Kent Kraft/For the Gazette The Calumet Village Council proclaimed "Big Annie Week," at its meeting Tuesday.

CALUMET – The Calumet Village Council wants everyone to mark their calendars: June 17 kicks off the now official “Big Annie Week.” While the Michigan House of Representatives declared June 17 “Annie Clemenc Day” back in 1980, the Council felt the importance of Anna “Big Annie” Klobuchar Clemenc to this area deserves even bigger recognition.

At the Village Council’s meeting Tuesday, they adopted a resolution ending with, “during Big Annie Week, the Village encourages residents, schools, organizations, and visitors to reflect on and celebrate the life, impact, and values of Big Annie through events, educational programs, and acts of community service.”

As the Village of Calumet continues to celebrate 150 years in existence, the Council approved several actions to spruce up the town. This included hiring a company to undertake line striping (painting) to rejuvenate the roads throughout the Village. Work will include center lines, curbs, handicap emblems, and parking spots.

The bid suggests the painting could take two to three days, and the Council is hopeful a professional job will act as a good roadmap for the Village of Calumet Department of Public Works (DPW) to maintain moving forward.

Village Manager Megan Haselden also presented the council with a proposal for hiring a part-time worker for the DPW. The applicant will need to have a driver’s license and can expect $15 per hour for about 20 hours per week. With unanimous approval of the Council, Haselden will soon post the job on the Village of Calumet website.

Continuing with downtown improvement projects, trash cans around the Village of Calumet are another concern brought up in the meeting. Many of the current trash cans are in disrepair to a point they should no longer be used. The Village Council unanimously approved a proposal to offer funding towards the purchase of new trash cans for the Village of Calumet if the Downtown Development Authority (DDA) is willing to help with the costs. Village Manager Haselden is communicating between the two organizations to see what agreement can be reached.

In other action, the council:

• Unanimously passed an Outdoor Burning Policy.

• Approved engaging a CPA to work with the Village Manager on the previous year’s fiscal audit.

• Approved paying bills totaling $106,617.74.