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Table
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Transportation
Utilities
Electricity Costs
Water and Sewer
Municipal Services
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TRANSPORTATION
The Tawas Area Industrial Park,
Oscoda-Wurtsmith Industrial Airpark and the AuSable-Oscoda
Industrial Park provide
excellent air, rail, and highway access to other business and
consumer markets in Michigan and the Midwest. Over half of the
nation's manufacturing activity and nearly half of U.S. retail
sales are within Michigan's 500-mile market radius, making the
state ideal for production, warehousing, and distribution
operations.
Highways
Michigan's 115,000-mile highway network includes 11,000 miles
of expressways and state trunk lines connecting all major
population centers and providing economical distribution to
all major Midwest markets. Main highways providing easy access to
Iosco County
include M-55, M-65, and US-23. Additional ground
transportation includes three truck lines and one bus line.
Approximate driving distances to major business centers in
Michigan are as follows: Bay City - 60; Saginaw - 75; Midland
- 80; Flint - 100; Ann Arbor - 160; Lansing - 170; Detroit -
175; Chicago - 325.
Rail Service
Thirty railroad companies serve Michigan on more than 5,400
miles of track. Rail freight service via the Lake State
Railway Company (Contact Mark Nagy at 989-362-0205) links
Tawas to centers of manufacturing, mining, and agriculture
throughout the Midwest and Canada. Rail service is available
at the Tawas Industrial Park, Baldwin Township and Oscoda/AuSable.
Air Transportation
Two airports serve the Tawas Area. Iosco County Airport,
adjacent to the Tawas Industrial Park, is equipped with a
4,800 foot hard-surfaced runway and rotating light beacon.
Instrument approach, fuel and maintenance facilities are
available dusk to dawn.
In addition, the Oscoda-Wurtsmith Airport located on the
previous Wurtsmith Air Force Base in Oscoda Township offers an
11,800 foot runway, the longest in the state and capable of
handling commercial aircraft as large as 747s.
Commercial airline service is available at MBS Airport in
Saginaw, 65 miles south of Tawas. MBS Airport is served by
United, and Northwest Airlines. According to the
MBS website, a total of 16 outbound flights
daily are available to Chicago, Detroit and Minneapolis. Service is also
available from Flint Bishop Airport, offered by AirTran
Airways, ATA Airways, Delta Connection, Funjet Vacations,
Northwest Airlines and Skyway Airlines.
Waterways
Located on the Great Lakes/St. Lawrence Seaway System, the
Tawas area has one privately operated deepwater port on the
coastline. The National Gypsum Co. dock at Port Gypsum 2 1/2
miles south of Tawas City loads gypsum onto Great Lakes bulk
carriers for delivery to markets throughout the Lakes.
The Iosco County area is serviced by commercial docks on
the Saginaw River about 60 miles south of Iosco County. Some
four million tons of cargo is transported on the Saginaw River
annually, consisting mainly of bulk commodities such as sand
and gravel, limestone, coal, salt, fertilizers, petroleum
products and chemicals. An international Great Lakes port in Bay City
on the Saginaw River provides easy access to neighboring states, Canada
and oversees markets via the St. Lawrence Seaway.
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UTILITIES
Electric
Iosco County is served by Consumers Energy, the fourth largest
combination utility in the United States, providing energy to
67 of the 68 counties in Michigan's Lower Peninsula. It is
Michigan's largest utility. Consumers Power operates 12
coal-fired and 2 oil-fired generating plants and a 6-unit
pumped storage hydroelectric generating plant, as well as 7
combustion-turbine plants that produce electricity when needed
during peak demand periods. The company also purchases power
when advantageous for its customers.
Residential electric rates are among the lowest one-fifth
in the nation and 25% lower than Michigan's other major
utility. Rates for commercial and industrial users are
competitively priced. While other Midwest states may have to
raise rates as much as 20% to comply with the Clean Air Act,
Consumers Power is already operating below the Phase I sulfur
dioxide emission limits and is operating at or near those
limits for Phase II.
Six dams along the Au Sable River generate enough
electricity for a city of 35,000 people. The total system
generating capability is 6.3 million kilowatts from five
coal-burning and oil-fired plants, two nuclear plants and
several natural gas-fired peakers.
For additional information about electric service, please
call 1-800-446-4676 and ask for the Area Manager or Sales
Department.
Natural Gas
DTE Energy is franchised in all of
Iosco County. The average monthly cost for residential service
is $60.00. No curtailments have occurred in the past five
years. Many industrial and large commercial customers buy
transportation gas directly from brokers. Small commercial
users who buy natural gas directly from DTE are offered a
variety of rates to choose from to help them compete in a
global market.
For additional information about natural gas service, or if
you wish to talk with a Marketing Representative, please call
1-800-289-0600.
Telecommunications
The Tawas Area is served by SBC (formerly SBC Ameritechl). SBC's Tawas exchange is served by digital and
analog switches providing a wide range of services including
Centrex and custom dialing features. In addition, the Tawas
exchange provides equal access to a variety of long distance
carriers. Some of the other services available in Iosco County include:
* 2 and 4 wire analog or digital circuits
* T-1 (HI CAP, OPTINET, 1.544 Mbps) and DS-3 (45 Mbps)
* Digital data circuits, 2.4 through 64 Kbps
* Full motion video
* Alarm or telemarketing circuits
* Direct international dialing
Additional information about
SBC services can be
obtained by calling 1-221-4455.
Cellular Telephone Service
Cellular telephone service in Iosco County is provided by SBC
Mobile (1-800-322-1166), Alltel, Inc. (1-800-878-8968),
Cellular One (1-989-362-2363), NPI Cellular, and
Centennial Telephone.
Cable Television Service
Cable television and broadband internet service is available to a majority of Iosco County,
provided by Charter Communications in Oscoda, 989-739-1481.
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ELECTRICITY COSTS
INDUSTRIAL AND LARGE COMMERCIAL USERS SERVICE LEVEL
TOTAL COST/MONTHLY BILL
|
CITY |
UTILITY |
500KW 100,000KW HOURS |
1000KW 400,000
KW HOURS |
| Richmond, IN |
Richmond Power |
$ 5,497.00 |
$ 16,203.00 |
| Covington, KY |
Cunningham Gas & Electric |
5,513.00 |
17,142.00 |
| Wheeling, WV |
Wheeling Power Company |
17,950.80 |
5,392.09 |
| Cambridge, OH |
Ohio Power Co. |
7,264.89 |
19,069.40 |
| Killeen, TX |
TU Electric Co. |
8,089.00 |
21,292.00 |
| Tawas, MI |
Consumers Power Co |
8,093.00 |
23,454.00 |
| Decatur, IL |
Illinois Power |
10,235.00 |
27,463.00 |
| Monroe, MI |
Detroit Edison Company |
10,018.00 |
30,001.00 |
| Portsmouth, NH |
Public Service of New Hampshire |
9,613.00 |
31,831.00 |
| Victorsville, CA |
So. California Edison Company |
11,316.92 |
36,380.58 |
| (SOURCE: THE PATHFINDERS,
1992) |
WATER AND SEWER
Iosco County is situated along Lake Huron and is part of
the largest chain of freshwater lakes in the world. A clean,
reliable water supply meets current and future demands.
The largest municipal water service provider in Iosco
County is located in the Tawas area. Huron
Shores Regional Water Authority expanded the operational reach
of the Tawas Utilities Authority, which previously provided
sewer and water service to Tawas City and East Tawas. A newly
constructed intake and water treatment plant on Lake Huron in
Baldwin Township is provides a clean, reliable and virtually
unlimited supply of water.
In the Tawas Area, secondary sewer treatment is accomplished by a state of the
art facility constructed by the Tawas Utilities Authority in
1985. The facility has a 2.4 million gallon capacity, only
about half of which is currently being utilized. In the
Oscoda-AuSable Area, sewer service is provided by Oscoda
Township and AuSable Township.
The Huron Shores Regional Water Authority serves customers
in six area communities including Tawas City, East Tawas,
Baldwin Township, Oscoda Township and AuSable Township. Plans
are currently being prepared for extending water service to
Greenbush to the north and Alabaster to the south. Since the
formation of the Authority, rates have gone down as much as 30
percent in some portions of the service area.
| Water |
East Tawas |
Tawas City |
Oscoda |
| Rate Per 1,000 gal: |
$2.95
(taxed units)
$4.35 (nontaxed units |
$2.70 (taxed units)
$3.57 (nontaxed units) |
$4.44* |
| Ready to
Serve Mthly. Fee |
$4.40-10.50
(taxed units)*
$9.03-165.91 (nontaxed units)* |
|
$10.92 |
| Connection Fee: |
$600.00 |
$450.00 |
$1,500 |
| Maximum Water Production:
5.4 million gallons/day. |
| Average Line Pressure: 55
psi 47-62 |
| Sewer |
| Rate per 1,000 gal: |
$1.90** |
$2.10 |
$1.60 |
| Ready to
Serve Mthly. Fee |
$10.00-260.00* |
|
$11.00-* |
| Connection Fee: |
$1,600 |
$1,150 |
$1,500 |
| Average Daily Flow .4 mgd |
| Design Peak Flow 2.4 mgd |
* Charge dependent upon meter
size
** Industrial User Surcharge added depending upon
suspended solids load. |
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MUNICIPAL SERVICES
|
CITY OF TAWAS CITY
516 Oak St.
P.O. Box 568
TAWAS CITY, MI 48764-0568
1-989-362-8688
Fax #989-362-2521
Public Library
208 North Street
Tawas City
362-6557
Zoning Administrator
Mark Moers
Fire Department
Volunteer (Class 7)
Steve Masich, Chief
Matthews Street
362-8688
Mayor: Duane Walters
City Manager: Mark Moers
City Clerk: Michelle Westcott
Treasurer: Annette Corey |
CITY OF EAST TAWAS
760 Newman Street
P.O. Box 672
EAST TAWAS, MI 48730
1-989-362-6161
Fax #989-362-6736
Public Library
120 W. Westover St.
East Tawas
362-6162
Zoning Administrator
Ron Leslie
Fire Department
William Deckett, Chief
122 Main Street
362-3437
Mayor: Robert Elliott
City Manager: Ronald Leslie
City Clerk: Blinda Baker
Treasurer: Blinda Baker |
Tawas City and East Tawas
Police Department Tawas Police
Authority 810 W. Westover Street 362-7718
Downtown Development
Authority (TIFA)
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