Beaver Island Michigan

At the December 9th Annual Meeting of the Beaver Island Rural Health Center Board, Editor Joe Moore offered to post this immediately, so that the public would have access to this information. Fourteen business days later, the minutes from that meeting had not been received, nor had the strategic plan.

The Strategic Plan is on the rural health center website, as was discovered tonight. You may also find it at the link below:


http://beaverislandnews.com/FINAL-STRAT ... 8-2023.pdf

The minutes are still not available.

Joe Moore, editor
Beaver Island News on the 'Net

Thank you Mr. Moore.

Just a quick note to you to thank you for your minutes. I see not one difference between a subscription to a newspaper or a subscription to my website.

If you have a legal opinion that states otherwise, please forward it to me, just in case the injunctive relief per OMA is necessary.

You donâ??t get to decide which public gets to see your minutes and when.

Perhaps you need a copy of the law itself. Iâ??d hate to waste your money and mine in a court case.

Just so you know, the minutes are available to many and eventually to anyone who is interested from my website, whether you can find them or not.

Would the Northern Islander get this same attitude?

Joe

http://beaverislandnews.com/2017%20BIRH ... %20.dk.pdf

Joe Moore, editor
Beaver Island News on the 'Net

Mr. Moore, Thank you for your update and HC minutes. Am I correct that there was no definitive discussion of a dentist? Was there an estimate on the cost of furnishing a dental office with equipment?

Since the topic of dentist was discussed several times, and, since I don't want to appear that I am editorializing on this issue, I will provide the link to the video of the meeting for anyone interested.

http://beaverislandnews.com/2017%20Dece ... eting.html

Joe Moore, editor
Beaver Island News on the 'Net

Will there be public input into this strategic plan such as surveys or public meetings? What is the planning process schedule?

I suggested during public comment at the January Peaine Township meeting that a monthly update from the BIRHC to the township boards be considered until a dentist and new nurse practitioner or PA is identified as a courtesy to the taxpayers. Communication would alleviate some of the confusion related to services in the community.

Regarding the minutes, a thank you from Supervisor McNamara was indeed offered. She also requested at that meeting, information on the status of dental care related to the funding agreement with the townships and wondered about traveling compensation to dental clients who now needed to travel off island for care. No decision or discussion occurred.

Just curious Joe was wondering why you could not walk across the street and ask for the minutes. One of the reasons I moved back to Beaver Island was the joy I get out of interacting and talking to people.


To both Pam and Joe talking to people will answer most of your questions. Just my perspective, I could be wrong.

Before I make a reply, I should probably say that one of my New Year's resolutions is not to put up with crap that people throw at me. I don't have to suppress my feelings anymore.

If the minutes are typed up on a computer and are available electronically on that computer, does it make sense to have to "walk across the road" to get a printed copy of the minutes?

I don't have issues with walking across the road, but here are the technical aspects of doing it your way. I get the printed copy of the minutes, walk back home, and then have to retype the minutes or scan the minutes to get them in electronic format, and otherwise take the time to do what has already been done.

Here's how easy it is to take the electronic form of these minutes and send them out. You enter an email address, you attach the document to the email and press send. Then, it takes less than five minutes to share those minutes to the public from that email. It takes less time to share the minutes this way than it takes to walk across the street.

The copy of the minutes in printed form wastes paper, takes more time to prepare for those required by law to prepare them, takes more time to reconvert to electronic form, and is more difficult to share.

If the interaction with people was pleasant, I would gladly walk over and talk about many other things, but it is almost as if I were a ghost and no one in that building even says hello. For me, it is not a friendly atmosphere.

Lastly, Jimmy, after volunteering thousand and thousands of hours to the medical center over thirty years, I would expect a simple copy and paste of a document to an email would not be too much to ask, especially since it is required by law under the Open Meetings Act.

Joe Moore

I am a new non-resident undeveloped property owner. I want to see minutes of all public bodies on the appropriate website. I will only be convinced that Beaver Island has a stable enough government to warrant investing $$$ in a cottage, etc. if I can follow local issues on the internet, not by a two day trip to get a paper copy or a cumbersome FOIA for the same.

Thanks to Mr. Moore for helping inform those of us who do not live on the Island.

Bob Yager
Editor
Oakland Township Sentinel
www.oaklandtownshipsentinel.com

Thank you Mr. Yager, my sentiments exactly and I think those of other potential investors who I have heard from over the past couple of months. I think Beaver Island needs a Sentinel.