St. Clair County

Prevailing Wage is Reinstated for State Projects

Union trades leaders are applauding the recent Prevailing Wage requirement announced by the State of Michigan. The ruling applies to state construction projects.

Tom Lutz, Executive Secretary-Treasurer of the Michigan Regional Council of Carpenters and Millwrights, said, “This decision protects Michigan’s investments in infrastructure because when prevailing wages are the expectation, contractors have to compete on a level playing field based on quality of their skilled work, not on the exploitation of their workers.” 

Michigan’s prevailing wage rule was repealed in 2018. Prevailing wages differ geographically. The total costs of projects does increase with prevailing wage rulings, but is thought to increase standards.

Steve Claywell, President of the Michigan Building and Construction Trades Council said, “The restoring of prevailing wage provides a fair and equal bidding process allowing for highly trained men and women to be paid a good wage.”

Governor Gretchen Whitmer announced the ruling, saying it was “offering Michigan a highly-trained workforce to rely on as we build up our roads and bridges, replace lead pipes, install high-speed internet, and more.”  

Reporting for WGRT – Jennie McClelland

SC4 Launches Mission Lunar Quest

St. Clair County Community College has opened registration for its Mission Lunar Quest at the Challenger Lunar Center. The center will launch in Spring of 2022, but students and educators, businesses and corporations, and community members can reserve a spot now.

Dr. Deborah Snyder, president of SC4, said “The Challenger Learning Center at SC4 will help support STEM education, exploration and innovation with experiences that go far beyond an everyday field trip, outing or corporate training session.”

Guests to the Challenger Learning Center can schedule half day or full day experiences that are geared toward 5th through 8th graders but can be adapted for older guests. The interactive experience simulates a trip to the moon and utilizes a variety of STEM-based roles.

Lance Bush, president and CEO of the Challenger Centers, said, “We’re hard at work building the Spacecraft and preparing Mission Control to welcome students and community members to fly our newest space missions that we developed in partnership with NASA.”

Galaxy Quest STEM Summer Camp is in the works for next summer. A link to more information can be found at WGRT.com.

https://challenger.sc4.edu/

Reporting for WGRT – Jennie McClelland

SC4 Continues Arts Rebirth with David Fisher Concert 

St. Clair County Community College is experiencing a rebirth of their community arts effort. One example is this week’s Noon Concert Series featuring SC4’s own David Fisher. 

Fisher is an adjunct faculty member in the music department at SC4 and will be sharing his piano talent at the concert. Fisher will be playing Schubert’s first set of Four Impromptus and music from four other composers. The concert is free to attend in-person at the SC4 Fine Arts Theatre or to watch through the live-streaming service. There are performances at both noon and 7:00 p.m.

Ethan J. Flick, Community Arts Director at SC4 said, “The Noon Concert Series epitomizes the inseparable link between the College and the surrounding community that sustains it. “

Flick said, “While the core mission of the College is, and always will be academic in nature, the broader purpose of SC4 is to enrich lives and expand opportunities. The Noon Concert Series plays an instrumental part toward that larger purpose by providing free community access to a variety of musical genres and performance groups. The ultimate goal of the series is to enrich, educate, and entertain.”

 A link to more information: https://sc4.edu/campus-life/arts/free-thursday-concert-series/

 Reporting for WGRT – Jennie McClelland

MOC Building Will List for $5 Million

At their regular meeting Monday night, the Port Huron city Council approved listing the Municipal Office Center, or the MOC building, for sale.  The building will be listed for $5 million with Kramer Realty on October 1st.

Port Huron Mayor Pauline Repp said the city has been considering listing the building for awhile, and the timing seems advantageous to pursue sale of the property now. They hope to see something move to the site that would be an economic driver for the city.

“When it was [built] it was the right thing to do because we got all kinds of money. The site down there was pretty much industrial, and we got a lot of federal funds in order to fix up that property and put the building up. So, it wasn’t a big cost to the taxpayers when that went up,” said Repp.

Repp also said the purchaser of the building would have to submit a development plan before the sale was approved. “We will not allow anyone to purchase it and just hold on to it,” she said.

The only thing for sale is the building and the parking lots. The City will keep ownership of Keifer Park, and the public will still have access to the waterfront.

At this time, there is no plan for relocating the city’s employees or tenants when the building sells. Current tenants include Michigan Works! and other State of Michigan offices, Port Huron Police Department, and the St. Clair County EDA. In August, The EDA announced plans to build its own building at Desmond Landing near the Blue Water YMCA.

Repp said the Council also issued certificates to DTE Energy and the city’s police, fire, and forestry departments at the meeting. They commended them for everything they did to assist residents and deal with the aftermath of last week’s storms.

Reporting for WGRT – Jessie Wiegand

 

 

Lake Huron Medical Center’s September Employee of the Month

Port Huron, MI – Lake Huron Medical Center (LHMC) is pleased to announce its September 2021 Employee of the Month, Susan Rodgers. LHMC is honored to have a strong team of staff and volunteers working hard to deliver high-quality care to the Blue Water Area.

Susan works as an Ultrasound Tech and has been an employee at LHMC since June 2012. She was nominated by a patient who commented, “Susan was kind, considerate, careful, and professional. She established trust with me while she provided comfort and privacy. It was a privilege to be in her care.”

Lake Huron Medical Center is proud of each of its employees and volunteers; and extends a special thank you and congratulations to all our team members, especially Susan, as we celebrate their accomplishments.

To learn more about the programs and services offered at Lake Huron Medical Center, visit www.mylakehuron.com.

Kids Can Participate in Photo Shoot at Palmer Park

A ribbon cutting for the new Quantis Climber play structure at Palmer Park is Tuesday, September 28th at 4 PM. The public is invited to join in the celebration which includes testing out the new play equipment, popsicles, games, and music.

The Quantis Climber is designed for kids 5 – 12 years old, and it involves a rope assisted climb around twists and turns to get to the slide on top. Kids can create new ways to advance and move around the structure while building muscle and having fun.

Palmer Park received several updates this year including new swing sets, and a new pavilion and benches are up next. The Quantis Climber was funded by the combined efforts of the Ralph C. Wilson Jr. Foundation and the Community Foundation of St. Clair County.

Kids who want to participate in a photo shoot after the ribbon cutting can sign up with the Penchura company by signing a photo release. Penchura needs 30 -40 kids from 2 – 12 years old for the photoshoot, and kids will receive a free gift if they sign up.

Learn more about signing up for the photo shoot here:

https://www.playlsi.com/en/contact-us/model-release-form/

Reporting for WGRT – Jessie Wiegand