Last Thursday evening would be a meeting marathon for me starting with a Recreation Committee meeting at 5:30 p.m. that would be focused on the upcoming transition regarding the Chassell Ski Trails. The meeting was well attended with TJ Palosaari and Steve Spahn also there from the committee. I was covering the chair’s role as Brian Waters was out due to illness. Brett and Eric Palosaari, Arlyn and Sandy Aronson, and Jim Tervo were also in attendance. Jim committed to coordinating the transition of the non-profit organization and the bank accounts. We resolved that for this winter the trail will be capped at the 5K cutoff and the parking area on Archambeau Road will be closed. Jim detailed the equipment that will be transitioned and we spent a good deal of time determining the best place for relocation. We decided to focus our effort on examining the former warming hut at the old ice rink on Hancock Street. We then discussed potential direction on the handling of the grooming, but did not reach a conclusion. The Recreation Committee will meet weekly until we have everything in order for this winter.
The Planning Commission met for nearly two hours after the Recreation Committee meeting starting at 7:00 p.m. First, I welcomed Cindy Cowell who was recently appointed to the Commission by the Township Board and provided outstanding input throughout the meeting. Brett and Eric Palosaari presented their concept for a set of skills bike trails to the north of Misslitz Field. The Commission was supportive of this concept and we will work with Brett and Eric on picking out a trail that could be developed as soon as this fall if we can secure the funding to construct it. The goal is to work toward developing all of these trails if we are able to secure funding next year. This is seen as a great way to get kids and adults more active as we work to battle the challenge faced regionally with two-thirds of adults being overweight or obese. Completing one of the trails now would be a great way to help prove up the concept.
Highlights from the rest of the meeting included: progress on the Chassell Mercantile project which is awaiting the draft of the MSHDA Housing TIF from the county’s brownfield consultant; the re-bidding of the demolition of the old Holy Trinity Lutheran Church at the entry to the cemetery which will open on October 8th and close around November 9th; the Sturgeon River Launch grant proposal supplemental submissions that Lynn Gierke and I had recently completed and submitted to the DNR to pick up the scope changes I mentioned in the last issue; the Visit Keweenaw letter supporting the addition of the Sturgeon River and Sloughs to the Keweenaw Water Trail and how we will be meeting this fall toward this end; the recent completion of the accessible concrete walkway from the pavilion to the waterfront by DP Construction under the DNR Spark Grant and that the rebidding of the waterfront boardwalk will close this week; and the Sturgeon River Launch sign funded half by the Visit Keweenaw Destination Development Grant and half by Julie and me has been manufactured and will be installed by Industrial Graphics as soon as a part comes in for the posts.
Friday would start with a 2,000 yard swim at MTU which was my first time back in the pool after having a negative Covid test. Sigrid and Emily with the Keweenaw Invasive Species Management Area (KISMA) would be out with a team of volunteers from 1:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. to prune back the growth on the buckthorn at the Chassell Historic Trail that had already been cut back to chest high. Additional work will take place on Make a Difference Day later this month.
Since I would be of little value on crutches to the KISMA effort, Julie and I headed down to the upper reaches of the Slate River to take in the fall colors and to make short hikes to Black Bear and Victory Falls.
If you would like to see more from this adventure, check out the short video I put together with the GoPro Quik app which you can find on the Remote Workforce Keweenaw YouTube channel at this link:
Saturday, I would make my best effort to keep my foot elevated while Julie did another book signing at Black Ice in downtown Houghton.
Sunday’s weather was not too appealing so Julie and I stayed home from the Sunday hike. Staying put also gave me the opportunity to continue elevating my foot with the hope that doing so would support my recovery. We did not have guests in the cabin on Sunday night so that gave us the opportunity to take a sauna and then I was able to get some photos of the northern lights that appeared that evening.
I would share more photos of these, but they paled in comparison to what would come on Monday night!
Monday morning we would get over to MTU for a swim and I would knock out 2,000 yards. Swimming has been the one thing I can do and not feel like a total slacker with regard to my personal conditioning. The rest of the day would be spent working on a photo book and completing an application to the Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy (EGLE) agency with the State of Michigan for a pre-application meeting for a project we are working on at Chassell Township.
Monday night would turn out to be an amazing treat as a geo-magnetic disturbance created by a solar flare would result in absolutely stunning northern lights! It started with a low glow just after dark.
Just about 10:30 p.m. the sky went wild!
You can see a collage of my photographs on the Remote Workforce Keweenaw YouTube channel at this link:
Do you embrace winter and have the ability to work remotely? Consider locating in the Keweenaw where you will find ubiquitous natural beauty, no congestion, and lower crime! Not sure? Come UP for a workcation to check it out! Learn how at Visit Keweenaw at https://www.visitkeweenaw.com/plan/trip-ideas-itineraries/workcations/ Visit Remote Workforce Keweenaw at https://remoteworkforcekeweenaw.com. Learn about those making the decision to locate here by following the Remote Workforce Keweenaw Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/RemoteWorkforceKeweenaw.
Amazing photos.