 Benzie County Spring, Michigan Google has launched a new tool that lets cyclists look up trails through its Google Maps application. Traverse City has been included in the first 150 cities to be added to the feature.
From the Chicago Tribune:
"Hard-core and recreational cyclists will be able to use the Web-based technology to plan trips or explore biking trails and routes in Chicago and 149 other U.S. cities, Google officials said.
"Several online bike-trip sites already exist. But bicycling advocates hope Google's entrance in the market benefits not only individual riders but Chicago's transit system as a whole. One goal is to make it easier for non- or infrequent cyclists to access the service, thereby promoting more bicycling.
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 Platte River, Benzie County Division Street is a major transportation corridor of Traverse City with over 20,000 vehicles driving through each day. It is a corridor that most people in the region (Antrim, Benzie, Kalkaska, Leelanau, and Wexford counties) will travel heading north or south.
The Record-Eagle is reporting that city officials are seeking to make the Division Street drive a more pleasant experience.
"City officials aim to transform Division Street and its 20,000-plus vehicles per day bustle into a calmer, more walkable thoroughfare, and they plan to get the ball rolling now.
"A reconstruction project may have to be put before voters; if so, the city hopes to place the measure on the August ballot.
"The public will have a chance next week to share thoughts on proposed reconstruction. The city contracted with local engineering firm URS to develop a series of conceptual redesign plans, and they'll be presented during a March 17 open house."
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 Sunset at Point Betsie, Benzie County On March 24, Jim Ridgway, of Environmental Consulting & Technology, Inc. and David Flowers, of Natural Water Solutions, LLC., will be in Leelanau County to talk about decentralized water and wastewater treatment.
From the Leelanau County website:
"Two (2) national experts will share their experiences on low cost, small scale decentralized water & wastewater treatment opportunities. They will be the first to say "no single system will work on every site". They can tell you how others have addressed the challenges of getting high quality effluent out of small scale, low maintenance systems - systems you can learn to live with.
"PUMPERS/HAULERS: The Michigan Dept. of Environmental Quality has approved Two (2) Continuing Septage Education Credit Hours (2 CSEs) for attending either of these sessions. Local septage haulers and pumper are required to have CSEs.
"About the Presenters: Mr. Jim Ridgway, Vice President and Regional Manager for Environmental Consulting & Technology, Inc. M.S.E., Civil Engineering - University of Michigan; B.S.E., Environmental Science-Engineering -University of Michigan; B.S., Atmospheric and Oceanic Sciences-University of Michigan. Registered Professional Engineer in Michigan, South Carolina, Virginia, West Virginia; and a Certified Underground Storage Tank Professional in Michigan.
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 This year, go green on St. Patrick's day in a different way. With green energy.
The Grand Vision Energy Working Group will host a Renewable Energy forum on March 17.
It starts at 7pm and will be held at the Traverse Area District Library.
Michigan currently receives only 3% of its electricity from renewable energy. By law, electricity providers will have to increase this percentage to at least 10% by 2015 due to PA 295, also know as Michigan’s Renewable Energy Standard.
But what is the working definition for renewable energy? How much does it cost? How long are the paybacks? Where can different systems get sited? Is solar really viable in northern Michigan? While some people want to see even more renewable energy come on-line in the near future, what are the challenges that must first be met?
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Every two weeks we send out our Grand Vision update. In addition to a roundup of recent stories of interest, we feature a photo from our Grand Vision group on the photo sharing site Flickr. If you'd like to see YOUR photo featured here, click to join the Grand Vision group!
ETCphoto (Terry Clark) took this picture of one of the world's most photographed lighthouses. Be sure to check this out bigger or (even better) in Terry's Point Betsie slideshow.
To subscribe to our emails, just use the box under the Grand Vision logo at the top of this page!
 The Michigan State House Transportation Committee was in Traverse City yesterday (Mar 8). Because Michigan is unable to match federal transportation funds, the state is losing out on the federal dollars. As a result, the Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT) has been forced to delay indefinitely a significant portion of road improvement projects.
7&4 News was there and filed this report, including an interview with Grand Traverse County Road Commission Manager Mary Gillis who said "You're going to see roads falling apart." Watch that video here.
9&10 News was also on hand and reports that "more than 70 million dollars in projects that MDOT cut or that are on delay include repairing a stretch of M-22 in Leelanau County."
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 The Record-Eagle is reporting that a deal has been reached on the issue of bike lanes for the 8th street redesign:
"[TC City Manager Ben] Bifoss and [TC Mayor Chris] Bzdok recently met with MDOT officials and learned it's too late to widen the road enough to install separate bike lanes, a move that would change the "scope" of the project and result in a loss of stimulus funds.
"City officials now plan to paint large symbols on the road that direct motorists to share the full traffic lane with cyclists. The markings, called "sharrows" by some cyclists, feature a large image of a bicycle topped with an arrow.
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 John Farrell is a researcher with the Institute for Local Self-Reliance. He recently wrote this commentary for Minnesota Public Radio on how local communities in the Midwest can begin to take control of their energy futures.
"State policies to support local ownership can triple or quadruple the economic benefits of their wind resource. Energy efficiency standards can bring self-reliance closer and reduce consumer costs. And PACE programs can bring the energy home, putting the power of self-reliance in every community.
"Energy self-reliant states have stronger economies. And new data on wind power potential reveals that five Midwestern states could match their current electricity use with domestic wind power. But along with the good news, these states -- Missouri, Illinois, Indiana, Ohio and Michigan -- should take note of the stakes.
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 The Record-Eagle has this report on how local schools are increasing their uses of local foods to feed their students.
"Janis Groomes knows what it takes to convince kids to eat their vegetables. Locally grown cucumbers, parsnips, squash, asparagus and kale have all been used in meals at Northport Public School, where Groomes is food service director. "(It's) always a challenge to get an elementary student to eat a green bean -- whether it's fresh or frozen or canned," she said. "You have to sell the product."
"A 2008 farm-to-school conference inspired Groomes to connect with local farmers and follow some of the fresh, local food ideas used by other school districts.
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 The Record-Eagle is reporting that the Bay Area Transportation Authority (BATA) has received over a million dollars towards the development of non-urban transit agencies:
"Bay Area Transportation Authority will receive a sizable chunk of federal stimulus money designed to support Michigan's rural transit agencies. State transportation officials will dole out $12.4 million to non-urban transit agencies across the state, including more than $1 million to BATA. The agency will buy six new hybrid buses, surveillance cameras to install inside buses and mobile computer terminals for eight buses.
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