Summer 2009 - June 1, 2009
Notes
from Mayor Winarski
anticipate along Cedar Avenue. The DDA has formed a Facade program that will work in conjunction with the State of Michigan facade program, so hopefully, we will see some store fronts receive a facelift. Also in August, Grout Street East of Silverleaf will be reconstructed with curb and gutter and updated underground work. Grout Street is a major commercial street in the downtown area and it is part of our long-term master plan. The vote on the revised Charter has been postponed until November because of the cost of holding an election solely for that issue. Please take an opportunity to acquaint yourself with the revised charter so that you will be in a position to give your vote in November. The proposed charter can be found on the city's web site at www.gladwin.org.
By now everyone should have seen the streets that have recently been paved in the City. We would have liked to have paved more, but the cost of bonding would not make it worth doing. We did do more streets than we anticipated because of the good pricing we were able to obtain. For those who still are living on a street needing paving, please bear with us. We have a long list and a shortage of funds. Amount of use and number of people served along with condition are three of the criteria used to prioritize street paving. In August, the City and DDA will be constructing a parking lot at the corner of Grout and Arcade Streets along with re-paving of the Grout and Antler Street parking lot. Hopefully this will provide some of the spark for some of the renovations that we
Explore the natural beauty of
Gladwin City Park & Campground
The Parks Commission is initiating some innovative changes at the Gladwin City Park and Campground. We invite you to see and use the challenging skate park located at North Park. You can access North Park by walking the blacktop trail from your campsite north behind Riverwalk Place, under the bridge and along the river or you can drive to the street access off First Street. Besides the skate park, North Park has a canoe launch site and a pavilion for reunions and graduation parties. The Gladwin Arts Council sponsors many events and the Gladwin Area Friends of the Theatre presents plays throughout the year in the amphitheatre at the entrance to the park or in the Community Building. We now offer on-line camping registration at www.gladwin.org. You are able to pay by credit card to reserve a campsite or pavilion and even register for the following year. For your security and the security of your children, our City Police will be making patrols through the Park. Feel free to stop them and ask questions. Thank you for visiting the Park, we appreciate you and hope you want to come back an see us.
Reminders
GARAGE SALE PERMITS Once again it is that time of year when people start cleaning out closets, basements and garages and think, “Why not have a garage sale? This stuff is too good to just throw away!” If you are planning a garage sale within the City limits of Gladwin, be sure to stop by City Hall and obtain a Garage Sale Permit for $3.00. According to City Ordinance, only one sale is permitted at any one location within a three month period and it shall be for no more than five (5) consecutive days. Memorial Day weekend has been designated as a permit free weekend. HOUSE NUMBERING Effective November 21, 2005, the Gladwin City Council authorized an ordinance stating that house numbering in the City of Gladwin is mandatory. This ordinance was enforceable as of June 1, 2006. The City of Gladwin is asking all residents to please comply with this ordinance. House numbering on the outside of your residence makes it easier for the ambulance, police and fire trucks to find your home when you need help. TRASH CART REMINDERS Just a reminder to have your trash cart curbside by 6:00 a.m. on collection day with the HANDLE AWAY FROM THE STREET. Place your cart within four (4) feet of the roadway, away from parked cars or other obstructions. If you have more than one cart, please keep them separated.
2009 Gladwin County Festival of Lights Christmas Parade
The 2009 Gladwin County Festival of Lights Christmas Parade Committee is looking forward to a spectacular event this year for Gladwin County. The parade will take place on Saturday, December 5, 2009 at 6:00 p.m. This year’s theme is Christmas in Toyland! The Parade Committee is still in the planning stages and there are many more fun things to come. Already the committee has arranged for two balloons and two new floats for this year. The parade will end at the Gladwin City Park where all lighted floats will be judged. Prizes for lighted floats will be $300, $200 and $100. Beginning at 7:30 p.m., there will be a fireworks display. Santa will come to town this year on a lighted float and will then be in his house at the Gladwin City Park to visit with the children. People who wish to participate in the Festival of Lights Christmas Parade or to be a sponsor of the parade can contact Debbie Good (989) 426-5471, Lori Stout (989) 426-4547, Shannon Greaves (989) 429-6565, or Tammy Hawblitzel at (989) 426-6151 or visit our web site at www.gladwin.org for all the details about this year’s exciting parade.
Swimming Pools
Summer is here and with it, the hot, sultry days can be made so much more enjoyable with a swimming pool in the backyard. Remember, according to the City of Gladwin zoning ordinance, zoning and building permits are required before a pool is installed. Pools must be located at least ten feet away from any structures and ten feet away from side and rear property lines. Additionally, they cannot be located in the front yard. The first step an applicant should take after reviewing the city ordinance to determine if their lot is large enough to install a pool is to call or visit the Gladwin County Building Department with their pool specifications at 555 West Cedar Avenue or 426-5931. Building Department officials can advise if a fence will be needed or if the pool is built in such a fashion that fencing will not be required and any other additional safeguards which should be installed. A sketch showing the location of the pool and distances from all structures and lot lines can then be taken to City Hall where a zoning permit can be obtained if all city requirements are met. There will be no charge for zoning permits for pools. After the zoning permit is issued, the property owner can return to the Building Department and purchase their building permit. Please remember, these rules are enacted to protect the health, safety and welfare of our residents. If you have any questions, please call City Hall at 426-9231, Extension 104.
Gladwin County Carriage Festival
Mark your calendars for the 3rd Annual Gladwin County Carriage Festival August 7-8-9th. Gladwin will host many local and out-of-town visitors displaying and driving vintage and reproduction carriages throughout the county. Activities begin Friday at the fairgrounds including a pancake toss that evening; proceeds will benefit United Way, Relay for Life and the Carriage Festival. Vendors will be located at the fairground in addition to a Farmer’s Market held Friday and Saturday. The “Grande Promenade” featuring horse-drawn vehicles and drivers in period costume will be held in downtown Gladwin at 11 a.m. on Saturday. Dulcimer players will entertain those in attendance prior to the parade. Following the parade, a wide variety of activities including antique appraisals, children’s activities and a bagpipe concert by the “Midland Highlanders” is scheduled at the fairgrounds. “Meet and Greet Gladwin” is a buggy event sure to please drivers and onlookers alike as carriages and drivers visit various locations within the City of Gladwin in an attempt to win coveted votes from various community participants. Gladwin City-County Transit will provide a flexible route between Relay for Life at the Beaverton High School, Beaverton Subway and three locations within Gladwin City; a wonderful way to take in two worthwhile events for our county. A beer tent with ongoing entertainment will also be located at the fairgrounds in addition to vintage baseball games, horseshoe tournaments, greased pig contests and more! Visit the Gladwin County Historical Society museum for a Schedule of Events updated frequently, call 426-9277, or visit their website at www.gladwinhistory.org/carriagefest.html.
North Park Pavilion
The pavilion is located at North Park on West First Street and Anchor Street. It is carpeted inside with seventeen aluminum picnic tables, a private bathroom, kitchen sink, cupboards, a small refrigerator and a room off the kitchen to put roasters, serving dishes, etc. Outside is a large 200' x 95' slab of cement to play games or ride bikes on. There are also two basketball nets on the north and south sides of the cement. A charcoal grill is also furnished. There is a sandbox for the little ones to play in, along with swings and a set of hand rings. On the south side are two sets of horseshoe pits (the City furnishes horseshoes), a fullsize sand volleyball court with the net. There is a large field to play softball or baseball with a backstop. This is an ideal place to have family reunions, receptions, open houses, etc. North Park is available for rent for $50 per day with a $75 security deposit (returned after event). To make reservations, call (989) 426-8126.
ORDINANCE NO. 276 AN ORDINANCE TO AMEND THE GLADWIN CITY CODE OF ORDINANCES (CHAPTER 92) THE CITY OF GLADWIN ORDAINS:
Section 1. Purpose The purpose of this article is to amend the Code of Ordinances (Chapter 92) of the City of Gladwin. Section 2. Amendment NOW THEREFORE, be it resolved the Gladwin Code of Ordinances (Chapter 92) of the City of Gladwin is amended as follows: Section 92.23 – OPEN BURNING Recreational Fires. Recreational fires on private property are permitted according to the City of Gladwin Above-Ground Burn Pit specifications, provided the following conditions are met:
·
Open Burning and Fire Rings
All fires must be at least 15 feet from buildings, property lines and combustible materials. Fires are constantly attended by a person of suitable maturity until extinguished and ashes are cold. Fire extinguishing equipment shall be available for immediate use.
·
Only clean seasoned dry firewood or commercially produced fuel products are burnt.
·
The fire does not endanger other buildings or structures or vegetation.
· · ·
Atmospheric conditions are favorable.
Prohibit emission of smoke or fumes which irritate, annoy or constitute a nuisance to others living in the neighborhood. The fire is in a fire pit approved by the Fire Chief or within a pit described in Attachment A.
·
Section 3. SEVERABILITY Any and all sections, terms, provisions and/or clauses herein shall be deemed independent and severable. Should any Court of competent jurisdiction hold any section, term, provision or clause void/or invalid, all remaining sections, terms, provisions or clauses not held void and/or invalid shall continue in force and effect. Section 4. REPEALER All ordinances or parts thereof in conflict herewith are hereby repealed and shall be of no further force and effect. Section 5. EFFECTIVE DATE This ordinance shall take immediate force and effect. This ordinance adopted this 17th day of May, 2004.
Skunk Removal Summer Taxes
Do you need a person who knows how to get rid of skunks from your yard, home or shed? Do you have a skunk odor or a skunk smell coming from your home, deck or shed? The City of Gladwin is offering skunk removal services to City residents. Please contact Council Member Dee Jungman at 426-7127 for removal of skunks.
2009 Summer City Property Tax Bills are scheduled to go in the mail on Wednesday, July 1, 2009. Taxes are payable without penalty until July 31st. You can mail your payment or bring it to City Hall, Monday through Friday from 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Our drop box can be used for your tax payments, as well as utility bills, if you intend to pay by check. Please do not deposit cash payments of any kind in the drop box. If you have a new mailing address since your last bill, please notify City Hall at 426-9231.
Cemetery Rules & Regulations
Often citizens are unaware that any rules exist concerning our City cemetery, and that can lead to misunderstandings and problems. You might be interested to know, for instance, that the cemetery hours are from sunrise to sunset daily. Also, you may not plant any flowers, shrubs, trees or vegetation without prior approval of the City. Another question we are often asked concerns the removal of decorations. Twice a year, the Department of Public Works employees remove flowers, wreaths, blankets, etc. Should you wish to save any decorations you have placed on a loved ones grave, winter decorations must be removed by April 1st of each year. Spring clean-up will be between April 1st and May 15th. Fall clean-up will be between October 1st and October 31st each year. One more point to keep in mind is that any item placed in the cemetery should be in line with the existing row of headstones so as not to hamper mowing duties. If you would like a copy of the complete Highland Cemetery Rules and Regulations, you may pick one up at City Hall during normal business hours (8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.) Monday through Friday or at www.gladwin.org
CITY OF GLADWIN Annual Drinking Water Report Quality on Tap We’re very pleased to present this year’s Annual Drinking Water Report. This report is to inform you about the quality water and services we deliver to you every day. Our constant goal is to provide you with a safe and dependable supply of drinking water. We are committed to ensuring the quality of your water. Our water source is groundwater that is drawn from an aquifer by three wells located in various parts of the city. We are pleased to report that our drinking water is safe and meets all federal and state requirements. This report shows our cities water quality and explains what it means. This report concerns only those people who are connected to the City of Gladwin water system. If you have any questions about this report or concerning your water utility, please feel free to contact Chuck Carman at 426-6943. We want our valued customers to be informed about their water utility. If you want to learn more, please attend any of our regularly scheduled meetings. They are held at 5:00 p.m. on the first and third Mondays of each month at City Hall, located at 1000 West Cedar Avenue. The City of Gladwin routinely monitors for constituents in your drinking water according to federal and state laws. The following table shows the results of our monitoring for the period of January 1st to December 31st, 2008. All drinking water, including bottled drinking water, may be reasonably expected to contain at least small amounts of some constituents. It is important to remember that the presence of these constituents does not necessarily pose a health risk. In this table, you will find many terms and abbreviations you might not be familiar with. To help you better understand these terms, we have provided the following definitions: Non Detects (ND) – Laboratory analysis indicates that the constituent is not present. Parts Per Million (PPM) or Milligrams Per Liter (MG/L) – One part per million corresponds to one minute in two years, or a single penny in $10,000. Parts Per Billion (PPB) – One part per billion corresponds to one minute in 2000 years, or a single penny in $10,000,000. Action Level (AL) – The concentration of a contaminant which, if exceeded, triggers treatment or other requirements which a water system must follow. Maximum Contaminant Level (MCL) – Is the highest level of a contaminant that is allowed in drinking water. MCL’s are set as close to the MCLG’s as feasible using the best available treatment technology. Maximum Contaminant Level Goal (MCLG) – Is the level of a contaminant in drinking water below which there is no known or expected risk to health. MCLG’s allow for a margin of safety. Maximum residual disinfectant level goal or MRDLG—The level of a drinking water disinfectant below which there is no known or expected risk to health. MRDLGs do not reflect the benefits of the use of disinfectants to control microbial containments. Maximum residual disinfectant level or MRDL—The highest level of a disinfectant allowed in drinking water. There is convincing evidence that addition of a disinfectant is necessary for control of microbial containments.
Inorganic Contaminants
Contaminant Fluoride Date Tested 7/29/08 Unit PPM MCL 4 MCLG 4 Detected Level 0.6 Range 0.5-0.6 Avg. 0.5 Major Sources Erosion of Natural Deposits Erosion of Natural Deposits Erosion of Natural Deposits Erosion of Natural Deposits Erosion of Natural Deposits Water Additive to Control Microbials Bi-Product of Chlorination Corrosion of Household Plumbing Systems Corrosion of Household Plumbing Systems Violation No
Sodium
7/29/08
PPM
N.A.
N.A.
77
37-77
51
No
Arsenic
8/1/08
PPB
10
0
4
Nd-4
N.A.
No
Alpha Emitters
2005
Pci/L
15
0
4.0
2.7-5.0
N.A.
No
Combined Radium Chlorine
2008
Pci/L
5
0
3.5
3.1-3.5
N.A.
No
2008
Ppm
MRDL=4
MRDL=4
0.9
0.2-0.9
0.7
No
Haloacetic Acids Copper
8/13/08
MG/L
0.060
N.A.
0.002 90th Percentile 0.07 Ppm 90th Percentile 0 Ppb
N.A.
N.A.
No
2007
Ppm
AL=1.3
1.3
N.A.
N.A.
No
Lead
2007
Ppb
AL=15
0
N.A.
N.A.
No
Microbial Contaminants Contaminant Total Coliform Bacteria Date Tested 8-13-08 MCL Presence of Coliform Bacteria in One of Three Routing Monthly Samples Positive Samples 1 Major Sources Naturally Present in the Environment Violation Yes
To Our Customers: After receiving the results of the Coliform Tests, which showed a positive result in one of our three monthly routine samples, the City Water Department immediately increased the chlorine residual and re-sampled the next day. All test results came back negative.
All drinking water, including bottled water, may reasonable be expected to contain small amounts of some contaminants. The presence of contaminants does not necessarily indicate that the water poses a health risk. More information about contaminants and health affects can be obtained by calling the Environmental Protection Agency’s safe drinking water hotline at (1-800-426-4791) or by visiting the EPA’s website at www.epa.gov/safewater/hfacts.html. MCL’s are set at very stringent levels. To understand the possible health effects described for many regulated constituents, a person would have to drink two liters of water every day at the MCL level for a lifetime to have a one-in-a-million chance of having the described health effect. Source Water Assessment Your water comes from three groundwater wells, each over 600 feet deep drawing from a bedrock aquifer. The State performed an assessment of our source water in 2003 to determine the susceptibility or the relative potential of contamination. The susceptibility rating is on a seven-tiered
scale from “very low” to “very high” based primarily on geologic sensitivity, water chemistry and contaminant sources. The susceptibility of our sources is Well #2 – high…Well #3 – high…Well #4 – low. We are making efforts to protect our sources by participating in a “Wellhead Protection Program.” If you would like to know more about the report, please contact Chuck Carman at (989) 426-6943. Some people may be more vulnerable to contaminants in drinking water than the general population. Immuno-compromised persons such as persons with cancer undergoing chemotherapy, persons who have undergone organ transplants, people with HIV/AIDS or other immune system disorders, some elderly, and infants can be particularly at risk from infections. These people should seek advice about drinking water from their health care providers. EPA/CDC guidelines on appropriate means to lessen the risk of infection by cryptosporidium and other microbiological contaminants are available from the safe drinking water hotline (1-800-426-4791). If present, elevated levels of lead can cause serious health problems, especially for pregnant women and young children. Lead in drinking water is primarily from materials and components associated with service lines and home plumbing. The City of Gladwin is responsible for providing high quality drinking water, but cannot control the variety of materials used in plumbing components. When your water has been sitting for several hours, you can minimize the potential for lead exposure by flushing your tap for 30 seconds to 2 minutes before using water for drinking or cooking. If you are concerned about lead in your water, you may wish to have your water tested. Information on lead in drinking water, testing methods, and steps you can take to minimize exposure is available from the Safe Drinking Water Hotline (1-800-426-4791) or at http://www.epa.gov/safewater/lead. The sources of drinking water (both tap water and bottled water) include rivers, lakes, streams, ponds, reservoirs, springs, and wells. As water travels over the surface of the land or through the ground, it dissolves naturally-occurring minerals and, in some cases, radioactive material, and can pick up substances resulting from the presence of animals or from human activity. Contaminants that may be present in source water. Microbial contaminants, such as viruses and bacteria, which may come from sewage treatment plants, septic systems, agricultural livestock operations, and wildlife. Inorganic contaminants, such as salts and metals, which can be naturally-occurring or result from urban storm water runoff, industrial, or domestic wastewater discharges, oil and gas production, mining and farming. Pesticides and herbicides, which may come from a variety of sources such as agriculture, urban stormwater runoff, and residential uses. Organic chemical contaminants, including synthetic and volatile organic chemicals, which are byproducts of industrial processes and petroleum production, and can also come from gas stations, urban storm water runoff and septic systems. Radioactive contaminants, which can be naturally-occurring or be the result of oil and gas production and mining activities. In order to ensure that tap water is safe to drink, EPA prescribes regulations which limit the amount of certain contaminants in water provided by public water systems. FDA regulations establish limits for contaminants in bottled water which must provide the same protection for public health. Please share this information with all other people who drink this water, especially those who may not have received this notice directly. You can do this by posting this notice in a public place or distributing copies by hand or mail. We at the City of Gladwin work around the clock to provide top quality water to every tap. We ask that all our customers help us protect our water sources, which are the heart of our community, our way of life and our children’s future.
Utility Rate Increase
Effective July 1, 2009, monthly rates will increase as follows:
Current Water (base rate) Water (per 1000) Sewer (base rate) Sewer (per 1000) Residential Trash $5.20 $2.20 $11.00 $6.50 $15.00 New Rate $5.20 $2.25 $11.00 $6.50 $15.50
PRESORT STANDARD GLADWIN, MI 48624 PERMIT NO. 3
1000 West Cedar Avenue Gladwin, Michigan 48624 Phone: (989) 426-9231 Fax: (989) 426-6942
Gladwin City Resident Gladwin, Michigan 48624
1000 West Cedar Avenue, Gladwin, Michigan 48624 Ph: (989) 426-9231 Fax: (989) 426-6942