City of Alma E-Newsletter
March 2010
|
We can't move forward until you mail it back.
Later this month,
census forms will be delivered to every residence in the United States and
Puerto Rico. When you receive yours, just answer the 10 short questions and
then mail the form back in the postage-paid envelope provided. If you don't
mail the form back, you may receive a visit from a census taker who will ask
you the questions on the form. Any information you provide is protected
under federal law.
Any request for
census information from the Census Bureau will be clearly identified as coming
from the U.S. Census Bureau and as OFFICIAL BUSINESS of the United States. It
is a federal offense for anyone to pretend they represent the Census Bureau.
(Information taken
from the U.S. Census Bureau website.)
Friday Night at the Movies at Alma Public Library
The fun continues into the month of March. This
month's movies include:
3/5 - Little Women3/12 - From Here to Eternity
3/19 - Bridge Over the River Kwai
3/26 - Cheaper By the Dozen
The program starts at 7:00 p.m. in the Alma Public Library, with free admission. Snacks are available during the presentation for a nominal fee. Stop in and spend a Friday evening at the cinema with a group of "Friends".
Sponsored by "The Friends of the Alma Public Library"
Dedication of General Ralph Ely Portrait
The Alma Public Library will be hosting a wine and cheese reception on Sunday, March 7, 2010 from 2 - 4 p.m. for the unveiling of the restored portrait of General Ralph Ely. General Ely was the founder of Elyton, which morphed into the present day Alma during the late 1850's. The program will also include a discussion on General Ely by local historian David McMacken.
Plans for the second phase of the "Ely Project" which focuses on the restoration of the General's Civil War sword and scabbard will also be discussed. Donations will be accepted to help fund the project.
The Library Board and staff would like to thank "The Friends of the Alma Public Library" for sponsoring this event and the portrait restoration.
Please plan to attend and enjoy the event.
Dial-A-Ride Open House
The Alma Transportation Department will be celebrating its 35th anniversary and grand opening of th eir new facility on Willow Run Drive on Wednesday, March 31, 2010 from 3 - 7 p.m. Games, prizes and food will be part of the festivities. Please come and tour the new facility and have some fun. If you need a ride, free transportation will be provided to and from the event. Just call 463-6016 and schedule a pickup. |
|
At the February 9th City Commission meeting, two ordinances related to parking fines were introduced. The parking fine structure has not been changed since 1993 and as such, staff recommends the increases. Ordinance #722 sets the new violation fine structure.
Also introduced was Ordinance #721 which states that any person who violates the parking ordinance is subject to parking fines. If the fine is unpaid within 10 days of the notice, then the fine will be doubled. Any vehicle whose registered owner is the subject of 5 or more unpaid parking tickets shall be subject to impound. The vehicle shall not be released to its owner until all fines and costs of impound are paid.
Final action on these ordinances will take place at the March 9th City Commission meeting. The ordinances will go into effect on March 24, 2010. If you have any questions or comments on these ordinances, please contact us.
As always, complete copies of City Commission minutes are available on the City's website. |
Yard Waste Program Begins
It's hard to believe, but spring is coming....we promise! Exactly when we won't try to predict, but in anticipation of its arrival, the City of Alma will begin its yard waste program on April 5, 2010.
Yard waste will be collected on your regular trash collection day and must be in paper bags, cardboard boxes and/or trash containers marked "yard waste". Tree limbs should be placed in piles, not bundled, with all stems lying in the same direction. To get the complete info on the yard waste program, follow this link.
Remember...THINK SPRING!! |
|
2010 Board of Review
The Assessing Department will soon be sending out property assessment notices to residents of the City of Alma. With that in mind, the Board of Review will hear property tax appeals at City Hall on the following days:
Appointment only:
Tuesday - 3/16 - 9:00 a.m. to noon,
1:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m.
Wednesday - 3/17 - 9:00 a.m. to noon
1:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m.
Open session:
Wednesday - 3/17 - 7:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m.
Thursday - 3/18 - 9:00 a.m. to noon
Call 463-8356 for an appointment. |
|
Alma Action Association
Plans Spring Events
 Spring is coming and along with that brings some special events planned by the Alma Action Association. The 3rd Annual Alma Tartan Spring Fling will be held on Saturday, April 17 in downtown Alma. Activities include a pet parade and short bread baking contest. The Spring Fling Golf Outing will be held on Saturday, May 1 at the Pine River Country Club. If you are interested in golfing or sponsoring a hole, please contact Aeric Ripley at 463-8336 or by email.More information will be available in next month's newsletter. |
 "Going Places in Michigan with Leonard Gas"CMU's Clarke Historical Library is currently hosting an exhibit on Alma's Leonard Refinery. The program provides a history of the local legend and a video tribute to the company's travel promotion "Michigan Outdoors".
Leonard's history began with "J. Walter Leonard, a young man whose father was a Pennsylvania oil man who was active in oil exploration and development across the nation. The sudden death of one of his father's partners in a Michigan project jeopardized the family interests, and J. Walter was asked to come to the state to ensure the success of the endangered investment. When he arrived, Leonard sensed an opportunity. He bought the drilling rigs his father had sent to Michigan and drilled the wells himself. In 1935 one well, drilled by J. Walter Leonard, The Durban #1 in Montcalm County, opened the very successful Crystal Field. At a time when production in the state amounted to about 37,000 barrels of oil a day, Leonard's Durban #1 discovery well daily produced an astounding daily figure of 3,594 barrels of oil. J. Walter Leonard suddenly had more oil than he could market. He needed a refinery to process it." And as they say, "the rest is history"! (Information taken from Clarke
Historical Library website)
The exhibit will run until August. Viewing hours are Monday through Friday from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. For information on Saturday viewings call the library at 989-774-3352.
To get more information on this interesting exhibit, just follow the link. Thank you Clarke Historical Library for this fine exhibit! |
St. Patrick's Day Trivia
With St. Paddy's day fast approaching, we hope you can use the following trivia to amaze your friends!
- Irish brigands kidnapped St. Patrick at 16 and brought him to Ireland. He was sold as a slave in the county of Antrim and served in bondage for six years until he escaped to Gaul, in present-day France. He later returned to his parents' home in Britain, where he had a vision that he would preach to the Irish. After 14 years of study, Patrick returned to Ireland, where he built churches and spread the Christian faith for some 30 years.
 St. Patrick's Day marks the Roman Catholic feast day for Ireland's patron saint, who died in the 5th century. St. Patrick was not born in Ireland, but in Britain.
- Many myths surround St. Patrick. One of the best known-and most inaccurate-is that Patrick drove all the snakes from Ireland into the Irish Sea, where the serpents drowned. (Some still say that is why the sea is so rough.) But snakes have never been native to the Emerald Isle. The serpents were likely a metaphor for druidic religions, which steadily disappeared from Ireland in the centuries after St. Patrick planted the seeds of Christianity on the island.
- In the United States, it's customary to wear green on St. Patrick's Day. But in Ireland the color was long considered to be unlucky, says Bridget Haggerty, author of The Traditional Irish Wedding and the Irish Culture and Customs Web site. As Haggerty explains, Irish folklore holds that green is the favorite color of the Good People (the proper name for faeries). They are likely to steal people, especially children, who wear too much of the color.
- Colonial New York City hosted the first official St. Patrick's Day parade in 1762, when Irish immigrants in the British colonial army marched down city streets. In subsequent years Irish fraternal organizations also held processions to St. Patrick's Cathedral. The various groups merged sometime around 1850 to form a single, grand parade.
 Today New York's St. Patrick's Day parade is the longest running civilian parade in the world. Nearly three million spectators watch the spectacle and some 150,000 participants march.
- Ireland is about 300 miles (480 kilometers) long and 200 miles (320 kilometers) wide. Those facts, along with other features, led Swedish geographer Ulf Erlingsson to recently conclude that the Atlantic Ocean island is the same one identified by ancient Greek philosopher Plato as Atlantis in his famous dialogues Timaeus and Critias.
(Information taken from National Geographic News) | |
Daylight Savings Time Begins
Remember to set your clocks one hour ahead before you go to bed on Saturday, March 13 and to change the batteries in your smoke detectors!
On-street Parking Ban Ends April 1
Residents will be able to park on the street overnight beginning April 1, 2010.
 Forward Us to Your Friends!
If you know of someone who may be interested in receiving our e-newsletters, please forward this copy to them or tell them about us. Anyone interested can join our mailing list by following this link.
| |
|
|
|
|
City of Alma offices/services closings:
Good Friday:
4/02/10
Memorial Day:
5/31/10
July 4th:
7/5/10
Labor Day:
9/6/10
Thanksgiving:
11/25/10
11/26/10
Christmas:
12/23/10
12/24/10 |
|
City of Alma Officials:
Mayor
Vice-Mayor
Commissioner
Commissioner
Commissioner
Commissioner
City Manager
Asst. City Manager/ DDA Director
Public Safety Director
Public Services Director
City Clerk
City Assessor
Assistant
Building/Zoning/Code Enforcement Director
Finance Director
Transportation Services Director
Library Director
Controller |
|
City of Alma Telephone Numbers:
City Manager
463-8336
City Clerk
463-8336
City Assessor
463-8356
City Treasurer
463-8346
City Engineer
463-8346
Building/Zoning
463-8356
Downtown Development Authority
463-8336
Public Safety
463-8317
Fire (business)
463-8359
Public Services
463-8346
Municipal Garage
463-8339
Cemetery
463-8901
Forestry
463-8901
Library
463-3966
DART
463-6016
Water
463-8349
Wastewater
463-6506
Public Access
463-5883
Housing Commission
463-4200
| |
