U.P. Happenings

“Reformed Lurker, you still looking for something to do this summer?

TEACHERS: APPLY FOR WEEK ON EPA VESSEL: Educators and other
interested persons are invited to apply to sail aboard an
EPA research vessel during the week-long Ecology of the
Great Lakes course. The Lake Guardian will tour the western
half of Lake Superior July 7-13, beginning in Houghton and
traveling to Isle Royale National Park, Duluth and the Apostle Islands. For details and an application form, see the Western U.P. Center for Science, Math, and Environmental Education web site, http://www.wupcenter.mtu.edu. The application deadline is April 2. The course is limited to 20
participants, who will be selected from among the applicants
on a competitive basis.

The Center offers other programs, including an
Environmental and Field Science Workshop, set for May 3-4 at
the Ford Forestry Center.


(Ford Forestry Center is located in Alberta, Michigan)”

“UPPCO CONSIDERS LAND SALE: Stating that several thousand
acres of U.P. land is not needed for operations, the Upper
Peninsula Power Company may sell more than 15,000 acres
throughout the U.P. UPPCO's parent company, WPS Resources,
is considering selling land in Alger, Baraga, Delta,
Marquette, and Ontonagon counties, much of it originally
acquired for hydroelectric operations. A WPS spokesperson
said the company will work first with local and state
agencies.”

“Hey, thanks Smiley Girl. That sounds like a tremendous program. I'll have to keep it in mind for when I have few more bucks in the bank. I figure it would cost over $1000. But what a trip - sailing the great lakes, hanging out at the greatest port of call - Isle Royale. It would be a once in a lifetime experience.”

“I know, I wish I could go! Someday, when I have my summers off (and marry someone rich!!) I'll be able to do that kind of stuff. That website had some other interesting seminars.”

“How rich does he need to be?”

“Rich enough to accomodate the lifestyle I want.

Just kidding. :)”

“"I know, I wish I could go! Someday, when I have my summers off (and marry someone rich!!) ".......

smiley girl
11:28:50 AM
03/26/02

That's not the only way to get your summers off. Be a teacher! My wife and I enjoy having the summers off together. She gets 8, but I only get 6 weeks :)”

“Well, Laqtis, that's where I'm headed. I'm staring school in the fall to get my teaching certificate and master's degree. :)”

“Summers off...that was my plan going into teaching. Then I found myself teaching summer school for extra bucks, lol! I still end up with more vacation time than in the news biz, but unfortunately my wife hasn't been on the same schedule as me and she hasn't found the thought of teaching as attractive either.

On the U.P. front, it's only a short jaunt north for me to the Last Frontier of the Lower 48 and the magnificent shores of Gitchee Gummee. In fact, going up to Marquette tomorrow for a couple days with my daughter. I think she wants to do a short road trip, but the weather is supposed to be freezing rain. Yuk.”

“BOAR HUNT ON TAP? A growing population of destructive boars
in northeastern Baraga county has prompted legislation to
legalize hunting. Currently, boars are considered protected
livestock and illegal to hunt. The population has grown
since a number escaped a hunting preserve in the area. The
animals have sharp tusks and have destroyed property, killed
wildlife and terrorized people living on Point Abbaye, the
peninsula that separates Huron Bay and Keweenaw Bay.”

“COUGAR SPOTTINGS CONTINUE: After reports that a woman
spotted a cougar near the new Hancock High School last week,
a Lake Linden man saw one near his home last Thursday. His
sighting made the news because he is Houghton County
Prosecutor Douglas Edwards. Despite such sightings and other
evidence, state DNR officials deny that a population exists.
A number of sightings have also been made recently in the
northern Lower Peninsula.”

“Just as long as they stay UP THERE... I'm fine with them being around. If they start travling south.... oh no! I don't EVEN want to think about that! Bears are enough for me to deal with! LOL!”

“Smiley, we used to live in Baraga County, Alberta, just south of L'Anse, so enjoyed reading the latest news from home.

THANKS!!!!!!!!!”

“Its from the Michigan Tech alumni e-newsletter. Always an interesting bit of news in it. :)

Miss the sweet rolls, Geezr?”

“Can I be of assistance?”

“Smiley, a number of years ago, the original ladies that owned the Hilltop sold out and the quality, as well as the size, of their world famous rolls went downhill a bit. Still, they are mouth watering and "YES" we miss them.
:-(”

“WOLF PROTECTION TO EASE: The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
has begun setting the state to remove the gray wolf from the
endangered species list in the Great Lakes. Since three
wolves established a U.P. territory in 1989, the population
has grown to about 280.”

“Awww. I thought this was another thread about me.”

“http://www.freep.com/news/latestnews/pm12316_20021219.htm

Mackinac Bridge Authority votes to raise fares
Thursday, December 19, 2002
ASSOCIATED PRESS
Fares on the Mackinac Bridge are going up for the first time since 1961.
The Mackinac Bridge Authority voted Thursday morning to increase the fare for a passenger vehicle to $2.50, up from the current $1.50. The same fare will apply to two-axle trucks.
Fares for larger trucks were set at $3 per axle, and motor homes will cost $2 per axle.
The rate for commuters, $1.25 one way, will be raised to $1.50.
Bridge officials say the fares will bring in an additional $16 million a year. The money will go toward maintenance and keeping the bridge fiscally solvent.
The plan to increase fares has drawn protests from communities that depend on the only land link between Michigan's Upper and Lower peninsulas.
Local officials and tourist business owners feared that a sharp increase in fares will deter summer visitor traffic in the same way that trucking traffic fell off after the 1995 commercial fare hike.
Some 4.8 million vehicles are expected to cross the 5-mile span this year.”

“Sounds cool.......I'll look into the course. I nearly went to forestry school at MTU back in '83. I regret not going there. The UP is a unique and wild place. I had no idea there were wild boars on the loose. Thanks for the info.”

“Not that I ever like the idea of spending more $$$, but if $2 more is enough to deter some vacationer from crossing the bridge (and that's round trip), then I guess they aren't that excited about visiting the U.P. in the first place. Especially since they are probably driving a gas-guzzling SUV that cost them $30,000 to start and 50 cents a mile to operate.

How many other things in America have been unchanged in price since 1961? The chiseling wankers can just stay home and spend the $5 fare on a couple movies at Blockbuster and help keep U.S. 2 less congested.”

“Come on. $1 increase for regular cars... That isn't gonna stop many people. And those that it stops, well, we don't want them on either side of the bridge, as far as I'm concerned.

$2.50 is still dam cheap.

I just crossed the bridge twice last week and actually thought to myself that $1.50 was way cheap and I was surprised it wasn't more.”

“I agree Pekka. I don't see how its going to deter anyone.”

“If I drive the other routes to Lower Michigan it involves either an $80 one-way ticket on the car ferry or about 8 toll booths on the Illinois tollways. When the weather is nice and the timing is right, the run across the U.P. is certainly worth a $2.50 fare for the privilege of using that beautiful bridge and getting such a great view going over the Straits.”

“Hey its only money and the Up is a great place to go backpacking in.

I will pay the $2.50

8)”

“I don't mind the increase, I'll gladly pay it. I just think that it just comes at a bad time when EVERYTHING is going up in price.”

“Here's the problem. People who live and do business in the Straits area have to cross frequently.

If you commute, that's probably an extra $600 per year. If you own a store in St. Ignace and have suppliers in Mackinaw City, you'll probably have to raise prices.

The state legislation that created the bridge authority said that the bridge would charge tolls until the construction debt was paid off - sometime in the 60s. At that point, the bridge would be free and maintained by the MDOT. That has not occurred. Why not? The crossing should be free.”

“wow, didn't know that was the deal,rl. thanks fer bring that up, it might be changing my point of view on this....”

“I was wondering about the bonds being paid, too. Many tolls are dropped after the initial borrowings have been repaid.

Since the bonds were retired long ago, that is a pretty large increase for 'maintenance.'(?)

Seems like they could provide reduced rates for weekly and monthly tickets.”

“Paying to cross a bridge or drive on a road is silly! Come on down South where you can drive for FREE!!!”

“c'mon people! if you let MDOT take over the maintenance of the Mackinac bridge, it would end up like the rest of the bridges and roads around the state: a piece of crap. the bridge authority does a great job of maintaining that bridge.”

“I agree, Smiley. The bridge is maintained wonderfully. It's a state treasure and I don't trust MDOT with it's care. I will pay the extra and would pay more. $2.50 is a bargain.

Don't those who live in the area have the oppertunity to purchase books of tolls at a discount? Like the Drummond Island ferry, etc?”

“Yes, there is a pass card or something with a special fare. The article said that special fare was going up 50 cents one way, I think. Regular fare is being increased $1 one way.”

“Driving is free down here because it costs a lot less to maintain a road here. Up north, they have two seasons, winter and road repair, lol...”

“The freeze-thaw cycle and the salt we put on the roads is not the greatest for longevity.”

“Yah, we hardly have a freeze-thaw cycle at all, and salting is almost nonexistent.”

“not true... most of the road damage is caused by the poor construction practices allowed under the lowest bidder system. Many countries outside the us with weather far worse then ours dont have half the problems we do. They just use modern asphalt mixes and construct the roadbed properly from the start which costs money up front.”

“And how much is it going up for motorcoaches? Thanks for the tip!!”

“Well, true, the Autobahn is 27" thick as opposed to the average American road, which is like 14" or 15". Plus, if part of the Autobahn gets a crack, they completely replace the whole section. Of course, on a road where people are driving upwards of 120mph, you've got to maintain it better...”

“DOM, I think you're partially right. The low-bid system is not the direct cause. Contractor's don't get to choose their mixes and materials, that's all spec'ed out up front (trust me, I've written enough spec books to know). All materials are tested, and if they don't meet the specs, they get ripped out.

But you do point to part of the problem, that what is spec'ed out by the road agency may not be sufficient to last.

MDOT in the last few years has had an explosion of road reconstruciton projects, but admittedly they have not used the best materials to make roads last as long as possible. In order to fix as many roads as they can (and get the public off their back temporarily) they have used cheaper road/bridge designs.”

“the materials they use on the roads here have a life span of about 5 years, or so it seems. when I-696 was complete, just about 7 years later, they had to shut it down and replace huge sections because of bad materials. I don't even want to know how much that costed.

One of the othher main problems with this stat is that they do not open the weigh stations. When is the last time you saw one open in Michigan. I'll bet a lot of these trucks are way overloaded. And what ever happen to the law banning trucks hauling tandom trailers? I thought they where outlawed in the '70's. We need to start enforcing the laws around here, because I'm really sick of paying for repairs.

I think that the problem with the bridge is the point of the matter. They sold those bonds under the guise of that plan and did not follow up on it. So all this time, they had been additional income on something that should not have been generating revenue. All of theat extra money went right into the governments pockets. I will seriously think about future bonds from the state when situations like this keep happening.”

“Q - I'd check where that $$ is/was going before you get too hasty with decisions.

Second, Michigan has some of the least stringent weight limitations around. I feel that's more the problem than enforcement. I've seen trucks pulled over on 275 before by the weighmaster.

The weight restrictions issue seemed to be mentioned during the governer's campaign. Not sure what each of the candidates said about it, though. (That's about how much attention I pay to politics - simply on the surface!)”

“That's one of the problems I have with this. the state did not/will not tell us were it went. It's burried in the red tape. I wonder how much cash has been generated of all these years?”

“Much,(if not all), of the Interstate repairs are paid for by the Dept. of defense, not the State of Michigan.”

“http://www.mackinacbridge.org/gallery/

cool pics of the bridge, just for fun.”

“why is the DoD paying fer our roads? I've never heard that before, interesting....”

“i meant to find out some info on that point today, but didn't have time. i'm not sure that's true. i know MDOT gets funds from the Federal Highway Administration, maybe that's what you're thinking of, Sass?”

“My understanding is that the federal Interstate Highway System was conceived to allow the rapid transit of military forces across a vast nation in the event of a Soviet invasion. It was a cornerstone of the Eisenhower planning. It was never intended to go directly into any major urban area -- that only happened when the Congress hijacked the system to serve local interests.

As for the MDOT and bridge projects, one word -- Zilwaukee.”

“Couple of notes here from the TT resident traffic engineer....

1. Trucks cause the VAST majority of wear and tear on roads. There is usually cause for some debate amoung auto users and freight hauling interests regarding who should pay more taxes. Usually, the Teamsters are a stronger lobbying group than AAA, so trucks don't really end up paying their fair proportion.

2. Most pavements can last almost indefinitely IF they are maintained properly. The problem almost everywhere in the country is that nobody maintains the pavement properly (either due to money or convenience issues or both).

3. Some would point out that the reason the Germans can rip out a whole section of the autobahn for one little crack is that the taxes they pay on gasoline (far more than we pay) pay for the actual costs of the auto/truck transportation mode. Our taxes might seem high when comparing one year to the next, but they are ridiculously low if you consider the full cost of roads/pollution/etc.

4. Golden Gate Bridge toll just went up to five bucks a couple weeks ago.”

“The DoD pays for many Interstates as Pekka mentioned, there was also a time when all highways had to have 5mile straight aways at every specific distance in order to land military aircraft.”