Monday, May 22, 2023
The Mining Journal 5A
Region
Poor cell service
in Keweenaw
mulled
By Houghton Daily
on addressing the follow-
Mining Gazette staff
ing issues in the Visit Ke-
EAGLE RIVER — The weenaw service area,
Keweenaw County Board especially focused on
heard concerns regarding Houghton and Keween-
tourists and tourism in the aw counties.”
county at its regular May
meeting on Wednesday.
The tourism pressure is-
sues that have been identi-
Paul Putnam, Michigan fied, Cronin’s report states,
State University (MSU) by the working group are:
Extension District 1 Direc-
≤ Visitor expectations,
tor, covering the central and particularly poor or no cell-
western counties in Michi- phone service.
gan’s Upper Peninsula read
≤ Fuel and food availabili-
a report prepared by MSU ty, especially in the evening
Baraga County Extension hours.
Office’s Will Cronin, Tour-
ism and Community Devel- ical care and other vital ser-
opment Educator.
vices.
Putnam said that since
The second part of the
concluding visiting ses- sessions focused on search
sions in late 2022, with and rescue services due to
Eagle Harbor Township, more poorly prepared visi-
Visit Keweenaw and the tors.
≤ Lack or access to med-
Portage Lake District Library Director Katrina Linde-Moriarty came to Wednesday’s Hancock City Council meeting to ask
the board to begin thinking about a new library building in Hancock. Residents of Hancock and surrounding townships
currently use the city’s library at Hancock High School, one of about a dozen such arrangements left in the state. (Houghton
Daily Mining Gazette photo)
Western Upper Peninsula
≤ Kayaking on Lake Su-
Planning & Development perior, with or without
Region, Cronin has con- proper experience.
Hancock asked
to consider separate
library building
tinued to work on issues
of tourism pressure in the on resident such as “char-
Keweenaw.
acters of the community,”
≤ Impact on more visitors
“As the tourism sea- traffic, demands on munic-
son starts to wind up this ipal services,”
spring,” Putnam read from
≤ Trespassing on private
the report, “the Extension property to access sites, es-
will continue to serve as the pecially sites that have gone
point-of-contact and orga- viral on social media.
nizer for regional tourism
≤ Short-term rental im-
as a working group focused pacts and policies.
County board
By Houghton Daily
Mining Gazette staff
HANCOCK — The Por- In an open-ended feedback
tage Lake District Library’s section at the end, many res-
director asked the Hancock idents brought up having a
City Council Wednesday to library branch at the school.
and school district sent a
digital survey to residents.
they said. “It’s just me com- to construct its main library
ing and sharing what I’ve building in Houghton; the
been hearing professional-
arranges solar power
presentation
library pays rent to the city.
ly, what I’ve been observ- That millage will expire in
ing as a resident and seeing 2030, Linde-Moriarty said.
where we want to take the
conversation next.”
The library has a con-
If possible, the library
might look at one of the
buildings being vacated
by Finlandia University,
Linde-Moriarty said. Amer-
icans with Disabilities Act
compliance and convenient
parking are also large is-
sues, they said.
Linde-Moriarty said a li-
brary branch in the down-
town could aid the revi-
talization of downtown
underway with places such
as the Orpheum and the ex-
panded Keweenaw Co-Op.
“I have had conversations
myself around town, and
it seems people are very
warm and welcome to the
idea of especially having
some sort of public service
in the downtown area — a
place where people can go
and gather and not be on
someone’s dime or have
to pay for those types of
services, to just exist in a
space,” they said.
think about taking steps to-
ward a new district library
space separate from the
Hancock High School.
The district library’s
Hancock branch is in the
Hancock High School li-
brary, said Director Katrina
Linde-Moriarty. It is used
by residents within the Han-
cock school district, which
includes the city and three
neighboring townships.
Because those residents
do not pay into the mill-
age used to fund the main
branch in Houghton, they
cannot make full use of the
Houghton library without
paying an extra out-of-dis-
trict fee.
Having a municipality’s
library in a school is rare.
Only about a dozen such li-
braries are left in Michigan,
all in the Upper Peninsula.
“You can’t even create
them anymore,” Linde-Mori-
arty said. “They’re all grand-
fathered in.”
They didn’t like it.
The public was uncomfort-
By Escanaba
Daily Press staff
ESCANABA — As the fuels under solar arrays
debate about solar in Delta
“It really doesn’t make
which is the technical term
for growing food, fiber or
able going into the school. tract with the school dis-
And parents of children at the trict, which Linde-Moriarty
school were uncomfortable said costs the district about
with the public coming there. $100,000 a year.
County rages on, the coun- sense just to put a solar
ty commission has called project out there and just
an expert to educate the harvest solar energy when
public about how agricul- you’ve got land that you
ture and solar generation can utilize for other things.
Linde-Moriarty
attend-
“That money would be
ed the city’s recent master freed up to go right back
planning sessions, where into the school for opera-
other residents were inter- tions, and the wider public
ested in discussing the fu- through the millage would
ture of libraries in Hancock. be funding the public li-
“Taking my experience brary and all public ser-
as a resident going to those, vices,” they said.
can coexist.
So I’m coming from the
“I’m an educator, I’m premise that ag and solar
not a regulator. I just want is not a zero-sum propo-
to come in and present re- sition. You don’t have to
search-based information have only solar at the ex-
that can help people make pense of agriculture; you
informed decisions,” said don’t have to have only
Michigan State University agriculture at the expense
Extension Bioenergy Edu- of solar,” said Gould.
my experience profession-
Councilor Whitney Wars-
ally with the survey, I went tler asked how much it
‘Alright, there seems to be would cost to start a new
some traction here,’” they library branch. It’s still
said. “So I kind of wanted to too early to say how large
cator Charles Gould, who
According to Gould,
open up the conservation.”
a millage would need to
will be giving a presenta- livestock grazing is one
tion on solar and agricul- of the common ways that
ture on May 23.
agriculture and solar ener-
Gould’s presentation gy systems co-exist in the
Where it goes from here be, Linde-Moriarty said. A
is up in the air. The library stand-alone building would
may need to do a survey cost about $400,000 in op-
asking directly about a new erations annually, based on
building. And Linde-Mori- property values Linde-Mor-
arty didn’t want to discuss a itarty compiled for the dis-
millage until there was some trict’s contract renewal with
sign residents would back it. the school district last year.
Linde-Moriarty suggested That amount does not in-
sitting down with City Man- clude the cost of buying and
ager Mary Babcock and su- remodeling a building.
will focus on types of United States. What that
“dual use” practices that looks like largely depends
allow solar energy pro- on the type of animal graz-
duction to integrate with ing — for example, cattle
farming practices. These may need solar panels to
include creating conserva- be raised off the ground
tion cover, which creates higher than sheep or goats
habitat for the conserva- — but this type of farm-
tion of specific species; ing can help solar energy
providing livestock graz- systems be more produc-
ing and foraging areas; tive, as the animals keep
creating pollinator habi- foliage from growing over
tats; and “agrivoltaics,” solar panels.
Lnde-Moriarty
asked
council members to think
about the issue and to have
conversations with other
residents. Council members
thanked Linde-Moriarty for
coming.
To alleviate funding and
service woes for the Han-
cock library, the school dis-
trict entered into a contract
with PLDL to provide ser-
vices there in 2018.
pervisors of the townships
within the district to discuss trict Library’s main library
a potential millage request.
building in Houghton, the
“I have no ask this time,” city took on an extra millage
For the Portage Lake Dis-
Last winter, the library
Department of Labor and Economic Opportunity
MIOSHA
Administrative Rules for General Industry Safety and Health Standard Part 73. Fire Brigades
Rule Set 2022-44 LE
NOTICE OF PUBLIC HEARING
Wednesday, June 14, 2023
10:00 AM
Ottawa Building, Upper Level, Conference Room 2
611 W. Ottawa St., Lansing MI, 48933
The Department of Labor and Economic Opportunity will hold a public hearing to receive public comments
on proposed changes to the General Industry Safety and Health Standard Part 73. Fire Brigades rule set.
On July 31, 2020, MCL 408.1014r was added to the Michigan Occupational Safety and Health Act, 1974
PA 154, to require the Director of LEO to promulgate rules regarding a firefighter’s use of firefighting foam
concentrates containing Polyfluoroalkyl Substances (PFAS). These new rules are included in the proposed
changes.
Several of the current rules that reference older versions of NFPA standards have been updated to a newer
version of the standards. These updated references and requirements can be viewed with other proposed
amendments at the link provided below.
(By authority conferred on the director of the department of labor and economic opportunity by sections
14r, 16, and 21 of the Michigan occupational safety and health act, 1974 PA 154, MCL 408.1014r, 408.1016,
and 408.1021, and Executive Reorganization Order Nos. 1996 2, 2003 1, 2008 4, 2011 4, and 2019-3, MCL
445.2001, 445.2011, 445.2025, 445.2030, and 125.1998). The proposed rules will take effect immediately
after filing with the Secretary of State. The proposed rules are published on the State of Michigan’s
of these proposed rules may also be obtained by mail or electronic mail at the following email address:
Comments on these proposed rules may be made at the hearing, by mail, or by electronic mail at the
following addresses until 6/14/2023 at 05:00PM.
Department of Labor and Economic Opportunity MIOSHA, Technical Services Division, Standards and
Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) Section
530 West Allegan Street – P.O. Box 30643 – Lansing MI 48909-8143
The public hearing will be conducted in compliance with the 1990 Americans with Disabilities Act. If the
hearing is held at a physical location, the building will be accessible with handicap parking available.
Anyone needing assistance to take part in the hearing due to disability may call 517-284-7740 to make
arrangements.
To view the text of the Proposed Rules and the Regulatory Impact Statement please visit:
