B.I. News on the 'Net, January 10-16, 2011

Airport Commission Meeting Rescheduled

Due to the weather received over the last twelve hours, the Airport Commission Meeting has been reschedule to January 22, 2011, at 10 a.m. at the St. James Township Hall.

Snow, Snow, and More Snow, Then Really Cold

The snow has been coming down since before bedtime last night. It seems to be the fluffy stuff, but it does get packed by the wind and the weight of the snow above it. There seems to be just a little over six inches so far today, January 15, 2011, at 9:30 a.m. with light flurries on and off. The snow will be needed for insulation because the temperatures are supposed to really drop. Right now it's 25 degrees with a wind chill of 19 due to the wind from the northwest. It is possible that we may get another two inches of snow today with the on and off again flurries. If the temperatures get down to single digits and a strong wind, make sure that you get bundled up before you go outside. Hope you enjoy winter time on Beaver Island because it is here, ready or not!

Beaver Island Rural Health Center 2011 Board of Director Meetings

January 18, 2011—Special Board Meeting

 January 29, 2011—Annual Meeting 

Meetings will be held at 10 AM in the

Beaver Island Rural Health Center

Community Room

An Open Letter to the Township Boards and the Airport Commission

The following text of a letter was mailed today, January 13, 2011, to all township board members, members of the Airport Commission, both newspapers, and the Chamber of Commerce. This issue seems to be one that should not continue to be a point of contention. News on the 'Net believes that there are many more important issues that need the time of these agencies. Here are the facts from the News on the 'Net point of view:

To: Boards of Peaine and St. James Townships and Beaver Island Airport Commission

From: Beaver Island News on the ‘Net

Subject: News on the ‘Net policy regarding public information

Date: 1/13/11

Dear Board and Commission Members:

First of all, as editor of the News on the ‘Net, I am not interested in having this memo read at your next meeting.

Second, it is not my business what the Northern Islander or the Beaver Beacon does or does not charge for its publication of any public documents. I respect their rights to operate their businesses in any manner they so choose.

Third, and most importantly, as members of the board of our townships or as members of the airport commission, you should be aware of the policy of Beaver Island News on the ‘Net, which will continue in effect as long as I am editor of this news service:

It is the policy and the practice of Beaver Island News on the ‘Net to post minutes and documents provided by public entities on its homepage. If it is necessary, a FOIA request will be sent to the public entities in order to obtain this information.

It is important, in our estimation, that this information be available to the public in as timely a manner as is possible. Beaver Island News on the ‘Net does NOT charge for the publication of any of this information. You do NOT need to be a subscriber to access this information.

Access to the minutes of any public entity willing to provide the information is available at http://beaverislandnews.com to anyone in the world for free. The same is true for the documents of the Intergovernmental Agreement or the Rules of Procedure discussed at the Peaine Township Board meeting on January 12, 2011. As proof of this statement, I would suggest that anyone with access to the Internet do a Google, Yahoo, or Bing search for “Beaver Island Airport Commission” and see what has been available to the world since November 15, 2010, at no charge to the commission or the townships.

Again, it is really important for all board members and community members to know that this is a free service offered to the community and interested parties by Beaver Island News on the ‘Net.

Sincerely,

Joe Moore, editor of Beaver Island News on the ‘Net

Peaine Township Meeting January 12, 2011

This was another interesting meeting at the Peaine Township Hall. There seems to be one or two different topics that seem to cause an emotional upset most months. The first topic of the meeting involved whether or not to pay the Northern Islander $500 for the publication of the Intergovernmental Agreement. The rest of the meeting was mostly just as contentious. Another topic toward the end of the meeting was a Freedom of Information Act request from Gavin West and from Elaine West. And in between them was the Peaine Township letter to the DNRE about the Whiskey Island trade for the DNR building and property in St. James Township. All in all an interesting meeting!

Video of the Peaine Township Meeting HERE

By the way, the topics are on this linked page. So, if you can't view the video, you can still get the idea of what was discussed and who discussed it by going to this page.

Library News – January 2011

With the holidays now just a memory, things are slowing down at the library which allows us to catch up on projects. Our biggest one is organizing the young children’s section. Now the non-fiction is sorted by Dewey while all the fiction is now shelved by authors name, for example: all authors whose surname begins with C are together. Bright yellow stickers with the correct alphabet letter is on the spine of each fiction book in the elementary section making it possible for the child to put his/her book back in the right area. We’ll be working on this project and it should make things much easier to find between the card catalog and the new way things are filed on the shelves. We hope you’ll bring the kids in and see just how easy it is to use.

Since it’s a new year, it might be fun to wish for the stars. In that vein, here’s a list of a few things that would be very nice to have at the Beaver Island District Library:

TWO Early Literacy Station™

These are groundbreaking educational computers for children. The English edition includes 50 educational software programs spanning seven curricular areas that are top rated by Children's Technology Review. These would not be connected to the internet and would be just for the young children.

An easy way to convert the hundreds of VHS tapes to DVD that won’t cost us an arm and a leg. VHS are on the way out and we own hundreds of them that are taking up a huge amount of space. More and more folks want DVD format and not the old VHS format.

Have you received an over-due notice in the mail? There have been a couple folks who were upset about receiving them so we’ll try to explain how it all works. Every Monday morning our computer goes through the files and finds all those items that are more than one week overdue. It then processes them and writes a letter accordingly. If only one notice is being sent, it’s a gentle reminder. If this is your second notice, it’s a bit stronger and gives you the amount of money needed to replace the item. If this is the third notice, you have been denied any library privilege which means no books, no videos, no computer usage. Return the book, or pay for it – there are no fines – and you’re good to go again. Now, to avoid all that, just give us a telephone call when the due date comes and we can renew your items over the phone. It’s simple, easy, and best of all free. Can we email the notices rather than mail them? No, not at the present time we can’t. One comment was on the cost of the stamp but a 44 cent stamp is much cheaper than replacing a book or video which usually run on an average of $15 to $25/30 dollars.

Does the library have tax forms since tax season is upon us? Sorry, the government no longer sends us all the forms, however, they are all available online and we can print out which ever ones you want or need. We won’t fill them out for you but just let us know which ones you need and we’ll get them for you.

Your local library is a one stop service center when you come to town. Swing by the library for your email/Facebook/Farmville/internet fix, get a book/video/puzzle/recorded book/music and you’ll be all set for the next snow storm.

Invasive Species 

Phragmites work........ J. Knotweed.

What is an invasive species? According to the Center for Invasive Species and Ecosystem Health, “any species, including seeds, spores, or other biological material capable of propagating that species, that is not native to that ecosystem; and whose introduction does or is likely to cause economic or environmental harm or harm to human health.”

Why should Beaver Island be concerned with invasives?

Beaver Island has some of the highest quality natural areas in the State of Michigan and is ranked as one of the most biologically diverse islands in the Great Lakes. Invasive species that are left uncontrolled can change the natural diversity of our islands, the economy, and access to areas. In order to attract visitors and potential home buyers, we have an opportunity to display our archipelago's natural resources in their best invasive free environment. Forests and plants are altered and displaced along with wildlife, birds, amphibians, and insects.

Right now, there are less than a dozen invasive species on the Island; some are a bigger problem to our ecosystem than others. The Michigan Natural Features Inventory has identified the most aggressive species with the highest threats to a habitat.

We have worked successfully to control one invasive species. The Island has been an example of early identification and rapid response to an invasive identified 8 years ago, known to all of us as Phragmites. Our community and the township boards recognized the detrimental effects this plant would present to our native ecosystem and economy. The Phragmites control project continues with the support of the DNRE, the townships, and private property owners. Jacque LaFreniere has been hired as the townships' Phragmites Administrator.

But, we can't stop with Phragmites. Recently, Frank Solle identified a new invasive on the Island; European swamp thistle was establishing a foothold in various wetlands and will continue to spread leaving a thick patch with painful sharp thorns. Another species, Japanese knotweed was identified by Eric Ellis and private attempts are underway to eradicate that invasive which is currently decimating the Upper Peninsula. Knotweed is a form of bamboo and like Phragmites, nothing will eat or move through the dense stands. In the next 20 years, we will witness the effect of Beech Bark Disease on our forests and if predictions are correct, will mean the death of 80% of our Beech trees. Thankfully, the Emerald Ash Borer has not been introduced to Beaver Island, but we must continue to watch. Our distance from the mainland may make Ash trees a visitor attraction in the future since there is a strong possibility that Ash trees throughout the midwest may be seen only in text books. Kevin McDonough's Ash tree stump at the boat dock with a request to not transport firewood to Beaver Island is another example of individual attempts to protect our Island 's forests.

We need to be vigilant and eliminate possible introduction of species that have the potential of forever altering our Island's ecosystems. Our interior lakes are free of zebra mussels and VHS at present. We're all aware of the efforts to keep Asian Carp from entering our Great Lakes. Once invasive species are entrenched, it is very costly, time consuming, and in some cases impossible to restore a habitat. It will take an island community to work together to keep Beaver Island as we know it.

What can you personally do about protecting your property and the island's ecosystem?

•  You can continue to follow local publications, the Beaver Island Association's web site: www.beaverislandassociation.org and be informed about invasive species found on the Island .

•  A number of property owners are planting only native species in their yards in an attempt to prevent inadvertent introduction of unwanted species. Verify that plants you are bringing to the island aren't an invasive species. When transferring plants remove most of the soil which may harbor seeds, spores, or insects.

•  Recognizing a strange plant on your property that seems to be expanding its original area is another important step to early control. Google, invasive species , to pull up additional information. Some of my favorite sites are: www.invasive.org , www.nbii.gov , or www.invasivespeciesinfo.gov . The Island also has access to a number of organizations such as the Michigan Natural Features Inventory staff and other botanists to assist us in plant identification.

•  When boating, clean your boat or leave it out of the water for 4 days before transporting it to a different body of water.

•  Don't release fish, plants, live bait, or other exotic animals into the wild.

•  Eradicate or control populations of invasive species on your own land.

•  Spread the word; tell your neighbors if you identify an invasive species.

In the coming months, the Natural Resources and Eco-tourism Commission will be working with the Department of Natural Resources, Michigan Natural Features Inventory, the Nature Conservancy, county, township officials, and private landowners to continue protecting environmentally sensitive areas around the Island. We would appreciate your support and assistance as we move forward. If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to call or e-mail: mcgrass@ameritech.net

Submitted by:

Pam Grassmick for the NREC

Island Summer Residents in Video

The B.I. District Library has a copy of Bringing Nature Home by Doug Tallamy. This book was donated by Kay Charter, Saving Birds Through Habitat, who visited and presented on the Island. The video referred to in the title is an interview with Doug Tallamy by Barbara Lucas, but also includes excerpts from another video, Pollinator Decline by Barbara Lucas. Both Barbara Lucas and Diane Tracy, who is in the video and known on the Island as the Bee Lady, have homes on the island. This video is about 30 minutes in length and part of a series of videos titled Green Room, but it includes lots of excellent information for anyone who is interested in the environment. The video is located HERE.

What a Difference a Couple Days Can Make!

(1/12/11) The senior housing project has major strides in its construction, or at least it appears so outwardly. On Monday and Tuesday of this week, the crew put in the windows on the north, west and east walls of the housing project. It begins to look more like an apartment complex with the installation of the windows.

Pictures taken from the west side of the building including the entrance area on the right.

One picture on the east side shows that the windows here are also in.

One picture from inside the housing project looking toward the west with the rural health center and rhc parking lot.

Senior Housing Construction Update January 9, 2011

Northeast corner showing the eastern side of the roofing job is complete.

North end of the building showing the rural health center in the background

Southwest of the building seen through the trees.....the entrance add on

From the south, this shows the entrance add on

Video clip of the changes in the senior housing project

 

Carl Felix Turns 91

At the Charlevoix County Commission on Aging Congregate lunch this past week, Carl Felix was presented with a huge oatmeal cookie for his 91st birthday. Many who were present sang Happy Birthday to Carl.

Carl enters the community center for lunch with the help of his son Glen

The singing and the big cookie caused Carl to smile....

Posing for a picture are (left to right) Kathy Merriman, Ann Partridge, and Carl Felix

Happy Birthday, Carl!

Bud Cruikshank Recovering

Bud Cruikshank underwent aortic valve replacement surgery yesterday, January 6, 2011, at William Beaumont Hospital. The surgery was successful, and Bud is recovering in ICU. Barb requested that this information be posted.

Airport Commission Meeting December 9, 2010

We apologize for the delay in getting this video available. There just isn't enough time to get everything done over the holidays to get caught up with these. The next Airport Commission meeting will take place at the St. James Township Hall next Saturday, January 15, 2011, so at least this video is available for viewing before this meeting occurs. Minutes will be posted when they are available.

View the video clips of the Airport Commission meeting HERE

St. James Township Meeting, January 5, 2011

Prior to the video processing, it is important to report on the meeting last night. The meeting was well attended by the regular attendees. The business conducted was pretty routine from the approval of the minutes to approval of bills to be paid. Supervisor Rick Speck reported on correspondence, and Jean Wierenga stated that the 2009-2010 audit would be available for viewing at the Beaver Island District Library beginning Thursday, January 6, 2011. Under old business, the township snow plowing was not posted. Instead, the township employee will continue to do the plowing until unable to keep up with the workload. A motion to adopt a policy and procedure for inspections of public records related to the re-appraisal was passed unanimously. There was only one public comment at this meeting. It was about how the townships might be able to convince the Charlevoix County Road Commission to move more quickly in improving roads on Beaver Island. Supervisor Speck suggested that this should be passed on to Charlevoix County Commissioner Richie Gillespie. The meeting adjourned before 8 p.m.

The one item that could not be discussed was the airport property acquisition. According to Supervisor Speck, the action on this property could not be completed until there was a joint township meeting that included MDOT to determine jointly whether this last mediated settlement would be acceptable to all concerned.

Minutes were approved (No video for this)

Bills added to payments

 

Correspondence Regarding St. James Lighthouse Association

 

2009-2010 Audit

 

Snowplowing No Bids

 

Airport Property Acquisition Tabled

 

Board of Review

 

Policy Regarding Review of Assessments for Reappaisals

 

Dan Connaghan Question on Roads, Rick Speck's response

 

Bill Cashman Questions on Airport, Rick Speck's response

 

BICS Islander Clothing Order Due January 18th

The order form is here or you can call the school and make arrangements to pick up or fill out your order form. You can print out this order form directly if you wish.

Order form HERE

Michigan and Beaver Island Tourism Marketing Effective

Beaver Island Chamber web visits nearly doubles

The Pure Michigan radio and television winter advertising campaign in Chicago and key markets in Indiana , Ohio and Wisconsin in now underway. The budget for this buy is $1.5 million. The TV spots will air through late February. 

2010 was the biggest year to date for Michigan.org , with 13.4 million user sessions, up 19% from 2009.  Clicks-throughs from Michigan.org to Michigan tourism industry web sites, like Beaver Island, totaled 6.7 million in 2010, an average of more than 18,000 per day, and up 9% from 2009.  And for the fourth year in a row, Michigan.org had more traffic than any other state tourism web site in America .

The Beaver Island Chamber of Commerce web site benefits from the success of Michigan.org as well and did much better. Visits to BeaverIsland.org were nearly double that of 2009. “We were on target for a 20% increase in web visits but the AP story was a huge plus and put us over 160,000 for the year,” said Chamber Executive Director Steve West.

Re-Appraisal, Assessor, and Property Taxes Explained

In a December meeting at the Peaine Township Hall, the Peaine Assessor, hired by the Peaine Township Board sat down with a small number of attendee at a scheduled meeting, albeit on a very busy night. She explained the process of the appraisal, her job as assessor, the role of the townships and the role of the State of Michigan. Ed Wojan, John Fogg, Don Tritsch, and the Hurkmanns attended with Jim Birdsall doing the introduction and participating as well. If you are interest in seeing what was discussed at this meeting, video of the entire session can be viewed in video clips HERE.

Video of the Shamrock and Tanker Return to the Island-The Final Run of 2010-11

Short Video Clip

 

Ten Minute Video Clip with Narration HERE

This includes the video of the first sighting from Donegal Bay up through the docking of the tug and tanker.

The Shamrock Return Trip

There was an interesting photo opportunity on Tuesday, January 4, 2011, at about 2:45 p.m. The Shamrock with its fuel barge was returning from the UP with a load of fuel. The pictures that you see just below this paragraph show what was able to be seen from Donegal Bay of the Martin Gas and Oil tug and barge.

At first there was nothing to be seen, then just on the horizon, you could see something, but couldn't make it out. Then, only because it was known, you could identify the tug and barge.

The chances of getting a good clear picture of the Shamrock and the tanker at this distance were quite small, about one in ten-thousand, but an attempt was made anyway. Then is was a hurry up and get the equipment warmed up because it quite working in the cold out there at Donegal. The wind chill was very cold and the camera just quit working. The replacement battery didn't work either. There must be a reason that the manufacturers place a temperature range of operation on their equipment, and today that reason was discovered. After a trip home to recharge the cold batteries, it was time to go back and try to get the pictures of the tug and barge coming into the harbor. Out of the wind chill of the strong and cold west wind, the camera worked just fine.

These first pictures show the tug and barge coming around past Gull Harbor headed to the Coast Guard Station.

Going past the township hall and entering the harbor..

The Shamrock broke ice going out of the harbor, and had to break iced coming back into the harbor as well.

Past the BIBCO dock and then past the yacht dock...

Headed over to its own dock...

But, there was lots of work to be done from the shore. The ice needed to be broken out for the tanker docking area, and yet, on came the Shamrock and tanker..

And before you knew it was happening, the Shamrock was entering its docking area...

The Martin boys worked to get the tanker back into its position..The Shamrock is back in its home port, and a sigh of relieve is heard.

This was the last fuel trip of the season, and it was needed to make certain that there would be enough gasoline and fuel oil to get the Island through the winter. Welcome home, Bud Martin, Nathan Martin, the Shamrock, and the tanker!

Father Pat's Dream Trip

The Parish of Holy Cross Church is sponsoring a trip for Father Pat Cawley to take the vacation of his dreams, Normandy, France. We are presently working out the details of his 2011 trip. If you wish to help with this endeavor, we have set up a special savings account at Charlevoix State Bank. If you wish to help, you can send a donation of any amount. Address your check to Nancy Tritsch or Skip McDonough, PO Box 14, Beaver Island, Michigan 49782 or Charlevoix State Bank, 111 State Street, Charlevoix, MI 49720. Please add 'Father Pat's trip' on the memo line. or you can give your donation directly to the bank. Personnel of Charlevoix State Bank at both the Island and the Charlevoix branches are aware of this special account. The savings account number is 910100732. Call Nancy Tritsch's phone at 448-2178 for any questions.

Bob Tidmore's "A Winter on Beaver Island"

 

Almost a year's worth of photos compiled into this video. Very interesting!

Lake Geneserath Winter Fun Scheduled

 

The Second Annual Fresh Air Winter Festival will take place on Lake G on February 19, 2011. The above was created by Mike Hurkmans from video of the event of 2009.

School Board Position Appointee Sought

Because of the recent death of board member Gail Weede, the board of education must appoint someone to fill the position until the board’s annual organizational meeting on July 11, 2011. Individuals interested in a short-term appointment to the board, should submit a letter of interest as soon as possible to Barbara Schwartzfisher, School Board President C/O Beaver Island Community School. The board will interview applicants and will appoint someone at the regular board meeting on January 10, 2011.

Township Airport Clearing Finished

The west end of the Beaver Island Airport looks entirely different that it did last year at this time. Although not in the air for some photos (hint, hint), the photos taken on the ground from the west end of the east-west runway show a different view than seen in recent history by anyone on the ground at the township airport. You can certainly tell that a lot of trees were taken out by looking at these pictures.

The first taken from the eastern end of the runway....the second taken from a little more than halfway headed west.

Taken from the western end of the east-west runway, you can see High Island on the horizon...

Looking east from the west end of the runway...

These changes have been accomplished by the former Airport Committee, now the Airport Commission, with money from grants from the State of Michigan and federal funding. A major improvement for the flying public who use the Beaver Island Township Airport!

Library News

The end of the year and the beginning of a whole, new one means it's time to check backpacks, behind the sofa cushions, and under the bed for any books/videos/recorded books you may have forgotten to return so that 2011 can start with a clean slate.

New additions to our books are in the New York Times Bestseller lists and include such titles as: Cross Fire by James Patterson; The Confession by John Grisham; Fall of Giants by Ken Follett in the fiction category. Some of the nonfiction titles on our shelves are: Decision Points by George W. Bush; Autobiography of Mark Twain, Volume I by Mark Twain; Cleopatra by Stacy Schiff; and $@&# My Dad Says by Justin Halpern. How about a newly released video? We have Shrek Forever After; The Twilight Saga- Eclipse; The Sorcerer's Apprentice; Despicable Me; and Babies – the documentary just to name a few .

Did you know that the library is like a mini-office center? We have computers, productivity software, high-speed internet, Wi-Fi, printer, copier and a fax machine for your use. Copies and printouts are only ten cents while the cost of faxing information is only $1.00 to send and a quarter to receive. Using the library is less expensive than buying all that equipment and usage of the computers, software, and internet is free.

In this economy, it's always nice to be able to save some money, so rather than spend it, stop in and read your favorite magazines: Woman's Day, Time, Family Circle, Woodsman, Newsweek, New Yorker, Good Housekeeping; Ireland of the Welcomes; National Geographic. We also subscribe to several children's magazines: National Geographic Kids; Ranger Rick, Zoobooks, and Your Big Backyard. All totaled we subscribe to more than 50 publications, stop in and spend an hour or two catching up on current and past issues. We also have newspapers available to you such as The Grand Rapids Press, Wall Street Journal, Beaver Beacon, NorthernIslander, Charlevoix Courier and Petoskey News Review.

The library is open Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday from noon until 5:00 pm and on Wednesday from 10:00 am until 5:00 pm. We are closed on Sunday. The drop box is always available.

Airport Commission Meeting No. 2

With the BIAC meeting in alternate locations, St. James Township Hall and Peaine Township Hall, there was no confusion and no seating problem with this meeting at the Peaine Township Hall on Thursday, December 9, 2010, at 6 p.m. The most important part of this meeting for most to understand is that the property acquisition is the main hold up in the ten-year plan. Nothing can move along until this issue is resolved for at least a couple of reasons. One of the most important reasons deals with the use of grant money, and how much of this grant money will be needed to complete the land acquisition. That puts all other items in the plan on hold until this issue is resolved because money availability is always an issue in completing any plan. It is unfortunate that the Beaver Island community must wait for lawyers to resolve the issue of the value of the property to be able to move forward with any plans at all.

According to the report at this meeting, the tree clearing has been almost completed. Don Vyse and Mike Scripps have completed the interim inspections, which save the cost of having Meade and Hunt travel to do these interim inspections.

Peaine Township Board Meeting, December 8, 2010

Peaine Township's meeting of December 8, 2010, was relatively calm this month, but there were still contentious matters discussed. The NRETC was able to get their original resolution passed to allow for a total of 21 members on the commission. This would include those two that were seemingly missing from the group, the Chamber of Commerce and the Beaver Island Conservation Club. The resolution also added a few more like the Odawa indian tribe, the Little Traverse Conservancy, and specified the organizations and the individuals that were to participate. Fourteen organizations and five individuals were mentioned, but Paul Welke asked for the list of all 21. Then the motion to accept the resolution passed. Postings were agreed for the Planning Commission and the Board of Review. The waste management bylaws were table again. The exchange of property by St. James Township was once again discussed with some on the Peaine Board and in the audience wanting the trade to reflect the joint ownership of the DNR property instead of just St. James Township. The discussion was tabled at the board level and sent back to the committee of Larry Kubic and Pete LoDico to discuss with St. James Township. Emerald Isle Propane was granted a conditional bid for the propane tanks and the first fill of the tanks. The condition included a clarification that the townships own the two tanks for both generator sites. The generators are here and waiting for fuel tanks and fuel.

The cleanliness of the Peaine Township Hall kitchen was brought into question with the general consensus being that it should be thoroughly cleaned at least twice per year which would make the cleaning person work additional hours with additional expense. The question was raised about how the DNR may react to the assertion of Peaine Township for joint ownership of the deputy residence and the waterfront across the road.

Video of this meeting HERE

Genie Vreeland Address Updated

Genie Vreeland
Boulder Park Terrace
Re-Hab Center
14673 Garfield
Charlevoix, 49720
Ph #231-237-8026

Larry Hall Address

For those of you who would like to send your well wishes to Larry Hall, below is the address information:

Larry Hall
c/o Meadow Brook, Room #20A
4543 South M-88 Hwy.
Bellaire, MI 49615

Shirley Sowa Address

Cards and letters may be sent to her in care of Catherine Meintsma at the following address:

450 Langer Crt
Hemet, CA 92545

c/o Lois Stipp

Beaver Island Community Development Corporation

 

Applications are now being taken to rent an apartment at the long-awaited Senior Housing, named Forest View, which is now under construction on Carlisle Road , across the street from Stoney Acres. The construction is anticipated to be complete and the apartments ready for occupancy June 1, 2011, a date which is subject to change based on weather conditions.

Applications are also available for the part-time position of on-site manager who will be employed by KMG Prestige, an off-island management company who will manage the apartments. The position is anticipated to begin in March, 2011.

Applications for both leasing and employment may be obtained at the Community Center, Library, and Rural Health Center. They should be mailed directly to KMG Prestige, attention Jane Crawford, 3390 Pine Tree Rd, Lansing, Michigan 48911 .

Further information may be obtained by contacting Jane Crawford at 1-517-679-7298.

KMG is an experienced property management company well-versed in federal regulations. In managing the leasing for the Beaver Island Community Development Corporation, KMG will screen applicants to determine their qualifications under the federal regulations for low and moderate senior housing. Using a professional management company to handle the leasing will insure applicants that they will be correctly evaluated and that their financial data will be kept confidential.

The rental apartments will have rental rates which are set through the grant process which provided funding. The anticipated rent is $567 for a one-bedroom unit and $629 for a two-bedroom unit. Utilities are included in the rent, and the building will be heated through a geo-thermal system. The building will include six individual apartments, four one-bedroom and 2 two-bedroom, each with their own kitchen and bath. In addition, the building will have a laundry room, community room, and a community kitchen area.

Beaver Island Airport Commission Inter-Governmental Agreement

This is the complete agreement approved by both Peaine and St. James Townships

B I Airport Commission Rules of Procedure

These rules of procedure have been approved by the Airport Commission and Peaine Township. They have yet to be approved by St. James Township.

Community Calendar

BI News on the 'Net has a complete 2011 calendar up on the homepage of this website. We are willing to post any activities that take place on the Island on this calendar. When you know a specific date of any activity, please email medic5740@gmail.com and it will be posted on the Community Calendar. So far, the only items on the calendar into 2011 are those governmental meetings that are held on specific days. Please send your information for your activity as soon as it is know, so that other organizations will not conflict with your date(s).

Peaine Township Tax Assessment Roles Online

Search Peaine Township Assessment Role Online

Several people wanted to know how to get to this location. Feel free to access it from here and then save it as a Favorite.

BICS Calendar for 2010-11 Approved

Beaver Island Transfer Station Information

Expired Subscriptions

Please send us your email address.

There are quite a few subscriptions that will expire December or January and some that have already expired. We appreciate your support and ask you to renew your subscription as soon as possible. Emails have been sent out, but quite a few have been returned without delivery, which means that BINN does not have your current email address.

You can subscribe online by using PayPal and a credit card. Please click the link below if you wish to renew online:

RENEW

Meeting Minutes

The minutes of all public meetings will be posted

as soon as they are received.

News on the 'Net welcomes minutes to all public meetings. All organizations are welcome to submit meeting minutes for publication on this website. Please email them to medic5740@gmail.com.

Airport Committee Minutes

Beaver Island Cultural Arts Association Minutes

Peaine Township Board Minutes

BIRHC Board Meeting Minutes

St. James Township Meeting Minutes

Beaver Island Community School Board Meeting Minutes

Beaver Island Ecotourism Goals Draft, rev. 3, 19 Jan 2010 NEW!

Beaver Island Natural Resources and Eco-Tourism Commission Minutes NEW!

Joint Human Resources Commission Minutes (includes agenda when available) New Feature for 2010!

Waste Management Committee Minutes (New for 2010!)