YIKES. BOARD OF of Light and Power customers may be looking at 30% rate hikes in the very near future.
Seems startling and exorbitant, but some officials with an eye toward the future say it’s necessary. The rate hikes would fund the building of three new generators providing 50 megawatts of power. The cost? $77 million.
The current BLP generators are aging, and if one were to go down–as they have in the past–officials say there’s no guarantee BLP could provide backup power to its customers, even from the grid. Private, investor-owned companies own those transmission lines and generators, and we’re at their mercy. They determine the costs and the availability.
We could be subject to crippling blackouts, especially in the winter.
Thus the need for new, reliable, and local generators, owned and operated by us folks here in the U.P.
But still……Yikes. 30% rate hikes?
That would reportedly mean an extra $1 million in costs for NMU, $145,000 for the city, and $200,000 for the schools. And the ordinary Joe (and Jill) out there would see their average bills jump from $58 to $76 a month.
And hikes of four to five percent each of the two following years.
Thank God that all of us–the city, the university, the schools, the businesses, and the homeowners–are flush with cash.
BLP and the City Commission discussed the plan and the rate hikes on Monday night.
Commissioners had some questions. Would it be possible to build only one or two generators to soften the rate hike? Are other options being considered? What about wind or solar power? Why hasn’t there been more transparency about this whole process?
Good questions, all.
The BLP will answer those questions in the weeks ahead. And the public will also join in the process with questions, suggestions, and criticism.
Here’s guessing there’ll be plenty of all that.
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MARQUETTE’S FARMERS MARKET is having a banner year.
Attendance is up about 20%, vendors continue to clamor for spots at the Saturday market, and the winter market this year–until December 12th–will be bigger than ever.
You might also have heard that readers of Lake Superior Magazine recently voted it the best farmers’ market in the region.
Now more good news. The USDA just awarded the market more than $70,000 for salaries, heaters (in the winter and on blustery fall days), wind curtains, and advertising.
Why the award? Because the market has been a remarkable success that’s contributing mightily to our economy and it’s also provided a social center for our community on the weekends.
And, oh yeah, it’s also putting fresh, local produce and meats in our kitchens.
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NOW ANOTHER AWARD winner.
Elizabeth’s Chop House was just named the third best steak house in the state, this time by MLive, a digital collaboration of several news organizations in Michigan.
Here’s what the reviewer, John Gonzalez, had to say about the Chop House: “We were impressed with the philosophy of offering only the best products, whether steaks, seafood or fresh catch….Must Have: The coal-smoked, 18 ounce Hickory ribeye ($45.95) on a Himalayan salt plate that keeps it warm; or a Bone-in Tenderloin ($57.95), a unique cut found in two per steer.”
One caveat to all this. These were not anonymous, unannounced visits that Gonzalez made to 25 nominated steak houses all over the state. He let them know he was coming. That’s not how most restaurant critics conduct their reviews.
Still….it was a direct comparison made by someone who knows and appreciates good food, a good atmosphere and good service, and he rated Elizabeth’s among the very best.
No surprise at all. Elizabeth’s was also recently rated in the top ten by another survey–onlyinyourstate.com.
By the way, how do you get those jobs that send you all over the state sampling $57 steaks?
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