News from City of Alma

City of Alma E-Newsletter

News That's Important for You!

May 2013

Tornado Siren Testing

The City will be testing the tornado sirens on Monday, May 6, 2013 at 1:05 p.m. The all clear siren will be sounded at 1:20 p.m. In the event of inclement weather, the testing will not be done.

If you have any questions, phone 463-8317.

City Commission Nominating Petitions

The City of Alma will have four seats open on the City Commission for the November 5, 2013 election.

Any qualified elector of the City of Alma is eligible to run for City Commission. Nominating petitions are available from the City Clerk at the Municipal Building. Anyone desiring to qualify as a candidate for the City Commission must file a nominating petition with the City Clerk signed by no less than 25 nor more than 50 registered electors of the City. Petitions must be filed by 4:00 p.m. on May 14, 2013.

In the event that nine or more candidates file petitions, a primary election will be held on August 6, 2013 to elect the eight candidates who will appear on the November 5th ballot.

Call Barb Gager at 463-8336 or email at bgager@ci.alma.mi.us for more information.

Receive community information instantly! Sign up at Nixle.com today! It's quick, easy and secure.

Receive up-to-date information affecting your neighborhood by e-mail & text message!

To Register

Go to www.nixle.com

Click "Sign Up Now!"
Create an account by choosing a User Name and Password
Enter an e-mail address and cell phone number where you would like to receive messages
Enter your address (or a nearby intersection)
Click "Sign Me Up"

To Customize

Log in at www.nixle.com
Click "Locations"
Click "Add New" to add addresses in your town or around the country. Do your relatives live out of the area? Keep track of what's happening near your loved ones and the places you work, live, or visit.
Click "Settings"
Select a location from the left-hand menu and subscribe to receive messages from each agency by checking the "Subscribe" option. Adjust which messages by priority level are sent to your e-mail and/or cell phone. Please note: you must opt-in to receive messages from your local community groups.

Shared Tree Planting Program

Residents interested in participating in the Shared Tree Planting Program contribute the cost of a tree (approximately $130) to be placed in their adjacent terrace. The City provides the labor and equipment to plant the tree and provides post planting care. Trees planted under the program are placed during the next available planting season. You may choose the type of tree you would like to be planted based upon criteria established by the City Forester. Interested residents should contact the City Forester at 463-8339.

Alma Spring Fling Weekend!

Don't forget about all the fun activities coming up this weekend, May 3-5, 2013.

There's something for everyone! Enjoy the Kid's Carnival Friday, Saturday & Sunday, the Child Advocacy 5K Event 2013 Saturday morning and the Spring Fling golf outing, also Saturday morning.

Follow this link for information a coupon for $3 off carnival rides.

Highland Festival & Games

The 46th Alma Highland Festival and Games will take place May 24, 25 & 26 on the Alma College Campus. This year's festival is sure to be a great time! On the schedule are the Saturday morning parade, Solo Piping & Drumming Championship, Choreography Dance Competitions, Athletic Events, Country Dancing, Entertainment Tent, Border Collie Exhibition, 5K Road Run/Walk, 10K Run, Kids Fun Run, Arts & Crafts Show, Clan Tents, Scottish Dinner & the 78th Fraser Concert.

The vending area provides visitors with the opportunity to buy a kilt, bagpipes and just about anything Scottish. The food vendors will be located outside the festival gates as well as the Arts & Crafts Fair. To get the most up to date information on the Festival including rain plan locations, follow the link to the Highland Festival website.

Road Race

The Alma Highland Festival Road Race is getting bigger each year, with this year's event expecting over 800 runners! Please note that the race course will include Superior St., the Fred Meijer Trail, and N. State Street. These streets will be closed to traffic beginning at approximately 8:30 Saturday morning. Check out the Highland Festival website for more information.

Highland Festival Road Closures

Check out the attached map to help you find the best route for all the activies on Saturday. Various roads will be closed Saturday morning due to the parade and road races.

Household Hazardous Waste Program

The City of Alma in conjunction with the City of St. Louis, conducts a Household Hazardous Waste Program. Residents

hazardous waste

may drop off unwanted items

such as batteries, paints, pesticides/herbicides and cleaning liquids. This year's collection dates are:

May 7: 8:00 am - 4:30 p.m.

May 8: 8:00 am - 7:30 p.m.

May 9: 8:00 am - 4:30 p.m.

Collection will take place at the Public Works Garage, 800 Washington Ave. Appointments are required and can be made by calling 463-8339.

Remember... Dispose of your prescription drugs safely. They are NOT accepted as part of the Household Hazardous Waste Program.

Fluorescent Bulb Collection for

Alma & St. Louis Businesses

The cities of Alma and St. Louis will also be providing their annual service for local businesses that coincides with our Household Hazardous Waste Program. This service will allow businesses a way to properly dispose of hazardous fluorescent bulbs (tubes only) at a minimal cost. Compact bulbs will not be accepted.

The program will be held on Monday, May 6, 2013 from 8:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. at the Public Works Garage, 800 Washington Ave. Appointments are required and can be made by calling 463-8339. The cost will be:

Tubes four feet or less - $1.00 per bulb

Tubes four to eight feet - $2.00 per bulb

Fluorescent bulbs contain toxic chemicals that can be a threat to people and the environment if improperly discarded. Let's all do our part. Please call to set up an appointment today.

Red Cross Blood Drives

Approximately 38% of the U.S. population is eligible to donate blood, but only eight percent of those eligible - or three percent of the general population - donate blood each year.

Please make an appointment to donate blood this month, so you can help the Red Cross meet the needs of patients in our community and across the nation.

Upcoming blood drives are:

Thursday, May 2: 10:00 a.m. - 3:45 p.m.

Firstbank, Alma

Tuesday, May 7: noon - 5:45 p.m.

Ithaca Community Center

Wednesday, May 15: 10:15 a.m. - 4:00 p.m.

Vestaburg High School

Wednesday, May 29: noon - 5:45 p.m.

St. Louis Church of Christ

Thursday, May 30: 11:00 a.m. - 4:45 p.m.

Pine Villa Apts, Alma

For more information or to schedule an appointment, please call

463-3209.

Free Compost and wood chips are available for self loading, free of charge, outside the yardwaste gates on Washington St., north of the Public Works Garage. Help yourself!

Spring Downtown Flower Planting Day is May 18th. Meet the KAB (Keep Alma Beautiful committee) at the Alma Chamber of Commerce building at 9:00 a.m.

Garage & Yard Sale Rules & Regulations

Peddlers & Solicitors must be registered with the City in order to solicit door to door. Call 463-8336 with questions.

Bailey2

Dog Rules to Remember: All dog owners walking their dog within the city limits must cleanup any dog feces left by their dogs. Dogs may not be allowed to run at large. Dogs may not howl or bark to the annoyance of others in the neighborhood.

Yard waste is 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.

Forward Us to Your Friends!

gossip

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.

Issue: 50