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IRON MOUNTAIN -- Waucedah Township will renovate the boat launch at Lake Mary, a $234,000 project aided by $100,000 in American Rescue Plan funds redistributed by Dickinson County.
The township has accepted a bid from Midwest Asphalt & Gravel Inc. of Iron Mountain for work under the direction of Coleman Engineering Co. of Iron Mountain. The county board approved the project Monday for ARP funds.
Waucedah Township holds the Lake Mary beach and park, located about 2 miles south of U.S. 2 on Lake Hamilton Road.
The county board earlier this year redirected $700,000 of its $4.9 million ARP funding to Dickinson's seven townships, offering $100,000 for infrastructure improvements in each municipality.
ARP is a federal pandemic aid package authorized in March 2021. Waucedah Township is also getting a direct ARP share of $81,432 under the population-based formula.
In other action Monday, the county board:
-- Heard Rita Luri of Quinnesec object to a proposed Dickinson County Solid Waste Plan amendment to dispose of wastepaper sludge from Resolute Forest Products of Menominee at the Niagara Development landfill in Breitung Township. The amendment, which has cleared the county's solid waste management committee, is still subject to a public hearing and municipal government approval. No hearing has yet been announced. The county board in June 2019 rejected a similar request, filed as an emergency appeal, on a 3-2 vote. Luri said she's concerned about the potential presence of forever chemicals, or PFAS, in the mill waste. Commissioner John Degenaer Jr. said the county board has taken no action on the new request but acknowledged that state regulators have now temporarily allowed disposal at the Quinnesec site of a limited amount of wastepaper sludge mixed with foundry sand.
-- Heard Degenaer report that a record 59,679 people went through the gates at the five-day Dickinson County Fair in Norway over the Labor Day weekend. The fair showed a net profit of $115,000, he said.
-- Learned from Controller Brian Bousley that Dickinson Trail Network has completed 2.25 miles of trails for walking, hiking or biking on county property to the west of the Pine Mountain ski jump landing.
-- Accepted minutes from a Sept. 29 parks committee meeting where it was reported that Lake Antoine Park generated $125,000 in camping fees this year and $2,450 in pavilion rental fees. Online reservations for 2023 will be accepted beginning in March and there are no plans to increase fees.
-- Appointed Laura Skrumbellos of Iron Mountain to a partial term on the Dickinson County Planning Commission to expire Feb. 28, 2025.
-- Adopted a resolution in support of Operation Green Light for Veterans. The county encourages citizens to display a green light in a window of their place of business or residence through Veterans Day, Nov. 11, to salute and honor the service and sacrifice of U.S. men and women in uniform transitioning from active service. Operation Green Light is an initiative endorsed by the National Association of Counties to inspire veterans to reach out to their county veteran service officers if they are having a hard time connecting with benefits. Dickinson County plans to shine a green light on the courthouse exterior facing Stephenson Avenue in Iron Mountain.
-- Adopted a second resolution encouraging state and federal lawmakers in Michigan to support Operation Green Light. The resolution also calls attention to H.R. 4601, a bill that would authorize $250 million over five years for states to expand the work of county veteran service officers, who are often a veteran's first point of contact for accessing services. The Commitment to Veteran Support and Outreach Act would play a key role in helping veterans access federal benefits more quickly and easily, as county veteran service officers are now funded almost entirely by the counties themselves, the resolution states.