The City of St. Ignace has applied for stimulus funding through the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) to improve energy efficiency through improvements to city lighting, City Manager Eric Dodson reported to City Council during its regular meeting Monday, September 21.

More than $2.7 billion has been made available to governments under the Energy Efficiency and Conservation Block Grant (EECBG) program, administered by the Office of Weatherization and Intergovernmental Programs in the DOE's Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy.

Using a recent energy audit of city lighting, including systems at Little Bear East, the city's water treatment plant, city hall, and other cityowned lights, Mr. Dodson said he would apply for the grant, which could pay for up to $50,000 in energy-saving improvements.

Once grant requests begin to be accepted online, the city will have 30 days to complete and turn in its application for the funding. Other grants through the EECBG program pay for other kinds of weatherization, like replacing old windows with newer, more energy efficient ones, and the city plans to apply for these, also, as they become available.

City Requests

Fund for Police Cars

The St. Ignace Police Department applied for stimulus funding in April through the Office of Justice Programs to purchase two new police cars to supplement its aging fleet.

The police department will know on or before September 30 if it will be getting the $42,000 grant, at which time the city's public safety committee would consider purchasing the new cars. There would be some additional cost to the city, which would need to pay the difference between the grant and the cost of buying and equipping two new cars.

One of the four cars being used by the department, Police Chief Tim Matelski said, has 153,000 miles on it while another car has 143,000 miles. These numbers can be deceiving, he said, since the police cars are used for such long periods at a time.

"One hundred fifty thousand is an artificial number," Mr. Dodson said. "These cars are running up to 16 to 18 hours a day."

The department also plans to get a used car from the Mackinac County Sheriff's Office, which recently replaced many of its fleet and has made its old cars available to other area law enforcement offices.

This car is waiting to be stripped of lights and equipment so the police department can install its own, but City Police Chief Tim Matelski said this could take up to 30 days. Even this car has 97,000 miles on it and the two other vehicles owned by the city police department are starting to have problems, as well. Regular maintenance is key to keeping these old cars running and safe for officers.

"It it wasn't for the maintenance on them, the wheels would have fallen off a long time ago," Mr. Matelski said. There is also the opportunity to get used cars from other police departments like the Sault Tribal Police, but Mr. Matelski said the best solution would be to purchase new cars through the grant, if it is awarded.

Marina Guests

Promised Parking

Revisiting an issue brought up at City Council's last meeting, Marina Director Gene Elmer gave Council members an update on the parking problem at the marina.

After Arts Dockside this year, several seasonal guests at the cityowned marina complained about getting kicked out of the parking lot during special events. A possible solution was brokered during a Harbor Authority meeting, in which 13 paved spots and 22 spots in the grassy area north of the marina lot would be reserved for marina guests during Arts Dockside. Additional parking would be available at a city lot on Spring Street, and a marina employee would be placed at one of the lot's entrances to allow marina guests to enter and exit.

Council member Don Gustafson expressed concern that paying for this extra employee may push the marina, which has been attempting to keep costs low to eliminate a budget deficit, in the wrong direction.

Mr. Elmer said the marina plans to charge all special events a $300 charge, which should cover the expense of this gate employee, and cleaning the lot with a street sweeper and providing the events with a dumpster.

Council Member Tom Della Moretta said that if the problem is truly resolved, all seasonal boaters should be notified when and where parking will be available next year.

Mr. Elmer said a letter will go out to all this year's seasonal boaters with their 2010 contract renewal explaining the parking system for the upcoming year.

Communication has been the main problem, Council member Paul Fullerton said, and must be improved if the city expects to keep both marina customers and the special events that draw visitors into the city .

Mr. Dodson said the city will hold meetings with other special events organizers, including An- 4tiques on the Bay, and will look for compromises at all of them to provide parking for marina guests during special events held at the marina parking lot.

Firehawks Contract Renewed

Council will rent one of Little Bear East's two locker rooms for $500 this hockey season.

There were some concerns from council members about the possibility of behavioral problems, which resulted in damage to city property and complaints in the past, but Mr. Dodson said this was not a major concern.

"I think what you find is that when you have a director that is there all the time, there is less time for that to happen," he said.

The lease stretches from October 1 to March 31, 2010, and requires the hockey team to maintain the locker room and follow rules, including no drugs or alcohol, no tobacco, no graffiti, all arena rules must be followed, and all home games and practices must be at Little Bear East.

Council Approves

Bayside Fall Fest

Crowds will gather in front of City Hall Saturday, October 3, to celebrate Bayside Fall Fest and take part in the annual pumpkin roll.

The yearly harvest-themed festival, which was formerly known as Autumn Apple Days, was approved as a special event by Council during its meeting. Council members also approved the use of public sidewalks and the closing of Gondreau Street between Ellsworth and North State Streets from 3-7 p.m.

Date Set for Budget Workshop

With a preliminary budget being presented to Council at its next regular meeting on October 5, Mr. Dodson asked members to pick a date between then and the end of the year to meet and examine the budget

line by line.

The process, which is done every year, is set for 6 p.m. Monday, November 30. City Council must pass its budget for the next year at its final meeting in December, as required by the city charter.