LANSING/IRON RIVER/CRYSTAL FALLS — On June 1, the Michigan Department of Treasury issued a Notice Regarding Phased Reestablishment of Michigan’s Bottle Deposit Return Program.
Beginning Monday, June 15, some retailers must re-open their bottle return facilities and resume the collection of returnable beverage containers and refund of customer bottle deposits. This applies to retailers with bottle return facilities located at the front of the store or housed in a separate area and serviced exclusively by reverse vending machines requiring minimal or no person-to-person contact.
Retailers re-opening their bottle return facilities must ensure those facilities comply with all state-mandated safety protocols and restrictions, including the most recent state-mandated safeguards to protect workers.
In addition, retailers may take any or all of the following steps:
• Limit the number of beverage containers that may be returned by a single individual per day to a deposit refund amount of $25, pursuant to MCL 445.572(10).
• Establish special or limited hours of operation for bottle return facilities.
• Limit the number of available and operating reverse vending machines.
• Periodically close bottle deposit facilities as needed for cleaning and supply management.
• Implement such other procedures or restrictions as each retailer may determine are necessary or advisable to promote safety and/or efficiency.
During this initial phase, retailers must limit the volume of weekly returned beverage containers to no more than 140 percent of their average weekly collection volume for the period April and May 2019.
    Locally, Angeli’s, Crystal Fresh Market and Iron River Family Foods will all resume their bottle return operations on June 15.
    Store manager Jeff Ofsdahl said Angeli’s policy will be:
    1.    Starting Monday, June 15, the store will re-open the return machines from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., Monday through Sunday.
2.    On Monday, June 29, the store will return to normal bottle return hours, 7 a.m. to 7 p.m., Monday through Sunday.
3.    To minimize contact, Angeli’s will not accept any returnable containers that do not clear through its machines.
4.    To continue social distancing practices, Angeli’s will have 6-foot floor markers and ask that any returns be brought into the store through its Intermissions front door.
5.    In accordance with the Governor’s guidelines, the $25 daily family limit will remain in effect.
Crystal Fresh Market said it will accept bottle returns as previously - meaning a $20 limit.
“If the (reverse vending machines) are out of service or non-functional - we will not accept any returns not submitted through RVMs,” store director Zack Stuck said. “Try to socially distance where able and try to respect others as everyone has a lot of these returns.”
Family Foods will limit the return amount to the statutory $25 and will be open for returns on Sunday, Tuesday, and Wednesday from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m.
AA Family Foods president Alex Atanasoff said that in order to comply with the requirement that the store only accept 140 percent of average weekly returns and to ensure its employees can perform other needed duties, the reverse vending machine will only be open for returns on those days.
“Also, per the order, returns can only be processed through the reverse vending machine, and we will do our best to ensure that all eligible containers will be accepted by our machine,” Atanasoff said.
All beverage containers are required to be empty and washed with soap and water or they will not be accepted.
“This has been a long-standing statutory requirement that has rarely been enforced, but due to the situation, we will have to rigorously enforce this for the foreseeable future,” Atanasoff said.
One person at a time will be allowed in the return room, and due to that room’s location next to the only entrance/exit, Family Foods will establish a queue outside for those waiting their turn.
The collection of returnable beverage containers was suspended via Executive Order No. 2020-21, issued by Gov. Whitmer on March 23. The temporary suspension supported Michigan’s fight against the coronavirus by permitting grocery stores and other retailers to immediately shift employees from container collection and deposit redemption duties to other areas where they were more urgently needed, and to protect the health and safety of retailers, their employees, and all Michigan citizens.
Questions regarding the phase-in of the reestablished bottle return program can be directed to Treas_MiscTaxesFees@michigan.gov.

IRON RIVER — The first two presumptive positive COVID-19 cases have been reported in Iron County, according to the Dickinson-Iron District Health Department.
    Both cases involve adult males. The first case was reported by the DIDHD on June 1. The health department said the man was quarantined in accordance with current guidelines. At the time, those who were identified as close contacts were being notified. According to the DIDHD, the case appears to be of low risk to the community.
    The second case was reported on June 5 and is not related to the first case. The DIDHD is working on notifying those who may have been in close contact with the individual.
    A presumptive positive case means that the sample has tested positive for COVID-19 at a state or local laboratory but has not had that diagnosis confirmed by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The Dickinson-Iron District Health Department will not disclose additional information about either individual.
    COVID-19 symptoms may appear in as few as two days or as long as 14 days after exposure to the virus. Symptoms include cough, fever/chills, sore throat, shortness of breath, unusual headache, nausea or vomiting, extreme fatigue, and loss of smell and/or taste.
    To prevent the spread of COVID-19, people should wash their hands, stay home when sick, avoid close contact with sick people, and disinfect commonly touched surfaces. People are encouraged to social distance when possible or consider wearing a facemask.
    For more information, see www.didhd.org, www.michigan.gov/coronavirus and www.cdc.gov/COVID19.

IRON RIVER — West Iron County High School will hold its class of 2020 graduation ceremony on Friday, June 12, beginning at 6 p.m. at Nelson Field.
     The ceremony will be held rain or shine.
     WIC high school principal Mike Berutti said that within the guidelines set by the state in regard to social distancing, every graduate’s family will be designated a bench with a number or letter, which was included in a letter mailed to graduating students and their parents. Families will sit in the center two sections of the grandstands. The family bench will comfortably fit eight to 12 people.  
Any family or friends that do not fit in that family section can sit in the outer section of the grandstands or on the hillside. Feel free to bring lawn chairs. Social distancing must be maintained.
A mandatory graduation practice was to be held on Tuesday, June 9 at 11 a.m., with a rain date of Thursday, June 11 at 1 p.m.  
“This has been a strange time for everyone,” Berutti said in the letter. “We look forward to finally having closure to the end of this school year.”

The much-anticipated graduation ceremony for the Forest Park High School class of 2020 was held on June 4 at Dick Mettlach Field, reportedly the first outdoor graduation at Forest Park since 1982. With social distancing requirements and other COVID-19 restrictions, the ceremony had been postponed from May 24. But the restrictions have eased since and the FP School District was able to put together a ceremony celebrating this year’s graduates. One of the adaptations was to position the students in the bleachers at about 6 feet apart. Familes and friends sat on chairs on the football field in “pods.”

UPPER PENINSULA — Aspirus has announced updates to its visitor guidelines in its hospitals and outpatient centers in the Upper Peninsula.
    The following guidelines now apply at Aspirus’ hospitals and clinics (inpatient and outpatient areas):
• Michigan hospitals have limited visiting hours from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. daily.
• Adult patients may receive one visitor, age 18 or older, per day. Exceptions may be made for terminal patients.
• Pediatric hospital patients may have two adult support visitors at a time.
• Labor and delivery patients will follow the same guidelines as above. Allowing a partner as well as a doula/midwife to remain present with a laboring mother. No more than two siblings allowed to visit for a maximum of 30 minutes each day.
In hospital emergency rooms:
• Adult patients may have one support person over 18 years of age.
• Pediatric patients may be accompanied by two adults.
In outpatient clinics:
• Adult patients may be accompanied by one person over the age of 12.
• Partner or doula/midwife may accompany an expecting mother to prenatal appointments.
• Patients at outpatient cancer infusion centers may be accompanied by one person 18 or over.
Note that existing visitor guidelines remain in place at Aspirus nursing homes and assisted living facilities. Family members with special circumstances are encouraged to call the location to discuss.
Additional Measures
Aspirus continues to take the following COVID-19 safety measures:
• Screening visitors for symptoms and fever at all designated entry points.
• Requiring visitors to wear a cloth cover or facemask while in the facility, perform frequent hand hygiene, and restrict their visit to the patient’s room or other designated area.
• Observing social distancing guidelines.
• Preventing visits by those diagnosed with COVID-19 within 14 days.
• Preventing visitors for adult patients being treated for COVID-19.
• Visitors who are currently experiencing or recently experienced any acute respiratory symptoms such as cough, or shortness of breath within the past 14 days are not permitted
As a basic safety measure, all visitors to Aspirus care facilities will be screened for fever and symptoms prior to entering and will be required to wear a mask or face covering at all times.
“We continue to monitor COVID-19 and ensure that we are doing our part to make sure all safety measures are taken for our patients, staff, and community,” said Grace Tousignant, Aspirus Upper Peninsula Chief Nursing Officer and Vice President of Patient Care Services. “Our efforts, along with guidance from local and state governments, and the support of our communities have helped reduce the spread of COVID-19. Aspirus is now relaxing visitor guidelines because we know a visitor may be all a sick patient needs to feel better.”
For more about service and department guidelines, or visitor hours, call your local Aspirus care site.

IRON RIVER—The position of city manager can often be a short-term gig. Research analysis on the average tenure of city managers differs but many studies point to approximately five to seven years.
    Certainly, the job is loaded with conflict. Complaints from residents and public accusations are commonplace as city managers often face the ire of frustrated constituents.
    And then there’s the job itself – one loaded with heavy responsibility and many times one contending with shrinking municipal resources.
    In the midst of all of this, in the normal course of a city manager’s tenure, the city council which hired him or her in the first place often changes with each election cycle. The board members that initially hired the individual and have a stake in how well that person performs are replaced by new members who don’t have that connection.
    David Thayer had been the city manager in Iron River for 4½ years before he abruptly resigned at the conclusion of a city council meeting on May 27.
    Yes, the Iron River City Council that hired him, including former mayor Terry Tarsi, have all moved on. But when Thayer was asked during an interview with the Reporter what the reason was for his departure, he centered on a dispute mainly with Mayor Dennis Powell and mostly involving the Department of Public Works.
    Note: Powell declined to comment for this story. In his explanation for turning down the request, Powell said, “there’s already been too much talk” and that Thayer “decided to go another way and that’s about it.”

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The class of COVID? It has a certain attractive alliteration to it, but the West Iron County class of 2020 is far more than that. And those qualities were celebrated at the commencement ceremony on a sunny Friday evening on June 12 at Nelson Field.

LANSING — On June 17, Gov. Gretchen Whitmer announced that Michigan schools may resume in-person learning in Phase 4 of the MI Safe Start plan, with strict safety measures in place.
The governor also announced that on June 30, she will release an executive order and a robust document called “Michigan’s Return to School Roadmap” that will provide details on what will be required and what will be recommended for schools. The governor also highlighted the need for support and flexibility from the federal government to help ensure resources for students and educators.
     “Our students and educators have made incredible sacrifices these past few months to protect themselves and their families from the spread of COVID-19,” Gov. Whitmer said. “Thanks to our aggressive action against this virus, those who have done their part to flatten the curve, and the heroes on the front lines, I am optimistic that we will return to in-person learning in the fall. Schools must make sure to enact strict safety measures to continue protecting educators, students, and their families. I will continue working closely with the Return to Learn Advisory Council and leaders in health care to ensure we get this right, but we also need more flexibility and support from the federal government. This crisis has had serious implications on our budget, and we need federal support if we’re going to get this right for our kids.”
     “The most important thing we can do when developing a return to school plan is closely examine the data and remain vigilant in our steps to fight this virus,” said MDHHS Chief Deputy for Health and Chief Medical Executive Dr. Joneigh Khaldun. “I will continue to work closely with Gov. Whitmer and the Return to Learn Advisory Council to ensure we continue to put the health and safety of our students and educators first. This is a big step, and we will remain flexible to protect everyone who steps foot in a Michigan school.”
     The Return to School plan will align closely with the MI Safe Start Plan. The governor will consider the six phases of the MI Safe Start Plan and the Michigan Economic Recover Council’s eight regions of the state to determine when, where, and how face-to-face instruction can resume. Districts, students, staff, and families must be nimble and be prepared to move backwards if there is evidence of community spread of the virus.
     The roadmap will set the minimum health and safety requirements, although districts may choose to enact more aggressive ones in consultation with local public health officials. These minimum requirements will apply to all schools, including traditional public, charter, private, and parochial schools.
     “Our number one goal on this advisory council is the health and safety of our students and educators,” said Tonya Allen, president and CEO of the Skillman Foundation and Chair of the Return to Learn Advisory Council. “We will remain vigilant and flexible and closely examine the data as we continue to make recommendations to the governor. This is a crisis unlike any we’ve seen before, and we are committed working closely together to ensure we get this right.”
     On May 15, Gov. Whitmer signed Executive Order No. 2020-88 creating the COVID-19 Return to School Advisory Council. The Advisory Council was created to identify the critical issues that must be addressed, provide valuable input to inform the process of returning to school, and to ensure a smooth and safe transition back to school. The council will act in an advisory capacity to the governor and the COVID-19 Task Force on Education, and will develop and submit recommendations to the COVID-19 Task Force on Education regarding the safe, equitable, and efficient K-12 return to school in the fall.
     On June 3, the governor announced a group of 25 leaders in health care and education to serve on the COVID-19 Return to Learn Advisory Council. The council is chaired by Allen, and includes community members, educators, parents, and students who will work closely with the governor as she continues to put the health and safety of students and educators first.

IRON RIVER — The active cases of COVID-19 in Iron County have risen to four, according to the Dickinson-Iron District Health Department.
    On its Facebook page, the DIDHD reported the third case on June 15 and the fourth case on June 18. No other details were released on either case.
    COVID-19 symptoms may appear in as few as two days or as long as 14 days after exposure to the virus. Symptoms include cough, fever/chills, sore throat, shortness of breath, unusual headache, nausea or vomiting, extreme fatigue, and loss of smell and/or taste.
    To prevent the spread of COVID-19, people should wash their hands, stay home when sick, avoid close contact with sick people, and disinfect commonly touched surfaces. People are encouraged to social distance when possible or consider wearing a facemask.
    For more information, see www.didhd.org, www.michigan.gov/coronavirus and www.cdc.gov/COVID19.

IRON RIVER — On March 11, Gov. Gretchen Whitmer ordered the closure of Michigan’s public, private and boarding schools as she declared a state of emergency to try to limit the spread of the COVID-19 virus in the state.
    Meanwhile at his home in Ann Arbor, Toby Brzoznowski, a former Iron River resident and co-founder and current chief strategy officer of the software company LLamasoft, pondered what was going to become of his seventh-grade daughter Ava’s education for the rest of the school year.
    As it turned out, nothing drastic happened to Ava’s education at her private school at all.
    “She didn’t miss a beat,” Brzoznowski said during an interview when he visited Iron River and spoke at the West Iron County High School class of 2020 graduation on June 12. “She had classes every day online from 8:30 to 2:30 and every teacher and all of the students were online doing classes.”
    Meanwhile back in the school district Brzoznowski graduated from 32 years ago, West Iron County administrators and teachers scrambled to develop a plan to address their students’ educational needs as it became clear that in-person education for the remaining 2 ½ months of the academic year was likely going to be cancelled.
    Clearly, the technological resources available at a private school in Ann Arbor differed widely from a small rural public school in the U.P. The students at Ava’s school could just pick up where they left off. Not so much with a sizable portion of West Iron County students.
    “We figured that 88 percent of the students had internet access, but that does not mean they have a device beside their phone,” WIC middle school/high school principal Mike Berutti explained. “So, some of the kids have a phone, but to do some of the schoolwork was difficult.”
    So the teachers assembled homework for the week and sent it to their students – some directly through online distance learning and others with Berutti hand-delivering homework packets to the homes.
    “We found a hole in our system,” superintendent Chris Thomson said. “Mike’s up there packing manilla folders with homework because some kids just did not have the connectivity, their phone was not useful.”
    In recent months, Thomson had held discussions with Brzoznowski, who has done significant behind-the-scenes charitable work with the district in recent years.
    Well this spring, circumstances and opportunity met need. With the difference between his daughter’s experience in Ann Arbor and students’ experience in his hometown in mind, Brzoznowski decided to offer an enormous two-part donation to West Iron.
    Brzoznowki and his wife Kathy opted to donate $1 million to the Foundation for Educational Opportunities at West Iron County Schools - $500,000 for scholarships and $500,000 as a technology endowment.
    Brzoznowski explained the thinking behind both parts of the gift in a prepared statement.

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More than 125 people gathered at Fortune Lake Lutheran Camp for an anti-racism prayer vigil on Sunday, June 14. The service lasted just over an hour and included “Listening to Black Voices,” a selection of prayers and poetry authored by black artists and activists to amplify those most impacted by the current crisis. The service also included a group reading of more than 100 names of black people who have recently lost their lives to racial violence, and 8 minutes and 46 seconds of silence in honor of George Floyd, who died on a street in Minneapolis after a police officer kneeled on his neck for that amount of time. The vigil was organized by a group of local leaders and clergy. The family-friendly event practiced social distancing and masks were encouraged. Planning has begun for additional events. Anyone interested in participating can request information at tinyurl.com/ironcountyvigil. (submitted photo)

LANSING — Overcoming the COVID-19 public health crisis means taking meaningful steps to protect the state’s students and schools from vaccine preventable diseases.  That’s why, on June 23, patient, physician, nurse and health care leaders from across Michigan celebrated the introduction of bipartisan Senate Bills 979-981, the Safe Schools - Healthy Students Act - to ensure an accurate record of immunization status be extended to high school students the way state law already requires for students entering kindergarten and seventh grade.
State law now requires parents provide proof of vaccinations before entering kindergarten, seventh grade, or before entering a school for the first time.
The Safe Schools – Healthy Students Act requires parents or students to provide a certificate of immunization in 12th grade, too.  The bill also directs the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services to reference the immunizations recommended by the CDC Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices to better protect students and improve herd immunity to deadly, preventable diseases.

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IRON RIVER — With the implementation of the Governmental Accounting Standards Board (GASB) Statement No. 84 Fiduciary Activities (GASB 84) last summer, school districts have been working through the issues involved in that transition process.
    According to the law firm Miller Canfield, one of those issues involves the various student- and student-related activity funds held in a bank maintained by the school district. Examples of these activities include PTA/PTOs, boosters, class gifts, clubs and other student- and school-related activities. GASB 84 is also applicable to scholarship funds.
The objective of GASB 84 is to improve the guidance regarding the identification and reporting by state and local governments of their fiduciary activities. Under GASB 84, once a fiduciary activity is identified, it is required to be reported in one of four described fiduciary funds, only two of which (the private purpose trust fund and the custodial fund) are applicable to school districts. These fiduciary funds will be subject to the new accounting and reporting requirements under GASB 84.
    At a special meeting of the West Iron County School Board on June 12, the district voted to move its scholarship investment funds to the Foundation for Educational Opportunities at West Iron County Schools.

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IRON RIVER/KINGSFORD — At one point about four months into the COVID-19 pandemic, Iron County remained one of just a couple of counties in the state without even a confirmed case, let alone a COVID- related death.
    That has all changed. The Dickinson-Iron District Health Department reported that it was notified of the first death of an Iron County resident on June 27. (No other information about the individual was or will be released, the DIDHD said.)
    The first two presumptive cases of COVID-19 in Iron County were reported by the the health department on June 1. A third case was reported on June 15, a fourth on June 18 and the fifth was reported on June 25.
    There have been scant details reported by the health department on these cases. After the DIDHD posted the announcement of the fifth case on Facebook and before the first death was reported, the Reporter requested more information on the Iron County cases.
    DIDHD health officer Daren Deyaert responded, saying that the “majority” of the Iron County cases were travel related.
“This is both residents visiting destinations outside the county and returning and people from out of county visiting,” Deyaert said. “People must understand that just because travel is allowed, it comes with the risk to both them and their community. People must adhere to the social distancing, wearing of a face covering, and self-quarantine for the 14-day period if they must travel outside the area. If we want to keep COVID-19 out of our community, everyone needs to do their part.”
    Deyaert also responded to why there has been little information on specific cases released by the department.
    “I understand people are wanting answers to what is going on with the COVID-19 cases within their communities,” he said. “As with several of our programs, we are very limited on what information we can legally release. All cases and close contacts are being monitored and given instructions by health department staff on a daily basis.”
According to mich.gov, as of June 28 there were 152 cases of Coronavirus-19 in the U.P. with 18 deaths. Marquette had the most in both categories – 64 cases and 11 deaths (see chart).
As of Monday, June 29, the state of Michigan had almost 65,000 with 6,158 deaths, while the United States had over 2.5 million cases with almost 128,000 deaths.
Globally, there have been more than 10 million cases with approximately 500,000 deaths.
    The first reported COVID-19 death was in China on Jan. 11, 2020.

COVID IN U.P. (as of June 28; source mich.gov)
County    Cases    Deaths
Alger    2    0
Baraga    4    0
Chippewa    4    0
Delta    18    3
Dickinson    6    2
Gogebic    7    1
Houghton    11    0
Iron    5    1
Keweenaw    1    0
Luce    3    0
Mackinac    8    0
Marquette    64    11
Menominee    15    0
Ontonagon    0    0
Schoolcraft    4    0
Totals    152    18

Bill Kramer and his trusty watchdog Jack ventured onto Stanley Lake for some quality time together on Father’s Day, which included a bit of fishing.

CRYSTAL FALLS — The Iron County Medical Care Facility has reported a confirmed positive COVID-19 test for one of its employees.
“The Iron County Medical Care Facility has had one employee tested and confirmed positive for COVID-19,” said Lindsey Anderson of ICMCF/Victorian Heights in a news release on July 2. “It is thought that this employee has not worked since being exposed. The facility has reported the positive employee case to all appropriate agencies. We are implementing weekly testing of all residents and staff.  Please be assured we are doing our best to keep residents, tenants, and staff safe.”
The Dickinson-Iron District Health Department had reported five positive COVID-19 cases in Iron County with one death as of July 2. Later in the week, the health department reported a sixth case in Iron County, which is the case at the Iron County Medical Care Facility.

IRON RIVER — On June 30, Gov. Gretchen Whitmer released the MI Safe Schools 2020-21 Return to School Roadmap. It just so happened that the same day, the West Iron County School Board held its regular monthly meeting.
    So of course, the roadmap was a prime topic of discussion. Superintendent Chris Thomson began by noting that the school board is required to approve the district’s preparedness plan by Aug. 15. Two days later, the Dickinson-Iron Intermediate School Districts must collect all plans within the intermediate district and transmit to the state superintendent of public instruction and to the state treasurer.
    The 2020-21 West Iron County school year begins on Tuesday, Aug. 25.
    In the meantime, the district and its teachers and staff need to develop a plan that aligns with the principles in the 63-page roadmap issued by Whitmer.
    Easier said than done.
    “I’ve already talked to the superintendents in the ISD and we all want a couple of days to read it,” Thomson said at the June 30 meeting. We have already planned a meeting for (Tuesday, July 7) in which we’re all going to get on the same page.”
    The Return to School Roadmap lists categories the school district must address, including such areas as personal protective equipment, hygiene, spacing, mo

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Iron River’s KFC family gathered recently in their former restaurant. Pictured, from left, are Kerry Rivard, Rene Carlson, Dianne Jacob, Ron Carlson and Richelle Jochem.

IRON RIVER — Ron and Rene Carlson, the former owners of KFC in Iron River, did not ease into retirement. Instead, their last weeks of operating a franchise that had been in Rene’s family for nearly six decades were busier than ever.
As public safety restrictions put in place in response to the novel coronavirus pandemic shut down in-house dining, patrons flocked to take-out and drive-through. KFC presented one of the few local options for a quick meal that could serve an entire family. Gone were the days of finger food for dine-in, as customers opted instead for one, two and even three buckets of chicken - all of which was deboned and breaded in-house
“People would drive up and start ordering, and then they’d keep ordering and keep ordering and keep ordering and they wouldn’t stop,” said Rene from a corner booth in the now-shuttered restaurant, as she grabbed her phone to pull up a picture of a line of 10 or so cars extending beyond the alley and into the next street over.
Ron and Rene slowed the order process down to prevent a bottleneck at pick-up and said patrons were patient as the couple and their staff navigated such an influx of drive-through business.
“Nobody complained that they had to wait,” Rene said. “People knew it was moving, and we ended up with a good system in the end.”
Sometime in early May, Ron and Rene started informing their regular customers of their retirement and the restaurant’s impending closure.
“A lot of them were sad, even now when we see them today,” said Ron. “A lot of customers have been with us, you know, forever.”
“We had wonderful customers all throughout the years.” Rene added. “I am definitely going to miss them; I already do. I see them downtown and I say, ‘Do you miss your Chicken Littles?’”

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IRON RIVER — The Iron River City Council’s first regular meeting after the resignation of former city manager David Thayer was held on June 17. The agenda was voluminous, featuring 16 items for the board to consider before additional amendment.
    In her report, interim city manager Rachel Andreski announced that the property encompassing Joe’s Tavern – at 821 to 823 West Cayuga – was sold, and that City Attorney Mark Tousignant and Mayor Dennis Powell had completed the necessary paperwork for that sale. The structures there are scheduled for demolition, which must be carried out by Sept. 5.
    Andreski continued by stating that she had also been in contact with Craig Richardson of GEI Consultants concerning work the city is planning along McKinley Street from Iris Street up to Grace Covenant Church. The work inquiry for McKinley involves both GEI, and General Concrete of Iron River. GEI’s price for labor and materials for road work provisionally came to $39,640 for the project. General Concrete would provide sidewalk work, with a total of $1,714 with an overall project cost of $41,354.
    The project clause on the work provides an assurance that the McKinley project would be completed by Oct. 2, 2020. The city council considered the project later in the meeting, and it unanimously supported its passage.
    In terms of new developments, Andreski said she supported Police Chief’s Curtis Bristol’s proposal for a zoning ordinance officer. In Bristol’s report, he said that the city needs a dedicated person on staff able to deal with blight complaints. He suggested a new role along those lines for someone who could work three days a week at five hours. The position could even be seasonal, through busy periods during May through September.
    Toward the end of her report, Andreski mentioned that City Treasurer Amanda Tukesbrey had completed the transfer of delinquent utilities to the tax roll and had begun preparing for tax collection, starting July 1. Andreski said that more than $76,000 had to be transferred to the tax roll, which she assumed was due to the coronavirus pandemic - revenue the city did not collect, although it could be collected later.
    She did say, however, that there were additional payments that could not be collected since the transfer occurred. Andreski then went on to state that a property in town, which has been vacant for some time, has been used of late as a location for squatters to occupy. As it pertained to the utility situation, she said that due to the current emergency, the city is required by law to provide water to the squat site. Andreski said that she was looking into possible utility relief to help deal with these pressures.
    It was also reported that the Apple Blossom Trail was in a state of disrepair at this time, with the spring thaw doing some damage his year. The trail was blocked off, but Andreski noted that people were continuing to use the trail regardless. She suggested redirecting some money meant for a sidewalk project near Stambaugh Hill – currently in a suspended state – to repair the trail.
    The board also approved budget amendments, following on from discussions held in previous Iron River meetings. The council also considered several capital improvements; the board tabled a double chip seal program but approved a crack sealing initiative. An emergency proposal was also proposed to address wear and tear in the city’s SCADA control system for the sewer and water systems, which the council approved.
    Finally, the Board of Review meeting has been moved to July 23.

KINGSFORD/IRON RIVER — The Dickinson-Iron District Health Department reported the seventh confirmed case of COVID-19 in Iron County and said the number of positive cases in Dickinson and Iron counties has increased significantly since July 1. (No additional information on the Iron County case was reported.)
    The health department reports that as of July 10, Iron County has four active cases and two recovered with one death, while Dickinson County has 10 active, four recovered and two deaths.
    Of the 10 new cases in the counties, six were from people who were asymptomatic, DIDHD said. Asymptomatic cases are a concern as people do not exhibit symptoms but can be spreading the disease without knowing.
 The Dickinson-Iron District Health Department advises the business community to remain vigilant by requiring their employees and the public to wear facial coverings and enforce social distancing requirements within their facilities. The Dickinson-Iron District Health Department said it has made available all necessary information to local businesses and residents regarding the importance of these preventative measures.
“It is now up to community leaders and residents to do their part for our community before COVID-19 cases overwhelm our local health care systems,” DIDHD health officer Daren Deyaert said in the news release.
Region 8, the Upper Peninsula, has been updated from a low-risk area to a medium risk area according to the MI Safe Start Map Dashboard that can be found at www.michigan.gov/coronavirus.  
“The Dickinson-Iron District Health Department cannot control this virus from being present in our community, only you can,” Deyaert said. “Please do your part by avoiding large gatherings, adhering to the social distancing requirements, wearing a facial covering and practicing good personal hygiene.”
Positive cases from Dickinson and Iron counties are posted every Monday, Wednesday and Friday on the DIDHD’s Facebook page.