Lake Huron Beach HDR *

Lake Huron Beach HDR *, originally uploaded by brionline.

 

Governor signs bill; Kalitta seeks bids for hangar

From The Oscoda Press:

Governor Jennifer Granholm has signed legislation which earmarks $5 million for the immediate construction of an aircraft maintenance hangar at the Oscoda-Wurtsmith Airport, a project which is expected to generate a significant number of new jobs.

The $5 million will be used to construct a wide-bodied aircraft hangar large enough to completely enclose a 747. The hangar will be owned by the Oscoda-Wurtsmith Airport Authority and utilized by Kalitta Air under a long-term lease arrangement. Kalitta Air will prepay the lease, generating additional capital for construction.

Once the hangar is built, aircraft which Kalitta Air now sends overseas for complete overhaul will come to Oscoda – saving the company money and providing jobs here.

The hangar is expected to result in 250 permanent new jobs, based on studies and estimates from both state and company officials. Company owner, Connie Kalitta, predicts less than this, 150 to 200, but Sheltrown notes that Kalitta has always been very conservative when it comes to putting numbers on job creation.

Small, waterfront town image is key to downtown Oscoda renaissance

The Oscoda Press presents this update on downtown planning:

City planner Doyle Hyett of HyettPalma of Alexandria, Va. returned to Oscoda to present the firm’s Cool Cities Blueprint recommendations. Suggestions by HyettPalma were divided into categories, which follow.

Public improvements

• Extend the boardwalk, maintain cleanliness, and construct a pier at Oscoda Beach Park.
• Use streetscaping to reinforce future image of a type which would be pedestrian oriented and easy to maintain and repair.
• Explore the feasibility of locating a marina/docking facility along the AuSable River.
• Build a hotel on Lake Street to cater to a different kind of traveler. Until then, use the property as a sports venue in summer and an ice rink in the winter.
• Develop directional signs for motorists to take the existing system to next level. Hyett suggested Oscoda and AuSable work together to create welcome, directional and public parking signs which make motorists react, and not think, about local amenities, services and attractions.
• Enhance US-23 with the development of a three-lane traffic pattern on State Street, which would have a dedicated center lane and on-street parking, if allowed by the Michigan Department of Transportation. Hyett recommended the township embrace the recommendation and request a meeting with MDOT as soon as possible to begin an immediate trial of the new lanes before summer. The trial could run simply by repainting traffic lines. According to Hyett, much of the revitalization effort will be dependent on this project.
• Allow as much on-street parking on US-23, Lake Street and side streets as is possible, keeping parking lots behind buildings. Hyett pointed out that customers are not feeling welcomed by the offensive signs he has seen. “This is a very small town and businesses that do that have a very negative vibe going out,” said Hyett. He recommends that business owners remove private parking signs, or at the very least, word them less harshly.
• Work on reducing the speed of larger trucks.

Private Improvements

• Don’t try to contrive an image, instead embrace history and create the small town, hometown, waterfront town theme.
• Continue with the plans to maintain the artwork on murals.
• Improve storefronts to be beautiful, clean and neat. He suggested the DDA provide the tools to accomplish this by working with the state on a 50/50 match grant program; develop design guidelines (not laws) for appearance; and provide parking lots that are clean, landscaped and well lit.

Anchors
Hyett explained an anchor helps the area to not drift away. Existing anchors in Oscoda are the restaurants, historical museum, cafes and movie theater. An important anchor – the library – was previously moved out of the downtown area, he said. Hyett suggested one new anchor could be had by developing the old Oscoda Elementary School into condos, lofts or apartments, or a center for performing arts or professional offices. Retail shops were discouraged at the site. Ideal uses for another anchor, Furtaw Field, would be to bring the library back downtown or construction of a building for performing arts or a retail offices. “Please don’t market to a big-box retailer,” he urged. Another idea called for a weekend farm market.

Business Development

• Downtown businesses should be clustered between Division and Michigan streets, he advised.
• A program should be developed to have representatives from the DDA visit every downtown business on a periodic basis.
• Iosco County should be approached for help in removing snow on downtown streets and walkways.
• Business owners may need to extend their hours to be open when customers are available. This may mean opening later in the morning to compensate later hours.
• Business owners need to maintain attractive and comfortable shops, provide quality products and great visual displays, and also provide friendly interaction with customers.
• Work with existing businesses first, then branch out to recruit external businesses.

Marketing

• The town has great existing events and Hyett urged keeping these fresh year-to-year. He also suggested the need for another event in August.
• Always work with the media.
• Create a downtown brochure in addition to existing guides.
• Run image ads on a year-round basis.
• Establish a central community message board at the township hall.
• All businesses need to take advantage of technology and create a Web presence.

The full blueprint can be found on the www.oscodatwp.com website or download here: Oscoda Cool City (pdf)

Great Lakes levels plunge in February

Great Lakes levels plunge in February:

Water levels in Lake Michigan and Lake Huron dropped six times faster than average in February, a startling plunge that one expert attributed to the region’s increasingly bizarre winter weather.

The lakes’ water level dropped three inches in February, according to the latest data from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. On average, the water level in lakes Michigan and Huron — which are technically one body of water — drops a half-inch in February, according to data the Corps of Engineers has tracked over the past century.

The lakes are currently 16 inches below their long-term average for early March, according to federal data. Great Lakes water levels typically fall in the winter and rise in the spring, after the snow melts.

Water levels have dropped nearly four feet in Lake Michigan since 1998. That change is significant because lower lake levels drive up the cost of shipping and can make recreational boating more dangerous.

For each one-inch drop in Great Lakes water levels, freighters have to reduce their cargo by 50 to 270 tons to avoid running aground in shallow channels and harbors, said Glen Nekvasil, a spokesman for the Cleveland-based Lake Carriers Association.

Lake Superior’s water level fell four inches in February, twice the average decline in winter. The lake is close to its lowest water level ever, recorded in 1926, said Carl Woodruff, a hydraulic engineer at the Corps’ Detroit office.

Several factors contribute to lower lake levels:

• Above-average summer water temperatures kept the lake warmer during the following winters.
• Milder winters reduced ice cover on the lakes, which increased water evaporation during the winter.
• Warm lake water is more susceptible to evaporation during the cold winter months.
• When dry, cold air flows over the lake in the winter, it draws more moisture out of the relatively warm water and triggers larger lake-effect snow showers.
• When snow melts before the ground thaws, most of the water evaporates and is lost. Under normal conditions, snow melts slowly in late March and April, is absorbed into the ground and slowly flows back into the lake.
• Drought conditions in northern Wisconsin and the western half of the Lake Superior drainage basin also have contributed to lower lake levels in the last couple of years, according to Corps of Engineers officials.

Lake Huron…and its cold, evil waves

Lake Huron…and its cold, evil waves, originally uploaded by QofS.

 

House passes funding for new hangar at Wurtsmith

The Bay City Times reports:

The Michigan House of Representatives approved a budget bill this week that provides $5 million to help build a huge airplane hangar at Iosco County’s Oscoda-Wurtsmith Airport. The project could create 200 to 300 skilled jobs.

But state Rep. Joel Sheltrown, D-West Branch, whose district includes Iosco County, said the funding has to survive the Senate and Gov. Jennifer M. Granholm before the check is written. ”I will know (what happens) within a couple weeks. I would say to be cautiously optimistic,” Sheltrown said Thursday.

The airport, once operated as Wurtsmith Air Force Base, is seeking state and federal money toward the cost of a proposed $16.1 million aircraft hangar.

Ypsilanti-based Kalitta Air, which repairs its jet cargo aircraft at Wurtsmith, wants to lease the hangar to work on 747 jumbo jets indoors.

Ice Storm

Ice Storm, originally uploaded by cebadams.

Sent from Nancy Braun: “You missed all the fun. The power went out Thursday night at 11:30 and came back on Saturday at 2:30 p.m.”