Snowmobile route recommended to council

Jim Przybyla of the Snowmobile Committee met with the City Council members on Monday evening to recommend a snowmobile route through Rogers City. He, along with the other members of the ad hoc committee, was given the task of finding the best route through town. Przybyla said the route that was being recommended was found to have the qualities that would be most acceptable. ?This route makes a complete circle with minimal involvement with homes,? said Przybyla. ?Basically, there are only two blocks of housing involved.?

Mayor Beach Hall commended Przybyla and the Snowmobile Committee for completing their task. ?You have done exactly what you were asked to do,? said Hall. ?On behalf of the council, I thank you.? The city council has been working on the snowmobile route through Rogers City for quite some time and is eager to see a plan take shape. Council member Gary Nowak stated that he did not want to dismiss the commission members from any duties just yet. ?I?d like to see this commission stay in tact,? said Nowak. ?If we are going to do something ? let?s do it now.?

The recommended route would open up Rogers City to snowmobile enthusiasts and bring in much needed business to the area. The route that was recommended last year by the city planning commission raised concerns with residents, and opinions on the matter were voiced last May. The recommended route presented by Przybyla uses the same initial primary trail, which starts at Highway 451 and extends down US-23. The route then travels down Cedar and State Streets. From State Street, the route would then cut through the alley between Morel and Northshore Park, eventually connecting with the northern end of First Street.

This newly recommended addition to the snowmobile route connects First Street with Lake and then cuts through the alley between First and Lake Streets. The route then takes a short turn down Woodward Avenue and follows down Calcite Road and up Park Drive. This trail would allow snowmobiles to have access to either a south side exit or entrance to the city. Another proposed route that would extend off of Lakeview Avenue and down Linden Street would allow for a northern exit or entrance. However, because the nearest snowmobile trail is five miles from the city limits, the recommended route would be useful for visiting riders who have hauled their machines in on trailers and anticipate riding the circular trail around town. The recommended route is in hope of an agreement between O-N Minerals and the Department of Natural Resources to continue existing trails through to the city limits. ?Until the DNR can make roads as official routes into town, this recommended snowmobile trail is a circular path through town that has no exit and no entrance to another snowmobile route out of town,? said City Manager John Bruning. The recommended snowmobile route was put on the agenda for the next city council meeting, which will be Monday, February 20 at 10 a.m. at City Hall.

In other city council news:

? Ed Kavanaugh, the operations manager for Charter Communications, took questions from the public on the proposed renewal of the cable television franchise. The current agreement will expire in March. Residents asked Kavanaugh about matters such as digital and DSL, as well as inquiring about funding for local programming.

? Kavanaugh explained that Charter Communications has been in Michigan for about five years and has spent a lot of money on upgrading. He stated that Charter Communications is struggling and its stock has lost value. He said this was the reason why Charter had to be choosy with how it uses its capital money. ?Basically, this is a business decision,? said Kavanaugh. ?We stock our shelves with what we think we can sell.? He commented that the capital money they do receive is used in areas where there is a higher r

? Mayor Beach Hall asked that the City Council appoint councilwoman Deb Greene as a liaison to the CDC/EDC. He said the purpose was so there is open communication between the two groups. Although the council agreed to the liaison appointment, councilman Gary Nowak stated he felt the council needed a seat on the CDC board and not a liaison between the two groups. Greene agreed.

? City Manager John Bruning announced that Harbor Master Ken Rasche would be retiring in the spring. He stated that it would be a challenge to replace Rasche and that there would be a transitional period in hiring someone new.

? Bruning also asked council to rezone north First Street, north of Huron and west of Second Street. As it stood, the area was zoned waterfront and not residential. A home that had burned in the area several years ago could not be rebuilt due to the zoning guidelines. As a waterfront property, the permitted uses were more commercial than residential. A special use permit would allow a single house dwelling only when it was located on the same lot as a permitted business. The council agreed to have the area rezoned residential.