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Muck

‘EVERYBODY HATES US’ ROCKERS C...

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“It is taking over our lake. It’s taking over our lives,” Zinner added. Soon, it might be the muck that needs to change.

The Macomb County Department of Public Works has entered into a partnership with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to study Lyngbya. Taking place over two years, the study will consist of taking field samples of Lyngbya, identifying and studying Lyngbya hotspots around Lake St. Clair, and developing a management plan to control the spread and growth of the algae. The partnership will cost $400,000 over the two years, with the Macomb County Board of Commissioners committing half of the funds as part of a recent allocation to the Lake St. Clair Clean Water Initiative drainage board.

Despite being in the lake for a decade, county and local officials have been unable to determine exactly what Lyngbya is and the risks it could pose for wildlife, infrastructure and people living along and interacting with the river. Results and preliminary findings from the partnership will be shared so all stakeholders can learn what researchers do about the algae and its effects.

“What’s causing it? Is it climate change? Is it the zebra mussels?” Miller said. “Is it combined sewer overflows that are coming down the Clinton River or the spillways feeding this organically? We really don’t know.”

The true cost of Lyngbya has been seen through lower property values, expanding shorelines and smellier summers by the water. One major cost was the closure and reconfiguration of the Clinton River Cut-Off Boat Launch in Harrison Township. So much Lyngbya formed where the launch ramp was that the Michigan Department of Natural Resources closed the site in 2022 to build a new launch ramp.

A statement from the county mentions the concerns that officials have about the toxicity of organisms caught in Lyngbya mats, though Miller does not believe Lyngbya itself is toxic to humans.

As things stand, there is little that governments, businesses or lakeside residents can do about the Lyngbya mats. Harrison Township Supervisor Ken Verkest said residents have been able to move the algae, but none of the solutions have been long-term or solved the problem of Lyngbya growth.

“We’ve heard of anything from paying a company to dredge it and haul it away (and) I’ve talked to a resident that said he took a 14-foot aluminum boat with an outboard, chucked a couple of rakes with ropes tied to it into the whole mat and then just dragged it out into the lake, but (that’s) obviously not a sustainable solution,” Verkest said.

Verkest was excited by the partnership and stated Miller’s role as public works commissioner is a big factor in its formation.

“This is just an example of how important it is to have solid representation,” Verkest said.

Call Staff Writer Dean Vaglia at (586) 498-1043.

Spring job fair April 13

WARREN — Macomb Community College will hold its annual Spring Job Fair from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m April 13 at the college’s Sports & Expo Center on Macomb’s South Campus in Warren.

The job fair, cosponsored by the City of Warren, will include approximately 200 employers looking to hire for both full- and part-time positions. The Spring Job Fair is free and open to the public with no registration required.

For a full list of employers participating in the job fair, visit macomb.edu/jobfair. Additional resources will also be available onsite, including Macomb’s Office of Veteran and Military Services and Michigan Works!

For more information, contact careerservices@macomb.edu or call (586) 445-7321.

— Maria Allard

Budget

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One member of the public asked the board to shift the maintenance responsibility of the 16 Mile Road and spillway bike paths to the county and drainage board, respectively, though Township Supervisor Robert Cannon said this cannot be done.

“We can’t turn over the bike path to the county; they won’t take it,” Cannon said. “It’s our bike path. Either we fix it, repair it or leave it the way it is and have lawsuits. The same thing is true with the drain board.”

Another question concerned the increased cost of a lift station project, which officials ascribed to built-in contingencies and other costs for the project such as engineering expenses.

George George/Woodrow Woody parks contract

The board also approved a reduction in the cost of a project at two township parks.

Originally contracted out at $1,116,142 to build an auxiliary parking lot at George George Park and Woodrow Woody Park and a universally accessible kayak launch along the Clinton River, an examination of how project costs could be reduced has lowered the cost of work to $1,077,562 — a reduction of $38,580. Jim George has also donated $150,000 to help with the project costs and $50,000 for landscaping-related amenities around the project areas. State and county grants are also helping pay for the projects at $340,000.

Department of Public Services Direc- tor Mary Bednar informed the board that the work will likely conflict with marriage and prom photography season and to expect complaints related to this issue.

Romulus-based Best Asphalt, Inc. remains the contractor on the project.

Challenger Adult Field grant application

The board approved submitting an application to the Kubota Tractor Corp. Hometown Proud grant contest to support the Challenger Field project. The contest will award five projects across the United States $100,000, with an additional $100,000 going to the winner of the Kubota Community Choice Award, pending a vote this summer.

Brought to the board by Office of Emergency Management Coordinator Paul Browler, the grant and subsequent vote award was presented as a way to close the funding gap for adding an adult-oriented field.

“Currently, we have raised about $195,000 towards the Challenger Field project,” Browler said in a letter to the board. “The cost (is) estimated to be in the $350,000 range. This grant, if successfully awarded, would go a long way in making this field a reality.”

Challenger Field is located at Neil Reid Park and is designed to support baseball and softball activities for the Clinton Valley Little League’s Challenger Division, which is open to children with disabilities. A “senior” league for players 16 and older is also available, and the grant funds would go toward building a field to accommodate the older players.

Call Staff Writer Dean Vaglia at (586) 498-1043.

Editor: Brian Louwers | (586) 498-1089 | brianlouwers@candgnews.com