July/August issue of the Bimonthly County Newsletter now available

FREE family-oriented movies in the pavilion at Camp Pet-O-Se-Ga this week are:
Thursday, July 29, "Alvin and the Chipmunks," and Saturday, July 31, "The Mummy"

Candidates forum set for Thursday, July 29

The 2010 elections in Michigan will be one of the most important elections in decades, locally and on state and national levels.

In advance of Tuesday’s primary election Aug. 3, a community candidate forum will take place from 6:30-8:30 p.m. Thursday, July 29, in the North Central Michigan College cafeteria in Petoskey.

The free event includes a political candidate open house for local, state and national races from 6:30-7:30 p.m. During the open house, candidates will be on hand to meet and talk with attendees.The open house will be followed by a moderated candidate forum from 7:30-8:30 p.m. for the 1st Congressional District seat, the 37th Michigan Senate seat and the 107th house seat.

Sponsors of the event include the Petoskey Regional Chamber of Commerce, North Central Michigan College, the Little Traverse Association of Home Builders, Northwest Michigan Industrial Association, Tip of the Mitt Watershed Council, Northern Michigan Society for Human Resource Management, and the Petoskey News-Review.

Those who cannot attend but would like to watch the forum can join the live video stream of the event that will be available at www.petoskeynews.com.

For more information, call the Petoskey Regional Chamber of Commerce at (231) 347-4150.

Phragmites letter distributed, public hearing set

Phragmites

Recently the Tip of the Mitt Watershed Council in Petoskey, in conjunction with Emmet County, mailed letters to many Emmet County lakeshore property owners regarding the invasive plant species known as Phragmites.

Owners of properties where Phragmites have been discovered were notified about the plant and the damage it can cause to the Lake Michigan ecosystem.

Tip of the Mitt and Emmet County are working together to treat the Phragmites at no cost to homeowners, through grant funding. Property owners are asked to promptly return a permission slip allowing treatment on their property.

Phragmites

A public hearing will be held by the Emmet County Board of Commissioners at 5:45 p.m. Thursday, Aug. 12, to allow property owners within the eradication zone an opportunity to be heard concerning the treatment protocol. The meeting will be held in the Commissioners’ Room in the Emmet County Building, 200 Division St., Petoskey.

Anyone with questions can call Grenetta Thomassey at the Watershed Council office, (231) 347-1181, ext. 118.

Download the letter sent to property owners -- which includes information about Phragmites and the proposed course of treatment -- and the permission slip here.

Phragmites Letter

Phragmites Permission Slip

Airport manager clarifies facts about new facility at Pellston Regional Airport

It has come to the attention of Emmet County officials that there is misinformation circulating in the public regarding the snow removal and emergency equipment facility to be constructed at Pellston Regional Airport.

As the airport manager, I would like to clarify the facts of the project to improve the public’s understanding:

• The Snow Removal Equipment and Airport Rescue and Fire Fighting Facility (SRE/ARFF) will be approximately 35,000 square feet in size and it will be located to the south of the terminal. It will house fire trucks and equipment, snow removal equipment and other large-scale items related to airport operations.
• The engineer’s estimate of the building’s cost is $8,238,000. Of that total cost, 95 percent will be paid for by Federal Aviation Administration funding. Those dollars are generated from airport users, such as through fuel sales and airline ticket taxes. The money is not generated by taxpayers from property taxes, sales tax, gas tax, etc.
  The remaining 5 percent of the cost will be paid for with state and local dollars. In total, Emmet County’s portion of this project amounts to $189,000, which will come from the General Fund. I would like to reiterate that Emmet County taxpayers are not funding the $8.238 million project.

Please click here for the complete article

Employees mark 30 years with Emmet County

Four Emmet County staff members are marking their 30th anniversary in 2010 as county employees. They are Don Mapes, Department of Public Works Superintendent; Gary Ericks, maintenance staff member; and Corrections Division Deputies Rick Hoig and Sgt. Dan VanPelt.  Click here for the complete article.

2010 Oil and Gas Leasing Information

There is renewed interest by oil and gas companies to lease lands for oil and gas production in Michigan. As a property owner, what do you need to know before you sign your lease? Michigan State University Extension has information that will help you make informed decisions before you sign your lease.  Click here to learn more