• Leaders with the Charlevoix-Emmet Intermediate School District talked about their upcoming millage renewal vote in May.
• Munson Healthcare touted its plan for regional services, which has seen pushback from the Michigan Nurses Association.
• There was little discussion of the region’s ongoing housing crisis, in contrast with last year’s event.
Healthcare and education were among the many topics of discussion brought up by community leaders at the Petoskey State of the Community event.
Speakers included leaders in nonprofits, local governments and tourism who were asked questions in an interview format. Many explained their role in the community and how they plan to expand in the coming year.
The annual event is organized by the Petoskey Regional Chamber of Commerce which boasts 752 members — one of the largest in the state.
Chamber President Nikki Devitt welcomed the sold-out crowd and served as an interviewer along with chamber members Jeffrey Neill and Lisa Hoyt.
“The room is made up of incredible business owners, a vibrant workforce, invested community members, valuable organizations, and unbelievable elected officials,” Devitt said. “The room is made up of people who make great things happen.”
Education
The Charlevoix-Emmet Intermediate School District is gearing up for a millage renewal vote in May. The $10.3 million per year helps to fund services for more than 1,100 students with disabilities.
Superintendent Scott Koziol spoke at length about how the millage is important to the district. He said the money would otherwise dip into the district’s general fund.
“This millage does impact all students — capital A-L-L,” he said. “And because it's the law, these services have to be provided.”
State law requires each school district provide special education programs to children up to 26 years old.
If voters approve the renewal in May, the mill rate will stay the same. Voters have approved the milage every four years since 1981.
Char Em currently employs two psychologists, two teacher consultants, three speech therapists, three school social workers, and a physical therapist, two occupational therapists, a behavior consultant, and a teacher consultant for the visually impaired and hard of hearing.
Anne Morningstar, a professor of art and design at North Central Michigan College also spoke on some of the school’s newest degree programs.
Last month, the body that oversees the school’s curriculum approved an Associate of Applied Science degree program. The courses will focus on animation, video production, graphic design, sound design and other creative fields.
“It's brand new, we've never had a fully arts-based curriculum at the associate degree level. We had certificates and this associate degree ladders right up into those,” Morningstar said. “We're very proud of what it offers our students.”
2024 will also bring new developments in NCMC’s Child Care Initiative, including establishing the NCMC Child Care and Preschool Program.
Healthcare
Munson Healthcare continued to tout its new plan for regional healthcare services at the event. The healthcare network announced plans to reorganize its hospitals to focus on providing out-patient services last September.
In those plans is a new facility near downtown Petoskey that would repurpose an old Art Van furniture store located on Anderson Road.
Joeanne Schroeder, president of Munson’s Charlevoix Hospital, said the health center could open as early as 2025.
“There’s going to be a variety of services in the building including primary care, urgent care, lab services, radiology services,” Schroeder said. “They’ll have specialists at this location and that would be orthopedics, cardiology and urology.“
Munson’s plan received pushback from the Michigan Nurses Association last fall. The group says consolidating inpatient care is not the right move for a largely rural region.
Housing
Contrary to last year’s event, which placed a large emphasis on the region’s lingering housing crisis, little was said on the matter at this year’s State of the Community.
According to data from the nonprofit Housing North, Emmet County has an expected gap of 865 rental units and 2,505 for-sale units through 2027. Charlevoix County will need 730 rental units and 1,628 for-sale units.
Some new developments, like a 60-unit workforce housing complex in downtown Petoskey that broke ground in November, will help to ease those numbers.
However, experts say the lack of available units will continue to be one of the region’s biggest concerns.
“It is doom-and-gloom right now,” Housing North Director Yarrow Brown previously told IPR News. “The numbers are really stark, and it is going to take some drastic changes, accepting of these tools, and even units of government stepping into the space, maybe where they haven't before.”
Read full reports from community stakeholders on the Petoskey Regional Chamber of Commerce website.
