Master Plan

Check out the Village of Roscommon's new Master Plan! It is available on our main website, on the lower right hand side in PDF format.


Village of Roscommon



Tom Gromek
Village Manager

Village Seeks Cemetery Board Members

Village Seeks Cemetery Board Members

The Village of Roscommon is seeking individuals to serve on its Cemetery Board. The Cemetery Board consists of three (3) members and make recommendations to the Village Council regarding upgrades, maintenance, and other cemetery related items.

Meetings are held as needed, usually on a quarterly basis. Initial terms vary from one (1) to three (3) years. Please contact Village Hall at (989) 275-5743 if you are interested in serving the Village in this capacity.


Tom Gromek
Village Manager

Roscommon County Fair 5k

Attached is the registration form for the Roscommon County Fair 5k Run/Walk to be held Saturday, August 7th, 2010 at the Roscommon County Fair Grounds.

Village Spring Clean-Up

3rd Annual Village Spring Clean-Up


Roscommon Village Hall - 214 S. Main St.

Saturday, June 5th, 2010

10 a.m. – 2 p.m.

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40 Yard Roll-Off Dumpster will be provided free of charge

*Village Residents Only*

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The items that cannot be put into the roll off container are:

Any Liquid or Hazardous Material
Paint/Oil
Yard Waste
Whole Tires
Rock
Dirt/Sand
Any Freon Containing Appliances
Concrete or Brick
Shingles
Steel or Iron

Fourth Street Project

Fourth Street construction to begin in Roscommon

(courtesy of the Houghton Lake Resorter - June 3rd)

Reconstruction of Fourth Street in Roscommon Village is scheduled to begin next week. Village Manager Tom Gromek said work is scheduled to start next Monday and be completed by July 27.

The proposed project will completely reconstruct Fourth Street including additional depth of sand sub base, placing a geotextile fabric layer, and constructing under drain saturated sub base. Also, the proposed project will include milling and resurfacing of approximately 500 feet of Fourth Street from Brooks Street to Sheley Street. New eight-inch water main will be installed for 1,500 feet along Fourth and Edna Streets to replace four and six-inch lines, and three aging fire hydrants and 15 water services will be replaced.

Gromek said the road improvements will make Fourth Street better able to support truck traffic to the village’s commercial district. They also are designed to relieve surface drainage problems by increasing road grades and providing means for surface water to leave the roadway.

Replacing the existing water main with eight-inch pipe and fixing the known leaks in the water system is designed to protect the community water supply and health. The improvements will also increase fire flows to the project area by as much as 100%, Gromek said. That will positively impact the village’s Insurance Services Organization rating and could reduce residents’ insurance premiums, he added.

The $365,800 project will be paid for with a $245,800 Michigan Community Development Block Grant and $120,000 in matching funds from the village.

Porath Contractors, Inc., Houghton Lake, are general contractors for the project. The engineering firm is Fleis & VandenBrink, Traverse City.

During construction, the village will put a low level of chlorine into the water system as a precaution against potential contamination or water main breaks. Gromek said the village will provide residents with updates on any detours and road closures during the project via the village web site and cable television Channel 2.

4th Street Project

Road Project - 4th Street (From Lake to Edna) and Edna St (from 4th to 5th Street)

June 7th to July 27th - anticipated construction dates

The proposed project will completely reconstruct 4th Street including additional depth of sand sub base, placing a geotextile fabric layer, and constructing under drain saturated sub base. Also, the proposed project will include reconstruction of approximately 300 feet of 4th Street from Lake Street to Brooks Street, milling and resurfacing of approximately 500 ft of 4th Street from Brooks Street to Sheley Street, reconstruction of 1400 ft of 4th and Edna Street from Sheley to M-76. Watermain construction will involve placing 1,550 ft of 8 inch watermain along 4th Street and Edna Street in addition of replacement of 3 aging fire hydrants and 15 water services along the new pipe.

The improved road section will be better suited to support commercial loads and provide long term service to the commercial district. In addition, reconstruction of the road will alleviate existing surface drainage problems by increasing road grades and providing means for surface water to leave the roadway. The elimination of these drainage problems will provide a great benefit for the many residents along Fourth Street.

Replacing the existing watermain with 8-inch pipe and fixing the known leaks in the water system will protect the community water supply and health. Also, these improvements will be able to increase fire flows to the project area by as much as 100%. This will positively impact the Village's Insurance Services Organization (ISO) rating and can potentially reduce insurance premiums.

4th Street is crucial to providing access to the businesses along M-76 and for providing a detour for M-76. Continued deterioration of the road and the existing drainage issues will require additional maintenance by the Department of Public Works which adversely impacts the Village budget and precludes staff from performing other duties. Repair of the road will alleviate maintenance concerns and will provide an effective road for all residents and businesses.

* Village received grant money for this project.....Michigan Community Development Block Grant Program........Village was awarded $245,800 in grant money with a $120,000 match.....total of $365,800 project. *

* The Village will be putting a low level of chlorine into the water system as a precaution against potential contamination or watermain breaks. This will be a temporary measure for the best interest of the Village and its residents*

* The Village will be providing updates on any detours and road closures during the project. *

Wildfires

UPDATE AT 6:04 P.M: The U.S. Forest Service says the wildfire in Crawford County is now more than 3,000 acres and is not contained. A second shelter has been set up at the Resurrection Life Center in Crawford County. If you live in Roscommon County you need to go to the St. Helen Richfield Township Hall. Viewers tell 7 & 4 News ash is falling in areas surrounding the fire location.

UPDATE AT 5:30 P.M: The U.S. Forest Service says the wildfire in Crawford County is definitely not contained at this time. They are using all of their resources to fight the wildfire. Details of exact location of the wildfire are not known at this time.

Anyone within 10 miles west of the intersection of M-18 and F-97 and 3 miles north of M-18 need to evacuated the area immediately. A shelter was set up at Kirtland Community College. However, we are now told people are being sent to Richfield Township Hall in St. Helen.

The manager of the Ramada Inn in Grayling is offering special rates for evacuees. If you are in need of a place to stay call 1-989-348-7611. Rates will be $45.00

The Department of Natural Resources says the fire is about 3,000 acres and crossed M-18 around 4:00 p.m.. The DNRE says the head of the fire is more than a mile wide.

2010 Census - Roscommon

The Village of Roscommon currently has a 71% Participation Rate for the 2010 Census. You can track returns rate for any of the country by follow the link below. Let's keep bumping that rate up!

http://2010.census.gov/2010census/take10map/2010textview.php

U.S. Census Jobs

JOBS!!

The 2010 US Census recruiters in our area looking for 100's of people to assist in this year’s Census. CALL 1-866-861-2010 The field jobs in this area will pay $12.25/hour + $.50/mile. There are other jobs available, check the website.

Person must be 18 or over, have a valid driver's license and dependable transportation and pass an extensive background check. Training and canvassing will be held in our area.

http://2010.census.gov/2010censusjobs/ http://2010.census.gov/2010census/

Testing will be held Friday March 19 and 26 at 6:00 p.m. at the CRAF Center in Roscommon. 200 positions need to be filled. Bring your picture ID and take the test Friday!

These will be the last testing dates for our area.

Village Audit

Berthiaume & Co. will be here Tuesday and Wednesday of this week to conduct the field work for our 2009 Village Audit.

Spring Banners

Our DPW crew is replacing the winter snowflake banners with our spring daisy banners.....as we enjoy this nice, warm weather, the banners will add a nice spring feel to the community!


Tom Gromek
Village Manager

Grant Dollars

The Village already has been approved for grant funding through the Michigan Community Development Block Grants (CDBG) Infrastructure Capacity Enhancement (ICE) program offered through the Michigan Economic Development Corporation.

With this grant money, The Village will be fixing up Fourth Street, addressing both road surface and drainage problems. Construction should take place in mid to late May.

We are also applying for another CDBG ICE grant for watermain improvements on Fifth St, Wyckoff, and State St. The application is due on February 22nd.

Improvements we can make to the Village with grant funds and only a small amount of Village funds is a great benefit to the entire community.


Tom Gromek
Village Manager

Winterfest 2010

WINTERFEST IS ALMOST HERE….Get your BADGE at the Chamber Office … The fun begins Friday, February 19, at Cross Country Ski Headquarters with illuminated skiing from 6:00 – 9:00 p.m. and dinner specials at Timbers on the Cut River with entertainment by Exit 239 from 5:00 – 10:00 p.m. Our new Box Hockey will be out on the deck – come check it out.

Saturday, February 20, kicks off with a Pancake breakfast at Timbers from 8:00 – 10:00 a.m., the Fishing Derby begins at 9:00 a.m. ending at 3:00 p.m. at the North State Park Boat Launch. The Crazy Cardboard Classic at Pioneer Hill, from 10:30 a.m.- noon is always a must attend event! The Annual Chili Cook-off will be held at the Ralph A. MacMullan Conference Center from11:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m., who will get the trophy this year? The Broomball competition starts at 1:00 p.m., Kid’s Karnival Games from 12:00 – 3:00 p.m., Hot dog and hot chocolate lunch, box hockey, and more, all at the Higgins Lake North State Park.

Another new event this year will be a Snowmobile Radar Run from 10:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m. Classes will be Stock, up to 440; Stock, up to 699; Stock “Big Bore”; and modified. There will be a $10 registration fee. DOT Full face helmets, valid trail permit and registrations are required for participation.

All event participants must wear a $5 WinterFest 2010 Badge (children 5 and under are free – accompanied by an adult with a badge. Badges are available at the Chamber office, and will be sold at all event sites.

January - June Newsletter

(Click for full-size image)

January - June 2010 Newsletter

The January - June 2010 Village Newsletter (The Villager) is available at Village Hall now!!

I will have it scanned into this new post by week's end.


Tom Gromek
Village Manager

Tip-Up Town USA Featured in MML Magazine!

One of Roscommon County's major events receiving some nice publicity!

(Houghton Lake's Tip-Up Town USA was featured in the Janauary/February edition of the MML Review Magazine, Jennifer Eberbach wrote the article)

Houghton Lake’s winter festival Tip-Up Town USA is celebrating its 60th anniversary. For its diamond anniversary, a diamond studded entrance badge will be raffled off to one lucky attendee. Event planner George Geisenhaver of the Houghton Lake Chamber of Commerce, explains many badge collectors have held on to their personal experiences of the festival by holding on to these items—even passing them down from generation to generation. This attests to the impact the event has on individuals. Along with reoccurring events like “turkey bowling,” a polar bear dip, and a family-friendly carnival, this year’s installment of Tip-Up Town will feature a second-annual family skate night, which has been extended to both weekends, airboat rides for an extra fee, and illuminated torch parades at dusk around the lake.

Geisenhaver thinks the event has had a positive impact on tourism and the economic health of Houghton Lake’s business community. “This event really helps us through the month of January, which would typically be a slow month for people in other northern Michigan communities. The event draws in thousands of people. It’s pretty important for the businesses here,” he says.

(Jennifer Eberbach is a freelance journalist and professional copywriter. You may contact her at 734-929-2964 or jen@jenthewriter.info. Visit her online at
www.jenthewriter.info.)

Roscommon Business Expo

We are planning on having another Roscommon Business Expo this spring, which will be our 2nd Annual. The event is co-sponsored by the Higgins Lake-Roscommon Chamber of Commerce and the Village of Roscommon, with Connie Allen, Chamber Director, chairing the Expo committee. Many local business representatives are part of the committee, which will immensely help the event further succeed.

We have a meeting today at 2:00 p.m. at Village Hall..........The Expo is set for May 12th at the CRAF Center in downtown Roscommon.

More details to follow!


Tom Gromek
Village Manager

Green Team

Village forming ‘green team’

(Courtesy of the December 31, 2009 Houghton Lake Resorter)

If one of your New Year’s resolutions is to be more “green” in 2010, the Roscommon Village Council has an opportunity for you.

Village Manager Tom Gromek said the village is looking for residents who would like to serve on a “green team” as the village participates in the Michigan Green Communities Challenge.

The village council recently voted to be part of the program, sponsored by the Michigan Municipal League and the Michigan Bureau of Energy Systems, for the next three years. The program is designed to reflect the village’s commitment to adopt energy efficiency and conservation policies and programs. It includes collecting and assessing data on the village’s energy, developing goals and activities to improve efficiency and measuring results. The program also encourages citizens and businesses to use conservation practices to benefit the community.

Gromek said village residents interested on serving on the “green team” may contact him at 275-5743 or tom@roscommonvillage.Com

The village also is participating with Gerrish and Higgins Townships in the Rebuild Michigan Program, which is designed to foster partnerships that promote increased energy efficiency within a community. Partners may include local governments, schools, universities, businesses, non-profit organizations and public housing authorities. It is designed to assist public schools, colleges, universities, local governments and public housing authorities with improving the energy efficiency of their buildings. This program offers technical assistance and attractive financing information for cost-effective projects. Eligible public institutions can install the recommended improvements with little or no up-front capital.