A list of more than 70 items, photographs of structures and landmarks that were targeted as contributing to the history of Hubbard's Annex near the West Bluff, was officially accepted by the Mackinac Island City Council at its meeting Wednesday, November 19. It was the first step in securing status for the Annex as a National Historic Landmark (NHL).

A group of Hubbard's Annex residents is seeking the historic landmark status as a city committee seeks to improve and preserve such status for the entire Island.

Both committees were created by Mayor Margaret Doud earlier this fall.

The list from the Hubbard's Annex committee includes historic homes, summer cottages, barns, gazebos, parks, and maps.

Nominations for NHL status are evaluated by the National Park System Advisory Board, and the Hubbard's Annex group's list will be reviewed to determine if the Annex is eligible for its own individual status. Final decisions on designation are made by the U.S. Secretary of the Interior.

The Hubbard's Annex committee includes Lorna Straus, Chris Straus, Melissa Straus, Shannon Schuler, Rosalie Rausch, Dan Shea, and James Bazinaw.

The city's other committee, which is studying contributing and non-contributing structures in the city, is councilman and committee chairman Michael Hart, Planning Commission Chairman Bob Brown, Grand Hotel President Dan Musser III, Brad Chambers of Mackinac Island Carriage Tours, and Phil Porter, director of Mackinac State Historic Parks.

Prior to the council meeting, seven committee members met in a combined meeting of the Streets and Sidewalks, Finance, and Public Safety committees. Attending were Police Chief Jim Marks, Mayor Margaret Doud, building inspector Dennis Dombroski, council members Michael Hart and Dan Wightman, mayor's assistant Kelly Bean, and City Clerk Karen Lennard.

Chief Marks announced that police officer Bryan Hookana is resigning from his full-time position for "personal, off-island reasons." Mr. Hookana, originally from Livonia, was hired last October.

Officer Dominic Redman, who had been laid off for the season earlier this fall, was promoted to full time to fill the vacancy left by Mr. Hookana. He will begin January 1, 2009. He joins officers Ken Hardy Jr., Andy Dziobak, and Cory Kaminen as the police department's winter force.

This is Mr. Redman's first year serving on the Island.

With Council's approval, the city's finance committee opted to change its Blue Cross/ Blue Shield insurance deductible from $500 to $1,000, which will save the city $600 a month, owing to rates under the current plan increasing by 7.7%. By choosing a higher deductible for its 25 city employees, the city will save 5.4%. Its monthly insurance premiums would decrease from $18,325.89 to $17,712.20.

The city already reimburses employees $250 of the previous $500 deductible. It has had four requests to do so in the past 12 months, Ms. Bean explained to the committee.

The group briefly reviewed design plans for road improvements to Annex Road from Wilcox Professional Services, an engineering firm from Escanaba, presented by Mr. Dombroski.

The plan is to reconstruct part of Annex Road, from Park Avenue to the four corners at Cadotte Avenue, near Mackinac Island Carriage Tours barns.

"The distance of how much is improved will depend on how much money we have at the time," said Mr. Dombroski. "Eventually, we'd like to do the entire road, including to the Stonecliffe area."

Mr. Dombroski said one part of a 500-foot-long section is dam- aged to the point that carriages and drays are driving on the shoulder of the road, and he suggested the city widen the road from 16 feet wide to 18 feet, at least in that area.

Six temporary motor vehicle permits were issued to Belonga Plumbing & Heating for tree stump removal at Stonebrook North, Lot 13, hauling top soil to Karen McCabe's home on Lake Shore Boulevard on the west side of the Island, snow removal (as needed) at Stonebrook North and South Roads, and at the Stonecliffe area for the Sunset Forest Association.