B. I. News on the 'Net, January 11-17, 2010

Weatherization Meeting on January 13, 2010

Chuck Riley, Ken Taylor, and Bob Tidmore

Chuck Riley came over on January 13, 2010 to talk to the five individuals that have already signed up and that have been accepted into the program. He also had a meeting at the Community Center at noon this same day for others interested in the program and to talk to some contractors here on BI. Mr. Riley was really excited about getting more people involved in the program and to have the work done locally.

Some of the contractors that came to listen to the presentation.

Chuck Riley

Northwest Michigan Community Action Agency

Home Weatherization Program
Thanks again to Ken Taylor for arranging for Chuck Riley to travel to the island. Chuck met with anumber of interested individuals and contractors at the Community Center today and discussed the
Home Weatherization Program.
1. As he explained this program can include the following services:

a. Additional or new insulation

b. Caulking and sealing of cracks and ducts to prevent infiltration of cold air.

c. Furnace and water heater tune ups and in some cases new furnaces and water heaters.

d. Energy analysis’s of refrigerators and in some cases replacement of those units with new ones.

e. Weather stripping.

2. Chuck has visited a number of local homes and conducted a preliminary inspection of them for the program.

3. His goal is to get our local contactors qualified for the work.

4. Rental properties are included.

5. The qualifications for the program are for any homeowner if they meet 200% of the Federal Poverty Guidelines:

Family Size Last 3 months of income
1 $5,662
2 $7,404
3 $9,156
4 $11,028
If you feel you qualify fill out the application and send it in.

click on the image above to enlarge application

 

Chuck Riley stated that there were several people on the Island who qualified for this program and have already submitted a form. He further stated that these would probably receive the award to participate in the program as soon as the boat started to run this spring. There are probably three or four more slots available on the Island for this year.

Deer Moving Near Town

There are lots of deer moving around town with this week with the warmup of the "January Thaw." These were moving after sunset and just before it got pitch black outside. They seems quite happy to stand still for the photos, but were quite skittish when approached.

Joint Township Meeting on January 11, 2010

Peaine Township Board......St. James Township Board.......Airport Committee members......Crowded hall........More audience members

The meeting again started and ended on a controversial note. There was disagreement at the beginning about the reason for the meeting. Jack Gallagher had prepared a paper listing several questions that he felt needed to be answered. Don Vyse and other airport committee members (those not on the two township boards) stated that they did not have the information available to answer these questions, and, rather than guess, they were not prepared to answer them. Don, and Mike Scripps agreed, that some of these questions would take research. Jack Gallagher countered with a statement that suggested that anyone involved in the airport expansion project should be able to answer the questions presented. "Not on 10 minutes notice, no," Mike Scripps commented. Don Vyse had believed that the meeting was about the land acquisition, not about answering the topics of these questions. So began another contentious, and over two hour, meeting.

What was the outcome, the bottom line, of the meeting? Both township boards agreed to form a committee made up of two St. James Township Board members, two Peaine Township Board members, and the law firm representing both townships to work out a legal and formal airport authority, OR to hammer out an agreement between the two townships on all aspects of the airport committee. Those members on this committee are Jack Gallagher, Paul Welke, Rick Speck, and Ray Cole. While awaiting the group who will govern the airport, a motion was passed by Peaine, agreeing with the St. James' board's motion, to allow Don Vyse, current airport committee chairperson, to continue the day-to-day operations and decisions regarding the airport.

The above was the entire accomplishment of this over two hour meeting, but before getting to this point, there were many rather heated, emotional comments by many members of the public, as well as the airport committee. Don Vyse took over thirty minutes to enumerate and explain the actions taken by the current airport committee over the last ten years. He explained that all of these actions were voted on by both township boards, which signified their approval. From 2001, where Don began his enumeration, to the current land acquisition issue, Don stated the approval of both boards of all airport committee suggestions to those present.

The most important question was answered. Why is the property acquisition necessary for the Beaver Island Airport? Don Vyse stated that the committee and the townships had basically two choices, the first one nothing that the committee or the board would probably want to do. The Michigan Aeronautics Commission had provided these options to them. Either shorten the existing runway and spend $50,000 to move required equipment at township expense OR obtain the property and make the property conform to the regulation regarding the proper approach requirement for the 4300 foot runway. (The BI project was part of the commission's minutes. You can read them here. ) To make this simple, the reason for the property acquisition was to be able to trim the trees down to make the 4300 foot runway conform to federal and state regulations relating to the approach from the west end of the runway.

Mr. Vyse went on to explain all the actions taken by the airport committee, along with all of the votes by both township boards for the last decade. He stated that the new terminal building was just one part of the five year plan, which was required to be placed in a ten year plan by the Michigan Aeronautics Commission. The issue of the runway was required to be addressed. The other aspects of the plan including the building would cost the local taxpayers just over $25,000 according to Mike Scripps, and the townships would get a million dollars worth of building for this 2.5% local contribution.

More story and video clips will be forthcoming.

Leone Schellenberg Passed Away

SCHELLENBERG: Leona Mae Schellenberg, aged 84, loving wife of Charles, of Breton Woods, went home to be with her Lord on Monday, January 11, 2010. She was always creating something, and her donations of jams, baked goods and crafts benefitted friends and charities from Beaver Island, Michigan to Orlando, Florida.

She was preceded in death by her daughter Sheryl Struik in 1998. Leona will be lovingly remembered by her husband of 64 years, Charles; her children, Larry Schellenberg, Mary and Todd Weston, James and Julie Schellenberg; son-in-law, Bruce Struik; grandchildren, Marika and Adam BeVier, Elizabeth Struik, Julie and Mike Bacon, Matt and Kim Weston, Paul Weston, Sari Weston, Kevin Schellenberg; great-grandchildren, Keaghan, and Ava Bacon, Kady, and Kennedy Weston, Addison, Montana, and Tripp BeVier.

According to her wishes cremation will take place. A memorial service will be held Thursday 2:00pm at Eastminster Presbyterian Church, 1700 Woodward N.E., Grand Rapids, with Rev. Howard Davis and Rev. Ann Conklin, officiating. Interment Grandville Cemetery. Relatives and friends may meet her family at Matthysse-Kuiper-DeGraaf Funeral Home, 4145 Chicago Dr., Grandville, on Wednesday from 2-4:00 pm and 7-9:00 pm and at the church on Thursday from 1-1:45 pm prior to the service. In lieu of flowers, those who wish may make memorial contributions to Faith Hospice. Condolences may be sent online at www.mkdfuneralhome.com.

Beaver Island Winter Carnival

Come join the fun!
Saturday January 30th 2010
1:00 p.m.
at the Beaver Island Community Center

Learn about Climate Change.

Snacks and Treats!
Complimentary Hot Chocolate, Coffee & Cookies for all!

Games and Prizes!
Each child will be given free tickets for the games!
Come and try your skills at:
Polar Bear Plop
Ice Fishing
Frozen Duck Pond
Fish Fling
Penguin Bowling

Birdhouse Building Contest
Please help our Beaver Island birdie friends by building a home for them.
Entry forms and spec sheets are available at
Power’s Hardware and the Community Center.
The spec sheets are only a possible guide to assist you.
You can build whatever style birdhouse that you wish.
You are only limited by your own imagination!
All entries must be submitted to the Community Center no later than 1/28/2010.
All submitted birdhouses will be donated to the Peaine Township Parks and Trails Committee
for later placement on the trails.
AWARDS:
FIRST PLACE PRIZE is a $50.00 Dick’s Sporting Goods Gift Card,
Dinner for two, a $30.00 Power’s Hardware Gift Certificate and a $25.00 cash prize.
SECOND PLACE PRIZE is Dinner for two, a $20.00 Power’s Hardware Gift Certificate and a $15.00 cash prize.
THIRD PLACE PRIZE is a $25.00 cash prize.

Snowman Building Contest
(Weather permitting)
Your Family! Your Friends!
Open to all ages!
Prizes Awarded!
Sign-up sheets are available at the Community Center
and the Beaver Island Community School.

Proud Sponsors:
Beaver Island Community Center
McDonough’s Market
Power’s Hardware
Shamrock Bar and Restaurant
Stoney Acre Grill and Pub
TDS Telecom

Any questions please call the Community Center at 448-2022 or
Tina Walker at 448-2020.

Community Players to Present comedy on February 20th

The Beaver Island Community Players will present “A Bad Year for Tomatoes” on Saturday, February 20, 2010, at 8 p.m. at the Beaver Island Community Center. The comedy takes places in a rural community on the East coast and is full of funny, quirky characters that Islanders will love. In the spotlight are: Jan Day, Jeff Powers, Phil Becker, Bob Bass, Joan LaFreniere Banville, Wendy White, and Elaine West. The production is being directed by Jacque LaFreniere, and assistant director is Lisa Gillespie. Tickets are $10 and available at the Community Center.

Happy 90th Birthday to Carl Felix

Carl Felix turned 90 years old today. A party was held in his honor beginning at 4 p.m. today, Sunday, January 10, 2010. Carl was accompanied by his son Glenn and Mary Scholl. As they pulled into the parking lot, packed with cars, Carl was pretty much able to get into Donegal Danny's by himself, but he was assisted by three helpers whether he needed it or not. As the door to Donegal Dannys opened, the crowd roared out "Happy Birthday, Carl." Although Carl knew this party was going to be held today, he was quite overwhelmed by the number of people who were already present at Donegal Dannys. There was not even one empty seat in the bar.

In Carl's honor, son Glen proposed a toast with glug (or glogg), or whatever the Swedish drink is called. Shots of Glen's homemade Glug were passed out to anyone who wanted to try it. When asked what was in the drink, Glen stated, "It's a secret recipe, but it does have alcohol in it. I'll tell you that much.." Glen sang an old Swedish toast and then the drinks were downed. "Brandy and a lot of spices," was one comment heard. Carl was then required to go over and blow out the nine candles on each of two cakes before the feasting could begin.

For more pictures of Carl's party click HERE

Beaver Island Marathon on Youtube

There are two very good, professionally produced, and professionally filmed videos on Youtube about the inagaural Beaver Island Marathon. Plans are well underway for this year's marathon. Information will be posted here as soon as it is received.

http://www.youtube.com/user/GlobalRacingMedia

What Every Needs to Know about Alzheimer's Disease

Tuesday, January 26, 2010 at 1 p.m.

If you are interested in attending this program, you must register and reserve your space by calling 448-2022. This presentation will take place in two locations simultaneously. Location one is the Charlevoix Area Hospital in Classroom B on the lower level. Location two is at the Beaver Island Rural Health Center in the their education room via the REMEC TeleHealth Network. "In the Groove, Alzheimer's disease: What Everyone Needs to Know will be presented by Lisa Tegals, LLMSW, who is the program coordinator of the Northern Region Alzheimer's Association-Great Michigan Chapter. The presentation will be provided information about the ten warning signs, will be asisted with decision making about when to seek medical advice and treatment, will be introduced to activities that help to maintain optimal brain functions, and will have the opportunity to engage in a discussion of their concerns for themselves and their loved ones.

Make sure to call to reserve your place. The space at the BIRHC is very limited with seating for twenty. Please call if you want to attend.

This program is jointly sponsored by the CCCOA, and Alzeimer's Association of NW Michigan, and Charlevoix Hospital.

One More Month to Register for “Free Groceries for a Year!”

Michigan Farmers Featured at www.FarmersFeedUS.org

Lansing, Mich. (Jan. 13, 2009) – With only a month left to enter, thousands of Michigan consumers have learned that a chance to win free groceries for a year is just a mouse click away. In fact, since the Michigan “Farmers Feed US” promotion at FarmersFeedUS.org launched on Nov. 15, Michigan consumers have registered more than 115,000 times for a chance to win.

Through Feb. 12, Michigan residents can register at www.FarmersFeedUS.org for a chance to win one of three grand prizes of free groceries for a year*, courtesy of Michigan’s farmers. Upon visiting the site, consumers can choose to register with each of 10 Michigan farmers daily, and take a video tour of their farms. Each video explains how they produce safe, nutritious and affordable food for Michigan consumers.

“We’re really pleased with the consumer response thus far. Their support shows that they understand the importance of farmers in Michigan,” said Jennifer Lewis, a Jonesville dairy farmer featured on the Web site. “And as Michigan farmers, we’re proud to showcase our farms, sharing how we raise the food that Michigan consumers eat, while also introducing them to our families.”

The site features farmers from across the state, each sharing information about their farm and family. “I’m proud to produce food in our great state,” Lewis said, “and I want to show people how today’s farms operate.”
The agricultural commodity organizations sponsoring Michigan Farmers Feed US selected the farmers featured on the Web site, with the goal of showcasing farmers who are representative of the different food groups and different farming regions in Michigan.

The Michigan Farmers Feed US program is supported by local farmers represented by the Michigan Ag Council, Michigan Farm Bureau, Michigan Beef Industry Commission, Michigan Pork Producers Association, Corn Marketing Program of Michigan, Michigan Soybean Promotion Committee, Michigan Apple Committee, Dairy Farmers of America, Michigan Milk Producers Association, United Dairy Industry of Michigan, Michigan Allied Poultry Industries, GreenStone Farm Credit Services, West Michigan Ag Alliance, Hamilton Farm Bureau, and 30 county Farm Bureaus from across the state. Further, Spartan Stores is the official retail partner, helping connect their consumers with farmers from across the state.

The Farmers Feed US program originated in Michigan based on interest from the Michigan Ag Council and other agricultural organizations in coordinating a statewide effort to showcase how Michigan's farmers produce safe, nutritious, and affordable food for consumers. Michigan is the second state to implement the nationally-based Farmers Feed US program on a state level.

*Based on FMI, a $5,000 value.

What's New with the Wireless Internet Project

In a conversation via Skype on January 11, 2010, the BINN got the update directly from Tim Malone. The most that can be said at this point is that there is "No news so far." The positive aspects include the fact that the federal government is reviewing other grants in the 6-7 million dollar range. Two other grants from Alaska, who used Jim Selby's business and the same format as our project, have been awarded. Beaver Island has not received a rejection letter yet. TDS got a grant in the Upper Penninsula, so perhaps Beaver Island may yet get awarded its grant. The old adage, "No news is good news," seems to be the situation Beaver Island is in. Perhaps there will be more information available at the Peaine Township meeting this Wednesday or at the joint township meeting on Monday, January 11, 2010.

Chamber of Commerce Adopts Resolutions

The directors of the Beaver Island Chamber of Commerce adopted the following resolutions by unanimous vote at their regular meeting on January 11, 2010:


1. “The directors of the Beaver Island Chamber of Commerce believe that the Municipal Airport is a vital community resource. We would like to encourage the boards of Peaine and St. James Townships to cooperate for the benefit of all regarding our Beaver Island Municipal Airport. We encourage you to continue the responsible stewardship of the Beaver Island Airport."


2. “The Beaver Island Chamber of Commerce endorses adoption of Quality Deer Management as defined by the Quality Deer Management Association.”

Cold and Clear

There were two reasons to drive down the East Side Drive on afternoon of Saturday, January 9, 2010. One was to get a picture or two, and the other was a surprise birthday party. The surprise part was held at the Bill Wagner campground, and was a wonderful bonfire party for Patti Cull. Unfortunately, the editor was sick, and unable to get out of the car to take any pictures or to participate in the celebration. Perhaps, getting the car stuck and the sickness was just too much for one day.

However, the pictures taken from the shoreline of the ice and the mainland were easily obtained without any car trouble or illness.

You can just see the cement plant in Charlevoix on the horizon..

These tipi-looking structures are made out of ice, sculpted by the weather and the wind..

When out at Gull Harbor after the trip down the east side, these mute swans were noted. They appeared to be floating on the surface of the water with their heads tucked under their wings. It seemed stranged that they were not moving around in the water. Then, all of a sudden, one of them stood up. These swans were truly walking on water, frozen water. They were not floating. They were trying to keep warm.

Water or ice, you decide...

OK, the black thing on the right is the winter buoy, but what is that thing on the left??

Project Connect

(Click to enlarge)

Meeting to help out those that can get to the mainland is scheduled for Wednesday, February 3, 2010, in Petoskey.

BICS Basketball

The boys and girls on the teams of our Beaver Island Community School will not be traveling off the island this weekend on Friday and Saturday. Instead, the girls' team from Ojibwe will be coming here. There were arrangements made to bring in a boys' team from Petoskey.

The Lady Islanders were much too much for the Lady Ojibwe team. Our girls were much more agreessive and pretty much ran away with the game. The score after the first quarter tell the major part of the story.

First quarter score Islanders 16, Ojibwe 0

Pictures and more story on Friday Lady Islanders HERE

Quicktime Streaming Video Highlight clip HERE

The boys' Islander team was in for a battle, playing against the Petoskey basketball club team, which was named the Barnstormers right in the BICS gym. The Islanders started to run away with the game at the beginning, but the Barnstormers came back in the second half and almost won the game. The Barnstormers just ran out of time.

first quarter score.....halfway through second quarter......final score...Islanders win!

Pictures and more story on Friday Islanders game HERE

Quicktime Streaming Video Higlight Clip 1

Quicktime Streaming Video Higlight Clip 2

Jack Gallagher's Letter to the Editor

St. James Township to Hire Off-Island Assessor to Re-Appraise the Township

At the St. James Township meeting last night, January 6, 2010, the St. James Township Board voted to seek off-Island bids for the purpose of getting the re-appraisals completed to satisfy the State of Michigan Tax Commission. In a unanimous vote, the board decided to send out five requests for proposals to five off-island firms. In a packet of information and letters handed out at last night's meeting, Rick Speck, St. James supervisor, had prepared a plan and submitted it to the State Tax Commission. This plan will require the township to "send out RFP to conduct a complete reappraisal of all parcels in St. James Township. The appraisal is to be conducted by a certified assessor/appraiser approved by Larry Griggs of the State Tax Commission's assessment and certification division.....The current assessor will be retained to complete the 2010 assessment roll."

The plan submitted by Rick Speck's letter of November 16, 2009, and in a reply from the secretary of the State Tax Commission, "Your plan is accepted as submitted. We will schedule a follow up review for after the March 2011 Board of Review. We will ask Mr. Griggs to conduct periodic reviews to make sure the Township is progressing and will successfully complete your reappraisal."

In a question and answer period following the decision made at the meeting regards this reappraisal, the taxpayers were assured by the Board that only those improvements that have not previously been logged will possibly cause an increase in taxes. Those who have built additions and additional buildings on the property may end up with a higher taxable value. No matter what, it will cost the St. James taxpayers somewhere between $30,000 and $56,000, hopefully split up over the next two or three years, to get the job done. It would cost a lot more than that if the State of Michigan came in and took of the tax rolls, and re-appraised the property using their employees.

Video clips of this meeting HERE

Skype Makes the World Smaller and Better

Imagine the surprise on the face of this computer user when a message window comes up on the screen and says,"You have a call. What do you want to do? View video call or answer audio call." Excited and surprised, the editor answered the video call. On the other end was a good friend, and we not only were able to talk to one another, but we were able to see each other and view the other person and ourselves on the computer screen at the same time. Do you remember when you were a child and they showed this kind of thing on the Jetsons cartoon show and a few other shows as well? The Skype program is a free download, and, so far, the use of Skype is also free unless you try to contact someone that does not have Skype. Then it costs money for a long distance phone call, but Skype offers several plans for you to purchase. A Skype to Skype video and audio call is still free. Amazing! So our family in Washington State should standby for a birthday present, which might be a little late, but which will allow grandparents to talk to grandchildren across the continent, and for free. It's one thing to call on the phone and talk, but it is quite another experience to talk and SEE the person you are talking with, as well as hear the sounds in the background and see the background, at least some of it.

The video will never be as good as a high resolution video clip or digital picture, but the video is acceptable. Skype-ing is a lot of fun, even if you are only contacting someone right here on Beaver Island. There is something quite special about seeing as well as hearing the person that you are calling. Thank you to Jim Stambaugh who called and helped verify that this actually works, and it works quite well.

Calling all grandparents! Have you wanted your grandchild fix today? Have you been wanting to see how much the granddaughter has grown? Did you really want to see the "boo-boo" that the grandson got on his forehead after running flat out into the wall? Calling all parennts! Have you considered how nice it would be to see your son or daughter in their dorm room or their apartment when they are off somewhere in the "real" world?

If your answer to any of these questions is "Yes," then you should take the time to get connected to the world through your high speed Internet connection. Download Skype, and find out what you need to improve your communication with family and contacts. All you need is a webcam, maybe a headset, and Skype. Give it a try! Guaranteed to be the next best thing to being there with them!

Frank Solle's Magical Photos

Just received some photos attached to an email. They certainly fit in very well with this week's issue of News on the 'Net. Frank does an excellent job in photographing and editing. If you need anything done in this line, give Frank a call at 448-2162. Thanks to Frank for sharing these photos.

Sunrise over Barney's Lake....Early morning, but no school..Yet....Sunrise over an old cabin

Rooms to let....

Cedar in the morning sunlight

Icy Shadows

Great B I Article In High Demographics Magazine

Below is a link where you can read a wonderful four page article from Eastern Fly Fishing. This beautiful magazine is “the” high demo fly fishing publication. Beaver Island is headlined on the cover.

http://www.indigoguideservice.com/2010/01/01/eastern-fly-fishing-beaver-island-mi-northern-island-angling-paradise-by-brandon-butler/

Author Brandon Butler’s visit to Beaver Island was hosted by the Boat Co, Laurain Lodge, Indigo Guide Service and the Chamber of Commerce. This is one of several pieces about Beaver Island by Butler. He will be returning this year in June.

Citizen of the Year Nominations Are Open

Official 2009 Citizen of the Year
Nomination Form
Two possible awards: Individual and Organization


The award(s) will honor an individual, couple or community organization that has made a significant contribution to making Beaver Island a better place to live, work or visit.

My name is ______________________________________ Phone _______________

Address ________________________________________________________________

I would like to nominate ___________________________________________________

Please write 3 or 4 paragraphs, typed preferred, see criteria above

Mail to: Beaver Island Chamber of Commerce, P.O. Box 5, Beaver Island, MI 49782 - Chamber@BeaverIsland.org

Deadline is Thursday April 1, 2010

Questions: Chamber@BeaverIsland.org or call Steve West, Mon. – Friday 9:00 a.m. to 3:00, at (231) 448-2505

The Award Banquet will be Saturday, April 24, 2010

Island Treasures Resale Shop to Re-open

We will resume our regular schedule of Thurs., Fri., and Sat. from 12 until 4 starting on Jan. 7, 2010. Because we have very limited storage space, we ask that you do not donate Christmas decorations at this time. We need " gently used, barely used, like new" seasonal clothing and household goods. Thank you for your generous support.

Snowshoe Adventure #1 for Winter of 2009-2010

After the Christmas holiday and just before the New Year, it seemed appropriate to try out the snowshoes, see if they worked, and see if the body that moved them also worked well enough to do the adventure. When in McDonough's Market, the cashier at McDonoughs looked at the snowshoer with one of those "Why in the heck would you want to do that?" looks. Well, the answer is: Just because it is an adventure, and the sights are worth the effort.

The trip started at the North Shore Park and ended at the public access to Donegal Bay. The distance of this adventure was much more than the distance shown on the map. The reason for the extra distance was the challenging part of the trip, trying to find snow to snowshoe in. This leg of the adventure, snowshoeing around Beaver Isalnd on the shoreline, was one of trying to find snow after the strong winds had blown most of it into the woods from the shoreline. This adventure also was one of trying to keep from ruining the snowshoes by staying away from rocks. This leg of the adventure was, by far, the rockiest so far encountered, especially the the Indian Point to Donegal Bay section. At one point, while on Indian Point, the snowshoes had to come off because it was just too rocky to proceed near the shoreline. The distance was less than 75 feet before some more snow, closer to the treeline, was found. The distance from North Shore Park to Donegal Bay is shown on the map as a little over two miles, maybe two and a quarter, but the out to the ice edge and back to the tree line, looking for snow and avoiding stones and rocks, made this trip more like three-and-a-half miles. No snowmobile traffic out in this area was observed.

One of the views and one of the reasons for doing this adventure.

For more story and pictures, click HERE

The Weather: Just Wait a While, and It Will Change

The weather in Michigan has a tendency to change without much notice. From a cool and breezy melting temperature with storms looming on the the lake, to a beautiful snow shower like you see in the paper-weight-balls. All this in just two days over the holiday of Christmas.

The waves crashing into the shore at Gull Harbor...

..to the beauty of the a snowflake littered atmosphere outside...

Emmalee Antkoviak's Condition

1/12/10 KK reported that Emmalee walked thirty feet down the hallway. This is amazing progress, and all the thoughts and prayers are working.

1/10/10 Emmalee has been at Mary Free Bed for one month, and she is making good progress. Her mom reported that she is attending school there at MFB. We all look forward to the coming day when Emmalee will be able to come home, but no one knows when that will be. We will continue to update you as the information comes in.

(Posted January 2, 2009)

"What a great day so far and it is only 10:30! Emmy took 6 steps with the help of her walker AND then after a little break she pulled herself to a standing position by herself while hands on the walker....WE BELIEVE!!!"

Mary Free Bed
Emmalee Antkoviak
Room 338
235 Wealthy SE
Grand Rapids, MI 49503

You can also send an email to:
patient@maryfreebed.com and put Emmalee Antkoviak in the Subject.

Subscriptions to Expire

There are quite a few subscriptions that will expire or that have already expired in February, 2010. 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

Beaver Island Part of TV 9 and 10 Special

View the show online at the link below:

http://www.9and10news.com/category/story/?id=194230

Beaver Island will be a major part of a one hour TV show that will air on Christmas day. The Show, “Islands of Northern Michigan” will be on channel 9&10 from 5:00 to 6:00 PM on Friday 12-25. The show will feature Mackinac, Drummond, and Beaver Island. The pre-show publicity says in part, “What makes these places so special, such an attraction to the people who chose to call them home….we'll meet the people…the characters…who work, live and love on an island.”

The show is expected to attract more than 60,000 viewers. The Beaver Island Chamber of Commerce has purchased three (3) thirty second ads on the show. The ad theme is: “You've never been to Beaver Island?”

The show was photographed and produced by our Beaver Island friend Corey Adkins, Director of Photojournalism for 9&10 News. “It's an hour long and includes Beaver, Mackinac and Drummond Islands. It's really about everyday life. A lot of the stories I aired over the summer and fall will be “married” together with other islands,” said Corey.

“The Beaver Island Chamber of Commerce works closely with print journalists, radio shows and TV producers to develop positive Beaver Island public relations and awareness,” said Executive Director Steve West.

Beaver Island Chamber of Commerce

Chamber@BeaverIsland.org - www.BeaverIsland.org

(231) 448-2505

Peaine Township Meeting

(12/15/09, 12 noon)

Due to the weather, the Peaine Township Meeting scheduled December 9, 2009, at 7 p.m. was postponed until Monday, December 14, 2009, at 7 p.m.

This meeting was another emotion-packed, mud-slinging contest with frustrations rising throughout the hall including among the Peaine Board members. There were two St. James Township Board members in the audience, Jim Wojan, and Jean Wierenga, as well as approximately fifty community members. It took an hour and twenty minutes to discuss the seriously important property assessment issue. The State of Michigan may come in to force the two township boards into hiring an outside assessor to complete the state-required property tax assessment, which is seriously delinquent, according to the State of Michigan. The proposed resolution and plan presented to the Peaine Board by Jack Gallagher was thoroughly discussed by the board and by the public comments that came fast and furious, causing Jack Gallagher at one point to call for order and to ask that only one person talk at a time. Unfortunately, the property tax assessor Kevin White was not in attendance for this township meeting to answer the questions posed by the public.

By the end of the discussion, the resolution passed, which allowed Jack Gallagher to write up the plan necessary to attempt to avoid the State of Michigan take-over of the property assessment on Beaver Island. Jack and helper are working feverishly at the Peaine Township Hall today, December 15, 2009, to complete the plan which is due today, December 15, 2009. Without a plan, the State of Michigan will automatically come in to take-over the assessment of all properties in Peaine Township. The reason for the reported issue involves a computer crash and an external hard drive crash which completely eliminated the work toward the electronic requirements of the State of Michigan.

Another long discussion took place about whether or not Peaine Township should hire its own, separate attorney from St. James Township. The public had mixed reactions to this topic. The plan that came out of this lengthy discussion was to give the "Dual Representation" township agreement a chance for six months to a year. The question on many people's mind is whether this will eliminate the contentiousness and the 'duel' that seems to be occurring between the two townships. "Will we be in this same place in six months to a year?" one attendee questioned another attendee.

If anything is not able to be mediated by phone in a call by the supervisor to the same township attorney for both St. James and Peaine Townships, the committee established in this resolution would be required to meet with the township attorney to work toward resolution of the issue. The two committee members from Peaine Township are Jack Gallagher, supervisor, and Paul Welke, trustee. St. James is holding a special meeting to discuss this same "dual representation" agreement.

In another fairly quick action, the Peaine Township Board voted unanimously to require all Peaine Township committees and commissions to follow the requirements by law for posting the time and day of meetings, for having the unapproved meeting minutes and resolutions available within eight days, and in general follow the Open Meetings Act and the Freedom of Information Act.

There are 79 video clips of this meeting. Please view them to find out what's going on in the local governments of Beaver Island-lots of contentiousness, lots of disagreements.

Quicktime Streaming Video Clips of this meeting HERE

(Posted 12/19/09, 8 p.m.)

BICS Basketball Schedule in 2010

FRIDAY, JAN. 15 **PARADISE @ BEAVER ISLAND **

SAT, JAN. 16 **PARADISE @ BEAVER ISLAND **

FRIDAY, JAN. 22 ** BEAVER ISLAND @ HANNAHVILLE**

SAT, JAN. 23 BEAVER ISLAND @ HANNAHVILLE

FRIDAY, FEB. 5 **MACKINAC ISLAND @ BEAVER ISLAND **

SAT, FEB. 6 MACKINAC ISLAND @ BEAVER ISLAND  

FRIDAY, FEB. 12 ** BEAVER ISLAND @ GRAND MARAIS**

SAT, FEB. 13 BEAVER ISLAND @ GRAND MARAIS 

FRIDAY, FEB 19 ** BEAVER ISLAND @ MACKINAC ISLAND **

SAT, FEB 20 BEAVER ISLAND @ MACKINAC ISLAND

** GAMES COUNT TOWARD LEAGUE STANDINGS**

FRIDAY AND SATURDAY FEBRUARY 26 TH & 27 TH

NORTHERN LIGHTS LEAGUE TOURNAMENT-HANNAHVILLE

(12/15/09, 3:00 pm)

First Group Confirmed for the BI Music Festival

 

The first group in is The Blue Water Ramblers. www.bluewaterramblers.com

A description:

"We grab your attention. We pick. We sing. We harmonize. We teach the history and wonder of this great country of ous. We remind Americans who raises our food and tills the land. We sing of the waterways, highways and canals that bring the bounty to market. Above, we remind everyone that "This land is your land!"

Note: Banjo Jim has performed here on Beaver Island many many years ago.

BEAVER ISLAND MUSIC FESTIVAL

MUSIC IN THE WOODS 2010
JULY 15, 16, & 17 Mark your calendars!

Special Holiday Ticket Sale!
(available now through pay pal)

Thursday: July 15th-General Admission $10.00

(Friday July 16th & Saturday July 17th)
Day Passes: Teen/Senior $20.00 - Adult $25.00
Weekend Passes: Teen/Senior $40.00 - Adult $45.00

Children 12 & under are always FREE!

(Offer ends: 1/01/2009)

BIMF: PO Box 23, Beaver Island, MI 49782
www.bimf.net
231-838-2883

Beaver Island Music Festival Search for Particpants

Music festival news

It is that time of year again when we start searching for artists to perform at the 2010 Beaver Island Music Festival. This year we continue to have an additional evening of music to our festival so there are more opportunities to have fun and enjoy. The dates for this year are July 15, 16, & 17. If your group is interested in performing at the 2010 festival, the deadline for applying is January 1, 2010, and any aplicantions received after this date will only be considered for the 2011 festival. It is very important in our selection process that you include information about your group, size of the group, and a list of all band members that would be attending if selected and a CD.

Due to the large number 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, 2010. We select based on quality, originality, diversity, personality, 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, 2010.

If you are not selected this year 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, 2010.

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 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!

Carol Burton

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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.

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

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