Council approves bottomlands conveyance
by Angie Asam, Staff Writer
The Rogers City council met Monday morning and passed a resolution approving a Lake Huron bottomlands conveyance for Carmeuse Lime and Stone and Wolverine Power for two areas.
The council had passed a resolution approving a supporting the request on December 5, 2008 but a new request was made due to a revision of the slip design, changing the bottomland footprint of the project.
?Originally we got a bit ahead of ourselves and have since discovered better ways of doing this. The difference is that we are moving the slip down some so it can accommodate a larger boat up to 30,000 ton carrying capacity. The slip also does not cut into the land quite as much and can still accommodate two 1,000 foot ships at a time,? said Ken Bradstreet of Wolverine Power.
Council approved the requests for both areas without much hesitation. The construction of the new slips if Wolverine Power is approved to build a coal fired plant in the Calcite quarry would allow them to get coal in and Carmeuse to load those ships with stone, helping both businesses to prosper.
?Thank you for your support on this resolution as well as your participation in the Lousiana trip,? said Bradstreet. Councilmember Gary Nowak asked Bradstreet what the effects of what is being said nationally about coal plants and at the state level had on Wolverine.
?We have assumed from the beginning that we?d operate under carbon regulations. So nothing said at the federal or state level alarms us. We know what is out there in terms of technology and are prepared to do our part to control carbon emissions. We have operated on that premise that carbon regulations would be made. We have been concerned with that all along,? said Bradstreet.
IN OTHER CITY COUNCIL NEWS:
? Ordinance 2009-02 establishing standards for maintaining accessory buildings and ordinance 2009-03 establishing standards for telecommunication towers both passed for first reading and publication.
? Council moved to add all the additional projects associated with the water/sewer system upgrades to the grant for the United States Department of Agriculture ?Rural Development (USDA-RD) grant application. The council has the opportunity to get more work done at a lower cost if they add the projects. A public hearing on the projects will be held on March 17.
? A contract between the Michigan Department of Natural Resources and the Rogers City Marina was renewed for the Central Reservation System.
? A state requirement from the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality required the council to pass a resolution establishing cross connection control program.
? Two budget amendments were passed, a budget amendment as well as money transferred from the Waste Water Treatment Plant designated funds for equipment purchases.
? The Rogers City Optimist Club will be holding their annual Cub Scout cub mobile race on May 2 from 8 a.m. until 2 p.m., which will close Huron Avenue between State and North Sixth Street. The Hammond Bay Ar
? Council did not take action on a draft agreement with the Rogers City Area Chamber of Commerce for the 2009 Summer Concert Series because they did not feel a contract was needed. They simply gave the series to the Chamber and agreed to pay $4,000 to the series, half on June 1 and the other half in the next budget to help with costs, with the understanding that the Chamber will pay all overages and report to the council on the status of the series.
? The Local Officers Compensation Commission recommended that compensation for the city council members remain at the current level and council approved the rate.