Local News

A unique event is right around the corner in St. Clair next to the historic St. Clair Inn whose first event is drawing near. Local residents along with whistle collectors and enthusiasts from around the United States and Canada will visit Whistles on the Water for the 11th annual event. Attendees will get the chance to hear massive brass instruments, some of them more than six feet tall, sound off with window-rattling and ground-shaking roars that replicate freighter and other whistle equipped vessels. Unlike other steam whistle events that rely on compressed air, Whistles on the Water uses a massive steam boiler that produces 161 pounds per square inch of pressure. The boiler produces an authentic sound common during the 19th century when steamships ruled the Great Lakes. Event attendees will have a chance to operate a steam whistle while watching and hearing modern freighters as their captains respond to salutes from the steam whistles, a unique feature thanks to the event’s location on the riverfront. The annual event takes place 9 a.m.- 4 p.m. September 28th and is free to attend.

It’s another new week in the Blue Water Area, and with that comes new road closures and detours residents will want to be aware of. According to the St. Clair County Road Commission, in Berlin Township, Capac Road between Hough and Tubspring continues to be closed. The project is expected to wrap up at the beginning of October. In Burtchville Township, State Road between Myron and Burtch continues to be closed for bridge replacement but the stretch should be open by the weekend.

In southern St. Clair County’s Casco Township, Church Road between Puttygut and St. Clair Highway will be closed for two days this week due to crossroad culvert replacement. North, in Kimball Township, Dove Road between Ditty and Wadhams will be closed for bridge maintenance that is expected to be completed next week. In Wales Township, Wales Center Road is still closed for bridge replacement and will continue to be closed for approximately one more month. Also in Wales, the right lane of westbound I-69 between M-19 and Wales Center Road will be closed for concrete patching this week. 

St. Clair County Community College will be opening a new state-of-the-art health science building on September 27 after a $9.8 million Capital Outlay project. The building will be fully equipped with many new technologies including a fully autonomous commercial robotic floor scrubber. The device’s name is Neo and has quite the story. Neo was built by Pablo Molina and Faizan Sheikh who met while attending college at the University of Waterloo. In 2014, the pair started the company now call Avidbots in Kitchener, Ontario where they created a fully autonomous commercial robotic floor scrubber. After various trials and errors, the two created a prototype named Scrubby. Through 8 different designs, a bot was finally created that worked to the needed specifications. That’s where the new robotic scrubber, Neo, began. Now, SC4 in Port Huron will become the first demonstration site for the robot in the state of Michigan. Avidbots now employs over 140 people and has the autonomous robotic floor scrubber working within several companies around the world. To see Neo and the new health sciences building, the community is invited to SC4 Health Sciences’ open house on September 27th.

The Grand Hotel on Mackinac Island will be changing hands for the first time in many years. The Musser family who owns the iconic hotel has been involved with the hotel for over 85 years. According to a press release from the hotel, the deal is expected to close in the next 30 days, and Dan Musser III will remain as Chairman providing leadership and guidance to the team. The 397 room hotel and its world-record winning longest porch (660 feet long) are on the list of National Historic Landmarks. The new owner, KSL Capital Partners, LLC is, according to Musser, a seasoned investor in travel and leisure businesses with a depth of resources and capabilities to provide exceptional service. KSL Principal Michael Mohapp said KSL understands the importance of the Grand Hotel to Mackinac Island, the State of Michigan, and beyond as well as its history, charm, and traditions. He went on to say that it is both a privilege and a great responsibility to take over ownership. The hotel is currently in its 133rd season.

A ribbon-cutting was held recently at the St. Clair County International Airport after a major renovation was completed on the main runway. The re-opening of the airport runway will result in economic benefits across the area. Airport Director Kathy Reaume said that on a daily basis you will see many different groups and organizations use the airport. St. Clair County Administrator Karry Hepting said it has been estimated by Michigan Department of Transportation officials that the airport has a $60 million dollar impact on the local economy and supports over 600 jobs. The cost of improvements at the airport was $4.2 million dollars. Of that, Hepting said $212,000 was the county’s share, and the rest of the funds were federal and state grants. She went on to say that with the upgrades the airport is in much better condition, and it will continue to support our local economy.

The United Way of St. Clair County held their campaign kick-off at the Blue Water Convention Center this week. Over 45 volunteers gathered along with members of the community to celebrate the 95th United Way campaign in the Blue Water Area. Michelle Shepley, 2019 Campaign Chair, was emotional at times as she unveiled this year’s theme, “Give a Little Bit, Make a Big Change”, and shared the effect United Way has had in her life and the lives of others in the community. She also enthusiastically announced the campaign goal for this year which is $1,208,000. Special guest Debbie Post encouraged guests with the announcement of a $25,000 matching grant from the Stebbins Family Fund dubbed the Leadership Challenge Grant. This 100% matching grant will apply to new contributions raised by November 15^th that put contributors at the leadership level of $500 or above. The grant challenges and inspires new givers with the incentive of turning their $500 gift into a $1,000 gift. For more information about the United Way of St. Clair County and this year’s campaign and giving options, visit  www.uwstclair.org.

Reporting for WGRT – Jessie Wiegand