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
April 2010
Hello, again! Remember last fall when I quoted the Farmer’s Almanac about this winter being cold with average snowfall? Well, the Almanac says that summer 2010 will be cooler and dryer than normal so look forward to those warm rain showers.
2010 Census Forms: If you have not yet sent in your census forms please remember to do so. It is mandated by law. We also ask, if you are a snowbird and maintain a residence in the Village, that you give your Lake Linden address as your primary address. This count will be very important to small towns like ours who receive funding for services based on population.
Spring Clean-up dates: This year the spring clean-up will be held on Monday, April 12th, Monday, April 26th, and Monday, May 10th. This clean-up is for leaves, brush and branches only. Piles should be raked out over the curb if possible and branches should be bundled and cut in lengths no longer than four feet. Burning leaves and brush is prohibited by ordinance and may also violate DNR-imposed bans! The dates have been posted on the Village website and notices will also be posted in the Gazette the week before the scheduled pick-ups.
Annual Sanitation Fee: Village residents will receive their annual sanitation fee invoice during the first week of April. This year they will be invoiced from our accounting system and so will arrive in a window envelope. These bills will be due on May 5th and the delinquent penalty is $10 so get them in by that date.
Water billing changes: The water bill format as it was sent out on March 1st will be the model from now on. We have had good reports on this format and the problem of having the stubs torn off by postal equipment seems to have been solved. Remember that the bills are now due on the 5th of the month so you have until April 5th to pay them before incurring the penalty. Also, turn-offs for delinquent accounts will not be carried to the next regular billing as in the past so the past-due balances need to be paid by the date on the delinquent bill.
Water Rate Increase: The Village Council recently approved a water rate increase that will go into effect on the May regular billing cycle. This increase is approximately 4%. The new rates are outlined below. These new rates are for a regular two-month billing cycle.
Current May 2010 Billing Increase
Village: Base charge $32.00 $33.25 $ 1.25
Township base charge $39.75 $41.25 $ 1.50
Village per 1000 gals. $ 3.50 $ 3.80 $ .30
Township per 1000 gals. $ 4.30 $ 4.70 $ .40
Ave. Village bill (6000 gal.) $39.00 $40.85 $ 1.85
Ave. Twnsp. Bill(6000 gal.) $48.35 $50.65 $ 2.30
2010 FIND IT HERE! Rummage Sale: The third annual Find It Here! Community Rummage Sale will be held on Saturday, May 22nd. Times are up to the individual sales but generally are from 8am until 2pm (?). If you would like to be included on the map and advertising please contact the Clerk’s office at 296-9911, email us at vll@lakelinden.net, or stop by. Let us know what you have (toys, clothes, etc.), your times, and your address and we will put all that info on the map. Please get the info to us by Friday, May 7th so we have time to create the map and begin advertising. If you have items you want to get rid of but do not want to have a sale, the Houghton County Museum is holding a fund-raising sale on the 22nd and would accept donations of saleable rummage. Contact Vada Riederich at 296-8232. K-SNAG (Keweenaw Spay/Neuter Assistance Group) will also be holding a fund-raising sale on that day. To donate to that sale contact Dawn VerBerkmoes at 296-9144.
Cell phone Tower for community: I am very pleased to announce that Lake Linden will no longer be the black hole of cell phone service. This spring a cell tower is to be erected on Gregoire Rd. that will serve the Village and surrounding areas. This is obviously great news and a drastic improvement in service…for Verizon customers. AT & T is apparently not yet on board. If you have AT & T service you need to urge them to include service on this tower.
Michigan State Housing Development Authority: The Village has been working with Northern Consultants, Inc. from Calumet on securing a grant for renovating rental units in the downtown area beginning this summer. Turnout for a meeting of downtown property owners last fall 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 spring.
4th of July celebration: This year’s festivities will be held one day early because of the 4th falling on a Sunday. The parade cannot be held on Sunday morning so all events are moved up one day. The fireworks and events in the park will be held on Friday, July 2nd. The parade will be at 9:30am on Saturday, July 3rd and the games and races will be during the day on Saturday. Remember to arrange your travel plans to arrive a day early so we can all celebrate the 4th and enjoy the long weekend. The fire department flyer will be available on the Village website as soon as it is compiled.
Fire Department Grant: The Lake Linden Fire Department was awarded a FEMA grant for new turnout gear. The grant, which required only a 5% match, was for over $66,000. The gear replaces outdated and in some cases dangerous equipment and is sorely needed.
Ordinance Enforcement: In the past we have made an effort to clean up the village by notifying residents who have junked vehicles in their yards. This is a violation of Ordinance Series 5000, Chapter 5050 Open Storage of Junk. The vehicle must run and must be licensed. This spring we are making more of an effort to enforce this provision. Residents will be notified in writing of a violation and will be required to remove those vehicles or face fines outlined in the ordinance. In addition, owners whose properties have unsafe buildings and structures will be notified and under the provisions of Ordinance Series 9000, Chapter 9048, and served notice that these properties need to be addressed. Finally, remember that new ordinances regarding pets being leashed and cleaning up after pets are being enforced now as well. If you need bags for clean-up they are available at the Village Clerk’s office at no charge. Community Input: I would like to encourage Village Residents to contact us with any ideas you may have regarding community projects, services, issues, concerns or complaints. We have many topics currently under discussion and your input could help set priorities for the Council to pursue. We have a Strategic Plan and a Recreation plan that provide established guidelines (and can be viewed at the village website) but there are many other things not necessarily outlined in these documents that we can focus on. So email, call or send a letter with your input. Also, Council meetings are still held every second Thursday so come and participate. _________________________________ ________________________________
Robert A. Poirier, Clerk Edward R. Fisher, President
[Posted on the website of the Village of Lake Linden]