Residents' Appeals Win McConnel Road Repairs
By Paul Gingras

At residents' request, McConnel Road in Portage Township will be improved this summer, rather than North Gould City Road, as previously planned. It is the single, major road project of the season, reported the Portage Township Board of Trustees at its Tuesday, May 15, meeting.

The township will pay $100,000 of the $102,000 project. The Mackinac County Road Commission will pay the remaining $2,000.

Residents consider McConnel one of the worst roads in the township. Parts are nearly impassable in the spring, so the road commission will improve 0.7 mile of McConnel by clearing, ditching, and subgrade strengthening. It will also work on culverts and provide a new aggregate surface and sub-base.

For the past several months, Township Treasurer Nancy Kister has objected to estimates provided by the road commission, which she says do not provide sufficient detail to allow the board to make informed decisions regarding road projects. After consulting with the road commission's manager, Craig Kelso, Portage Township Supervisor Donald Ferris said the commission will not provide more detailed estimates, unless the township pays for extra time taken to prepare them.

Owing to budget cuts, the state police will no longer patrol Portage Township at night, Mr. Ferris reported, unless a call is received through 9-1-1 and the police have two cars available. The township must rely more on the Mackinac County Sheriff's Department, which is already stretched, he added.

Vandals removed the boards at the South Lake Dam Saturday, May 12, which released water from South Manistique Lake to Big Manistique Lake, Mr. Ferris reported. The boards have been replaced, and Mr. Ferris assured the public that one or two days of flow cannot significantly raise the water level in Big Manistique Lake.

South Manistique Lake is 4,000 acres in size. Big Manistique Lake is more than 10,000 acres.

The dam height was adjusted recently, as it is each spring, to allow spawning fish to travel through. The topmost board had just been replaced for the season prior to the damage, Mr. Ferris said.

Using the dam to control lake levels has been a point of contention in Curtis for decades, even leading to fist fights in years past.

"We do not want to go back to those days," Mr. Ferris said, expressing hopes that Saturday's damage was simply an act of vandalism.

The township dam board decides when to adjust the height, based on when winter ice melts and fish spawning season begins. Ice melted early this year, in mid-April.

Ray Gibbons of the dam board agreed that vandalism is an ongoing problem.

"Vandals have been pulling out boards and throwing them into the river," he said, noting Saturday's incident was the latest of several this year.

The board is unsure why the vandalism continues. It could be from residents concerned about lake levels. It could also be youth fishing for carp who pull out the boards, Mr. Gibbons said.

The township board continues to develop policies and procedure manuals for its fire department and ambulance services. The board passed a temporary hiring policy, which it promptly used to hire Mike Jago and Robert Garnier. Mr. Jago, a firefighter, will now serve on the Emergency Medical Service (EMS). Mr. Garnier is the newest member of the EMS and fire department.

Brad Kohvakka, captain of Portage Township EMS, said the department plans to create an entrylevel position for people lacking medical training, to allow people a chance to work for the department and decide if they would like train to become emergency medical technicians or paramedics. The EMS is always looking for new membership, and the department has no entry-level position. New recruits could serve strictly as ambulance drivers, he said.

"As we look into the future, it is what we need to grow and survive," he said.