ROGERS CITY — Rogers City and Presque Isle County officials are working together to ensure their communities will be featured on the Outdoor Channel’s “Fishing University” program.

Rogers City City Manager Joe Hefele on Tuesday told his City Council the opportunity became available when another community backed out at the last second, which left the channel scrambling for someplace to film. The Outdoor Channel’s website describes “Fishing University” as “America’s original ‘How To’ fishing program.”

“They’ll arrive on Friday, Sept. 13, and then on Saturday and Sunday, both those days, they will be filming,” he said. “One of the two programs they’ll be filming at Grand Lake and then on Sunday, they’ll be doing a presentation on careers in the outdoors with some of the local folks.”

Hefele said the crew will film the second of two episodes on Black Lake later in the week. The film crew will also film around the county to create a promotional video for both Presque Isle County and Rogers City, which will air every time the “Fishing University” program airs.

It typically costs $12,000 to bring the fishing program to a community, Hefele said, but that the program will waive that cost as long as the city and county cover the cost of the film crew’s six-day stay in the county.

Mayor Scott McLennan said Rogers City’s Downtown Development Authority will pay 40% of the TV crew’s lodging costs and the county’s Economic Development Council will cover the remaining 60%.

McLennan said the program is a great opportunity for “great exposure” for the community.

“All 50 states in the union get the Outdoor Channel and ‘Fishing University,’ and 51 additional countries, so it’s very widespread,” McLennan said.

“It’s a great catch,” Councilman Gary Nowak said.

Crystal Nelson can be reached at 989-358-5687 or cnelson@thealpenanews.com.

In other business

The Rogers City City Council on Tuesday also:

∫ approved the second reading of an ordinance that would allow firearms to be discharged within the city limits with the approval of the city manager, chief of police, or harbormaster. The ordinance is needed so the city can hold a goose hunt to control geese city officials said have become nuisance. The approved ordinance was amended to include language that no one other than those selected by city staff will be allowed to participate in the hunt. The official day and time of the hunt has yet to be scheduled. Variables such as weather could cause plans to change. Councilman Larry Fuhrman asked city officials to notify the public prior to hunt.

∫ approved the second reading of an ordinance that would require landlords to register their rental units with the city and have an inspection completed every five years. Rental property owners would be charged $100 for the initial inspection and one follow-up inspection, if needed. Additional inspections would cost $100 per inspection. The city previously agreed to contract with Gilmet Construction Services. On Tuesday, council agreed to pay the company $75 per inspection, with the initial payment covering the first inspection and one follow-up inspection, if needed.

∫ amended the city budget to account for revenue from $5.8 million in bonds sold to cover pension debt, with $68,530 being transferred to the general fund to cover the costs associated with issuing the bonds. The closing on the bond has been scheduled for Sept. 18, according to City Manager Joe Hefele. The council also contracted with the firm PFM as its financial advisors over the next 21 years, the life of the pension bonds.

∫ heard from Hefele that the city is waiting for an environmental assessment to be completed before a decision is made to sell properties in the Lakeview neighborhood. He said equipment from the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy needed to complete the assessment is either broken down or tied up on other jobs. He said it’s likely the environmental assessment will be delayed until spring.