USCG Alder Removes Navigation Buoys/Replaces with Ice Buoys

If you lived on the harbor and looked out your windows on the morning of December 5, 2012, you would have seen a large Coast Guard vessel outside the harbor area near Whiskey Point with a smaller skiff working inside the ParadiseBay. The USCG buoy tender Alder was making its second trip of the year--the first trip to put in the navigation buoys and the the second trip to remove the navigation buoys. The beginning of the season removes ice buoys and places navigation buoys, and end of the shipping season is just the opposite, remove the navigation buoys and place ice buoys. This is always an exciting time, and may gathered at the harbor mouth of Whiskey Point to watch.

The starting location was different this year. The Alder went between the islands of Beaver and Hog while the skiff removed the buoys for Garden Island navigation.

Then the Alder and the skiff headed toward Paradise Bay for the same purpose. The skiff was removing the navigation buoys from the channel from BIBCO dock over to Martin's docked Shamrock tug.

The Alder tookits time working into position for the removal of the bell buoy at the harbor mouth.

It was at this point that a move advantageous location for photos and video was in order, so the BINN editor moved out to Whiskey Point to get closer to the action.

By the time the equipment got moved to the point, the Alder already had the bell buoy #4 out of the water and on deck and its anchor out of the water.

The deck crew disconnected the anchor from the bell buoy, connected the chain and anchor to the ice buoy, and raised the ice buoy ready to be placed into the water.

In a very chilly wind this process took what seemed like a very long time, but was no more than fifty to twenty minutes. Buoy, chain, and anchor were place efficiently. The video camera was so close to the vessel that the shouted commands of the deck boss were picked up as this process preceded.

The Alder headed out of the harbor to continue its mission, first to the one mile buoy and then to the furthest one, but before it was finished another vessel was seen on the horizon.

The other vessel was seen first off the bow of the Alder and then off the stern.

Not being sure of what the vessel was, there had to be another wait, this time inside a warm vehicle, to see if that vessel was an island ferry.

It was, of course, the Emerald Isle on its way to the island from Charlevoix. We bid goodbye to the Alder with a "see you in the spring" wave.

Somewhat Longer Video Clip of the Alder and Crew at Work

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Support Non-Game Wildlife Too

Honor a loved one this holiday season by supporting Michigan's wildlife

This holiday season, Michigan residents can honor friends or loved ones by making a donation to the Michigan Nongame Fish and Wildlife Fund in their name. The recipient will be notified of the donor's generosity with a beautiful certificate and a Living Resources patch featuring one of Michigan's unique nongame species.

According to the Department of Natural Resources, a donation of $20 or more makes a world of difference for the fish and wildlife species in Michigan. These tax-deductible gifts benefit species that are endangered, threatened or considered rare in the state, helping to restore rare species populations and also to keep common species common.

Since the Michigan Nongame Fish and Wildlife Fund was established in 1983, the program has had three main goals:

Peregrine falcons, trumpeter swans, piping plovers, gray wolves, Kirtland's warblers, Mitchell's satyr butterflies, lake sturgeon and common terns are just a few of the hundreds of wildlife species that have benefited from projects supported through the Michigan Nongame Fish and Wildlife Fund. For more information on projects that have been supported by the fund, visit www.michigan.gov/ nongamewildlife .

The Michigan Nongame Fish and Wildlife Fund supports a network of more than 100 watchable wildlife sites throughout the state. These sites provide a variety of opportunities to view some of Michigan's most popular wildlife species. The watchable wildlife program also promotes efforts that teach people how to responsibly photograph and view all forms of wildlife and plants.

Since its inception, the Michigan Nongame Fish and Wildlife Fund has raised more than $9.5 million in support of critical projects for nongame species, but the fund will not continue without donations. To make a donation in someone's honor – perhaps as a holiday gift – resident can make out a check or money order to: State of Michigan, Nongame Wildlife Fund and send it, along with the person of honor's name and address, to: Michigan Department of Natural Resources, Wildlife Division, P.O. Box 30451, Lansing, MI 48909.

To get news and information about Michigan's unique and wonderful wildlife species, sign up for the DNR's Wildlife Viewing email list – visit www.michigan.gov/wildlife and click on the red envelope.

What's That Big Bird in the Middle of the Kings Highway?

Any idea?

Clue 1: If Perry Gatliff were still around, his garage would be covered on the inside with trophies of this type of bird. Perry lived at the top of the post office hill.

Clue 2: If you were walking in the woods, the sound of the beating of this birds' wings was like the firing up of an old tractor.

The only explanation for the photographer getting this close to this bird is that the bird was injured in some way. No telephoto lense was used to get these pictures.

The bird moved quite slowly as it progressed to the cover of a juniper on the the west side of Kings Highway.

Do you know this bird is now?

Email you answer to medic5740@gmail.com.

What Were All the Vehicles Doing at the Governmental Building?

On Tuesday, December 4, 2012, there were quite a few vehicles parked at the St. James Governmental Building (the old medical center). One of the vehicles was the St. James Township Supervisor holding office hours. All the rest were either firemen or EMS members getting their radios and pagers reprogrammed for the FCC required narrow-banding project. These radios including the fire trucks and ambulances have to be reprogrammed to comply with FCC requirements before the end of 2012. As you can see there are a lot of volunteer firemen and EMS people. They were standing in line to get their radio and pager programmed.

A large majority of the radios are the Kenwood brand, so Otec Communications personnel were on the island doing some of the work. Island's own Gerald LaFreniere was helping out as well as coordinating this effort.

Gerald and Danielle helping Ryan Oliver.......The techs from Otec

The other technicians from Tele-Rad were also scheduled for today, but they rescheduled for Wednesday, December 5, 2012.

Beaver Island Community Center and COA Activities for December 2012

St. James Supervisor Bill Haggard Announces Office Hours

Bill Haggard will continue to maintain the same office hours as the previous supervisor.

Smoke Over the Water

While the photos of the Alder were taken, another situation occurred. Looking across Paradise Bay from Whiskey Point showed billowing, really black smoke, which shortly turned to grey smoke like something burning more efficiently and more cleanly. There was concern in the mind of BINN editor Joe Moore since the last week's experience with the Cole residence. It seemed absolutely logical to call the fire chief, and then take some time to try to figure out where this smoke was coming from.

This reported was not to be stopped in the search. First stop, Welke Airport to see if anything was burning there. No smoke. Second stop was to the Beaver Island Golf Course to see if John Works was burning the junipers in his newly cleared field. No smoke there. Next stop was at the Four Corners and more smoke was seen southwest of the four corners. This was cleared brush and trees that were being burnt, but this was not the location of the first smoke seen from Whiskey Point. The last stop, with several others left out in the middle, was down Carlisle Road to Robert Gillespies. Sure enough, smoke could be smelled we approached.

Just another brush pile and junk being burned with a controlled burn by Brandon Maudrie for Robert Gillespie. Enough detective work for this day, and any more would have to be abandoned for video and photo work.

Short Video of Smoke Over the Water

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Paradise Bay Sunset

Althoughhe sunset was not as stunning as the "Fire on the Water" photos by Bob Tidmore, the unusual color was captured on December 4, 2012. The buildings had an erie look this night.

McDonough's Store, new and old, along with Dahlwhinnie's Bakery and Deli had a strange coloration caused by the sunset.

Another trip was in order to see what could be seen from Whiskey Point. Doesn't everyone's trip either begin or end with a trip to the point?

We were rewarded with two more gorgeous views.

Why Were There Five Eagles in the Eagle Tree of Gull Harbor

These two cell phone photos were taken by Denise McDonough. Denise had told Phyllis Moore about these five eagles being in the tree. As Denise tried to get closer for a better close-up picture, all the eagles flew away. What were all of these eagles doing in the same tree at the same time out at Gull Harbor. Hoping to be just as successful as Denise, BINN editor Joe Moore headed out to Gull Harbor to see what he could see.

Only one eagle in the tree for Joe and that one flew off as the close-up creep took place.

Curiouser and curiouser-- there had to be a logical reason for so many eagles out at Gull Harbor. Why was this one eagle returning more than a day after Denise got her pictures? Parking and looking around might be the way to find out the answer to this question. This is what was found.

A deer carcass surrounded by the noisy seagulls provided the logical answer. Something had killed this deer, and the five eagles were there waiting for a turn. After the eagles left the area, the seagulls moved in. When the one eagle in Joe's picture took off, the shoreline was abandoned by all the seagulls making quite a ruckus followed by a return of the gulls within a few minutes. That's what directed the walk and find of the carcass.

Short Video of the Feast Location

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St. James Township Board Meeting, 12/5/12

This was the first meeting of the new Supervisor Bill Haggard. The agenda pretty much followed the same pattern as previous Supervisor Rick Speck. Bill Haggard announced his personal email address, which is: billhaggard1@gmail.com and stated that there would be an email set up for the St. James Township supervisor in the near future. Other highlights of the meeting included reappointment of Karen Wojan as Deputy Treasurer and Lori Souders as Deputy Clerk.The Deputy Supervisor appointed was Bob Tidmore. All other appointments were the same with the insertion of Bill Haggard's name to replace the previous supervisor's name.

The township board was asked to be the requestor of a grant from the Tribe for a $25,000 amount for the building of Carol's Pole Barn behind the Island Treasures Resale Shop. Donna Stambaugh stated that this project would allow them to make even more money for the "First Responders" in our community. There was some getting up to speed conversation for the supervisor from Tim McDonough, who announced a grant for the fire department for brush fire gear, and from Jim McDonough about a few issues including the Whiskey Island title, Charlevoix County Garage progress removing easement restriction, and Supervisor hours at the Governmental Building.

Video of the meeting can be viewed HERE.

Weekly Fishing Tip: Targeting Northern Pike at First Ice

Many anglers will agree that the first ice of the winter season often produces some of the best northern pike fishing you can find.

There could be a couple of reasons why this is so, perhaps it's because there are plenty of baitfish for them to target thanks to a decrease in weed cover…or perhaps it's because first ice is often clear and allows the sight-feeding fish to target their prey more easily because of the penetration of sunlight. Regardless, the coming weeks (weather permitting) are a great time to target this species.

You'll want to use a tip-up for this type of fishing, with a minnow or small panfish on the end of your line. Keep in mind you can catch small panfish in the lake you're fishing and legally use them as bait in the same water body.

Target similar areas that you may have fished for northern pike when there was still open water and you might see some success!

CCCOA Changes Fare

CHARLEVOIX COUNTY TRANSIT NOTICE: Beginning January 1, 2013 the following change in fares will take place: Senior Fare (ages 60 and over) $0.50 per ride. Rides 15 miles and over from pick-up location to destination are double fare. For those with financial hardships, Commission on Aging will evaluate requests for fare assistance on a case-by-case basis.

"The Silent Killer," States The American Heart Association

Do you have high blood pressure? There's only one way to know, and that is to have it checked! Stop by the Beaver Island Rural Health Center for a free blood pressure check.

High blood pressure adds to your heart's workload and can damage your arteries and organs over time, according to the American Heart Association. People with high blood pressure are more likely to have a stroke, more likely to develop congestive heart failure and more likely to develop coronary heart disease, which can lead to a heart attack.

High blood pressure has no symptoms, which is why it is called the “silent killer.” High blood pressure can usually be controlled by diet, more exercise and medication.

Just call ahead to the BIRHC at 448-2275 to make sure a provider is available to take a free, quick, painless blood pressure reading. While you are at the Health Center, check on other diagnostic tests that are available to residents of the Island. Women who are ages 40 through 64 may qualify for free mammograms and Pap tests.

The BIRHC mission is to provide high-quality, low-cost health care to all on the island, regardless of ability to pay. Contact Managing Director Donna Kubic at 448-2275 for more information about our sliding fee scale. Depending on your income and family size, you may qualify for a discount of up to 75% on services provided at the Health Center.

Remember, call us at 448-2275 for a free blood pressure check.

BINGO News

Wednesday, December 5th and 19th, are Bingo nights this month at the Gregg Fellowship Center. Doors open at 6:15 pm and games start at 7:00 sharp!

Fire Damages Brian Cole's House

In the early, early morning of December 1, 2012, at approximately 12:30 a.m., the Beaver Island Fire Department and Beaver Island EMS were paged to the Brian Cole residence across the King's Highway from the Governmental Building for a structure fire. Two of the BIFD pumpers and one tanker were called to the scene. BIEMS was only there to standby in case of any injuries. All of Brian Cole family were out of the house and safe as the fire department arrived to fight the fire. Specific information about the cause of the fire and the amount of damage are not available at this time. The entire island is thankful for the safety of the Brian Cole family and their pets.

This morning, December 2, 2012, at approximately 8:15 a.m., the BIFD and BIEMS were called to this same residence for a re-kindled fire in the attic. The water damage is now doubled on the first floor along with the smoke damage. The BIFD used their new infrared camera for detecting hot spots, and every effort was made to cool down any of these.

Several people had been asking about the fire damage, and BINN got permission to post some pictures of the interior damage. These were taken on December 1st.

Other than water damage, most of the fire damage is in the upstairs. These are downstairs damage to ceiling.

These are some of the damage done to the upstairs of the Cole house.

Although you can't see much damage to the house when you drive by, the house has a great deal of damage to the inside. From the outside, if you look very closely, you can see the north and south end of the roof has slightly curled upward.

If you are interested in helping the Coles in their time of trouble, you can send a donation to:

Brian and Rose Cole
PO Box 455
37835 Kings Highway
Beaver Island, MI 49782

Thanks Bill and Jeff Cashman

There is a great multi page story and photos about winter on Beaver Island by Bill and Jeff Cashman in the December issue of Traverse Magazine. You can view the story and article at this link HERE

Seniors' Meal Options

Besides the home delivered meals prepared by Dahlwhinnie, there are options currently at two restaurants, Dahlwhinnie's and the Shamrock. The menus are down below, but there are times where a picture is worth a hundred words. These pictures are not meant to depict the entire menu at either place, but just to give you an opportunity to see what some of the options look like. The editor can attest to the excellent meals that have been consumed over the last few months. The seniors, who have not participated, should seriously consider these wonderful meals. The seniors that have been participating should invite another senior to go with them.

Breakfast at Dahlwhinnie's is an excellent opportunity to sit down and socialize. The #1 breakfast at Dahlwhinnies was sampled by the editor and it received a two thumbs up, once the thumbs were done proving help to the hands in consuming this excellent meal. Here is a picture of the meal:

Eggs, hashbrowns, toast, orange juice, milk or coffee, and pears

Dahlwhinnie's is also participating in lunch. Breakfast runs from 7-10, and lunch from 11-2. The honey mustard chicken salad is another wonderful meal as is the tuna melt.

Downtown at the Shamrock Bar, there is no breakfast, but an excellent lunch is awating all seniors for a reasonable cost. These same senior menu items are available to the general public for $7.00. Here are a few pictures of the lunch items available at the Shamrock: Again, the senior lunch and dinner menu is posted below.

Soup and Salad is a wonderful combination of homemade soups and fresh salad with dressing, bread, and butter, Add coffee, tea, or iced tea as a beverage and a fruit cup and you have one excellent lunch.

This wonderful chicken salad is also available as one of the lunch or dinner items for seniors.

A hot beef sandwich with mashed potatoes and gravy, cole slaw, and fruit cup along with your choice of three beverages can't be beat.

Barbeque pulled pork sandwich with mashed potatoes

Chicken wings with French fries and cole slaw

Pasta and Meatballs, very nice

Taco salad, yum, yum

So, there are plenty of Dining Out menu options and, at this time, at least two places to go for lunch. What are you seniors waiting for? Meet you for lunch?

The Shamrock is also offering these same menu choices for dinner for all seniors. The Dining Out program is part of the services offered by the Charlevoix County Commission on Aging.

Dahlwhinnie's Dining Out Menu

The CC Commission on Aging's representatives have approved the menu submitted by Dahlwhinnie's to offer seniors an additional option when deciding to dine out. The addition of a a breakfast menu to a lunch menu provides another option for Dining Out seniors. The menu was available as of Monday, October 8, 2012, and is presented below exactly as presented to BINN with only one thing added. The thing added was the word 'and' in front of the word 'milk.' The following menu items are available from 7-10 a.m.:

#1 1 egg, hashbrowns, orange juice, fruit cup, toast with butter, and milk

#2 1 egg, hashbrowns, orange juice, fruit cup, oatmeal, and milk

#4 Egg sandwich with cheese, orange juice, fruit cup, hashbrowns

#5 1 egg vegetable cheese omelet, hash browns, orange juice

The Dining Out Lunch Menus available from 11 a.m. until 2 p.m. is:

#1 Fresh spinach salad with grilled chicken, red onion, honey mustard dressing, fruit, bread with butter, and milk

#2 Chili--(beef, chicken, or turkey) with tomatoes, beans, peppers, and onions, fruit cup, crackers, and milk

#3 Meat loaf, potatoes, vegetable, fruit, roll with butter, milk

#4 Open face pulled pork sandwich, vegetable, sweet potato, fruit, and milk

#5 Hot turkey or beef sandwich and potatoes with gravy, vegetable, fruit, and milk

#6 Tuna melt on wheat with cheddar, fruit, mixed vegetable

Shamrock " Senior" Menu Available to ALL!

After a discussion today, September 26, 2012, with Dana Hodgson, it is possible to replace mashed potatoes with French fries, so this makes the possibilities on the Shamrock menu a total of thirty possible combinations for food and three possibilities for drinks.

Lots of options and choices...

Dana and Eric Hodgson announced this morning, October 16, 2012, that the senior menu posted above will be available to all ages. If paid in cash, the cost of these menu items, all thirty possible combinations, will be $6.60 plus tax. This means that the menu, listed as the senior menu, is available for anyone for $7. This is a wonderful possibility for all! Thank you, Dana and Eric!

The BINN editor arrived at the Shamrock for lunch today, and suddenly realized that the senior vouchers were not in his pocket, but at home. With this new option, the same lunch was received without any issues and the $7 price was paid instead. This will allow several of the old gang who used to meet at the Community Center an opportunity to congregate again for lunch. Thank you again, Dana and Eric!

Mark Your Calendar for the 2013 Winter Free Fishing Weekend

Are you looking for an opportunity to take someone out fishing this winter, perhaps someone who has never been before? Consider scheduling your outing for February 16 or 17 as part of the 2013 Winter Free Fishing Weekend!

As part of that weekend, all fishing license fees will be waived for those two days. Residents and out-of-state visitors can enjoy fishing on both inland and Great Lakes' waters for many different species of fish. Please note all fishing regulations will still apply during that time.

For many, the annual Winter Free Fishing Weekend is a tradition – will it become one for you as well?

Numerous activities in communities throughout Michigan will be going on as part of the 2013 Winter Free Fishing Weekend. Maybe you would want to plan one of your own in your community? For more information, or resources to help you participate, please visit www.michigan.gov/freefishing .

Recreation Survey, Please Respond By December 16

NRESC SURVEY

An on-line Peaine Township Recreation Survey has been approved by the Natural Resources/ Ecotourism Steering Committee (NRESC), and it is now available online. The deadline for responding is December 16. The NRESC is in the process of preparing a Peaine Township Recreation Plan at the request of township board. When a plan is completed it will be available for public review prior to approval. The plan will be submitted to the Peaine Township Planning Commission, the Peaine Township Board and the Michigan Department of Natural Resources. (DNR). An approved recreation plan is a requirement prior to receiving grant funding from the DNR for recreation projects.

The survey is one of the steps in preparing a Recreation Plan. Full-time and summer residents and visitors are asked to assist the NRESC by taking the Recreation Survey. It is not necessary to live in Peaine Township to take the survey.

The survey is confidential and the results will be tabulated and provided to the NRESC by Survey Monkey. Printed copies of the survey will be available at the library and community center for those who do not want to use the online survey. To take the survey on-line, the address is:

https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/55YQQHF .

Santa Paws at Power's Hardware

Saturday, December 15, 2012, Power's Do It Best Hardware will be open for a special holiday event! Santa Claus will be here! You can have your pet's photo taken with Santa, for a donation to the Beaver Island Animal Fund.
SANTA will be here from 10 am to 2 pm on the 15th and special refreshments and cookies will be available for your enjoyment.

We lowered prices on many items for this one day only, so you'll want to get in to take advantage of the deep discounts! Boat loads of savings on Tools, Electronics, Stocking Stuffers and many many holiday gift items. In addition, all Gift Shop items will be 35% off! On top of that, we'll return 10% of your purchase price on all Hardware items to you in the form of a Gift Certificate: spend $100.00, get a $10.00 Gift Certificate to tuck into someone's Christmas stocking!

Merry Christmas, Everyone, from the Staff at Powers' Do It Best Hardware!

Beaver Island Human Services Commission 2013 Meeting Schedule  

At 2 p.m. at the Beaver Island Community School

The Commission is a collaboration of organizations that advocates for the emotional and physical needs of island residents and visitors of all ages.

January 17, 2013

February 21, 2013

March 21, 2013

April 18, 2013

May 16, 2013

June 20, 2013

September 19, 2013

October 17, 2013

November 21, 2013

Members: _______(Char-Em Human Service Coordinating Body), Adam Richards (BIRHC), Alice Belfy(BICS), Judi Meister (Food Pantry), Ann Partridge(COA liaison/Community Center), Lois Williams (Hospice/Helping Hands), Kathy Tidmore(St. James Township Rep.), Pam Grassmick (Peaine Township Rep.), ______ (AmVets)

Joint Township Meeting Live Stream and On Demand Video

BINN is all set up at the Peaine Township Hall for the Joint Township Board Meeting. This meeting was requested by the BI Airport Commission. Mead and Hunt, consultants for the BIAC will be present and will make a presentation at this meeting that begins at 7 p.m. The Live Streaming Video can be viewed at http://beaverisland.tv

Recorded video of this meeting will be posted once it is processed. The basic idea of this meeting was to have Meae and Hunt do a presentation "Airports 101" with explanation of the grant received by the Beaver Island Airport in the amount of $650,000 to build a terminal building. After the presentation, there was an opportunity to ask questions and get answers.

You can watch the video HERE.

Bliss Fest Music Organization Seeks Artist Design of Logo Contest

BICS Christmas Caroling Announced for December 18th

The elementary staff at BICS is excited to announce that we will be trying something new for the annual Christmas Program this year. We are planning to take all of the elementary students Christmas Caroling out in the community and share their beautiful voices and songs with those who otherwise may not have been able to attend the program at the Community Center. A wonderful group of parent volunteers have taken this idea to the next level and decided to make some treats to deliver along the way.

Caroling will occur, starting at 3:30 on Tuesday, December 18th.

ALL ARE WELCOME TO JOIN IN!

Contact Debbie Robert at 448-2744 (school) or 448-2048 (home) if you would like more information.

Come, join in as we remind these students and ourselves of the Reason for this Season!

If you know of someone who would appreciate having carolers please let me know. We will make every effort to visit as many as we can!

Gillette Sand Dune Visitor Center hosts
'Wildlife of Michigan in Winter' photo contest

The Gillette Sand Dune Visitor Center at P.J. Hoffmaster State Park in Muskegon today announced a “Wildlife of Michigan in Winter” photo contest. Entrants are asked to submit favorite photos from last year or take a trek through the woods, fields or wetlands this winter and capture the beauty of wildlife in a wintry scene.

Photos must be of Michigan wildlife photographed in nature during winter. Entries are limited to two photos per person. Photos must be securely matted without a frame or glass, with a minimum size of 8 x 10 and maximum size of 11 x 16. Laminated photos or those without a matte will not be accepted. An entry fee of $4 per photo must accompany each submission. Please include photographer's name, address, email, phone number and name of wildlife and location photographed on the back. This contest is intended for amateurs only; the works of published photographers will not be considered.

The deadline for submission is 3 p.m. on Friday, Jan. 25. An impartial team of volunteers with knowledge of photography will judge the photos. Winners will be announced Feb. 2. Three winners will be chosen. First-, second- and third-place winners will receive a gift card and/or prize with a value equivalent to $50, $35 or $25.

Photos may be submitted by mail or delivered to:

Gillette Nature Association
6585 Lake Harbor Road
Muskegon, MI 49441

Winning photos will be on display at the Gillette Sand Dune Visitor Center through Feb. 28. Entries may be picked up on or after Feb. 28; those not picked up within two months will become property of the Gillette Nature Association.

Questions may be directed to Elizabeth Brockwell-Tillman, park interpreter, at 231-798-3573 . The Gillette Sand Dune Visitor Center is one of 10 visitor centers managed by the Michigan Department of Natural Resources. Visit www.michigan.gov/ dnrvisitorcenters for more information.

BIMF Artist Submission for 2013

Dear BIMF Friends and Artists, It is that time of year again when we start searching for artists to perform at the Beaver Island Music Festival. I am sending this out to all of our active emails this time because so many have asked us after the deadline or have that group that they know and would love to have submit. This year you will have that chance and have all the requirements to submit to BIMF. We will continue to have Thursday as an evening of music, so there are more opportunities to have fun and enjoy. The dates for this year are July 18, 19, & 20. If your group is interested in performing at the 2013 festival the deadline for applying is January 15, 2013 and any applications received after this date will only be considered for the 2014 festival. It is very important in our selection process that you include, information about your group, size and list of all ban d members that would be attending if selected, and a CD . Due to the large amount of applicants it is crucial in our selection process that we have an actual CD from your group. Please send all of your press kits to: BIMF Selection Committee PO Box 23, Beaver Island, MI 49782 . Our committee will be making all of their selections by January 31, 2013 We select based on quality, originality, diversity, personality, desire to perform on Beaver Island, and try to have only one group from each musical category. We have also established a performing rule that no band can play the festival more than 2 years in a row (no exceptions) and must wait at least 1 year before reapplying. This rule has been put in place so that we can continue to bring a diverse and new festival to Beaver Island each year. If your group is chosen to perform for this year's festival you will be contacted shortly after the final selection date. We will try to have our final line up posted by March 1, 2013 .
*If you are not selected this y ear please continue to submit for future years and remember that we have an open-mic session that is open to all performers during the festival. You can register for a slot any time after February 1, 2013 . A special note to all artists that have applied to or performed at our festival before:
If we have received all of this information concerning your group from past years, everything about your group remains the same, and we have a current CD, all you will need to do is e-mail me at bimfburton@yahoo.com to reactivate your application. We continue to keep all submissions to our festival each year for the convenience of your group and our selection committee. We look forward to hearing from your group and wish you good luck for this year‘s selection!

BICAA Mini-Grant Available

The Beaver Island Cultural Arts Association announces Mini-Grants for 2012: Applications for cultural arts projects are Due December 20, 2012 and must be completed before September 30, 2013: For more information, please email Krys Lyle, BICAA Coordinator, krys@kryslyle.com, or Anne Glendon, BICAA Board Chair, aglendon2@gmail.com . All applications must be submitted electronically using the attached form. Please see attachment for more details.

BINN has posted the attachment for all to access on the homepage of BINN at http://beaverislandnews.com with a link to the application form.

Where Is the Tax Relief for St. James Township Taxpayers

Now that the election is over, it is time to bring this issue back up to the taxpayers on Beaver Island whether they pay taxes in St. James or in Peaine Townships. The following editorial was written by the editor of Beaver Island News on the 'Net, and he is responsible for all statements made. This position is his position only, not the position of News on the 'Net, nor of any family members. In short, the editorial is a response to two specific points: "Why do St. James individual taxpayers pay more for the joint services than does each individual Peaine taxpayer?" and "Are these tax amounts fair?" You can read the whole editorial by clicking on the small picture below.

Donate to the Live Streaming Project

Forestview Apartments for Rent

There are three apartments for rent at Forestview Apartments. This senior housing project is right next door to the Beaver Island Rural Health Center and right across the street from Stoney Acre Grill and Donegal Danny's Pub. The video below shows the apartment that is designed from someone who is physically handicapped or otherwise handicapped, but the other apartments have the same basic layout.

 

The Tax Inequity Between Individual Taxpayers in Peaine And St. James Townships

(An editorial by Joe Moore, St. James Taxpayer)

(September 26, 2012) This editorial will not focus on the correctness of property evaluations. This editorial will not focus on the length of time a taxpayer is in residence on Beaver Island. This editorial will not focus on the taxpayers ability to pay taxes. This editorial will not focus on "Why should I vote to raise taxes on my property?" This editorial will not focus on whether Peaine should or should not change its method of setting millage, even though tonight's Peaine Special Board Meeting will set millages for Peaine Township. This editorial will use simple mathematics to state and show the differences between the tax millages of St. James and Peaine Township and ask for the reason that they are not equitable on an individual taxpayer basis.

Here is the basis of the bold statement above. As a St. James taxpayer, I pay more tax for all the joint operations on Beaver Island than does the Peaine taxpayer six hundred yards south of me. I want to know why. The fire department, the EMS, the transfer station, and the airport are operations that have to be available to all Beaver Island residents. We have to be able to put out fires. We have to have someone come take care of us when we are sick or injured. We have to have a way to get rid of our trash. We have to have an airport owned publicly with public control. Hopefully none of these statements are controversial.

Right or wrong, the SEV in Peaine Township has gone up at an exponential rate even though the Peaine Board hired a state approved assessor. Right or wrong, the St. James SEV has gone up in a much more linear fashion. I am not interested in whether they should have or should have not gone up in this way. These are simply facts. Here is a graph of the SEVs, showing the SEV of both St. James and Peaine for the last several years.

Most high school students Algebra II would be able to recognize that the blue dots, representing the SEV of Peaine, most likely represents an exponential function. Most of the same students would be able to recognize that the brownish red dots most likely represent a slight increase above a linear function. They might also state the obvious, which is that the SEV in Peaine Township has been going up at a much higher rate. Again, make sure that you understand that this editorial is NOT about whether it should have or should not have. It is instead a statement of mathematical fact.

With the increase in SEV in Peaine Township, and considering two taxpayers, one in St. James and one in Peaine, the value of the property in Peaine has increased at a higher rate than the value of the property in St. James, even if they started out at the exact same value, say back in the late seventies or early eighties. The individual taxpayer in Peaine has also been paying a lower millage than the individual property owner in St. James for the last eighteen years even with the equal dollar match that is historically been in effect. Here is a graph of the lower millage rates that Peaine taxpayers have been paying over the last several years for joint operations.

The millage rates shown above are the millage rates that would have been in place if all the joint operations were millages in Peaine Township instead of some of them being taken out of general funds. These millage differences are based upon the SEV and not on taxable value because many things can happen to change taxable value. This millage rate graph shows that in the last several years, the only years where the millage rates were even close were the years in the late nineties. Each individual St. James taxpayer has been paying more millage for the same services for the last several years. Why is that not seen by everyone to be inequitable?

There are totals available related to the joint operations over the last eighteen years and based upon the millages shown in the graph above. Again, the SEV is used to calculate these numbers. Perhaps the numbers are only half as big if the taxable value was 50% of the SEV. That does not really matter if you are just trying to point out the inequity between the townships. The percentages of SEV still shown this same inequity.

This last graphic has .00018, which is more correctly written as .18 mills. What this means is that the average St. James taxpayer has been paying .18 mills more than the average Peaine taxpayer for the same jointly funded services as an average over the last eighteen years. Whetherthe total dollar amount is $150,000 or $75,000 shouldn't be the issue. The issue is that this represents a lot of money that the St. James taxpayers have been paying, and that the Peaine Township taxpayers have not been paying on an individual basis.

I want to know why Peaine taxpayers and board members consider this an equitable situation. If the fire department is called down the East Side of Beaver Island to a tree on a wire that is on fire or a grass fire or a house on fire, don't the residents of Peaine get the same fire response as a St. James taxpayer? If someone in Peaine has chest pain or is injured, doesn't this person get the same EMS response? If you have trash in Peaine, don't you have the same facility for disposal? Then why do I pay more taxes for the same access than you on an individual basis?

Some will say that St. James sets the millage in Peaine township. That is not a true statement. The Peaine Township Board sets the millage in Peaine Township. How did you determine that your fair share was based upon total dollars being equal? Inequity is inequity. What would happen if St. James Township decided to lower its millage rate? You can bet that the Peaine taxpayers and the Peaine Board would lower theirs as well. Is that equity. I can honestly say that there is not one chance in the world of having Peaine Township increase the millage rates that they pay for joint operations. Why would they do that to increase their own taxes, especially in an election year?

I have several more questions to ask. Why would a St. James taxpayer want to volunteer to provide services to a Peaine taxpayer, knowing full well that they are not paying their fair share? Why would a Peaine Board member expect that volunteer to provide the same level of service in this situation? Why are St. James taxpayers paying for the payments for a fire hall in Peaine Township?

The answers to these questions are that we are one island providing services to all islanders at the same level of service no matter where that service is provided. If you, as an individual, expect the same level of service, on an individual basis, you should pay your fair share of taxes to keep these services operational. Peaine taxpayers are not doing that because Peaine board members don't want to increase their personal property taxes. That is the only explanation that makes any sense to this St. James taxpayer.

Some will suggest that contributing the exact dollar amount to the joint operations is paying the township's fair share. These services are available to taxpayers on an individual basis. The amount paid, dollar for dollar, does not match the services being provided on an individual basis no matter what system of mathematics you use.

(The facts and figures for this editorial come directly from the Charlevoix County Equalization Department in a $60 FOIA request.)