Fort Gratiot Light Station to Undergo Restoration

The Fort Gratiot Light Station in Port Huron is getting spruced up over the winter. The property, which is part of St. Clair County Parks, is seeing improvements to the Light Tower’s Watch and Lantern Rooms and the Fog Signal Building.

The Lantern Room restorations are made possible by a Michigan Lighthouse Assistance Program Grant. The grant is for $16,667 and will be matched with an $8,333 grant from the Friends of the Fort Gratiot Light.

The repairs will restore the lantern room to how it looked in the 1930s, which includes new glass windows, metal and masonry repair, paint, and a glass floor.

A new pedestal will be installed to hold the modern LED light that is still used as a navigational aid.

The fog signal building will be getting some repairs to the lower two feet of bricks on the structure.

A candlelight tour of the Light Station is offered on some weekends in December, with more information at phmuseum.org.

The Friends of the Fort Gratiot Light host Sandfest to raise funds for Light Station restoration projects. Sandfest is scheduled for August 5th through 7th of 2022.

Reporting for WGRT – Jennie McClelland

Masks Required at PHASD & Health Department Changes Testing Process

Starting today, everyone over four years old inside a Port Huron Schools building must wear a mask until the end of the day on December 17, 2021.

In a letter to families, Port Huron Schools Superintendent Theo Kerhoulas said “an additional layer of mitigation is necessary to slow the spread among our staff and students to ensure we can keep our schools open.”

The mask requirement in the schools is in response to what public health officials are calling Michigan’s “fourth wave” of COVID-19. Yesterday, The Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS) issued a plea for all Michiganders to get vaccinated, wear masks in indoor areas, and use extra precautions like hand-washing and getting tested for COVID-19 before going to gatherings.

Another local response to the current situation was announced by the St. Clair County Health Department this morning. Effective December 1, 2021, the health department is moving to patient collected specimens for COVID-19 tests.

Those who need a COVID-19 test will now park at the health department, call to alert staff they have arrived, go pick up their test and consent form from an outdoor window, return to their car to collect their specimens, and then return the test to the box.

The test will be processed while the patient waits in their vehicle, and they will be alerted by phone of the results.

This new procedure will enable the health department to test more people and return results faster.

Testing is free, and available Mondays from 10:30 AM – 6 PM, and Tuesday – Friday 8:30 AM – 4 PM. Appointments can be scheduled on the web at www.scchealth.co or by calling 810-987-5300.

Reporting for WGRT – Jessie Wiegand

 

 

 

Sherman Woods Neighborhood Supports Salvation Army

Port Huron, MI — Starting this weekend, you can support the Salvation Army’s Red Kettle Campaign when you take a drive through Sherman Woods subdivision to view their spectacular Christmas displays.

The Sherman Woods Homeowners Association will be collecting donations between 6:30 – 9:30 PM on Fridays and Saturdays for the next three weeks, and they’ll have a special session on Christmas Eve.

Fred Kemp, Sherman Woods Homeowners Association president said, “We started doing this in 2016 as a one weekend opportunity to raise funds for the Red Kettle campaign.”

The Sherman Woods neighborhood in Port Huron is known for its extravagantly decorated homes and trees filled with lighted balls. A drive through the neighborhood is a Christmas tradition for many, and last year’s campaign raised $11,000 for the Salvation Army.

Visitors can donate to bell ringers at the corner of Armour Street and LaSalle Boulevard during designated days and times. Santa and the Salvation Army Band are expected to make appearances as well.

Reporting for WGRT – Jessie Wiegand

Photo cred: Sherman Woods Homeowners Association

Port Huron Makes Significant Progress with Funding Retiree Plans

The City of Port Huron is making major progress in addressing unfunded retiree benefits. Changes to retiree health plans have resulted in significant cost savings and have moved the funding level from 39% to 74%.

The pension system for city employees has also made great improvements in its funding levels. In just the past two years, the pension plan has moved from a 49% funding with an $83 million liability to 86% with a $23 million liability.

In a letter to the Mayor and City Council, Port Huron City Manager James Freed said that healthcare plan reforms and the pension restructuring have achieved a combined savings of nearly $89 million. 

Freed said, “These dollars saved can now be used over the coming decades to allow our children the freedom to build their own future, free from the unfunded liabilities of the past generation.”

A report from CBIZ Retirement Plan Services said that investment returns were nearly four times what was expected for the fiscal year ending June 30th of 2021.

Reporting for WGRT – Jennie McClelland

Light Up a Life this Christmas

The VNA and Blue Water Hospice Light Up a Life campaign is running now through the end of December. Donations to the campaign will be represented by a light on the Hospice Home’s Tree of Remembrance.

The Blue Water Hospice Home in Marysville houses the Tree of Remembrance.  Each light on the tree symbolizes the life, hope, and dreams of someone who has passed away, and those who lovingly cared for them.

Heidi Benner, VNA & Blue Water Hospice Volunteer Coordinator, said, “Our Light Up a Life campaign came about as a special way for family and friends of current or former patients to pay tribute to them while giving back. Over the years, it’s grown to not only honor patients, but also the staff and volunteers who provided care and comfort.”

The tree will be lit daily in the Tom Lock Memorial Observatory of the Blue Water Hospice Home December 1- 31st from 5 PM – 7 AM, and donations in honor of a loved one can be made to the campaign at www.vnabwh.org/donate.

Reporting for WGRT – Jessie Wiegand

Tunnel Tragedy 50th Anniversary Memorial Planned for Dec. 11

It has been fifty years since the Lake Huron Water Tunnel Explosion in which 22 men died in a tunnel beneath Lake Huron. A memorial will be held on Saturday, December 11th at 2:30 p.m. at Fort Gratiot County Park off of Metcalf Road in Fort Gratiot.

There is a permanent memorial at the park commemorating the lives lost in the tragedy in 1971. The memorial will be a solemn event intended for those who were affected by the tragedy as well as the general public. An effort was made to contact the surviving family members.

The tunnel tragedy occurred while the men were working on the water line that was built to distribute water to Detroit and Flint. An enormous explosion occurred on one end of the tunnel, sending shockwaves to workers four miles from the initial spark, killing 21 workers immediately and one worker dying from injuries later.

The memorial is sponsored by LiUNA, the construction trades union. Most of the victims of the tragedy were union tradesmen.

Reporting for WGRT – Jennie McClelland