More land to be cleared for airport approach
More trees are expected to be cleared near the Presque Isle County Airport in Rogers City, but not as many as originally proposed. Mary Ann Heidemann, County Development Commission director, appeared before the Presque Isle County Board of Commissioners Friday seeking approval of a $10,000 contract amendment with URS Corporation, the contractor that provided the air field with a $2 million facelift this past summer. About half of the cost of the amendment was to pay for a first appraisal and a second opinion appraisal for land to the west of County Road 451.
Heidemann told the commissioners that ?additional land is needed by easement, for the approach. ?Right now all the electronics at the airport are working except for the approach and the reason is we don?t have enough clearance for that,? said Heidemann.
APPROXIMATELY FOUR-and-a-half acres would be cleared to the ground, Heidemann said. URS is negotiating with the private landowner for 19.5 acres of land west of 451. ?They (URS) feel they are going to be able to get an agreement reached without having to go through alternative means,? Heidemann said. ?They have a willing seller and they are coming to terms on it.? There is an option to clear-cut the entire 19.5 acres but Heidemann doesn?t believe, considering ?public?s interest in tree cutting? taking down the other 15 acres would be a wise move.
Heidemann suggested clearing taller trees at ground level every couple of years so they wouldn?t infringe on the controlled air space for the instrument approach.
THE CDC DIRECTOR said it was still a decision that needed to be made by the board. District 4 commissioner Gary Wozniak said it was discussed at the committee level and if all 19.5 acres were cleared, then there wouldn?t be the need to keep coming back. ?I would go a little slow on that,? said Heidemann. ?I?m not the one with the vote on that matter but I would just refer the calls to someone else when they come into my office.?
The commissioners approved the cost for the amendment, but just four and-a-half acres will be cleared. In other airport-related news, Heidemann told the commissioners the Michigan Transportation Director will be at the ribbon cutting ceremony October 31.
IN OTHER matters to come before the board:
? District 5 commissioner Don Field said members of the Public, Health and Safety committee have taken under advisement a suggestion to impose daily fines on the owner of a dilapidated building off US-23 in the Huron Beach area. The owner of the building, which has been vacated for 30 to 40 years and has a caved-in roof, was sent a letter from the committee, and responded by stating the building would be down by the end of September. As of Friday?s commission meeting, nothing had been done.
Field said he reviewed the planning ordinance. ?The zoning ordinance does provide for the removal of nuisance buildings, however, there isn?t anything specific that authorizes a fine,? said Field. Field is the attorney for Krakow Township and said officials there had a similar problem. Under the Krakow Township ordinance the owner was fined $500 a day, for every day a building wasn?t remove
?When we got up to $6,000 or $7,000 the owner stopped fooling around with us and we negotiated a compromise,? said Field. ?I suggest, perhaps, we have a fine charged per day.? Some residents of Huron Beach who attended Friday?s meeting are not sure what the building, near the Eagle?s Nest Motel, was at one time. The daily fine is an option which could be considered, if the owner doesn?t comply.
? The commissioners approved a resolution to accept a $100,000 donation from a Presque Isle County businesswoman. The money from the anonymous donor was for the Economic Development Corporation for business loans.
The donor?s guidelines include: loans not being used for businesses intending to sell tobacco, firearms, alcohol, or sexually explicit material. The loans also are capped at $20,000. The commissioners adopted the resolution so the EDC could legally accept the funds.