• Calendar: December 2010

    Wednesday, 1st, 7 pm, Village Community Building, Elberta Parks and Recreation Committee meets to discuss trail maintenance, sledding party, Elberta Arts Council, Elberta Alert newspaper Thursday, 2nd, 6 pm, County Sheriff’s Office, 505 Michigan Ave. (US-31), Beulah: citizens’ Public Safety Committee, organized by Sheriff Rory Heckman, meets. Sunday, 5th, 1 pm, Village Library, Frankfort Ave., First Public Meeting regarding the Elberta Alert Thursday, 16th, 7 pm, Village Community Building, Regular Village Council Meeting Sunday, 19th, 1 pm to 7 pm, Historic Waterfront Park shelter off M-168, Elberta Winter Solstice Festival! Sledding, snowman contest (first, second, and third place prizes), bonfire,… More

  • Foghorn: Grease Our Wheels

    Is anyone deep-frying a turkey or anything else for the holidays? Several area residents use vegetable oil to power their diesel cars, and they’d love to come and get your leftovers. You’d be doing them a favor and keeping the grease out of BLUA and the landfill. Contact elberta.alert@gmail.com or call 231-399-0098 for more information, or just say where you’ll be leaving it. Covered containers preferred. More

  • Council Meeting Report: We Didn’t Start the Fire (or the Sewage)

    The last meeting of the Doug Holmes–led Elberta Village Council convened last night. Next month, December 16, will see the new council members under Reg Manville take the reins. Attendance was high, at 18. Among the luminaries present were local developer Scott Gest and newly elected District 3 county commissioner Marcia Stobie. Doug Holmes had some parting advice for the new council: appoint two representatives to the fire board right away (to replace himself and Charles Hendershott), and don’t miss any of the board’s quarterly meetings. Mr. Holmes has served on the fire board for eight years and says fire… More

  • The Guns of November

    What’s that sound ringing out at the indecent hour of 8 am? You crack open an eye, curse the sun coming in through the curtain, and, there it goes again. For the past week or so, shots have been heard several times a day as hunters “sight mark”—test their sighting equipment—in preparation for deer season, which starts today. Sometimes it sounds like it’s coming from the marsh, sometimes from up on the bluff. The Alert set its sights on local outdoorsperson Jonathan Drury and tagged some information. “As of October 1, it’s bow season for deer. November 15, it’s rifle… More

  • Foghorn: Underground Utility Lines

    If the village could get a grant to revamp the power/phone/cable lines to underground status, the problem with tree height and growth would be mute. It would be so nice to have a clear view of the bay (without utility lines) and it would make the commercial area for the village much more attractive. If you want to see an example, drive through Mesick. Send anonymous or signed rants, gripes, queries, or even kudos to elbert.alert@gmail.com, subject line “Foghorn.” More

  • Parks and Rec Report: Ideas a-Poppin’

    The Elberta Parks and Recreation Committee held its regular meeting last night at the Village Community Building. In attendance were new member Arthur Melendez and prospective new member Jennifer Wilkins, along with chair Bill Soper, Connie Manke, Village president-elect Reg Manville, and Lisa Schrader-Confer. Trustee-elect Linda Manville came out of Shear curiosity, and Megan Louwsma came to give the results of this Farmer’s Market season. Parks and Rec’s purview is wide-ranging: discussion topics included new servicing for the market park Port-a-Pottys, More