News from City of Alma

City of Alma E-Newsletter

News That's Important for You!
January 2013

City of Alma Goal Setting Session

The City Commission will be hosting a goal setting session on Tuesday, January 15, 2013 at 6:00 p.m. at the Alma Public Library. The Commission and staff will be discussing and setting priorities for consideration during the upcoming FY 2014 budget preparation. Citizens are encouraged to attend and provide input during this important goal setting session.

Construction Updates

Storm Water Diversion Project

Fall Update

The construction portion of the program has been delayed for the winter season and will resume in spring of 2013. If you have a contract with one of the approved contractors (Perimeter or L & H Plumbing) no further action needs to be taken, except you will need to schedule a date in the spring to get your work completed.

However, homeowners that have contracted with Landscape Construction will need to contact one of the other two contractors to perform their work as Landscape Construction is no longer an approved contractor with the City of Alma Storm Water Diversion Project. Homeowners that had previous contracts with Landscape will still receive funding for their upcoming work, but will now need to choose either Perimeter or L & H Plumbing. The approved contractors will still be available to continue home inspections and provide quotes over the winter months. Home owners are strongly encouraged to have either of the approved contractors perform an inspection, provide a quote, and sign a contract during the winter months in order to schedule spring construction.

If you live in the Storm Water Diversion Program district and wish to participate, but have not already signed a contract with either of the approved contractors, you should do so by May 1, 2013 so that you do not risk losing the funding that is available through the program.

Remember, the contractor that you select to complete the work is under contract with the property owner, not the City of Alma. City staff will assist property owners with the process if requested and will be available to answer questions at (989) 463-8346.

Street Reconstruction Update

Street survey data collection will soon begin for the 2013 Street Reconstruction Program. Streets to be re-built next summer will be Hill, McCann, and S. Court from Ely to McCann. All three streets will receive concrete curb and gutter, storm sewer improvements, and will have their respective sanitary sewer mains replaced. S. Court and McCann Street will also have their water mains replaced. Design work will take place over the winter months with construction estimated to be sometime during the summer of 2013.

back to school DART Back-to-School Specials

DART Transportation will be offering back-to-school special from December 20 - January 4. Get your ticket books for $9 w/coupon or $10 w/o coupon. Semester passes for rides until the end of the school year are available for $135 (a savings of 25%). Stop by the office at 1105 Willow Run or call 463-6016 for more info. We now accept credit/debit cards for your convenience.

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Get To Know

Your Public Safety Department

In an effort to inform the community of the exceptional caliber of people within the Alma Department of Public Safety, we will be publishing short biographies of our employees in the city's newsletter. Our hope is that the community takes this time to learn a little about the fine men and women that help keep our city safe. This installment focuses on two of our police officers.

Officer Thomas Burns, Police Department. Officer Burns earned his Associates Degree in Criminal Justice from Delta College in 1996 and attended Northeastern Michigan Policy Academy in 1997. He has over 15 years of police experience, approximately 3.5 years of which have been in Alma. Officer Burns has been trained as a bike patrol officer, defense and pursuit driving instructor, field training officer, and motorcycle officer. Officer Burns chose to become a police officer to serve and protect citizens, and enjoys that the job is always different. When asked about his experience as an officer, he noted that he has "met many good friends in this profession" that are "like brothers/sisters." Officer Burns has one daughter. Contact Officer Burns at tburns@ci.alma.mi.us.

Officer Anthony Foote, Police Department. Officer Foote has been with the Alma Police Department for a little over eight years. As a sophomore at Shepherd High School, he attended a career day and was inspired by Bruce Borkovich of the DNR. Officer Foote also points to retired Mt. Pleasant Police Sergeant Doug LaLone as an influence growing up. Officer Foote would go on to earn a Bachelor of Science in Criminal Justice from Ferris State University in 2004. He has received specialized training to be a bike patrol officer, Taser instructor, and G.A.G.E. instructor. Contact Officer Foote at afoote@ci.alma.mi.us.

American Red Cross Blood Drive

Let's add "Save A Life" to your New Year's resolutions.

Upcoming blood drives are:

Tuesday, January 8: noon - 5:45 p.m.

Ithaca Community Center

Thursday, January 17: 1:00 - 6:45 p.m.

Lincoln Rd. United Methodist Church

Monday, January 21: 11:00 a.m. - 4:45 p.m.

Alma College Stone Rec Center

Tuesday, January 22: noon - 5:45 p.m.

St. Louis Church of God

Saturday, January 26: 10:00 a.m. - 3:45 p.m.

Newark Countryside Christian School

For more informatin or to schedule an appointment, please call 463-3209.

Christmas Tree Pick Up

The City of Alma annual Christmas tree pickup program will begin the week of January 14th. Residents should have their tree by the curb with all hardware and bags removed. Trees will be picked up on your regular trash collection day. If you have any questions, please call 463-8336.

snowplow Snow and Ice Control Plan

The City of Alma has a snow and ice control plan in place which designates snow plowing priorities during a winter storm. The plan specifies which facilities and streets will be cleared and the priority in which snow and ice will be removed. Please follow the link to read the plan in its entirety.

Taxes Due February 14th

Property owners are reminded that property taxes are due by 5:00 p.m., Tuesday, February 14, 2012. Taxes paid after February 14th will be subject to a 4% penalty.

Remember to Shovel Your Sidewalks and

Clear Snow and Ice from Fire Hydrants

Now that winter has arrived, we remind everyone that you are required by City Ordinance to keep sidewalks free and clear of snow and ice. Also, if you have a fire hydrant on your property, please keep it clear of snow and ice so that it is easily accessible in case of an emergency. If you have questions, call 463-8356.

We Accept Credit/Debit Cards

The City of Alma is now able to accept your credit/debit cards for payment of your water bills, invoices, park reservations, parking tickets, police reports, DART tickets, library transactions and other services. We cannot accept credit/debit cards for taxes, but you may pay your taxes and water bills using credit/debit cards on our website. Also remember we still have bank drafting for your water bills.

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Issue: 46

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