Household Hazardous Waste Collection Day will be held again on Saturday, June 26, 2010. Residents can drop off their hazardous waste to the Jackson County Health Department located at 1715 Lansing Ave. Additional information can be found at the about link (PDF file).

Spring Clea-Up Day
Saturday, May 15th
^{For the Residents of
Columbia Township and the Village of Brooklyn}

Curbside pick-up of house hold refuses beginning at 8:00am, for the residential properties only.

These items will NOT be collected:

• Tree stumps, brush, tree limbs or any yard waste
• Building demolition materials
• Liquids
• Full paint cans
• Insecticides, herbicides and/or hazardous materials
• Car batteries and tires
• Propane tanks
• Large appliances
• Appliances containing Freon must be evacuated
• Bricks and concrete
• Refuse not bagged or tied into bundles

For further information call: Columbia Township at 592-2000

Village of Brooklyn at 592-2591

Per the action of the Village Council please see the updated policies regarding Brush Pick-up within the Village:

1. On Monday’s the DPW personnel will pick-up grass clippings ONLY.
2. On Tuesday’s the DPW personnel will pick-up all other yard waste (NO GRASS CLIPPINGS) including bundled braches.
3. All grass clippings and yard waste should be placed out at curbside or the street edge by 8:00am, but no sooner than 48 hours before the scheduled pick-up
4. All grass clippings and yard waste should be placed in paper bags or trash containers (NO PLASTIC BAGS or EASY CARTS WILL BE PICK-UP)
5. Maximum total weight of bags, bundles or containers should not exceed 40 pounds. Brush or branches will be picked-up in trash containers provided they do not exceed the 40-pound weight limit.
6. Maximum size of bundled (tied) branches should be no longer than 4 feet in length and 12 inches in diameter. Tie brush bundles with rope or twine, no wire please.
7. Large quantities of brush/branches that do not meet these restrictions WILL NOT BE COLLECTED. Private haulers are available to assist residents with such removal.
8. Approved yard waste bags will be available for purchase at the Village Office during normal business hours at cost to the residents.
9. Christmas trees will be picked-up during the first two weeks of January.
10. The Village tree limb chipper will be out for the first FULL week of May, August and October to give the residents a chance to have fallen or trimmed tree limbs chipped by Village employees. Tree limbs should not be put out for pick-up any sooner than ONE WEEK PRIOR to the chipper being out. It will also come out for the period of four weeks in the event of a severe storm that has caused extensive damage.
11. All limbs must be stacked neatly with cut ends towards the street. Limbs are not to exceed 5 inches in diameter. No messy piles, logs, root clusters or vines will be chipped or hauled by the Village.

The Common Ground Alliance and its stakeholders have designated April 2010 as National Safe Digging Month. This month is dedicated to increasing awareness of safe digging practices across the country and to celebrate the three-year anniversary of 811, the national call-before-you-dig number.

Throughout the busy digging month of April, CGA and its members are encouraging homeowners and contractors to call 811 before they dig to prevent injuries, property damage and inconvenient outages.

Did you know?

• More than 200,000 underground utility lines are struck each year in the U.S.?
• 37% of all U.S. digging damages result from not calling before digging.
• Utilities are buried only a few inches underground, making them easy to strike even during shallow digging projects.

Here are some ways you can participate:

• Join us in National Safe Digging Month by calling 811 before beginning any outdoor digging project, large or small.
• If a neighbor is planning a digging project, remind them to call 811 before they break ground.
• If you have a web site, personal blog or or e-newsletter, you can post our "We Support Safe Digging Month" button on your profile to show your support for safe digging.
• Encourage your organization or company to sign a "Safe Digging Month Proclamation."

As you are fully aware 2010 is a census year. Most likely you have already received a census form in the mail. Completing the form is extremely important for our community.

"The U.S. Constitution, Article I, Section 2 mandates that an apportionment of representatives among the states, for the House of Representatives, be carried out every ten years (decennially). Apportionment is the process of dividing the 435 seats in the US House of Representatives among the 50 states. Congress decides the method to carry out the apportionment and, since 1940, has used the method of ‘equal proportions’ in accordance with Title 2, US Code.

Using equal portions, each state is assigned one congressional seat (as provided by the Constitution). The apportionment formula then allocates the remaining 385 seats one at a time among the 50 states until all 435 seats are assigned.

In addition to apportionment, the decennial census results are used to:

• distribute almost $200 billion annually in Federal and state, local, and tribal funds;
• draw state legislative districts;
• evaluate the success of programs or identify populations in need of services;
• and many other purposes. The URL http://www.census.gov/dmd/www/content.htm has a comprehensive review of each of the questions and why it is asked.

While the federal government uses census data for many purposes, businesses, students, and many others also user census data. Businesses may use the data to decide where to locate an outlet, or to select products for a specific area. Students research neighborhoods and cities for class projects and the local parent-teacher organization may use data to track trends in the local area. Historians, writers, and other researchers use census data to get a flavor of what the country looked like at a particular point in time. "

From the Detroit Free Press:

Speedway to host X-Prize competition

The Automotive X-Prize, a competition to develop the most fuel-efficient, safe and durable vehicles with three winners splitting $10 million in prize money, will be hosted from April through August at Michigan International Speedway.

Sponsored by Progressive Insurance and subsidized by a $3.5-million Department of Energy grant, the prize has attracted 41 teams that have developed 51 vehicles.

The competition will begin April 26 with what organizers call the shakedown stage. Over two weeks, judges will evaluate the driving dynamics, safety, braking, acceleration and refueling or recharging time.

Check out the office competition's website for me details of this great event!!

As the snow continues to fall we would like to remind you of policies the Village has regarding sidewalks in front of your home or business:

It is the responsibility of the property owner to clear the snow or ice on the sidewalk abutting their property within four hours of snow fall or prior to the business day, whichever is sooner. If that is not done the property owner will receive a ticket from the Village Code Enforcement Officer. Please keep the sidewalks clear for everyone the uses these pathways.

When you shovel snow and clear ice

• Shovel the sidewalks on all sides of your property, the full width of the sidewalk down to the bare pavement.
• Remove all ice from sidewalks. After the sidewalk is cleared, sprinkling a little sand or salt can help prevent slipping on frosty sidewalks.
• Deposit all snow onto your own property, do not dump into the street.

Remember

• You are as responsible for clearing ice on your sidewalk as well as snow. Ice can be more dangerous and intimidating than snow.
• The sooner and more completely you shovel, the less likely ice will form.
• Arrange for someone to shovel while you are on vacation.