1989-10-09; Central Michigan Life

              LEAVIN' IN A FLASH
Despite missing first-half chances, Central's 38-0 pasting
of Kent for CMU and You Day, first shutout since 1980. 10
50/38
forecast Cloudy, light
mi" possible.
Central
Michigan
MONDAY
October 9, 1989
Serving The University Community For 70 Years
^^fe^s* ism:;t74-3493 mm^^^U-
Strong winds
possible cause
of fallen wall
by BRYAN G. LAVIOLETTE
N'c. one was injured when a wall of the new-
Combined Business Services Building collapsed
Ki iday afternoon.
Scott Cole, assistant vice president for Facilities Management said architects and engineers
"ill investigate to determine why the wall.
located on the northeast side of the new building,
leil.
"The wind just blew it over." said one construction worker at site, located between the Industrial and Kngineering Technology Building and
Central Energy Facility.
■John Benzinger. manager of the Mount
Pleasant Municipal Airport. 5580 Airport Road.
-aid wind was out of the west at 18 mph, with
gusts up to 25 mph.
King Blackledge. masonry foreman for Boett-
cher Masonry. Co. of Traverse City, said the wall
leil at approximately -4:15 p.m. He said the wall
blew over t>ecause it was built before changes
were made to the original specifications, adding
lebar — steel reinforcement — to the walls.
The section of wall that blew over was about 30
leet wide and 20 feet high.
But Cole said there were no structural changes
See WALL Page 2
LIFE PtiotoD-mita Eichn-tr
A worker on the
Combined
Business
Services
Building
construction
site    removes
rubble   after   a
wall   collapsed
Friday     afternoon.
FALLING WALL
Th* shaded are* ahowi tm portion of cf tw Comttmed S»*veM
BuWtng. eurtmnty tndi construction. wN-ch was Ncwn down
Friday.
Cofntan*ad
Bua-tnaa*
S-arvicaa
Building
Y
Cent-al
Enef-jy
Facility
Car-put
v/
faarct: racllltMt Maaaaaataat
till (t»SK/ti»i l*m.t*t
Differing opinions
Dow Chemical, CMU see benefits to widen M-20;
state highway officials believe it is dangerous
by JENNIFER CHRISMAN
While some jxople from Midland and
Mount Pleasant believe widening M-20
between tbe two cities would make the
mad -.iter. State Highway Commission
officials disagree
M-20 is a two-lane road which extends
lioni Mount Pleasant's city limits to
Midlands city limits. Some people would
like the road widened to a four-lane
highw .iv
Although no definite plans are in the
•Aoik- to widen M-20. Midland-based Dow
< hcmiial < 'o and one CMC r» presentattve
\ lew the widening of M-20 a-. Iieneficial.
"There might have been discussion in
the past, but Dow is doing nothing now."
-.i nl Matt Davis. Dow Chemical Co.
Michigan Division spokesperson.
For convenience's sake, it would Ih- nice
to have it wider* lor the people using
it . . . not only lor Dow Chemical but for
everyone Using the road." Davis said.
Kti-s Herron. CMC vice president for
l'nio*r*-ilv Relation.-, agrees.
"It would benefit everyone if it were
widened to (our lanes." Herron said. "It's
dangerous < as it is I
"i Widening M-2UI would ojien up better
ii-latlons ln'twivn   Mount   Pleasant.  CMU
Central prof wants people
to know about the elderly
by SHAWN DeMAAGD
A study concerning the
future of elderly people in
America claims that by the year
2030. 30 million senior citizens
are expected to live alone —
•in.my with health limitations.
One CMI" professor, however,
-aid she disagrees with some
points raised by the- study.**The
.Weds of the Elderly in the 21st
Century." released by the Urban
Institute, ba-ed in Washington.
D.C.
Joanne (irabinski. director of
the interdisciplinary gcrontology
program. said society needs to
know more about the elderly,
and not Ix-lieve the myth that
'aging eijuals disease."
(irabinski. associate professor
ol gerontology, gave several
lea-ons why society must l>e
educated.
One reason she cited is the
fact that the <>.">-plus age group
currently makes up around 13
percent of the United States
population    Sh
the
thi
25 to 30 percent.
(Irabinski said another reason
education alxiut the elderly is
needed is that the elderly, more
diverse than any other age-
group, arc often lumped together
as if they were all the same.
"The older they get. the more
different   they   get    from   each
other." (irabinski said.
«
A third reason Grabinski cited is
society needs to understand the entire
aging process.
"We need to differentiate between what
is due lo normal aging itself and what is
due to those other factors (including
environment, disease, and illness)."
(irabinski said.
She said more supportive services are
necessary to aid senior citizens who
require assistance.
There are several reasons why many
elderly persons will have no sufficient
caregiver, she added.
Many of these people did not marry to
begin with — or were married and later
added   toward
year 2030 the percentage of
* group is exjH-cted to soar to
Riverview gets
$390,000 HUD
grant for repairs
Riverview Apartments, a low-income housing
unit for elderly people, will get a sprucing up with
the help of the US Department of Housing and
Ui ban Development.
The Mount Pleasant Housing Commission
received a $390,000 grant from HUD to improve
i In- 15-year-old structure. Judy Green. Housing
Commission executive director, said.
"It's still a viable building and what the
nionevi will do is make it more viable." Green
-aid.
Renovations will include new* lighting in the
kitchen and bathrooms, a heat vector system
w Inch throws heat farther into a nxirn and a new-
elevator alarm system that, when sounded, will
t;-ke all the elevators to the first floor and lock,
(ireen said.
"There's just a multitude of things that need to
be dune." she said.
The improvements should add 2") to 30 years to
the life of the building, she added.
Riverview, 1 Mosher St., has 100 apartments in
which residents live independently. The complex
has 105 to 110 residents. Green said.
The money came from HUD's Comprehensive
Improvement Assistance Program. Green said
she In-g.m working to get the money in April. The
plan ts to complete the renovations within US
months, although the Commission has until Sept.
■ U). 1992. The project is to begin in January-
divorced — and had no children or only-
one child, she said.
"We need to find both the informal and
formal networks and services I for the
elderly i." Grabinski explained
Elderly persons will look for services
that will help them to continue living in
their own home, said Barb Frankenfield,
program coordinator for home services for
the Isabella County Commission on Aging.
More home care, home-delivered meals,
and transportation are supportive services
needed for the future, Frankenfield said.
Grabinski ofTered several alternatives to
the common nursing-home solution, which
See ELDERLY Page 2
FISHIN' IN THE CHIP
LffE PhotxvJtm FaaMng-ar
While fishing in the Chippewa River by Nelson Park Sunday afternoon. Dennis
Bailey's reflection is caught as he repositions himself to catch "the one that got
away."
and Midland." Herron said.
Rut Slate Highway Commission officials
disagree with this idea.
"i Wei will not build four lanes there
because they 'extra lanesl are unsafe lin
mral areas i." said Mike Jones. Grand
Rapids District traffic and safely engineer.
Jones said a traffic study conducted a
lew years ago yielded the conclusion that
traffic levels along M-20 did not warrant
expansion of the road.
The survey, conducted in 1987 by the
Stale Highway Commission, stated an
average daily count of 14.200 vehicles
travel on the stretch from Midland's city
limit to the Midland Isabella county line,
-aid 1.1>.i Medina. Saginaw District Traffic
Safety and Utility Permits Division
-ni eta rv
Medina said the same survey listed an
average traffic load of 7.600 vehicles from
the county  line to Mount Pleasant's city
hunts
Tlu* average traffic load for a two-lane
load in a rural area is l>etwcen 4.000 and
T.u.HI. Medina said.
She said the traffic study indicated the
t raffic load on M-20 is high, but most of the
heavy traffic was located outside
Midland's city limits.
See M-20 Page 2
Blanchard
starts search
for trustee
by BRYAN G. LAVIOLETTE
L'f-t- G is t li tor	
Just five months after state
officials named two new
idchiUts to CMU's Board of
Trustees, they are back to the
drawing Ixiard to find another
person to sit on the Hoard.
Greg Morris, director of
Personnel for Gov. James J.
Rlanchard'* office, said he
expects the governor to name a
replacement for former trustee
Bernard J. Firestone within a
couple of weeks. Firestone was
latally shot in his office Sept. 6
Morris said several people
have expressed interest in the
position. But he added that
typically in situations such as an
unexpected death like
Firestone's, people do not apply
for the position right away.
"A lot of people don't feel
compelled to jump right in,"
Morris said.
Firestone, former secretary-
treasurer of the Amalagated
Clothing and Textile Workers
Union and vice president of the
Metropolitan AFL-CIO. and
Cholakian. chief executive officer
of Martel Business Forms Inc.,
Troy, were appointed April 28.
The announcements of the
appointments came nearly five
months after the terms of former
trustees Alice Tomboulian and
Raymond LaBounty ended.
As they did when looking at
possible appointees last spring,
Morris said governor's office
personnel will try' to make an
oppointment that lends balance
to the Board.
Many individuals from the
!al>or community have expressed
an interest in the position since
Firestone was a labor leader,
Morris said.
Also, several alumni have
expressed an interest in serving
on the Board, he added.
Morris said although he has
See TRUSTEE Page 2
< f