'Dark Sky Coast' creation gets unanimous board support

Following on the heels of the tremendous public interest in the International Dark Sky Park designation at the Headlands, the Emmet County Board of Commissioners on Jan. 26 approved expanding the designation to include Wilderness State Park, surrounding state forest land and other county properties to create a state-first: Michigan's Dark Sky Coast.

The plan launched with the Board's support Thursday would take 22,500 acres in the county's northwestern tip and bundle it under the umbrella Dark Sky Coast designation, ensuring visitors and residents that views of the sky above will be undiluted by light pollution for optimum night-viewing opportunities.

Companion legislation is set to be introduced by State Rep. Frank Foster, R-Petoskey, to require the state property to avoid ambient light that dilutes stargazing in more populated areas. Foster, who is the chair of the House Natural Resources, Tourism and Outdoor Recreation Committee, said his bill will require state parks and forests to avoid using any unnecessary lighting, and require that new lights be as nonobtrusive as possible.

To read the resolution passed by the BOC, click on the PDF below.

Resolution-Dark-Sky-Coast.pdf

It's a date! Jan. 28 Dark Sky program focuses on out-of-this-world events in 2012

The history of calendars and their origination comes from measuring the stars.

The next free program at the Headlands International Dark Sky Park will offer guests a chance to plan their sky-viewing calendar for the next year, as Dark Sky Park Program Director Mary Stewart Adams will provide an overview of what to expect in the sky overhead through 2012.

Adams said guests should bring their own calendars, or use one that will be provided at the event courtesy of the Petoskey Area Visitors Bureau. “It’s a lot of fun because you can plan special picnics, birthday parties and outdoor events that correspond with what’s happening in the night sky throughout the year ahead,” Adams said. “The best way to take advantage of night sky viewing is to know ahead of time what’s coming, like when the moon will be close to a certain planet or when the meteor showers will take place.”

The program takes place from 6 to 8 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 28, at the Guest House and outdoors (not at the Beach House, which is closed until April). It is free and open to the public and takes place despite inclement weather.

For more information about what is planned, and more 2012 Dark Sky programs, click here!

2012 Recycling Guide available for download

Emmet County's 2012 Recycling Guide is now available for download. In it, residents and recyclers will find information about what materials are accepted in curbside bins and at the Transfer Station/Drop-Off Center, such as clothing and bedding, electronics and small appliances. To download the printer-friendly 2012 Recycling Guide, click here.

Emmet County tops in state for average home sales price in 2011

There's positive news for real estate sales in Northwest Michigan -- Emmet County was the top market in the state for average home sales price in 2011, according to a report Jan. 24 in the Detroit Free Press. The average home sales price in Emmet County was $278,755, an increase of 24.44 percent from 2012. In total, 529 homes were sold in the area, a 3 percent increase from 2012, the Free Press reports, which also puts the county among the top gainers throughout Michigan.

Interviewed in the article was Patrick Leavy, owner of Kidd & Leavy Real Estate in Petoskey, who specializes in higher-end local markets, such as Bay Harbor. He said his firm sold nearly $88 million in homes last year, up 46 percent from the prior year. "If you look at Michigan's economy, it is still slow in many areas, but people are still coming up North," Leavy said.

To read the complete article, click here. To view a PDF of Michigan's Residential Sales Statistics for 2011, click here.

WWII Veteran Frank Jones recalls serving with a leader

At 94, Frank Jones still enjoys an active lifestyle.

Web editor's note: Each month, Emmet County features the story of a local veteran on this Web site, to pay honor to their service to the United States. If you have an idea for a veteran to feature, please contact Beth Anne Piehl at bpiehl@emmetcounty.org or call (231) 348-1704.

By Beth Anne Piehl
Director of Communications and Web Development

Not many people think about what happens after a World War ends. For years, tens of thousands of soldiers lived in foreign lands, stocked with food, weapons, vehicles, housing, medical supplies and much more. Where does it all go afterward?

Frank Jones knows. As a WWII Army Lieutenant Colonel, one of his responsibilities after the U.S. dropped atomic bombs in Japan – ending WW II – was “rolling up the rear.” That meant taking stock of the Ordnance, Quartermaster and Signal Corp equipment and supplies and determining what would be needed for the national reserve and what would be sold to other countries or disposed.

Among his most vivid memories of his time in the service is being the right-hand man to a very well-regarded Brigadier General, Albert J. Browning. Browning and Jones, a Major, helped coordinate the evacuation of all rear areas of the theaters in Australia, New Guinea, the North Solomon Islands and other points in the South Pacific.

“We were headquartered in the University of the Philippines when I got the call from General Browning asking me to come down and see him. I became his executive officer. We jumped in planes and flew to bases all around the South Pacific,” said Jones, now 93, of Harbor Springs. “We had to document what supplies were at every base and determine from the War Department what they needed in the event of future wars and what was to be disposed of.”

Jones’ service to the United States during World War II spanned numerous responsibilities that most often included ensuring Allied forces had sufficient supplies and appropriate ordnance training. Jones served in the Asiatic Pacific Theater of Operations from Jan. 28, 1944, through Nov. 24, 1945.

To read his complete story, click here. (To read past veterans' features, click here.)