Archive Week Ending 2/15/04

BACK TO THE CURRENT HARSENS ISLAND NEWS

Sunday - February 15, 2004 - 10:30pm
The ferry is shut down until temperatures freeze enough to cut a path, approximately 4 - 6am.

Sunday - February 15, 2004 - 2:50pm
Took a quick view of the Island just now, the South Channel looks pretty solid and the path in the North Channel has diminished tremendously with the thin ice flowing toward Dickenson Island, although it looks open up past WC Beardslees although patchy, the problem that occurs now is the ice that jams up in the docks. The ferry seems to be handling things fine at the moment but for how long we are not sure. Previously we quoted one ferry owner who compared the ice situation to "giving birth, you never know when it will happen", perhaps we are having "contractions" at this point. As always we will keep you posted. Also, rumor has it that the man with the Airboat is back in town, Bob Bryson, maybe he will fire it up if the need arises.

Correction: The Sans Souci Bar did not have their "Mousie Races" this weekend, only the P.J Party which I undersand was a hit. Mousie Races will take place next weekend with the Rock-n-Roll band Crossing X on board.

Again, emails are flowing in, and we are receiving quite a few requests for rental properties, so many of them that in our Real Estate section we have listed a few of the requests we have received, so if you have rentals available, or know someone who does, give us a call or drop us an email.

Sunday - February 15, 2004 - 1:45pm
Well, the frozen temperatures have not prevented the ice from flowing. A strong North wind this morning has the ice flowing downstream at a pretty steady pace. According to Champions, the river is 1/2 full of light ice as of this morning and the folks from the ferry are anticipating that by late this afternoon or this evening the ice will jam at the ferry docks therefore causing them to close. Take whatever precautions you deem necessary, whether it is to go across now to insure your presence at work tomorrow, or perhaps to take a car across and leave it on the mainland. We will of course be keeping a close eye on what is happening an providing updates on a needed basis.

Saturday - February 14, 2004 - 5:30pm
Happy Valentine's Day ! The weather was sunny most of today at this hour a light snow is falling. A large chunk (it was as wide as the North Channel) floated past the ferry around 3:15pm and kept on going, the deck hand said it came from around Russell Island, but everything still remains wide open and clear. With the deep freeze coming tonight and Sunday it should keep the ice in it's place. Ice skating, snowmobiling and ATV conditions on the inner canals and ponds are near perfect, however, be safe and know the area your in and never skate or ride alone.

A homeowner safety tip from our local Harsens Island contractor, Pat Marlow of A 2 Z Construction: For anyone leaving their home or cottage for an extended period of time, it is always wise to turn the main water valve off at the point of entry into your home. There should be a shut-off valve installed, typically where your new waterline pipe hooks up to your existing plumbing. This safety tip could potentially prevent ten of thousands of dollars worth of water damage to your home, in the event your pipes were to burst.

Friday - February 13, 2004 - 4:00pm
Well, it's Friday the 13th and so far so good. Valentine's day is Saturday and if you're looking for something for your sweetie, check out the gift shops in Sans Souci, there are a lot of neat gift items to chose from. If you're looking for something to do on Valentine's Day, The Sans Souci Bar will be holding their annual P.J. Party (p.j.'s optional) and mousie races (mousies are actually small meal worms that race across a napkin) it is definitely a fun time. Congratulations to Joyce Bryson for winning a trip through the Algonac Education Enrichment Fund a.k.a. EEF raffle. If you are interested in purchasing raffle tickets, contact 810-794-9364 ext. 1003 or 1006, there have been many local winners of the fabulous trips they raffle, as well as second prizes of $125.00. Tickets are $100.00 each. Happy Valentine's Day.

Thursday - February 12, 2004 - 3:00pm
There is a small path of open water in the South Channel, up to about Sans Souci and then sporadically throughout the channel, the cutter and a barge continue to pass through. Jeff Frazier, a U.S. Coast Guard liaison from Sarnia reports in The Voice that "The Neah Bay cutter is perfect for clearing out the North Channel" he states that because of "her size" and their concern for "drafts, the Neah Bay is "ideal", and "while the Neah Bay's primary task is to keep the South Channel and shipping lanes open, she will be sent to the North Channel whenever necessary". Good news for us here on the Island, the Neah Bay did a tremendous job of opening up the North Channel the week of 2/2 - 2/4, when the ferry was shut down for a few days.

The 10 day weather forecast looks pretty stable in the 30°'s, except for a dip in temps on Sunday to about 10° then back up to the 30°'s again with a high temperature of 37° expected next Friday 2/20/04. Is that warm enough to move the ice ? We'll keep an eye open.

In other news, regarding the toxic chemical spill from Imperial Oil in Sarnia on Super Bowl Sunday, a question was asked of Jeff Friedland, Director of St. Clair County Emergency Management, "What about Harsens Island and those residents who draw water directly from the river? When do we tell them it's okay to use the water? Mr. Jon Parson's, Executive Director of the St. Clair County Health Department said "It is never safe to use river water directly". "You're at risk 100 percent of the time". He mentions several reasons, "runoff to the chemical plant and freighters that jettison raw waste or chemicals into the water and continues by saying "That water is not approved for any use". . For you Island folks who don't have "city water" be dilligent, but the big question is what about swimming, boating...etc., makes you wonder dosen't it ?

Tonight is the first Daddy/Daughter Dance at 7:00pm and there are quite a few Island girls escorting their dads; Marinna Marlow and her dad Pat, Alex Tackonis and her dad Bill, Caroline Glowski and her dad David, it will be a memorable evening.

Wednesday - February 11, 2004 - 9:00am
Its pretty sunny here today with a green light on the ferry. Monday night another call was received by Clay Twp., regarding a "suspicious" article floating on a piece of ice down near the flats, some of you may not know but a couple large bags of "pot" have surfaced on the ice on the river over the last few weeks, now anything remotely curious has calls coming in. No word as of yet on what this article may be, when officials went out Monday night the article was floating on ice on the canadian side, canadian officials were notified.

Folks, we have been receiving lots of calls and emails regarding rental properties on the island, people are looking for summer vacation rentals and permanent rentals. If you have properties for rent or know someone who does, let us know and we'll post it on the site. Remember, check out our events calendar for upcoming activities in our community.

Monday - February 08, 2004 - 9:51am
Everything remains clear as far as the ferry goes, I have received numerous calls from folks all over the state requesting ferry information, don't forget to remind people to check out our website for the latest updates. Ice breaking efforts still continue on the river, there remains quite a bit of ice in Lake Huron destined for us, as one ferry owner remarked to me "its like being pregnant waiting to give birth, you never know when it will happen" this is the greatest analogy, hopefully with the Coast Guards preventitve measures we will dodge the brunt of the ice. Remember to check our Events link with our interactive calendar, this Thursday and Friday is the annual Daddy/Daughter All Star Dance at the Algonac Community Center, don't miss the fun.

Lake St. Clair Forecast
National Weather Service
902 AM EST MON FEB 9 2004

GALE WARNING IN EFFECT

THIS AFTERNOON
SOUTHWEST WINDS 15 TO 25 KNOTS INCREASING TO 35 KNOT GALES
DIMINISHING WINDS ON TUESDAY

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