By Jeff Kart
This story originally appeared on Mr. Great Lakes and is republished here with permission.
1 — A new Michigan reservation policy is meant to make it easier for people to secure campsites at many of the state’s most-visited parks.
The new Department of Natural Resources policy that took effect this week encourages people to firm up their reservations further in advance of planned camping dates.
Campers still can make reservations up to six months in advance.
Image: Tony Failoa
The new structure retains a $10 cost to cancel or modify a camping reservation. It adds an additional incremental fee based on the length of time between the date of the initial reservation and the planned arrival date.
Rather than holding onto several blocks of campsites at a campground — or in some cases, multiple campgrounds — the new policy encourages campers to finalize their plans as soon as possible. So a reservation held for up to two months will incur a 10 percent fee to modify or cancel, and one held for longer than five months will incur a 40 percent fee to modify or cancel.
For more information, see Michigan.gov/camping.
2 — The Hoyt Library in Saginaw was honored by Gov. Rick Snyder for an energy project.
The Governor’s Energy Excellence Award was given to eight individuals and organizations for efforts to reduce energy waste.
The winners and finalists were announced at a ceremony in Detroit last month.
Hoyt was recognized as a finalist for the Best Public Project. Officials say the 126-year-old library was costly to operate, subject to inconsistent temperatures and unchecked humidity was creating serious mold problems.
With help from a Consumers Energy audit and grant, the library invested in a high-efficiency boiler, a more efficient chiller, automation controls for its HVAC system, and a new and improved air quality system. The improvements are expected to save on annual natural gas costs and improve the building’s environment for staff, patrons, and the books it houses.
Winning energy solutions ranged from improving existing structures with energy-efficient, state-of-the-art heating, cooling and lighting systems to constructing new buildings.Consumers Energy won for the Best Communication or Education Program.
— Via GLREA
— Mr. Great Lakes is heard at 9:30 a.m. Fridays in Bay City, Michigan, on Delta College Q-90.1 FM NPR. Follow @jeffkart on Twitter #MrGreatLakes