Village Voice

Village of Lake Linden Newsletter

Edward R. Fisher, President                                                                                                                                 Phone: (906) 296-9911

Robert A. Poirier, Clerk                                                                                                                                                Fax: (906) 296-1044

Jill DuMonthier, Treasurer                                                                                                                               E-mail: vll@ lakelinden.net                                                                                                                                                                                    Web: www.lakelinden.net

December 2009

 

            Merry Christmas and Happy New Year from everyone here at the Village Hall! We hope your holiday season has been joyous. We now move into 2010 with high hopes and plans for projects and programs to keep our community moving forward.

Michigan State Housing Development Authority:  The Village has been working with Northern Consultants, Inc. from Calumet on securing a $350,000 grant/loan for renovating rental units in the downtown area for 2010. Turnout for a meeting of downtown property owners was strong and a real attention-getter for MSHDA representatives. While the application is still under consideration we are hopeful it will be funded this coming spring. With no match required by the Village it would be a boon to the downtown area.

Water billing changes:  In the interest of updating our water billing procedures we are once again changing the format of our bills, probably with the March 2010 billing cycle. We apologize for the lack of continuity in the formats but we are striving to find the most streamlined, cost-effective method of billing. To that end it seems likely that we will be eliminating the delinquent billing cycle altogether. The bills will still be sent out bi-monthly, but turn-offs will be issued immediately upon receipt of the next regular bill. This will eliminate the need for time-consuming collection notices and deadlines. Details will be worked out and residents notified prior to these changes being finalized. 

January 2010 Water Billing:  The next water bill cycle will be sent out a little late. The way the holiday falls this year the first business day isn’t until January 4th so bills will be sent out on that day. Because of the full month billing notice they will still be due on January 31st.

President’s Youth Council:  The Lake Linden Village Council recently passed an ordinance calling for the creation of a President’s Youth Council. This group of students, recommended by the school administration and appointed by the Village Council, would convene to serve as a conduit between local government and their younger constituents. Much of the recently- approved Village Strategic plan is geared towards the young people of the Village and surrounding community and it is felt that this body can be an effective link between the student body and local government. If your children are interested have them speak to school administrators and to get the entire ordinance go to the Village website at www.lakelinden.net.

             MTU Mini Baja Races:  The annual MTU Mini Baja is scheduled for this coming February. If you haven’t yet attended one of these events you are missing a great time. The MTU Team hopes to have over 60 cars there this year and the “Big Air” competition is really something to see. The special attraction this year is a much longer track that goes through the campground area and into the main park. Look for details as the event gets closer
            Ice Rink:   We hope to start up the ice rink after the new year begins. We will begin prepping the rink area and organizing volunteers immediately after the holidays and will post and broadcast schedules as soon as possible. If you would be interested in volunteering for the rink please contact the Village Clerk’s office at 296-9911 or email at vll@lakelinden.net.   
           Night Parking ban:  Remember that the overnight parking ban is in effect until April 30th. We will be very diligent in enforcing this ordinance as it creates problems with plowing narrow streets. Make every effort to get vehicles off the streets between those hours (3am to 7am). 

          Campground Improvements:  One of the projects we hope to complete in the spring is the addition of two rustic cabins in the campground area. We have been asked about this possibility quite often and are working with the high school about involving students in the design and construction of the cabins for spring. We believe that the initial investment will be well worthwhile as revenue from the rentals will offset start-up costs and result in long-term income for the village.

          Campground Reservations for the 4th of July: This year we will continue to accept campground reservations for Independence Day 2010 as we have the past few years. Cards for the individual sites will be available on the inside front door of the Village Hall on the morning of January 4th, beginning at about 5am.  Take the card with the number of the site you want to reserve and then come in to the office within two weeks to pay for the site (we only allow two sites for each registering person so don’t take more than two cards). Important: You must pay for the site within two weeks or the site will be given to someone else. More important: If the cards are all gone please sign the waiting list form! We almost always make it to the bottom of the waiting list so sign it right away. When people do not turn in their cards or cancel

 
their reservations we call down this list. We will also hopefully have two rustic cabins for rent by the 4th of July so we will fill those from the waiting list as well. For now, sites will remain at $20 per night although the cabins, if available, will be more.    
               Calumet Street:   I have heard many comments this year about the lack of overhead Christmas lights along Calumet Street. They were taken down because they were not approved by UPPCo and could not be used any longer. In addition, the decorations on the west side of the street (and north of 6th Street) could not be lit because they had been powered by those overhead wires.  The cost to put a new circuit there (also required) was too prohibitive so we were stuck this year.  We realize that the decorations have always been a source of pride for Village residents. We also know that Calumet Street is easily the most visible part of the village, from the park to the trestle, and issues there are magnified for residents and visitors. To address these issues, including lighting, safety and decorations, the Village Council and the Downtown Development Authority are going to form a joint committee. They will deal solely with Calumet Street issues so if you have suggestions or comments for them please email us at vll@lakelinden.net or attend a meeting to voice your concerns. We don’t bite (on most nights) and meetings are generally informal enough to let you voice any opinion or concern on any topic. Village Council meetings are held on the second Thursday of each month at 6:30pm at the Village Hall meeting room. The Downtown Development Authority meets on the first Wednesday of each month at the Village Hall at 7:30pm. 
 
Everyone have a Happy New Year!
Drive safely!
 
 
 
_________________________________                          ________________________________
Robert A. Poirier, Clerk                                                       Edward R. Fisher, President

 

 

 

 

[Posted on the website of the Village of Lake Linden]