Traverse City Record-Eagle

2007 In Review

January 30, 2008

News In Review: March 2007

A New Look for Downtown

GRAYLING (March 1) — A $1.25 million overhaul of three blocks in Grayling will leave the downtown district with a much-needed face-lift, local officials and business owners agreed.

Three blocks of Michigan Avenue, from Spruce Street to Burton Court, will be completely redesigned with new traffic lanes, sidewalk upgrades, decorative lamps and trees planted down either side of the street.

"We want it to be pedestrian-attractive," said David Thayer, Grayling city manager.

The city received a $519,000 state grant to help pay for the streetscape project, and a special tax assessment will be levied against downtown properties, roughly $150 per linear foot to raise $224,100, Thayer said.

The remainder will come from several fund balances in city coffers.

Wanted man is found — in GT jail

TRAVERSE CITY (March 2) — One day accused thief Joshua James Austin appeared "to be on the run" from authorities, Grand Traverse County Sheriff Scott Fewins said.

By the following day, Fewins had tracked down Austin — in the Grand Traverse County Jail, where unbeknownst to Fewins he'd resided for almost a week after being lodged there for a probation violation.

"When people are in jail or prison we don't necessarily know," Fewins said. "The only way you would know that is if everyday everyone looked at the jail log. I wasn't looking for this guy, so I didn't look at the jail log."

Contract gives program wings

TRAVERSE CITY (March 3) — Northwestern Michigan College's aviation program will have a fluctuating number of planes for its 100-plus students to use under a new contract that officials said will save more than $100,000 per year over buying the planes outright.

The board of trustees approved a contract with Suburban Aviation Inc. of Ottawa Lake to make sure the college has between three and six active single-engine Cessna planes, depending upon seasonal demand.

Officials don't know how the deal will affect the aviation department's overall deficit, which had run about $200,000 per year and reached $300,000 last year, said Marguerite Cotto, director of the college's Michigan Technical Education Center, which includes the aviation department.

Aviation revenues for 2005-06 were $1.1 million, while expenses came in at $1.4 million.

Local vet to be honored by French

JOHANNESBURG (March 4) — John Gembel has plenty of memories from his time in the U.S. Army during World War II.

Many of them churned to the surface recently, since he learned he's to receive a top military honor from the French government.

Gembel, 82, soon will receive the Legion of Honor medal of France, an award for which he applied last year. The medal is awarded to veterans who participated in the liberation of France.

"It's a great honor to get it when you figure that's the highest honor they give," he said.

Murder suspect captured in state park

HARBOR SPRINGS (March 5) — A police posse tracked down Stephen Grant, a fugitive suspected of killing and dismembering his wife, about 225 miles north of the suburban Detroit community where body parts believed to be those of his wife were discovered. He was being treated for frostbite and hypothermia under police guard at a nearby hospital.

Grant was wearing only slacks, a shirt and socks when captured — nearly 10 hours after he abandoned the truck he had driven and set out on foot in Wilderness State Park near the tip of the Lower Peninsula, Emmet County Sheriff Pete Wallin said.

He will be returned to Macomb County for arraignment in the death of Tara Lynn Grant, a 34-year-old businesswoman and mother of two who disappeared last month.

Fired cop may get his job back

SUTTONS BAY (March 6) — A former Leelanau County deputy who was fired for having inappropriate contact with a female crime suspect may be reinstated and receive thousands of dollars in back pay and benefits.

An arbitrator said Leelanau officials must rehire Bruce Beeker, 38, a deputy whom Sheriff Michael Oltersdorf fired last April.

He'll receive about $36,000 in back wages, based on a calculation of his salary and hours, and likely will return to work with full pay and rank following a "fitness for duty" review, according to the arbitration award.

The county and police union each will pay $4,549 in arbitration costs.

"The arbitrator has ordered him back on the payroll," Leelanau County Administrator David Gill said. "As of this morning he hasn't been assigned back in the sheriff's department. It is going to be up to the sheriff to reinstate him."

Elementary schools on TCAPS hit list

TRAVERSE CITY (March 7) — Traverse City Area Public Schools could redraw high school boundaries and close as many as three elementary buildings, based on preliminary recommendations.

The advice came from a 100-member steering committee that is guiding TCAPS' yearlong master planning effort.

The panel started meeting in August to consider potential grade reconfiguration, study enrollment trends and create a plan for housing the burgeoning Montessori and elementary talented-and-gifted programs that have outgrown their space at Central Grade School.

The committee recommended moving ninth graders to the high schools and bumping sixth-graders up to junior high starting in the 2008-2009 school year or the following year. The district would still have three high schools, and the two junior high buildings would become middle schools.

Cops drop media briefings

TRAVERSE CITY (March 7) — Local law enforcement officials no longer will hold daily media briefings.

Instead, police press releases will be distributed to the local media through e-mails, said Grand Traverse Sheriff Scott Fewins and Traverse City Police Capt. Steve Morgan.

Fewins contends it will save time and money for reporters who previously attended morning meetings at the police station.

Local media members weren't consulted prior to the change. Fewins previously threatened to implement such a system if the Record-Eagle reported that a theft suspect he had described as "on the run" from authorities in fact had been lodged in the county jail for several days.

State park fees to be adjusted

INTERLOCHEN (March 8) — Craig Gulseth thinks state park campers will be happy to see the end of a $5 fee foisted upon those without reservations.

A $2 hike in nightly camping fees next year probably won't be troublesome, either, he said.

Gulseth is manager at Interlochen State Park, where last year a $4 increase in nightly rates eluded campers, but not a new one-time registration fee for those who showed up hoping to find an open site.

"They were surprised by the new fee and a little irritated," Gulseth said.

Michigan Department of Natural Resources officials said 25 percent of 1,400 comment cards collected at state parks last year included complaints about the new $5 registration fee for walk-in campers.

Bringing new ideas downtown

PETOSKEY (March 8) — Eight empty storefronts along Mitchell Street downtown are a sign the city needs a long-term plan to keep the central commercial district vital, officials agree.

But there's disagreement about the best remedy, including whether to follow a recommendation from city planning experts to establish a Local Historic District throughout downtown Petoskey.

Proponents, including Virginia consultants HyettPalma, say designating a state-recognized historic district would increase property values and attract stable, long-term businesses.

Opponents worry the new district would add an unnecessary level of bureaucracy.

Officials hope to woo water bottlers

KALKASKA (March 9) — Members of the village of Kalkaska's Downtown Development Authority hope to woo a water bottling plant to northern Michigan.

John Wheeler, a DDA member, said he plans to arrange a tour of Nestle Waters North America's Ice Mountain bottling plant in Mecosta County to talk to the company about locating in Kalkaska.

"I think it's a resource that we have that's certainly a marketable product," Wheeler said. "A lot of those oil-field boys could kind of cross over. Instead of pumping oil, pump water."

Wheeler said he knows a water-bottling operation would bring opposition, but he said he believes Kalkaska needs jobs.

Environmental attorney Jim Olson, who represented opposition to the Mecosta plant, said luring a water bottler is not worth the few jobs that may be created.

"It's a very intensive operation that strikes right at the heart of what defines us," Olson said.

Preschoolers get a taste of Chinese

TRAVERSE CITY (March 10) — Traverse City Area Public Schools will pilot a Chinese-language preschool program under a new partnership with Michigan State University.

The district was one of two statewide recently chosen to participate in the Education for Global Citizenship project, an initiative of the U.S.-China Center and the Confucius Institute at MSU.

A team of educators from the United States and China developed the model curriculum. Students will spend half of their day in an Eastern classroom where Chinese is spoken and the other half in an English-language classroom.

Superintendent James Feil said the bilingual, bicultural program will be an asset for TCAPS and its students.

"With the global economy, there are more people (who) speak Chinese," he said. "This is an opportunity for children have that exposure."

Interest in west side properties grows

TRAVERSE CITY (March 12) — Interest is percolating in some long-dormant property at the busy Division and West Front streets intersection.

City and local economic development officials won't divulge specifics, but acknowledge there is development interest in a string of vacant commercial properties on the north side of West Front Street east of Division and said a proposal could come forward this spring.

Tino Breithaupt, senior vice president of economic development for the Traverse City Area Chamber of Commerce, met with the city commission recently to discuss development possibilities for the West Front Street property. Contamination problems, high land costs and city zoning issues have been roadblocks to potential redevelopment plans for the former gas station site and adjoining properties.

Breithaupt said the chamber has pursued potential developers for the property since last year, and one company is looking at a development plan that includes the gas station property and at least one of the neighboring parcels.

"What we're trying to do is show the economic opportunity of those properties," he said.

Boardman Dam springs a leak

TRAVERSE CITY (March 13) — Officials labeled a decision to lower Keystone and Sabin ponds by about a foot "a precaution" after employees discovered a pipe leak at the Boardman Dam.

Chris Buday, director of the Grand Traverse County Department of Public Works, said he believes it is unlikely the dam could fail. "I don't know if we're at that point," he said. "It's a precaution; it's a safety precaution."

Employees discovered a leaking two-inch pipe at around noon, Buday said. The pipe squirted water five or six feet into the air and flooded a lower level mechanical room at the dam, he said. The cause of the leak was not known.

Program helps navigate job market

TRAVERSE CITY (March 16) — Jeannie Kinsman credits the personal attention from the new welfare reform program JET for giving wings to her job search.

The 33-year-old Kingsley mother said no car, not wanting to work late night shifts and a slow economy were among the obstacles to securing employment. But recently she was hired as a cashier and is working about 30 hours a week.

"They work more with you one-on-one," she said of JET.

JET stands for jobs, education and training. The program replaces the state's former employment and training system Work First and aims to help families attain employment and become self-sufficient.

For Kinsman, that meant help polishing her resume and meeting with a career advisor, among other services she said were more useful than a past experience with Work First.

Contracts for new city hall draw fire

GAYLORD (March 17) — Chuck Klee said he's "been done wrong" by Gaylord city leaders and he'll miss out on a share of $3.2 million in contracts awarded for construction of a new city hall.

He's not very happy about it.

"It kind of ticked me off because I wanted to keep that work local," said Klee, owner of Chuck's Electric in Gaylord.

City leaders this week awarded $3.2 million in contracts to build a planned city hall on Main Street, part of what eventually will be a nearly $4.8 million project.

It was the second round of bids accepted for the work, and that's the rub for Klee: He was a low-bidder in the first round.

"They should have opened the bids and then contacted the low-bidders to see if they could decrease costs and come down to within budget. And if we couldn't get down to budget, then re-bid," Klee said.

Protesters push for peace; war turns 4

TRAVERSE CITY (March 18) — There may be no end in sight to the four-year-old war in Iraq, but for those who opposed it since before the March 19, 2003, invasion, there is a little less hostility in the world.

"We used to hear, 'Why don't you move to Russia?' or, 'Go back to Russia,' that's the way they put it, and then there was one: 'Why don't you move to France?' That didn't make any sense, either," recalled John Lewis, president of the area's chapter of Veterans for Peace.

Lewis, a retired accountant who served in the Navy at the end of World War II, said the reception at local demonstrations has become friendlier over the years. Lewis never understood those who equated opposition to the war with hatred of country.

"I actually had a person ask me, 'Why do you hate your country so much?' That bothered me because I wanted to take time to answer him," Lewis said. "That's such a bad expression, to think that you can't criticize the administration in time of war."

But anti-war activists said they've recently noticed a shift in the mood over Iraq. They hope that shift can be used to pressure Congress to put an end to the war.

Man's charity mower ride derailed

MONTPELIER, VT. (March 18) — A Michigan man's effort to drive around the country on a lawnmower to raise money for charity might have been cut short by a police officer who said his vehicle needed to be registered to be used on public roads.

Louis Ransom, also known as "Travlndude," of Fife Lake, stopped in Montpelier hoping to meet the governor when he was stopped by Montpelier Officer Jim Pontbriand.

"Vehicles that travel on our highways are required to be registered and to have a plate," Pontbriand said.

Ransom said he'd researched the registration requirements for each state.

He said he thought that "as long as I had a slow-moving vehicle sign I would be OK, but my research must not have been thorough enough."

Ransom said he was committed to continuing his drive. He is raising money for the Children's Miracle Network and Shriner's Hospitals For Children. He also wants to meet people.

Suit with former administrator settled

TRAVERSE CITY (March 19) — Blair Township's board agreed to settle a lawsuit with former township zoning administrator Marvin Radtke Jr. for $29,750.

And par for the course in the battling, recall-happy Grand Traverse County community, the settlement was far from amicable.

"We had to settle; we didn't have a choice," said Township Supervisor Marilyn Fleis. "We didn't feel (Radtke) deserved it, but it's what we had to do."

The board approved the settlement on a 6-1 vote. Township Treasurer Brenda DeKuiper voted no.

"The township board has done nothing wrong; Marvin Radtke was in the wrong," DeKuiper said.

But a mediation panel decided Radtke had a legitimate case and estimated it was worth $25,000.

Fleis said board members wanted to avoid both the risk and cost of a trial.

Cat ill, dog dead; food suspect

TRAVERSE CITY (March 21) — At least one cat is ill and a dog may have died after eating contaminated pet food sold throughout North America under popular brand names.

The wet-style food, sold under 51 dog food brands and 42 cat food brands including Iams, Nutro and Eukanuba, was recalled by Ontario, Canada-based manufacturer Menu Foods and pulled off local shelves.

For Lisa Burchfield and her orange tabby, Dallas, the warning may have come too late. Burchfield's veterinarian, Dave Burke, said the cat has classic symptoms of kidney failure that indicate food contamination and has a "50/50 chance" of survival.

Burchfield, 38, said she was out of town on a business trip when the cat became ill. When she returned, it acted lethargic, drank more water than usual and refused to eat its regular canned food. After she learned of the recall through a friend, she discovered the Iams canned food she bought at the Traverse City Meijer store was included in the recall.

The affected food was off the shelves within 30 minutes of the recall, said Meijer store director John Spaulding. Since then, there have been several additions to the recall.

Benzie bucks Open Meetings law

BEULAH (March 22) — Benzie County commissioners may have violated state law when they met a half-hour before a posted meeting and had an "informal" discussion about whether to tape record future board meetings.

County Clerk Dawn Olney said no violation occurred because no decisions were made at the meeting, during which she informed commissioners she is not required to make audio recordings of board meetings.

Olney characterized the meeting as "informal" but said a quorum of board members were present.

County Administrator Chuck Clarke said no decisions are made at pre-meeting meetings with department heads, which have taken place since January. But he said commissioners during the pre-meeting session decided not to bring up the recording question in the subsequent regular meeting.

Dawn Hertz, media attorney for the Michigan Press Association, said commissioners cannot gather in a quorum outside of a public meeting and deliberate or decide issues. If commissioners make comments and respond to comments from one another, that's deliberation, she said.

Justice Weaver slams majority

TRAVERSE CITY (March 22) — A majority of state Supreme Court justices use inaccurate records of meetings to abuse power, revise history and keep their decision-making secret, based on a memorandum issued by Justice Elizabeth Weaver.

The charges are the latest blow between Weaver, a Glen Arbor Republican, and the four other Republicans on the court, Chief Justice Clifford Taylor and justices Maura Corrigan, Stephen Markman and Robert Young Jr., who Weaver refers to as "the majority of four."

Taylor denies the allegations.

Weaver's accusations come in response to the approval of minutes from meetings when justices discussed how and when they should remove themselves from cases due to a conflict of interest. Weaver sent her memorandum to Gov. Jennifer Granholm and members of the state legislature.

Weaver said it takes months for minutes from administrative meetings to be approved, and when they are, some contain inaccurate or misleading information.

Local endowment fund established

GRAYLING (March 23) — Business owners and residents in Crawford County now have a new place to make charitable contributions to spur economic growth: an endowment fund established by a local nonprofit group.

"We all know how difficult it is to set money aside in our own savings accounts and that's what this is," said Barbara Willyard, executive director of the Community Foundation for Northeast Michigan.

The Crawford County Economic Development Partnership was founded two years ago to energize the community by promoting economic growth, enhancing and protecting natural resources and maintaining a small-town atmosphere, among other aims. The endowment fund is designed to help put away for the future and spend what's needed along the way.

Gaila Gilliland, CCEDP director, said if the endowment grows large enough, funds eventually could be used to buy property, establish a revolving loan fund for businesses, pay for marketing efforts and any number of other projects.

Munson among "100 Top" hospitals

TRAVERSE CITY (March 24) — Munson Medical Center earned a spot for the ninth time on a health care information company's list of the nation's best performing hospitals.

The "100 Top Hospitals" list is released annually by Solucient, a company based in Evanston, Ill., that provides information resources to more than 2,000 hospitals and pharmaceutical manufacturers in the United States.

Facilities named to the list excel in nine performance areas, including patient safety, length of stay, profitability and patient volume. The focus is on balancing quality of care with operational and financial performance.

College OKs tuition hike

TRAVERSE CITY (March 27) — Northwestern Michigan College students who live in Grand Traverse County will pay 3.2 percent more for tuition next fall after the board of trustees approved tuition hikes.

Meanwhile, the board gave final approval to a strategic plan for which NMC paid more than $38,000.

The county, or in-district, tuition hikes will be accompanied by 3.7 percent increases for those who live outside the county and outside the state.

"I think it's very fair," Trustee Elaine Wood said after the 6-0 vote to increase the rates.

Officials have made "drastic" budget cuts to help keep costs down for students and to balance the budget, she added.

Top Baton

BENZONIA (March 27) — When he arrived in rural Benzie County, Mike Eagan was a bit of an anomaly: a southern-drawling, tie-wearing former big school band director with a penchant for antique wooden boats and the mantra "results, not excuses."

"I didn't know how I was going to be perceived," said the Atlanta-born, Georgia-bred educator. "I had a pretty long resume before that, but I still didn't know what to expect."

Fifteen years later, Eagan is one of the most respected teachers in the school district — even if his students still sometimes imitate his accent. Named "Outstanding Person in Education" in 2000, the Benzie Central Public Schools band director has built up the program through his own enthusiasm and expectations to involve some 220 students in grades 6-12, administrator Pete Olson said.

Now Eagan is being recognized statewide as Band Teacher of the Year by the Michigan School Band and Orchestra Association.

The honor is the result of voting by the MSBOA's 1,700 members, all instrumental music teachers, said executive director Paul Stanifer.

Herons killed, man fined

TRAVERSE CITY (March 28) — A Grawn man who shot and killed two protected great blue herons said he did so to safeguard his property from winged "predators."

Grand Traverse County District Judge Michael Haley suspended Robert Joe Geiger's hunting license for four years and ordered him to pay about $440 in fines, costs and restitution.

Geiger, 56, contended he was protecting his property when he shot and killed the herons sometime between May 5, 2005, and Aug. 31, 2006.

The birds regularly dined on fish from his backyard pond and he couldn't chase them off, he said.

"I've been an avid hunter and fisherman for 50-some years. I've always tried to be a good sportsman," Geiger said after his sentencing. "And now, because of a predator who came into my back yard, in my pond, eating my fish, as a last resort I shot them."

Elk crossing signs coming

VANDERBILT (March 28) — New signs warning of big, bulky animals are on the way for motorists on Interstate 75.

Deer-warning signs will come down and be replaced with images of their larger cousins along both north and south lanes of a stretch of I-75 where some animals in the state's elk herd wander back and forth in traffic.

A number of elk-vehicle collisions happen on the freeway every year around Vanderbilt, the northern Michigan gateway town to the Pigeon River Country State Forest and the heart of elk territory.

City seeks an attorney

TRAVERSE CITY (March 29) — The search for the next city attorney will begin with a blank slate.

Traverse City commissioners are looking for a new legal leader after longtime city attorney W. Peter Doren announced his resignation. Doren cited no particular reason for his departure, but told commissioners he's willing to stay on past July 1 if needed.

Commissioners began talks about how best to find Doren's replacement.

Doren joined the city as a full-time staff attorney in 1977, but later switched to a contractual relationship with the city and his firm. Now, city commissioners want to compare the cost of hiring an in-house attorney versus signing a contract with an outside attorney.

Septage plant is open for business

TRAVERSE CITY (March 30) — It took almost two years and a $2 million patch job, but Grand Traverse County finally has a septage treatment plant that isn't cracked, doesn't leak, and processes septage instead of flushing it down the drain.

Reconstruction of the failed plant is complete, it passed inspection, and it's processing waste from septic tanks instead of forwarding it to the Traverse City Wastewater Treatment plant.

"We're open for business and looking for customers," said Chris Buday, director of the Grand Traverse County Department of Public Works.

In June 2005, just a month after the $7.8 million plant opened, a wall collapsed and spewed 150,000 gallons of partially treated septage.

A subsequent investigation by an independent engineering firm, NTH Consultants Ltd., revealed failures of both design and construction.

Plant to close, 100 out of work

PETOSKEY (March 31) — About 100 people will be out of work when a plastics manufacturer closes its doors this year, company officials said.

Continental Structural Plastics, which supplies molded composites primarily to the auto industry, will shut down operations in Petoskey by year's end, said plant manager Joe Chromicz.

Just over 100 people work at the plant, a workforce that slowly dwindled from around 200 just a few years ago, Chromicz said.

"Things have changed. We've been slowly losing business over the past several months," he said. "We were making all of the underbody shields for the BMW vehicles. That business has slowly gone away. That's one of the big issues."

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