In the Alanson/Littlefield School District, 39 residential sales were reported in 2007, down from 44 sales in 2006, a decline of more than 11%.  The average sale price declined from $138,659 in 2006 to $134,812 in 2007.  The median sales price also declined, from $106,250 in 2006 to $100,000 in 2007.  Note: Market information courtesy of Emmet Ass'n of Realtors.  Alanson real estate sales include single family homes, farms and condominiums.  02/18/2008

Good news for boaters on the Inland Waterway.  The Crooked River Lock in Alanson has been repaired and is now open for the season.  The Traverse City Record Eagle is reporting that the daily passage fee has been raised from $4 to $6, and the price of a season pass has been raised from $30 to $45, to help offset the cost of the temporary repairs.  Hopefully the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers will overhaul the lock to ensure its continued operation, but in the meantime, this is great news for area boaters and for the local businesses who depend on the lock for their livelihoods.  05/15/2007

The Alanson Swing Bridge is currently under repair.  Although I don't have any details regarding the project, the repairs appear to be extensive in scope.  If any readers have more information, please feel free to comment.  Information regarding this interesting attraction is provided below, courtesy of Ferris State University.   Alanson Swing Bridge"The Shortest Swing Bridge in the World" is a single lane bridge used for pedestrians, snowmobile, and automobile traffic.  The original bridge built is 1902 was operated by a manual key pinion (about five feet high) on a rack. Today the rebuilt bridge (almost a replica) is operated by hydraulics and still uses a rack and pinion gear system.  The approximate height clearance is 4 ft (a typical 21 ft I/O will clear by less than a foot).  If y... 04/17/2007

Work has slowly begun to repair the Crooked River Lock in Alanson, which connects Pickerel and Crooked Lakes with the rest of the Inland Waterway.  The Crooked River Lock is owned by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and operated by the Michigan Department of Natural Resources.  After threats to shut down the lock this year due to lack of funding for necessary repairs, local residents and businesspeople have been lobbying our legislators in Lansing and Washington to find a solution to ensure that the lock remains open to navigation.  The DNR has removed the reduction gears from the lock and sent them to a Detroit area machine shop for repair.  There is no timetable for the repairs on the lock to be completed, which is worriesome to local businesses, who depend on the lock and the boating... 04/13/2007