In This Issue

A Note from Nancy

Law enforcement warns of the dangers of unknown
white powders
Pickard Road Bridge project to begin June 5
Young Eagles Day is June 10
Date set for Timber Town 2.0 Grand Opening
Thursday Farmers' Market now open
June 2017 Zach Huffman begins as City's new airport worker
Preventing ransomware on City devices
A Note from Nancy
Based on the sign-in sheets and the memories of the Parks & Recreation Code Enforcement Officer Jeff Pickler retires
staff, there were approximately 23 City staff who joined the hundreds Sarah Marshall welcomes baby boy
of volunteers to work on TimberTown 2.0. Thanks to those of you who
were able to join other community members and make such an impact Autume Balcom welcomes baby girl
on the play structure at Island Park. Thanks also to those of you who Staff Spotlight - Jason VanLiew
stayed in the offices or stayed on shift during that time to help cover for
the lessor number of staff available as they were outside working with June Employee Anniversaries
community volunteers. We all played a role in an incredible City Snapshots
accomplishment for our community that will last for decades.
Upcoming Events and Meetings
VALUES - Teamwork, Communication and Creativity
Wellness Corner
We have a busy summer ahead with the increased number of visitors to City Commission Updates
our community, various construction projects, finding the best way to
recommend a 2018 balanced budget, numerous special events, making Our Culture
progress toward our goals, and training various new employees. Thanks
in advance for your commitment to your job and to providing Puzzle pieces indicate how the topic of the
outstanding customer service to those we come in contact with. For article demonstrates aspects of Our Values,
many of your contacts, it may be the only contact someone has with a Employee Expectations and Performance as
City staff person so we appreciate that you represent us well. stated in the City's culture document.
EMPLOYEE EXPECTATIONS
June Employee Anniversaries
We are looking forward to the feedback that will be given to the ad hoc Janice Davis Office Professional III 36 years
ethics subcommittee as you review the draft of the employee policy
Rick Beltinck Fire Chief 20 years
that was put together by the group. This is the recommended outcome
from our All Staff Training last November. It will be a handy reference to Dianne Adams Office Professional I 14 years
have a concise document for all of us to refer to, as well as a reminder of Lisa Way Office Professional II 14 years
some of our core values as employees. I appreciate the time you will
take reviewing it and giving the committee your feedback. Addie Pritchard Sr. Executive Assistant 11 years
EMPLOYEE PERFORMANCE; VALUES - Growth and Development Shar Rappuhn Human Resources 5 years
Consultant
Josh Wozniak Parks & Grounds II 3 years
Law enforcement warns of the dangers of Michael Servis Wastewater Treatment 2 years
unknown white powders Operator
The Division of Public Safety is reminding all employees, especially
those who maintain the parks and streets, to call the police immediately
if an unknown white powdery substance is found. Whether the
substance is among garbage, in bags or elsewhere, do not touch, move City Snapshots...
or try to dispose of it.
... from the Community Build of Timber Town 2.0
Due to the current opioid epidemic, law enforcement officers are
seeing a rise in the use of synthetic heroin, which often contains
Fentanyl and/or Carfentanil. Any contact with these substances,
including accidentally breathing them in or touching a surface where
they were placed, can result in an overdose.

Click here for additional information from the U.S. Drug Enforcement
Administration.

Pickard Road Bridge project to begin June 5

The City will begin
construction work on the
Pickard Road Bridge on
June 5. The project will
include removing and
replacing the bridge deck,
sidewalk, concrete and
approaches and railings.
It is anticipated to be
complete by Aug. 11.

During the project's completion, access for local traffic will be

Community members helped to build Timber Town 2.0
maintained. Pickard Road will be closed to through traffic between
during build week. Volunteers began constructing the
Bradley and Mission streets. The bridge will be closed to all traffic, with
new playground on May 17. With so much support, the
a detour from Mission to High to Bradley streets. There may be some
build ended ahead of schedule on May 20. For more
additional temporary lane closures near the bridge in September for
photos and video of the build, click here.
final completion work.

For additional information, please visit www.mt- ... from Environmental Education Day
pleasant.org/construction or call the Division of Public Works at (989)
779-5401.

Young Eagles Day on June 10

The annual Young Eagles Day at the
Mt. Pleasant Municipal Airport is set
for Saturday, June 10 from 9 a.m. to
12 p.m.

This event offers free airplane rides

for children and teens ages 8 to 17.
Those interested are asked to pre-
register by calling (989) 561-5266.

A parent or guardian must sign a release provided at the airport before

the flight.

Date set for Timber Town 2.0 Grand Opening On May 19, local students gathered at Chipp-A-Waters
Park to learn about the environment. Kids were able to
explore and discover the natural world Michigan has to
offer. The event was sponsored by Chippewa Watershed
Conservancy and Isabella Conservation District.
... from the Historic Preservation Improvement
Awards presentation
 At the May 22 City Commission meeting, Mayor Kathy
Join us on Friday, June 9 for the unveiling of the Timber Town 2.0
Ling presented the 2016 Historic Preservation
playground! The event at Island Park will begin at 4:30 p.m. with hot
Improvement Awards to Art Reach of Mid Michigan and
dogs and refreshments. An official ribbon cutting ceremony is set for
Rubble's Bar. The annual awards honor improvements in
5:30 p.m. Thank you to our volunteers for making this possible!
the areas of Preservation, Rehabilitation, New
Construction or Downtown Historic District Choice. Both
Thursday Farmers' Market now open locations received the award for rehabilitation of front
The 2017 Farmers' Market schedule is as follows: facades.

Thursdays, June 1 - Oct. 26 Upcoming Events and Meetings

Island Park, 7:30 a.m. - 2 p.m. Farmers' Market
June 8; 7:30 a.m. - 2 p.m.
Saturdays, June 24 - Oct. 14 Island Park
City Hall, 9 a.m. - 2 p.m.
Timber Town 2.0 Grand Opening
Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) recipients can use June 9; 4:30 - 6:30 p.m.
their Michigan Bridge Card. The market also accepts debit and credit Island Park
cards, Double Up Food Bucks, WIC Project FRESH and Senior Project
FRESH/Market FRESH coupons. Young Eagles Day
June 10; 9 a.m. - 2 p.m.
Mt. Pleasant Municipal Airport
Zach Huffman begins as City's new airport
City Commission
worker
June 12; 7 p.m.
Zach Huffman joined the City as an
City Hall
airport worker on May 15. After
attending ground school at Muncie, Historic District Commission
Indiana's airport on a scholarship, Zach June 13; 5 p.m.
received his private pilot's certificate in City Hall
2016.
Farmers' Market
Zach's passion for aviation led him to June 15; 7:30 a.m. - 2 p.m.
volunteer last fall for the Aircraft Island Park
Owners and Pilots Association's fly-in
event at Kellogg airfield in Battle Creek. TIFA/PSD Board
This event allowed him to gain experience by working with more than June 15; 8 a.m.
100 planes landing and taking off. In his new role with the City, Zach is City Hall
looking forward hearing about the many travel stories and experiences
of those visiting the airport. He hopes to promote the airport as well. Thrilling Thursday - Yogapalooza
"I'm looking forward to working with Bill on increasing both the June 15; 6 p.m.
corporate air traffic and general aviation planes that land at the airport," Town Center
Zach said. "Mt. Pleasant has some beautiful accommodations and
attractions to entice pilots and passengers to visit the City, and I hope to Farmers' Market
assist in informing others about these to bring more air traffic to City's June 22; 7:30 a.m. - 2 p.m.
airport." Island Park

Originally from Indianapolis, Indiana, Zach was drawn to Mt. Pleasant for Thrilling Thursday - Let's Ride
graduate school. After receiving degrees in journalism and June 22; 6 p.m.
telecommunications from Ball State University, Zach decided to pursue Town Center
a masters degree in media management at Central Michigan University.
He currently works for CMU as a graduate teaching assistant for the Saturday Farmers Market Begins
Department of Broadcast and Cinematic Arts. In that role, he teaches a June 24; 9 a.m. - 2 p.m.
class within the undergraduate news curriculum and oversees the City Hall
student run television station, MHTV.
City Commission
Through his journalism degree, Zach has had opportunities to cover June 26; 7 p.m.
international news stories. He traveled to Russia to cover the Winter City Hall
Olympics, worked with the U.S. Olympic team at their training camp in
Utah, covered Pope Francis' visit to the U.S. in Philadelphia and reported Parks and Recreation
from President Obama's election night headquarters in 2012. June 27; 7 p.m.
City Hall
Welcome, Zach!
Zoning Board of Appeals
Preventing ransomware on City devices June 28; 7 p.m.
What is Ransomware? City Hall
'Ransomware' is a type of malware infection that attempts to extort
money from a computer user or organization by infecting and taking Farmers' Market
control of the victim's machine, files or documents stored on it. June 29; 7:30 a.m. - 2 p.m.
Island Park
The ransomware will either 'lock' the computer to prevent normal usage
or encrypt the documents and files to prevent access to the saved data. Thrilling Thursday - Scavenger Hunt
June 29; 6 p.m.
Locky and Cryptolocker are two of the latest versions of ransomware. Town Center

How it Works: Planning Commission

Ransomware is installed when users open a malicious email June 29; 7 p.m.
attachment, visit a malicious website, or click on a malicious link in an City Hall
email message, instant message or on a social networking site.
Max & Emily's Summer Concert Series
Ransomware can also generate a pop-up window, webpage or email June 29; 6 p.m.
warning from what looks like an official authority (as shown below) Downtown
prompting users to click on a link, open an attachment, etc.
Michigan Amateur Softball Association Tournament
June 29 - July 2

Farmers' Market
July 1; 9 a.m. - 2 p.m.
City Hall

City Offices Closed

July 4
Tues., Wed., and Thurs. Refuse/Recycling collection
delayed one day

Farmers' Market
July 6; 7:30 a.m. - 2 p.m.
Island Park

Thrilling Thursday - Bugs-R-Us

July 6; 6 p.m.
Town Center

________________________________________________

>>FULL CALENDAR

Wellness Corner
Kristy Pollatz, Health Coach
 Contact Kristy at x5315 or
healthcoach@mt-pleasant.org.

Summer HealthSteps Happenings!

Summer is just around the corner, and enjoying the
outdoors is a big part of Michigan summers! Take a look
at the following fitness activities. There's sure to be
something within this list that can help you stay fit this
summer!

Weekly Walks (June, July, and August):

As soon as a computer becomes infected, the ransomware encrypts all
personal files/folders in the user's profile (My Documents, Pictures,
Videos, Music, etc.). After the files are encrypted, they are deleted or
hidden, and they will be replaced with a text document with
instructions for payment to unlock the encrypted files. A pop-up
window may also appear with instructions for payment.
Starting the week of June 12, we will be walking at lunch
time! What a GREAT way to get outside, get some fresh
air, clear your head and get some exercise! The walks
will be on Tuesdays and Thursdays for about 30 minutes.
I'm flexible as to the time(s) of the walks, so please add
input, if you're interested! I will be here by 11:30 a.m. on
Tuesdays, and by 12:30 p.m. on Thursdays...SO, any time
after that is good for me!
Step Into Summer (June, July):
Remember the "HealthSteps Step Challenge" back in
January?? Well, it's baaaack! :-) This summer step
challenge will be four weeks starting the week of June
19 and ending the week of July 10. The only thing that
will be DIFFERENT than the January step challenge is that
it will be an individual challenge, rather than a partner
challenge. Can you still have a partner to keep you
accountable? Sure. You just won't be combining your
steps. Those who have met the challenge each of the
four weeks will be entered into a drawing for a $25 gift
certificate (there will be three winners!). I will send out
more details in the near future, but until then, please let
me know if you're interested in participating!

Brown-Bag-It (July):
Studies show that the more you eat out, you tend to gain
weight and/or make "bad" choices! All this challenge
involves is packing your own lunch and bringing it to
work (and, of course, EATING it at work for lunch!). This
will be a two-week challenge starting the week of July
How to Prevent Ransomware:
24. Those who have successfully brought their lunch for a
The City's IT department works diligently to prevent malware infections.
full two weeks will be entered into a drawing for a $25
The City's anti-spam appliance and web filter meets industry standards
gift certificate! I will send out more details soon, but
and is updated constantly to protect against new threats, including
until then, please let me know if you're interested in
ransomware emails and websites. The AVG Anti-Virus software also
participating!
automatically downloads updates.
Outdoor Boot Camp/Zumba/PoundFit (June, July, and
Taking the following measures will further protect your devices from
ransomware: August):
Since it's summer, why not spend a little more time
Keep Windows up-to-date. Every domain machine automatically outdoors?? Each month this summer, we will offer a FREE
downloads new Windows updates as they become available. Boot Camp, Zumba, and/or PoundFit class...outdoors! :-)
Simply click 'reboot' when prompted. These classes will be either 45 minutes or 60 minutes,
Keep software up-to-date. Software such as Java, Adobe Reader, and will start at 4:45 p.m. at City Hall on Tuesdays or
etc. Wednesdays. We will either stay on the property, or we
Do not open an attachment from an email address you do not will go to Island Park right behind City Hall. As always,
recognize. If there are any questions about the legitimacy of an any HealthSteps spouse and/or child (18 or older) can
email, please notify IT. participate! Again, I will send out more details soon, but
 Beware of suspicious links on websites. (Game websites,
advertisements, unusual hyperlinks, etc.)
Identify suspicious emails as spam using the "Mark as Spam" and
"Mark as Not Spam" feature in Microsoft Outlook (found under
the 'Home' tab).
Do not let non-City employees use your work machine. If the
machine gets infected outside of the City network, it will infect
everything as soon as you connect to the City's network when
returning to work.
Do not plug-in unknown USB flash drives into your machine.
Questions?
Please direct all questions or concerns regarding ransomware to the
City's IT Department at ext. 5555.
Code Enforcement Officer Jeff Pickler retires
Code Enforcement Officer Jeff Pickler is
retiring after more than 19 years of service.
Although he is retiring from the
organization, his contributions will live on
through the programs he has initiated and
friendships he has made.
We will always be thankful to Jeff for his
dedicated work ethic and his desire to
improve the organization's success.
Congratulations, Jeff, and we wish you all
the best!
Sarah Marshall welcomes baby boy
Matthew Wayne Marshall, Jr. was born on
May 17 to Sarah Marshall, City wastewater
operator, and her husband, Matt.
Congratulations to the Marshalls!
Autume Balcom welcomes baby girl
Police Officer Autume Balcom and her
husband, Greg, welcomed a daughter,
Kylie Rae, on May 11! Congratulations
to the Balcoms!
Staff Spotlight - Jason VanLiew
Title: Parks and Public Spaces II
until then, please let me know if you're interested in
participating, which day(s) work best for you, and which
type of fitness class you're interested in (Boot Camp,
Zumba, and/or PoundFit).
CMU Homecoming 5K Training (August, September, and
October):
I know, I know...this is a little TOO much to be talking
about Fall, but I'm sure I don't have to remind you of how
fast time flies! :-/ The CMU Homecoming 5K to benefit
Special Olympics Michigan is set for Oct. 14, 2017! Our 5K
training will begin eight weeks prior to race day...which
means training will begin the week of August 21. Even if
you're not interested in training as a group, please
consider participating in the 5K! You can either walk or
run, and it's for a GREAT cause!
City Commission Updates
The following is a summary of actions taken at the City
Commission meeting held May 8 and 22 and the
special meeting May 15.
May 8
Approved
Bid of Gawne Trucking, Inc. of Charlotte, MI for
biosolids residuals management
Resolution in support of Temporary Traffic
Control Order 4-2017 - Install "No Parking Here
to Corner" sign on the east side of Lansing
Street, 20 feet north of the crosswalk at
Michigan Street
Amended policy as recommended by the
Brownfield Redevelopment Authority
Appointed Mary Ann Kornexl to perform on an
interim basis until a new City Assessor takes
office those functions and duties that can be
performed without a specific assessor
certification
A one-time live auction agreement with CMU
Resolution for grant agreement for the approach
slope clearing project at the airport
Purchase of easements for parcels E-14, E-15, E-
16
Staff to work with MAC3TV for recording work
sessions in Conference Room A
Budget amendment for storage space, utilizing
funds in the TIFA unassigned fund balance
Budget amendment for the purchase of a gum
buster, utilizing funds in the downtown fund
balance
Work Session
Fee Setting Guidelines
Mission/Pickard DDA
May 15
 Special Meeting
Years with the City: 8 years
Received communication from Planning
How would you describe your Commission on proposed 2018-2022 Capital
position? Different every day! Improvement Plan
We're never doing the same thing Held a work session on the proposed 2018-2022
on a regular basis. Capital Improvement Plan

What do you enjoy about your job?

I like working outside and enjoying working with all of our staff!
What is your fondest memory in your role? There are several, but I
guess just trying and implementing new ideas to make our department
successful!
Tell us more about yourself. My hobbies are riding motorcycles,
listening to music and going to concerts, watching college wrestling, and
helping my wife run our photography business!
May 22
Approved
Agreement with USA Softball of Michigan for
Junior Olympics State Softball Tournament
Budget amendments for barrier free parking
spaces downtown
Resolution for open burning permit fees as
presented
Closed session for strategy and negotiation
session of a collective bargaining agreement
Closed session for material exempt from
discussion or disclosure by state or federal
statute
TPOAM labor agreement

Public Hearing

Proposed 2018-2022 Capital Improvement Plan;

no immediate action required by the
Commission

Work Sessions

2018-2019 Principal Shopping District Special

Assessment
Potential blight ordinance

Contribute to the City Staff Connection

If you have something you'd like to include in the City Staff Connection, please send it to Molli Ferency
at mferency@mt-pleasant.org.