3 hockey tournament, and more.
Young students at Copper Island Academy practice ice skating on Laskiainen while parents and teachers watch.
While reporting on the celebration, I had the opportunity to sit down with Director Nora Laho and Principal Steve Aho to talk about the foundation of their new K-8 charter school.
The school currently has just over 300 students enrolled and sits on a 24-acre property off Airpark Boulevard.
The following transcript has been edited for length and readability. Responses have been fact-checked against the Charter School FAQ Document from the Michigan Department of Education.
J. Vissers: How is Copper Island Academy funded, and how is that different from a public school?
Steve Aho: It's not different. It is a public school. I mean — So the wording we often use is it's not a traditional public school. So it's a charter school. But our funding comes from the same per-pupil funding that every other public school in the area utilizes.
We actually have, maybe you could say some more challenges with them. Because, unlike the standard community schools, we can't vote for a referendum to support our facilities.
J. Vissers: So no millage?
Steve Aho: Correct. So we have to take into account all of that, from that per-pupil funding base, which — especially in the initial phases — for us has been much more of a challenge. There's no doubt that makes it hard. So we do rely on a lot of grant opportunities. I mean, that's one of the things that Nora really enjoys doing is looking for… and chasing down money. And that's something that we'll have to continue to rely on. But yeah, we operate on the same money that every other public school does.
The CIA skating rink has been available to students all winter. Each hour of the day, their students spend 15 minutes outside.
J. Vissers: Tuition?
Steve Aho: Nope, tuition-free.
Nora Laho: We cannot charge tuition.
Steve Aho: As a charter school we can’t. And that's kind of some of those misconceptions that are out there. In our open enrollment, as long as we have the availability — the capacity if you want to call it that — the room, in a classroom and our buildings, to take kids in during enrollment periods anybody is eligible to enroll. … It's a public school where anybody could choose to attend, should they think it's the right fit for them.
J. Vissers: Can you fundraise?
Steve Aho: Absolutely. We have kind of that initial phase for us getting going because we're still brand new, right? And we have a foundation already set up and very solid; a large group of people who were very instrumental in that initial phase of getting everything up and going and then hiring on Nora and myself when we were trying to put everything together and develop it and become authorized to actually have a school... So they were involved at that point. And they have now transitioned into that foundation that will work to support the school. And they're looking at doing their own level of fundraising.
They continually help support us, even on a daily basis right now. You know, transportation has been huge. That's a budgetary component, that — it's very difficult. And for us, we have students from, you know, north of Mohawk to Baraga to Chassell, to out in Stanton Township, and we can't possibly run buses… So our foundation has helped support some level of busing for us even, just to do main trunk line pickups.
Copper Island Academy’s mandatory budget and finance reporting
A few students take advantage of ski trails in the woods just south of the school.
J. Vissers: This is your first school year, how have things been going so far?
Steve Aho: Nora and I keep saying that, hopefully, we kind of see it level off … everything is new. Every day is an adventure. Every day, new procedures, new expectations, everything is new, right? The entire year. So we have all of that. With that being said… So there have been some hurdles and you know, whether it's financial or staffing — everybody in education is struggling with staffing right now —where we've been very blessed to have numerous people interested in jobs but to put everything together was a challenge.
But we have kids and families who have been very, very happy. I think for us the telltale sign — We just went through what we call the re-enrollment period. We had a two-week window to re-enroll; ‘Are you planning to come back next year?’ 98.7[%], I think was the number, re-enrolled. The number one, and almost the sole cause of somebody saying they didn't want to re-enroll was transportation.
Copper Island Academy’s Laskiainen celebration included a student snow sculpture contest judged by MTU students in the Phi Kappa Tau greek organization.
So, when you ask how has it been going? Like we would, we'd love to say, yeah, it's been going well, we have a lot of joy, a lot of really good things going on, you know, and we could talk at length about just the model and what's different. But the re-enrollment, I think speaks volumes to that. You know, and we're in an open enrollment period now where anybody else who was not enrolled currently can sign up and we have a healthy number of kindergarten, and other grades starting to fill up of people saying, ‘Yeah, we're interested, we would love to enroll next year’.
[Open enrollment has ended since this interview was recorded]
Nora Laho: And as long as there’s still capacity, anyone can enroll after the open enrollment window. At that point, it becomes first come first serve. So otherwise, during that open enrollment period, if it exceeds capacity, all of those names go into a random selection drawing, essentially. So we can't pick and choose who comes in.
J. Vissers: What is your experience running schools, and how did you come into these positions?
Steve Aho (with a chuckle): Were newbies.
Nora Laho, to Steve: You've had quite a bit of experience.
Steve Aho: I've had experience in schools. I've been a teacher for 20-plus years in special education and elementary education, primarily. I was an athletic director in Hancock schools for a few years. I was then — two years prior to coming here I was the Hancock middle school principal. I did not go to school to be a school administrator, but I took my certification classes on the job. While I was at Hancock I was working on it and right when I got hired here, I finished that up. So very new to the realm.
One of the big reasons I was hired was because of my interest in… the Finnish education model. I've done some study with that. I worked at South Range Elementary school, we created a program called ‘Hey, Suomi’, where we had two students from the University of Lapland, staying at Finlandia University in the dorms, but then teaching for an hour and a half a day in my third-grade classroom at South Range Elementary and tying it into local history and the mines and the immigrants from Finland coming to the area, and just learning Finnish language culture and everything about why we see some of the things we see in the area today. And it was their — those students from Finland — it was their teacher training. So I was their cooperating teacher as they went through their [training] to become teachers. So that was one of the things. I'm also involved with the Finnish Council of North America through Finlandia University… So that was kind of my background to this group saying, ‘Hey, would you be interested in helping support what we're doing here?’ … Nora can talk about her experience.
Students helped each other up the snow drifts surrounding the parking lot before taking the steep plunge down the hills.
Nora Laho: I started out teaching out west, we taught out west for about eight years, and I did some instructional coaching…
J. Vissers: I’m going to need you to be more specific than ‘out west’.
Nora Laho: Wyoming, southwest corner of Wyoming in a town called Mountain View. After coming back here, I taught and did some technology coaching and then was most recently technology coordinator at CLK and I kind of fell into this job through being involved in the very early stages with helping shape the model that came from the needs assessment and the community input into driving what the school became.
J. Vissers: Can you tell me a little bit more about that needs assessment?
Nora Laho: Sure. We, starting in about August of 2020… there were a lot of community meetings. And in those meetings, the biggest questions were what are your unmet needs? What are the local schools, maybe not doing that you would like to see in an education model for your kids? And so we had hundreds of parents, community members, business owners, business leaders in the area, kind of providing input into that process. And then we took that information and started digging into models. There are a lot of different charter school models, education models out there. And so we explored a bunch of them and what we found to be the best fit, and also aligned with our community was the Finnish model of education. So we didn't just randomly select it, it actually came from a pretty in-depth process.
J. Vissers: Who leads the school?
Nora Laho: There’s a lot of oversight.
Steve Aho: A lot of people don't realize that we actually have additional oversight on top of what every other school around here, experiences. You know, so for us to become an entity, we had to become authorized as a charter school. So Central Michigan University took on that role. There was a daunting application process. To prove that; here's who we are, here's what we're going to do, here's how we're going to assess, here's how we're going to show that we're capable — everything from facilities to students to staffing to curriculum, everything. So they have that direct oversight of that link to the Michigan Department of Ed. We also have a management company that we are working with, and they run essentially our back-office; human resources, payroll, budgeting. They support our administration. So with learning and administrative support, so they're in all of those
J. Vissers: Mind if I ask who that is?
Steve Aho: Yeah, CS Partners. CS Partners out of Brighton, Michigan.
Nora Laho: So we have many layers of oversight. MDE, CMU, and then more closely, CS Partners.
Steve Aho: And then even our local ISD is involved with us as they are every other school around here…
J. Vissers: And then you have a local board too, a school board?
Steve Aho: Correct. And so one difference in the board is they're appointed versus elected. They go through an interview process through Central Michigan University. So CMU does a vetting process on potential board members. And they have a term limit.
The Copper Island Academy’s Laskiainen Cup, to go to the winner of the 3v3 hockey tournament.
J. Vissers: Word is you’re considering the addition of a high school already?
Steve Aho: Not now. We need to get established.
So it depends who you talk to. If you're asking us, are those thoughts there? Yeah, they are. Are we planning a high school right now? No, in the sense that we can't feasibly do it. That and I've said many times, that'll be community-driven. Like our families, etc. — If they want it to happen, and the support is there for it, whether it's financially, the students, et cetera, then down the road that feasibly could — I mean, we've started thinking that long-range three to five-year plan for us as an entity, and are those thoughts there? And yeah, they are, but we do not have the plans to put up another building and it's been just a whirlwind process already.
J. Vissers: You’d need another building, this one looks full.
Steve Aho: It doesn’t look, it is full. We are busting at the gills. It’s very full.
J. Vissers: What’s your student-to-teacher ratio?
Nora Laho: Our goal is to keep it to 20 students in a classroom or less with one teacher. So right now we are doing that K through 6. Seventh and eighth grade, we did set our capacity a little bit higher knowing we were only going to do one section of seventh and one section of eighth this year. So we have 25 and 27.
A 3v3 hockey game in progress.
J. Vissers: About your curriculum. How is it different? How do you choose it?
Nora Laho: In terms of the curriculum and the material resources we're using, we're using all resources that are from the US just because of, you know, translation issues and things like that. State standards — we do have to align with state standards. So we went through a process with parents, local teachers, and we kind of vetted different curricula that kind of met some of the key pieces of our model. So we really focus on experiential learning hands-on learning, getting kids outside, collaboration, cooperation. What else?
Steve Aho: The ability to differentiate and meet individual needs.
Nora Laho: Rich literature was a key part of what parents were seeking and making sure the kids are immersed in good books throughout the subjects.
Steve Aho: There's kind of two sides to this. The actual curriculum that we're using, we went through this process. And there are certain things we have to abide by, we tried to find the best fits for us. But where I see the differences is in the delivery of that model, and how are we servicing the kids and utilizing that curriculum that we chose to teach? So in conjunction with that Finnish model, a couple of the key things that we're doing, we're really focusing on those hands-on activities and the outdoor education. We're also focusing on allowing kids to have that time to have an unstructured play and creative play.
So one of the big things we do is 45 minutes of class 15 minutes of “brain break” outside recess time, all day long. And so kids are getting outside every hour of the day. And we really focused on those transition times to minimize, you know, wasted time. Just expectations of ‘boom, get ready, get out’. And as soon as that time is done, get back in, you know, and there are numerous studies have just shown that students are more on task, they have less behavior problems, they're able to gain and retain information better when they have that ability to play and get outside. And that's something that Finns do really well.
Abraham, a 4th grader at Copper Island Academy, took a break from the Laskiainen festivities to feed and care for the chickens his class is stewarding. Principal Aho said when a dozen eggs were collected, members of the staff purchase them from the class. The coop contains 5 egg-laying hens and a rooster.
So some of those things, you know, what we call our studio component is really that hands-on, kind of focusing on three main areas. One is woodworking, another is textile and then another is culinary and gardening. So we actually have a teacher that is working with kids in each of those areas. And they're going through and experiencing things that they may not be getting at young ages in other schools. You know, it's becoming more of a focus on the career tech, but it's often not until the older ages, upper high school at best. And we're really trying to start at kindergarten. Kids need to be doing some of these things and experiencing them and learning. And those are the things that some of these business leaders that we talked about before and community members have said we're missing, that's not out there. So we're focusing on that.
Nora Laho: And a lot of our decision making is — we prioritize student independence and student problem solving and really making them think for themselves. And in Studio, I think that's really, really evident. In her teaching style, the projects are doing things like that. But even in day-to-day classroom activities, teachers have that as kind of their mind that that's something we're always pushing for.
J. Vissers: How frequently do these Studio classes happen?
Nora Laho: Not enough right now, because of how many kids we have and how we only have the one teacher, one space right now. So once a week, sometimes twice a week, depending. And then yeah, so the goal would be to be at least two times per week. In Finland, they call it craft education, which we didn't feel was necessarily — that sounds ‘arts and crafts’ kind of and it’s not what it is.
A wheelchair ramp up to the playground toys, currently partly buried in snow. Principal Aho said 3rd-grade students designed and built the project. The 7th and 8th grade classes are also collaborating on a yurt project.
J. Vissers: How do you think the COVID-19 pandemic has affected your school? Do you think it brought support or held you back? How have you navigated it during your first school year?
Steve Aho: Both ways. I mean, obviously, there's extreme challenges all over with it. So one of the things that that we've really tried to do is allow people to make personal decisions. We've had people get sick, etc. But we've tried to operate — one of the frustrations parents had was the in school, out of school, in school out of school, you know, whether it was school shutting down, or quarantines or whatever, and just that whole realm of not knowing what's coming, and all of that. Okay, so those were pieces, like — it's hard on kids. So we've tried to focus on the kids and retain everything as close to normal as we possibly can, within the realm of what's going on.
So we've done the cleaning, we've done, you know, had extra hand sanitizers and all those things available. But we've really tried to, and for the most part have been able to, operate somewhat normally.
So for us, it's only been since September. So we weren't in operation last year right when there was much more going on, from a school standpoint. So I don't know how it would have been, then. And really, it's gone, I would say, remarkably well. You know, we've had some kids sick, but we don't always know what they're sick with.
Copper Island Academy’s mandatory COVID-19 reporting
J. Vissers: So have you had any masking policies?
Steve Aho: No mandatory. We've had a few people in here wearing masks. We've had no mandatory policy from us that you need to do it. We've left that to personal choice.
A Laskiaispulla made by students. It’s a traditional Finnish dessert for Laskiainen day.
While walking the school grounds, I stopped and met Joel Keranen, the vice president of Copper Island Academy’s board. He said it was amazing how motivated his kids are to go to school since joining Copper Island Academy.
“They don’t want to stay home from school [when sick]”, Keranen said.
He said he’d happily compare their school’s standardized test scores against any of the local traditional public schools. He joined the school’s leadership out of a desire to do something different than the other local schools.
Students made and sold the laskiaispulla for $1 throughout the day.
Keranen said there were 15-20 families that came together to “put their money where their mouth is” and try a new method of education. He said he thinks their efforts will help drive change in local public schools, too.
Kayla Seppala is the mother of four boys attending Copper Island Academy. After homeschooling during the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, she said she liked the alternative style of the school and more outdoor time for her boys. She said the frequent “brain breaks” let them use their abundant energy.
Living in Oskar, she said transportation to and from the school is hard, so she’s very grateful for the morning bus that’s available thanks to the school foundation.
“I can handle the afternoon,” Seppala said.
Houghton County pays $1.2 million to unknown recipients
Houghton County Commissioners, Feb. 15, 2022
Meeting Highlights
$1,284,077.59 paid to unknown entities
The county commissioners again paid more than a million dollars worth of monthly bills without offering any information to taxpayers about where that money is going. Past Freedom of Information Act requests filed by Copper Beacon for pertinent documents have been denied without legal justification.
Commissioners skip discussion on wind turbine PILT agreement
The board did not discuss the Payment In Lieu of Taxes agreement sent to them by Circle Power regarding the Scotia Wind project. It starts on page 2 of the documents packet if you’re interested in reviewing it.
2nd Portage Waterway crossing task force update
Commissioner Tom Tikkanen reported that the task force must seek a feasibility study to move forward with planning a second crossing of some kind. They’re seeking funding from the state to fund that study.
Tikkanen said he’s hopeful that the funding will be available for the project because of recent state and federal commitments to funding infrastructure updates and improvements.
Sheriff’s patrol cars may be further delayed by bridge protest
Commissioner Roy Britz reported that the county sheriff’s department is growing frustrated with the high mileage of their patrol cars causing breakdowns and maintenance issues. The board has approved the purchase of seven new cars, some as long as two years ago, but none have clear delivery dates yet. Britz said the most recent news is that blockages on the Ambassador Bridge caused by protestors may further delay the patrol cars.
Britz reported that County Administrator Elizabeth Bjorn would work with the sheriff’s department to see if there were options for quicker delivery.
Commissioners discuss opioid settlement agreement
While exact amounts were not publicly discussed, Commissioner Tom Tikkanen said the settlement would amount to about $40,000 to $50,000 a year. They took no action on the agreement.
FOIA appeals denied again, continues opaque financial practices
The board of commissioners denied an appeal of two FOIA requests lodged by Copper Beacon based on an “off the record” written memorandum offered by the county administrator. County Administrator Elizabeth Bjorn stated aloud that the first request, for the county check register, was “granted in part”, but the county’s response letter does not contain those words.
Commissioner Tom Tikkanen stated that some of these records (the check register) are available on the second floor of the county building for inspection, and said that members of the general public can come and “make an abstract or memorandum”, but did not mention whether they could make copies. Michigan FOIA law expressly states that the requestor has a right to receive copies in their desired format.
Bjorn stated she did not want the documents shared online because of sensitive or private information contained within the check register. However, FOIA law states that members of the general public can request copies of public documents and that the government body has an obligation to redact any private information before supplying those copies. The cost of time invested in redaction can be charged to the requester. The county has made no such request for funds of Copper Beacon.
Porkies ski hill to be run by MDNR once again
For a good part of the past 25 years, the Porkies hill was operated by several private vendors and since 2012, the Gogebic Community College has operated the facility as an extension of their accredited Ski Hill Management Program.
Just over 25 years ago, in August of 1996, this reporter’s first assignment for the Ontonagon Herald was to do a story on the privatization of the ski hill at the Porkies. MDNR had operated the ski hill starting in about 1950, building on the old Weatherhorn Peak Ski Hill that was created by local ski enthusiasts in 1940. The fact that the Michigan Department of Natural Resources was operating an enterprise that was in direct competition with private businesses such as Black Jack and Big Powderhorn in Bessemer, and also Indianhead in Wakefield was being criticized. In 1996, the MDNR signed a contract with private vendors to run the Porkies Winter Recreational Area.
The Porkies logo on the side of the ski chalet.
For a good part of the past 25 years, the Porkies hill was operated by several private vendors and since 2012, the Gogebic Community College has operated the facility as an extension of their accredited Ski Hill Management Program. This reporter had recently learned that the arrangement was going to end and that the MDNR was taking charge of the ski hill complex once again. We have to wonder what has changed in the philosophy about the State competing with private enterprise. To get some answers, we took a drive up to the Porcupine Mountains Wildnerness State Park.
First, we visited with Mike Knack, the park superintendent, who graciously made time to visit with us. He explained that the Gogebic Community College had been anxious for some time to end its managership of the Porkies and to concentrate on Mount Zion, located closer to the college campus. The college contract will expire at the end of this winter season and by mutual agreement, will not be renewed. MDNR will take over management of the ski hill once again, a project they were anxious to relieve themselves of 25 years ago.
Mike Knack, Park Superintendent
MDNR put out requests for proposals and received no successful bidders to manage and operate the full ski hill facility. When asked if there was no one who was willing to take on the full ski hill operation he mentioned that a local group had a proposal but that they did not meet the criteria or have the expertise to take on the operation.
The operation was divided up, and, according to Superintendent Knack, a contract was entered into with a firm from southeast Michigan, Simple Adventures to operate the indoor concessions, rental of ski equipment, the Outpost, food, etc. Simple Adventures of Michigan operates bicycle rentals, kayaks, canoe rentals, etc. at Ft. Custer, Lake St. Clair Metropark, and other parks located in the Detroit area. Knack added that Simple Adventures plans to hire 8 indoor staff to work at the Porkies in various roles. In checking out the website of Simple Adventures, it doesn’t appear that they have experience with ski equipment and there is no mention of them handling food service.
Snowboarders congregate near the base of the hill.
The park staff will be in charge of all outdoor operations such as mowing, grooming, chair lift operation, maintaining the buildings, and keeping the trails clear. The park will take on 8 or more part-time “winter rangers.” One lead ranger will be dedicated year-round to the ski hill and its various activities. The park will also be hiring a maintenance mechanic, full-time.
The Porcupine Mountains State Park is a big park, the largest in area of all of the state parks in Michigan, and there is no question that additional staff will be required in order to run the ski hill.
We asked if there are plans for improvements in equipment and other areas. Knack explained that the triple chair lift is only certified for full uphill operation. They are only allowed to run a limited load going downhill. Presumably, when the lift was built, it was expected that persons using the lift to go to the top of the hill would be descending the hill on skis or snowboards. Parts have been ordered to upgrade the triple chair lift for full downhill operation which will make year-round operation possible for scenic purposes.
Skiiers midslope on the hill. The triple-chair lift can be seen in the upper-left corner of the image.
There are plans to construct a second lift to replace the old double chair lift that has been out of operation for several years, but this is contingent on possible funding from the American Recovery Act.
A new PistenBully groomer is on order and should be delivered within weeks to be used for cross-country trail grooming.
We received assurance that the MDNR park management has its bases covered and will be prepared to assume the running of the ski hill and recreation area starting this spring.
We wanted to visit the ski hill itself and chat with current GCC Staff Manager Bill Perron. We had no difficulty locating Perron and we received additional information from him. Perron explained that the MDNR had approached Gogebic Community College several years ago when a former private operator had chosen to not renew his contract to operate the ski hill. The college seemed to be a logical choice in view of their ski hill management curriculum. GCC has used the Porkies as a teaching tool and it has been partially staffed with college students. GCC has also operated the food concession, also with students, as well as the rentals and the ski shop with some new merchandise as well. The rental equipment is owned by the MDNR.
Bill Perron, Ski Hill Manager for Gogebic Community College
Perron explained that the college never intended to run the hill forever. The intention was to bring the hill back to a fully operational “turnkey” operation and then relinquish it to another private operator. The current 3-year contract between GCC and the MDNR expires this year. The manager mentioned that for the last two years, the hill has “made money.” We immediately asked him how this money was used and was told that because GCC is a state-subsidized school the funds had to be put right back into improvements and maintenance of the ski hill itself.
This reporter was curious and asked Perron if he knew anything of the proposal from a local group to run the ski hill that Park Superintendent Knack had alluded to earlier. Perron did not answer this directly except to say that the other group that had submitted a proposal would have kept the operation basically the same with the food service being provided by a local restaurant owner who has previously provided this service to the ski hill and has over 30 years of experience in the business.
As our visit to the ski hill was drawing to a close, we met and talked to two of the individuals who had worked with a local non-profit corporation Mt Silent Sports, Inc. who had organized under 501(c)3 designation specifically to submit a proposal to the MDNR to operate the ski hill and its related activities. We had an informal discussion with these folks and they felt that their proposal was quite viable but was not given fair consideration. They pointed out that among the incorporators were business people, experienced skiing enthusiasts, and even engineering experience. Basically, their proposal was the retain the present manager and utilize a local restaurant operator for the food services. Additional staff would be local people.
We left the Porkies with our initial question unanswered. What has changed in the MDNR’s philosophy to allow competition between a state-run enterprise with private businesses in the region?
In all, we are grateful for the gracious cooperation and frank open comments of those we talked to.
Council votes on path forward for parking deck removal, public electronic meeting attendance
Houghton City Council, Feb. 9, 2022
Meeting Highlights
City Manager Eric Waara attended this meeting electronically via Zoom/conference call.
Winter Fun Day Waterfront Relay plans put in place
A citizen volunteer updated the council on a Winter Fun Day she has been organizing, and the council gave a nod of approval for the event to move forward on Feb. 26 in Kestner Park.
The event will feature teams of three skiing, skating, and snowshoeing along the Houghton waterfront. The event is open to all ages and free of charge, but preregistration is required.
For more information call or text 906-482-2422.
Pier project held up by AT&T cables
During his administrative report, City Manager Eric Waara told the council that the delays caused by AT&T’s reluctance to locate underwater cables amid the pier project are now costing the city time and money as contractors have had to delay work. He suggested the city would be seeking ways of recouping that cost, including the potential for an appeal to the Michigan Public Service Commission.
Two new Sergeants in Houghton City Police Department
The city police department has promoted two long-time officers to the position of sergeant, Chief John Donnelly reported.
Life After The Deck report from Pat Coleman
Along with the written report that was in the meeting documents (begins on page 11), Pat Coleman gave the council a summary of the public engagement sessions that he facilitated.
Manager’s bond-financed deck removal plan approved by council
After Pat Coleman’s summary, City Manager Eric Waara proposed a plan by which the city would apply for a bond which could potentially be leveraged to gain grant funds that would fund both the removal of the old deck, and some minimal improvements to the site to facilitate surface parking, pedestrian accessibility, green space, and local business redevelopment. The council unanimously approved this plan, which will also prepare the city for the future redevelopment of the site.
Electronic meetings access discussion initiated
Councilor Brian Irizarry moved that the council make all of their meetings and planning commission meetings available for interaction via electronic means such as Zoom. During the discussion, other council members suggested they take some time to give the city administration a chance to explore the options and present something that might work better than the Zoom-based system they were using last year, which proved susceptible to “Zoom-bombing”. Concern for the cost was also expressed.
Councilor Irizarry agreed to spend more time on the process, including the possibility of a special meeting focused on the topic but stipulated that a decision be reached by the end of June when the new fiscal year begins. The rest of the council agreed unanimously.
Public comment shifted to mid-meeting
After being prompted by a motion from Councilor Brian Irizarry, the council had a brief discussion about adding another public comment session to their meeting agendas. The council compromised by moving the single existing comment session to later in the meeting, between reports and the consent agenda, so that late arrivals to the meeting can still comment, and people can respond to the administration reports. The vote was unanimous in approval.
100th Winter Carnival well underway
I made it out early on Thursday morning to catch teams at the tail-end of constructing their month-long snow sculptures. At about 6:30 a.m., the month-long statue teams were just hours away from their 9 a.m. deadline and were rushing to add the finishing touches to their work before the judges arrived.
I’m hoping to have the chance to go out again in the next night or two to get photos of finished sculptures, but if the snow buries everything, it may be a lost cause.
If you don’t want to wait, MTU’s communications staff has been doing a great job of taking photographs and getting them posted to their Flickr account. Their album of completed statues is as good as you could ask for. You can also check out more contest results, Winter Carnival Royalty, the weekend schedule of events, and more at the official 100th Carnival website.
Council laying ground work for improved drainage, 2022 budget, new DPW employee
South Range Village Council, Feb. 3, 2022
EDITOR’S NOTE: While I maintain that a full video record is the gold standard of government reporting, the recording, editing, and posting of videos nearly triples the amount of time spent on meeting coverage. Because of this excessive demand on time and the other duties required of me to operate Copper Beacon, I’ll be discontinuing video coverage of Calumet and South Range village councils at this time. More traditional photo and text coverage will continue as possible.
Meeting Highlights
The Village of South Range will have a public hearing at the March 3, 2022 meeting to hear comments on the 2022 Preliminary Budget.
Local businesses continue to struggle with staffing while new businesses open. Dollar General, just north of South Range on M-26, is now open. However, Campioni’s convenience store and gas station now close at 7 p.m. due to short staffing, according to Village President George Eakin. Eakin also stated that the Cozy Corner Bar & Grill has been sold and the new owners intend to reopen with less of a focus on alcohol sales, although they still maintain a license to serve.
The village’s 1986 Ford L8000 garbage truck sold for $2,000 to a buyer in the L’Anse area.
Photo of South Range’s previous garbage truck, from the posted advertisement.
Councilors briefly addressed updating the rental ordinance, but again delayed addressing any particulars. Councilors said that beyond a general update, they’d like to address short-term rentals and some safety issues, if possible.
Councilors approved engineering work that will evaluate the cause of poor drainage on 4th, 5th, and 6th Streets in preparation for construction work to fix it.
Village Clerk Kristen Archambeau is assisting the Western Upper Peninsula Health Department by distributing free protective shields, gowns, and masks for people who want personal protective equipment to fight the spread of COVID-19. Those who want equipment can get it from the village office. Archambeau said to contact the office if they’d like the supplies to be run out to a waiting vehicle.
The village received about $153 in bonus ARPA funds because of municipalities that turned the funding down. The leftover funding was distributed to those who were approved for it.
The council agreed to post a vacancy in the village Department of Public Works, with Commercial Driver’s License Class B preferred. Because of the need for employees to be able to handle plows, graders, garbage trucks, and other equipment, the council has encouraged all of the DPW employees to attain their CDL.
Applications will be reviewed at a special meeting held at 6 p.m. on Feb. 24.
The council also approved a variety of wage increases for village employees. The president and treasurer received no increase, the clerk received a 1.5% wage increase and a $50 monthly cellphone stipend, two of the DPW employees received a 3% increase, and the remaining DPW employee received the same contingent on attaining their CDL, which they had previously agreed to do.
The council is also trying to extend a Portage Health Foundation grant that they received toward launching a community garden. The effort failed last year, but the council is hoping that this year, with fewer COVID-19 limitations, the effort can succeed.
The Birds and the Bats
Wind Turbulence, Ep. 3
This episode features interviews with Copper Country Audubon Society Vice President Joseph Youngman and KBIC Natural Resources Department Wildlife (and bat study) Coordinator Kyle Seppanen.
We discuss some of what supported EGLE’s decision last year to deny Circle Power the permit based on the anticipated environmental impacts of the project.
There are several documents at the above link that include information about Circle Power’s permit denial, including the denial letters themselves and recommendation letters from other agencies.
Visual aids
Below are a few maps Joseph Youngman thought would be helpful for reference while listening to his interview.
Known and projected raptor flights in the Keweenaw Peninsula. Map provided by Joseph Youngman
Typical waterbird routes that are flown during migration periods. Map provided by Joseph Youngman.
Possible common loon flights during autumn migration periods. Map provided by Joseph Youngman.
Councilor Lytle's parting remarks, moment of silence for Dave Wiitanen
Hancock City Council, Feb. 2, 2022
Meeting Highlights
Councilor Ron Blau was absent from this meeting.
Moment of silence held to honor Dave Wiitanen
The council held a moment of silence near the beginning of their meeting for former Hancock Mayor Dave Wiitanen, who recently died. Councilor John Haeussler reviewed some of Wiitanen’s life and contributions to the community.
Mayor delivers report for absent administrator
City Manager Mary Babcock was absent from this week’s meeting, and Mayor Paul LaBine delivered the report from notes she provided.
Zoning Board of Appeals to hear arguments for two variances
Mayor Paul LaBine briefly addressed two variances coming before the Hancock Zoning Board of Appeals next week.
Councilor William Lytle resigns for job in Idaho
Councilor William Lytle has resigned from his position and will be moving to Moscow, Idaho to become the director of the USA Dry Pea and Lentil Council.
Councilor Will Lytle
Each of the present councilors made appreciative remarks toward Lytle before he addressed his sudden departure. He intends to leave town Monday.
The council will appoint a replacement for Lytle who will serve the remainder of his term. The position should be posted soon.
Councilor “calls bologna” on governor’s campaign finance move
Councilor John Haeussler took time at the end of the meeting to address Governor Gretchen Whitmer’s recent transfer of $3.5 million in campaign funds to the Michigan Democratic Party. The move was ruled to be fair by the court, but Haeussler said it “creates a blueprint” for parties and candidates to circumvent campaign finance law.
He also shared comments on the Michigan Independent Citizen’s Redistricting Commission. Frustrated with their budget shortfall, he highlighted their refusal to rescind the pay raise they gave themselves, among other things.
Other notes
The city’s new website is live.
