HALE – Lots of things happening in our area this past few weeks. Most of it is in the planning stages but if and when it breaks, things will move fast.
A group called Develop Iosco(DI), which has been around for a few years, has taken the lead on some projects that could lead to better services in our county and all of northeast Michigan. One of their initiatives is called the Quad County Childcare Coalition. Their goal is to ease the childcare burden that plagues our communities. Many families can not find adequate nor affordable child care that would allow them to work.
In addition, those entrepreneurs wanting to start a daycare find barriers and red tape that make the endeavor seem unattainable. DI has received a grant to research this issue as it relates to our area of the state and find ways to help make the process less cumbersome and more user friendly. To this end they have completed their study and have found a number of useful tools to help make the desire to be a daycare provider a reality.
If you are interested please go to the Develop Iosco website at develop-iosco.org and look for the QCCC logo. This assistance is available to anyone in the 4 county area Iosco, Alcona, Ogemaw and Arenac.
DI and the county are also working with Consumers Power to look into alternatives regarding the future of the hydro plants on the AuSable River. As you may know, Consumers announced last Spring that they may not be relicensing their hydro plants in Michigan once the current licenses expire in 2037.
Since the relicensing process takes many years to complete and one alternative is the removal of the dams, Consumers has started the process early to look into the alternatives and their impact on the local communities. I happen to sit on this advisory board and will keep you informed as we navigate through these new and unknown waters. If you have any questions feel free to send them my way and I can make sure to bring them to the board.
Another area of concern that DI and the county are working on is identifying the individual locations in the county that are not and can not be served by high speed internet service. This may sound easy but it has proven to be anything but.
Maps prepared by the ISP providers “blanket” areas, meaning if one household is served by them, they claim the entire area is served thereby leaving the homes on the “end of the line” unserved and non-eligible for extended service programs and funding. We are trying to correct these maps and make them more accurate to allow additional ISP providers the ability to bid on servicing these areas with grant funding from the feds.
Another feature new to the area is the completed section of bike path from Oscoda High School to Old Orchard Park. This is called phase 3 of the Iosco Exploration Trail(IET) and was completed in November.
On May 11 at 12:00 the four townships working through the IET committee will have a dedication ceremony at the Oscoda School parking lot. We will have give-aways, a food truck, vendors and a raffle for some bike bling. A short ceremony thanking those that have made this possible, a ribbon cutting and information on where we are going next. So come on out and join the fun, mark your calendar for May 11th at noon.
In the meantime, consider a membership at the Community Center and Eagle Point Plaza. You can come and enjoy pickleball at any time, yoga, cardio drumming, fitness training, walking or some more intense TOWANDA. Whatever your need we probably have some form of activity to assist you. So stop in and see Roma about a membership. We have family rates and business/group rates also. We would love to see you.
When you’re here stop in on Tuesdays to the Plainfield Township Historical Museum. They have great displays of our community throughout history and how our members lived long ago. The members do a great job preserving and showcasing our heritage. They also have genealogical workshops, so stop and ask about the next event.
As always if you ever have any questions, comments or concerns regarding our community please contact me. I am in the office Monday – Friday 7:30 – 4:00 at 989-728-2811 or my cell at 989-984-7073 or by email supervisor@plainfieldtwpmi.com.
Fred Lewis – Supervisor Plainfield Township
