1977-09-14; Central Michigan Life

              I
Wednesday, Sept. 14,1977       Mount Pleasant, Michigan 48859     Volume 59 NoOSKf
K7
Arthur Ellis, vice president
for Public Affairs, discusses
the closing of Preston Street in
a meeting between CMU officials and the City Commission Monday evening in the
President's Room of the
University Center. Ellis
maintained the University was
"completely surprised" over
citizen opposition to the
street's closing (LIFE photo by
Pam Eckman).
UHS cancels
weekendservices
by KATHY JENNINGS
LIFE Ass't News Editor
and
JAMES KIRLEY
LIFE Staff Writer
Weekend in-patient treatment
at the University Health Services Center (UHS) no longer is
available. In addition, students
hospitalized at UHS during the
week will not be allowed to
remain over the weekend.
The decision to cut UHS
weekend service came Sept. 7
and became effective last
weekend, Dr. Howard L. Varney, UHS director said. The cut
came to balance the budget
allotted for student and adult
CMU ties Preston issue
to future state street aid
by KELLY KOLHAGEN
LIFE Staff Writer
CMU will jeopardize chances
for future state funding for
campus streets if the University
does not follow through with its
plans to close Preston Street,
Arthur Ellis, vice president for
Public Affairs, said Monday in a
work session between CMU and
Mount Pleasant city officjals.
. The^joint? pfbrk session,*the*
fu$»t of its kind in two years,
according to 'Mount Pleasant
City Manager William Barrons,
also was the first time the public
has been involved in such a
meeting.
Many citizens attended
because of concern with the
University plan to close Preston
Street between Washington and
Franklin Streets.
A feature of city and CMU
master plans since approximately 1965, the
agreement calls for the gradual
implementation of a pedestrian-
oriented campus.The agreement
was finalized in 1973.
Ellis explained many state-
funded projects, including the
development of Franklin Mail at
a cost of $200,000, the construction of an East Campus
Drive at $300,000, plus the
widening and boulevarding of
Broomfield Road all were geared
to the University's plans for a
pedestrian-oriented campus.
-; Ellis said $750,000 already has
been spent by the state
legislature with the assumption
the pedestrian-oriented campus
would be developed.
. "We've secured money to do
everything except the last, final
stteps," Ellis said of the Preston
Street closing. Ellis added that
local citizens' opposition to the
street closing was a "complete
surprise" to the University.
- A group opposed to Preston
Street's closing is the South
Neighbors Action Group
(SNAG), which contends
overflow traffic from Preston
Street will move to High Street,
passing Fancher Elementary
School* 801S. Kinney St.
SNAG   members   have   expressed concern for the safety of
children who attend the school.
Ellis, meanwhile, said the
state would have no reason to
fund any more of CMU's street
plans if the Preston Street
closing were canceled.
"I don't think we will get a
penny for Bellows Street until
we close Preston," Ellis said.
That statement brought
groans from SNAG members,
'-*IJ^^c0rrt«M^'^IioWS-wSti*efr
must be widened first to accommodate the increased traffic
closing Preston may bring to
Bellows Street.
Bellows Street was widened
last summer from Kinney Street
to Mission Street. A right-of-
way on the south side of Bellows
Street has been maintained in
the event Bellows eventually is
widened.
Commissioner Thaddeus
Zolty distributed a five-page
report to commissioners, CMU
officials and the public, outlining
reasons why he opposes the
Preston Street closing.
Zolty, the Commission's most
vocal opponent to the closing,
stressed the need for increased
public input into the planning
process.
In his written statement,
Zolty based his opposition on the
fact no pedestrian has been
injured in that area for 18 years,
although Preston is the fifth
most highly trafficked street in
the city.
He also said the neighborhood
directly north of campus (which
SNAG represents) would have
increased vehicle traffic on its
residential streets if Preston
Street were closed.
Zolty    also    outlined    fire
'protection    as    another    consideration.
"Vacation of Preston would
impede the full utilization of the
snorkel fire truck to fight fires
in the library, or to effect rescue
attempts," he said.
"Let me issue you a warning
right now that you will need
strong citizen input to implement this (Preston closing)
and other aspects of the master
plan," Zolty said.
His comments drew favorable
response from SNAG members
at the meeting.
Commissioner Doris Sher-
»vc^,1h*lsslrthg a*"lfcfrd point of -
view," suggested that a trial
closing of Preston Street be
done during "carefully
reasonable times," to measure
the increased traffic volume on
other streets.
"Should the effect of closing
be minor, then plans should be
made for temporary closure (on
Preston) during peak pedestrian
houra," she said.
.«»**. <N^:'Pr«ton—" paj?eI2)
part-time    employes,   he   explained.
Varney said the UHS has
several budgets. The operating
budget was increased to cover
rising inflation costs but the
personnel budget was
decreased.
A student needing
hospitalization during the
weekend must be admitted to
the Central Michigan Community Hospital (CMCH) or
other arrangements satisfactory
to proper handling of the case
will be made, Varney said.
Out-patient and emergency
services will be continued at UHS
during the weekend by the 24-
hour emergency service,
however students cannot be
hospitalized at UHS during the
weekend.
In a conversation between
Varney and Glenn E. Lowery,
chief administrator for CMCH,
Varney said Lowery told him
the hospital presently can
handle the additional load.
However, Lowery said he is not
sure how long the situation will
last.
During the winter with increased seasonal ailments,
students may not get first
preference if there is a bed
shortage, Lowery indicated.
Hospitalization at CMCH will
cost    students    approximately
$100 a day compared to th.e $12
•feeat"theUHS-ihfirmary-.»*    • -
Dean of Students James Hill
said terminating' weekend inpatient care was an effort to
streamline medical service "to
make them affordable to
students."
Hill said, "We had to organize
more efficiently because of the
high cost of health care. None of
the departments got all the
money they asked for. As a
result, we have to attempt to
operate more effectively."
Hill added if the deletion of
this service proved a detriment
to students, "we are flexible to
change because our sole purpose
is to provide the necessary
health care to the student body."
Varney said he received a
letter concerning flexibility
Tuesday. However, he said he
did not know where funds to pay
the staff would come from if
weekend service is resumed
since it is not presently in the
UHS personnel budget.
"I would like to convey the
thought that our desire is not to
limit services, but when faced
with budget cuts , we cannot
render the service needed
without the money to pay the
medical staff. Our action had to
be appropriate to the budget we
had," Varney said.
Varney said the new policy
will cause inconvenience and
additional expense to students
and added the UHS will continue
to offer "every bit of service we
"POssiblycan"
Standing next to their renovated home which once was a
general store in the late 1800's are Millbrook residents Bob
Guiette and his fiancee Linda. Guiette bought the store in
December and began work on it last spring. Despite having no
prior experience in the field of building, the CMU graduate has
done all of the work by himself learning through the use of books
and advice, from people in the area (LIFE photo by Peter Luke).
Century-old store becomes home
Swinging hammer builds confidence
inside'
—Kuderko retains SA
status—page 3
^Official    silent
budget—page 6
on
<~yvinset inches from
top~~naga14
Vr^-,-,-'.,   -.V-•■,■„
by JAMES REINDL
LIFE Editor-in-Chief
Home for Bob Guiette, 24, is a
house he is building With his own
hands.
More precisely, it is a near
century-old general, store in
Millbrook the CMU graduate is
converting into a two-bedroom
home for himself, his fiancee
Linda, 22, and their son Justin.
"It's a complete learning-
experience," Guiette says,
describing work on the store he
bought in December, "I did a lot
of reading and talking and trial
and error."
Although Guiette has been
working in earnest since spring,
much construction awaits
completion for the two-story
frame building. With the exception of installing a septic
tank system, he has done all the
work himself, including
rebuilding part of the foundation
and installing plumbing and
wiring.
"Sometimes work keeps me
up till 2 a.m. until I just can't
swing my hammer anymore," he
says.
However, the rewards of
constructing his awn home help
ease the fatigue. '
"The.satisfaction of working
out here is unbelievable. When
I'm working for my own benefit,
work does, not become burdensome like when you're
working for someone else. It's
really good for one's .self-
confidence,"'
Guiette is Converting the
store as somewhat of an experiment, he says, and hopes to
have it finished by spring. It is a
step towards self-sufficiency,
and it has been a challenge, he
adds.
For starters, Guiette literally
had to saw off the old store's
false front. Taking chainsaw in
hand, he separated the front
firom the rest of the structure
and pulled it down.
"I couldn't live with that," he
says, recalling the front. "It's
either going to be a home or it's
going to be a store."
Guiette says he intends to use
rough-cut wood for siding all
around the house. He also built
the windows, having picked up
all the glass he needed for 10
cents a sheet at a Pontiac
salvage yard.
The commitment to finish the
house came with the crash of the
false front, says Guiette, who
graduated in May with a
broadcasting degree. He
remains unsure where the
impetus originated to start the
project. .
"I think in the back of my
mind I thought I wouldn't get a
job. Maybe I took this as a buffer
to get me through until I get a
career-type job."
Whatever his reasons for
, undertaking the project, Guiette
says he is enjoying what he calls
a "compromise area" between
actual rural living and big-city
life.
"The strangest thing I've
discovered about rural living is
that even though the people are
farther away physcially, the
people seem closer.
"It's really nice to be able to
go into a store and have people
say'HiBob*."
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