1962-08-01; Saline Reporter

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The Saline Reporter
VOLUME 14, NUMBER 46 - WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 1, 1962
10c PER COPY — S3 PER YEAR
e Scheduled Sept. 4 On
age for Schoo
Editor's Mailbag
form Breaks
Saline's projected all-city sidewalk program this week emerged from its "calm before the storm" phase - rising gales brought
in heated street-corner discussions, telephone
contretemps, and  letters-to-the-editor.
The mailbag included a detailed roster
from Street Commissioner George Anderson,
Program Ill-timed,
Says Resident
Editor, Saline Reporter:
This letter should be of special interest to the members of
the City Council, for it reflects
the sentiment of many Saline
residents, and the Council is
obligated, by their election to
their official position, to consider the opinions and advice of
their constituents in their deliberations and decisions. This
may also be constnuad a reply
to an article in Monday's Ann
Arbor paper. It seems unnecessary and not in good taste .to
air one councilman's opinions
in a county newspaper, about
affairs that are of purely local
interest and business.
It is very well for the Council
to tell what they are going to
do, as quoted in that article —
enlargement of sewage plant,
expanded school facilities, city
hall, etc. We all know that these
improvements will be needed
and will be built when funds for
such expenditures are available.
Sidewalks always,have been replaced by owners when they became unsafe. A wholesale building of sidewalks, as planned by
the Council, comes at an inopportune time; you will recall
that there was an increase in
last winter's taxes; it is the
time for collection of the City's
summer tax; also bear in mind
that there will soon be a special
election to vote for an increase
in millage for school maintenance. We know that schools are
essential, but we also know that
there is a limit to the size of
the pocketbooks of many people who cannot finance so many
things at this time. The Council
should have taken into consideration many angles of the sidewalk problem before announcing what they intended to do.
Sidewalks do not make a village
or city prosperous; in several
nearby places of comparable
size there are not even curbs
on some main traveled streets.
SaUne has been known for
many years as being an economical place to live, the residents
(Continued on page 3)
County Group
To Launch CF
Drive Here
The Washtenaw county chapter of the Cystic Fibrosis organization will launch its September drive for funds with a
dance at the American Legion
Home here, Mrs. Robert Starling, county president, announced today.
Music will be provided by Ken
Volz and his orchestra for the
dance, scheduled Saturday, September 8. The fund drive will
be entirely a letter campaign,
Mrs. Starling said.
The Cystic Fibrosis Clinical
Studies Center of-the University of Michigan Medical Center
has received an $11,191 grant
from the National Cystic Fibrosis Research Foundation.
The grant, according to Dr.
William F. Howatt, director of
the project, will "further develop a comprehensive care program for children with cystic
fibrosis and enable us to conduct relevant research: into the
problems presented by this disease."
The Cystic Fibrosis Center
Was established at the U-M Medical Center in 1961 with a
$5,000 grant from the Foundation.
disturbed by a suggestion that Council had
no work im progress EXCEPT sidewalks; opposition to the sidewalk plan from a former
Councilman, Dr. John Buck, citing reasons
for his stand; and a missive from a property
owner, Mrs.- Everett Collins, who considers
the program badly timed, if not unnecessary.
The letters follow:
Councilman Cites
Work in Progress
To the Editor:
Businessmen & Merchants
The Saline City Council has
made every effort to cooperate
with businessmen and merchants.'During the last six months
we have yet to have one merchant come up and complain! I'm
sure in my mind that the reason for not coming to meetings
is not fear of losing business
over it. A revaluation of assessments to business properties
has been established this. year.
A meeting was conducted at the
high school for the purpose of
a possible solution to some of
the business community's problems. Three items presently
being worked on are (1) parking study for a second lot
(Planning Commission); (2)
new lighting for downtown area; and (3) directions signs to
present parking lot..
Park
Park property was gifted to
the City this year and every
effort is being made to have it
ready for next year's use. As
present plans develop, the City
of-Saline will have one of the
most beautiful parks in Southeastern Michigan. ~ ■'* \
Streets
This is one area where past
councils have spent considerable time and money. This
year's program will be very successful; all one has to do is
drive our streets to find this
true. The 1963-64 program will
include a widening and repaving
of Henry Street and the 1964-65
program should include a widening of North Ann Arbor
Street with no waste of taxpayers' money for this year's
(Continued on Page 5)
Former Councilman
Clarifies Views
~ July 31, 1962
To The Editor
The Saline Reporter.
I am writing this letter because I feel that several salient
points were omitted by The Ann
Arbor News in an interview I
gave their representative and
which was published by them
on July 26th.   •
It was my understanding that
a picture of the sidewalk on
the north side of West McKay
Street was to be published with
the interview as a justification
for it, with the thought that
the picture would show the pro:
perty owners involved in the
so-called sidewalk program how
the appearance of their property can be adversely affected and
their liability due to accidents
increased for no good purpose.
I feel certain that it is only
a question of time before some
child on skates or a tricycle will
be seriously injured on that roller coaster'type sidewalk.
Two points that" I -hoped
would be mentioned in their publication of my interview were:
1. The fact that approximately $2000.00 of taxpayers money
will-be spent to build., a sidewalk
in front of the cemetery and
park on West Michigan Avenue.
This to me practically constitutes misfeasance and it would
seem that many more advantageous uses could be found for
such a sum of public funds.
2. Mr. Carl A. Curtiss recently gave the City $4000.00-to
purchase additional Park" property. Now as a gesture of" appreciation, the City Council is
ordering him, by repairing and
building new walk  to have  a
(Continued on Page 6)
MARTIN TO SPEAK
AT C - C MEETING
G. Merritt Martin will be the
speaker at a meeting of th&
Chamber of Commerce at 8 .p.m.
Tuesday, in the Saline Savings
Bank meeting room. *';.
Martin will discuss "Commu*
nity Development", subject"p£.
a recent Jaycee seminar whicfr
he attended.
Board Pinpoints Need
For Additional Revenue
Both cars (above) were completely destroyed and six
people seriously injured hi the two-car collision Sunday evening on Bethel Church RaV-Three children were passengers in
the Wallo convertible, iiir foreground. One of them, David
Wallo, 13, remains in critical condition, as does the driver
of the other car, 18-year-old Anthony Rafalski.
Six Injured
In Crash;
Two Critical;
Two .youngsters were still in
critical condition today after a
headron' crash that seriously injured six people, Sunday evening on Bethel Church Rd.
David Wallo, 13, of 6210 Bethel Church Rd., had not yet
regained consciousness after the
accident, which occurred only a
short distance from his home.
A passenger in the front! seat
of his father's car, David was
thrown against the windshield
and then into'the back se^t by
the impact. He suffered head injuries and. a broken collar pone.
In critical condition st University  hospital was  Anthony
FIRE CHASERS:
DON'T BLOCK ROAD
Harassed firemen this
week issued an urgent plea
to fire-truck-chasers, not to
block the road with their
cars.
Lines of spectators' cars
have made it nearly impossible to send the tank truck
back for more water for
country fires, firemen pointed out. They also hamper the
movement of ambulances and
— while moving — create
clouds of dust that endanger
all drivers alike.
"If you must follow fires,
park your car entirely off
the road — even if you have
to go into the ditch," one
fireman said.
Boy Scout
Local Owners
Top Lists in
Holstein Show
Washtenaw county farmers
were prominent on the winners
lists of the Washtenaw-Wayne
Black and White Show, and the
Michigan Black and White Show
hekLlast week at the Rural Activities Center here.
In both shows, a Holstein
owned by George Macomber and
Sons, Ann Arbor, was judged
best aged bull and Grand Champion over all.
In the statewide event Friday,
Elton Frey, Ann Arbor, had
the senior yearling; Marilyn
Frey won first girl's place in
senior showmanship; and Phil
Spike, Manchester, topped judging.
In the Washtenaw-Wayne
show last Wednesday, all top
places except two were captured
by Washtenaw county farmers.
Owners of the prize Holsteins
included the Macombers and
Freys, Frank F. Geiger and
Sons, of South Lyon; Leonard
Burmeister, Ann Arbor; Norman Brassow, Dexter; Howard
Wilkie, Milan; Paul Guenther,
Dexter; Norman Randall, Man-
' Chester; Fred- Palma, Ypsilah-
ti; Margaret Frey, Ann Arbor;
Paula Mae Guenther, Dexter;
Philip Spike, Manchester
Others were Douglas B. Spike
of Manchester; Ellery Rouster,
HS. Vo-Ag Program
Is Year-round Affair
Rafalski, 18, of Belleville, drl
ver of the second car, who suf- Bottle DrlVC
fered fractures of the right jaw, _,   _      1   _        __
left arm, and right kneecap. bcneduled Here
A passenger in Rafalski's car, _
Agnes L. Faulhaber, 20, of 8370 Boy Scout Troop 46 of Salnie Grass Lake;  Carl Macomber,
Bunton Rd., Augusta township, has scheduled a bottle collection Ann  Arbor;   Wesley Amsdill,
suffered injuries that resulted starting   Saturday,   August   4. Dexter; Lowell Spike, Manches-
in amputation of her left foot. Present plans call for a com- ter.   Junior   Showmanship - aw-
She' was in "fair" condition to- plete   canvassing   of  the   resi- ards  went to  Paula  Guenther
day    -           " dents of Saline, requesting un- and   Roger   Wiedemayer,   Ann
Also injured were David's fa- wanted  deposit  bottles,   which Arbor.   Senior  Showmanship
ther, William Wallo, who suf- will be turned in for collection winners were Marilyn Frey and
fered broken ribs, cut's and brui- of the deposit as the Scouts' Carl Macomber.	
ses; Robert Wallo, 4, a leg in- latest money-raising effort.                       ™TT™™ „„«ro
jury;   and  Danny  Dewey,   of The city north of Michigan BETHEL COLLEGE CHOIR
Tipton, the Wallos' nephew, cuts Avenue will be covered on Au- TO  SING HERE THURSDAY
and bruises. All three were list- gust 4, and the city south of The Bethel CoUege Choir, of
Michigan Avenue will be cover- North Newton,  Kansas,  under
ed on August 11. the direction of Dr. Walter Jost,
Saline area school district residents will vote Tuesday, September 4, on a one-year levy
of 3.85 mills for operating the
school system in the 1962-63
fiscal year. Date for the crucial
vote was set at a special meeting of the school board this
week.
Simultaneously the board released the district's operating
fund statement and budget for
the coming year. Published in
this issue of The Reporter, the
document pinpoints the local
schools' need for added operating revenues . . . and cites a
$73,000 deficit, accumulated over the past three years, during
which time the board tried vainly to hold down costs while
maintaining Saline's high educational standards.
"There has been no extravagance in the past," board members emphasized. "And the
1962-63 budget, like those of
previous years, has been set on
the basis of providing only the
essentials. Yet the current tax
structure won't be adequate to
provide even this. An increase
is needed."
Board members pointed to
one item in the proposed new
budget as proof of the need.
"Major portion of the increase in operating expenses
this year will be in the area of
teachers' salaries," they stated.
"The increase here will be approximately $41,500 . . . partly to hire needed new teachers,
and partly to provide length-of-
service increases to the present
faculty."
Tlie board emphasized that,
even with this $41,500 hike in
teacher payroll, the district's
pay scale will probably remain
the most reasonable in this area. Teacher salary information
from neighboring districts for
the 1961-62 school year bears
this out:
to this year. In the 1961-62
school year, Saline Area held
to the lowest operating millage
of any of the districts cited:
10.01. Rundown of the other
districts, by way of contrast:
Chelsea, 11.5; Dexter, 11; Ann
Arbor, 16.3; Milan, 11.5; Manchester, 12.75; Ypsilanti, 16.87;
Whitmore Lake, 14.25.
This is substantially the picture which has led to the piling-
up of a $73,000 deficit over the
past three years. Expenses have
constantly mounted, as the local pupil population increases
. . . and there has been no corresponding hike in district valuation to offset them. In fact,
since 1960, the district has
faced an opposite trend, with
a decreasing valuation per membership pupil.
The budget for 1962-63 provides for cutting the present
deficit by $25,000. It also provides a $10,000 item for replacement of school buses . . .
and $3,000 for repair of the
driveway at the high school.
The total increase in operating budget over last year is
about $58,000, according to
Dean Burkhardt, school treasurer. Balance of the increase is
in clerical, administrative and
maintenance staff salaries.
"The extra millage being asked in the September 4 vote is
the bare minimum which the
school board feels, is needed to
operate our school system at
its present level," Burkhardt
concluded.
Urbanites may feel that the
High School vocational agriculture department doesn't concern them ~ 5but it does. It's
one of the major reasons why
we aren't starving, like the Chinese.
Farming, for many centuries an "art, has now become a
science, and r- though there are
plenty of agricultural colleges -
in the last analysis the "entire
basis of modern food produe--
tion rests primarily in High
School agriculture departments.
That's where young people acquire the knowledge and skills
that will make them competent
farmers if they never enter another classroom.
Both halves of the term "vo-
ag" are functional. The program is designed for students
who intend to make agriculture
a vocation, a profession, a year-
round job.
Once in a. while, at Saline
High School, non-farmers take
the course (once, there was even a girl, who is now a farmer's wife, Mrs. Elwood Hansen,
Bridgewater); but far and away
the largest number comes from
farm backgrounds. Of 22 vo-ag
graduates in 1961 and 1962, 12
are now engaged in farming;
six have attended or are admitted to short courses or four-
year colleges; -and two have entered occupations in some; way
related to agriculture.
The percentage in related occupations generally runs higher than this, vo-ag instructor
Alton Ealy observes. The list
of such related vocations is
nearly endless, but it begins
with those oftenest chosen by
Saline area students: veterinary
work, live stock trucker, employment with a feed' mill' or
implement dealer, conservation,
dozens of jobs in distribution
and marketing.
But Saline consistently- sees-
a higher percentage of its vo-ag
students go into farming "than
most other vo-ag departments
in this part of Michigan.,   .
The local department has
been distinguished in another
way in recent years: two young
farmers have won the outstanding degree of "State Farmer".
They were Stanley Poet, in
1960, and Neil Bohnett, in 1962.
The head of the department,
Al Ealy, grew up on a farm
near Stanton, took a B.S. degree
from Michigan State university,
and entered one of the "related
fields" . . . teaching. He taught
agriculture for two years' in
Ithaca before coming to Saline
seven years ago.
His own description of vocational agriculture: "Agriculture
is a scientific and complex industry that requires intelligent
and increasingly competent agricultural people. Its purpose is
to develop abilities, attitudes,
skills and understanding that
will make a person an intelligent, participant in agricultural
occupations." ..   .
The course here includes FFA
(Continued on page 10)
ed in "good condition"  at St.
Joseph hospital.
The crash, described by police as "the worst in years" in
School
Average Beginning
Salary
Salary
Chelsea
$5680
$4400
Dexter
5171
4200
Ann Arbor
5513
4500
Milan
5838
4300
Manchester
5089
4150
Ypsilanti
6078
4600
Whitmore
Lake
5114
4500
Saline Area
5088
4000
Every attempt will be made will appear in a concert at 8
to reach all .homes in the city, p.m. Thursday, August 2, at
this area, occurred on "the same DUt anyone not contacted is ask- the Federated Church. No ad-
hill on-which three persons were e(l to call Scoutmaster Harold mission will be charged for the
badly injured in an accident West, HA 9-9853, or Assistant concert, but an offering will be
nine years ago — a blind hill Scoutmaster Ed Barrett, HA 9- taken to aid in defraying some
on an exceptionally narrow gra- 9002. of the expense of the choir. The
vel road. Police said both cars      All Boy Scouts are reminded public is invited to attend,
were apparently traveling about to meet at the Strait home at  ■
35 miles per hour at the point 203 N. Lewis St. at 12:30 p.m.  DON'T FORGET TO VOTE!!!
of collision. Saturday. Tuesday, August 7
The younger Wallo boy and
his  cousin,
back seat
ible,  were thrown  out of the
car by the crash.
The Wallo family and Danny's parents, the George Dew-
eys, had spent a day at the
lake; the youngsters and William Wallo had returned to ?.ie
Wallo farm to do the evening
chores before the accident occurred. The Wallo's daughter,
Kathy, remained at the lake
with her mother.
Board members further emphasized that, in contrast to
ALL othiar school districts cited above,' the Saline Area has
never before asked for an extra operating millage previous
BOARD INVITES
YOUR QUERIES
School board members this
week urged residents of the Saline area school district to send
in questions regarding the September 4 millage vote. All queries submitted to the board during the weeks ahead will be answered in issues of The Reporter leading up to the election.
Members of the board further
volunteered to meet with any
individuals or groups wishing
to gain further information on
the issue.
Written questions may be addressed to the board at the high
school . . . and individual members of the board will be willing
to make arrangements for meetings. Board members are: Mrs.
Bess Tefft, president; Oliver
Steiner, secretary; Dean Burkhardt, treasurer; Raymond Girbach; Harold Brown; Lauren
Wild; Gerald Coe.
n,   passengers  in  the W£ff^\™E-J£
of the Wallo convert- S&^^;-r}.>*i=ai
1309 REGISTERED HERE
A total of 1309 Saline residents are registered to vote in
the primary election Tuesday,
August 7, City Clerk Bill Muir
said" today. Approximately 40
were additions and corrections:
Some deletions" were also made.
TEEN CLUB SCHEDULES
"BERMUDA BOUNCE"
A "Bermuda Bounce" (shorts
recommended) is scheduled &r
the weekly Teen Club dance, beginning at 7:30 p.m. Friday at
the Intermediate School. Members and their guests are welcome.
GOLDEN ANNIVERSARY . . . Girl Scouts mark their
50th anniversary at a mammoth barbecue in Buttonbay
State Park, Vermont, during the Scouts' third national
Roundup. Approximately 10,000 Scouts and adult workers
attended the anniversary ceremony and dinner. The food
was donated by leading food organizations.
The "good Scouts" above enjoyed the cooking almost as
much as the eating!-Left to right: Mary Engle of Wayne,
Dian Crist of Ann Arbor, Marilyn Moody of Ypsilanti, and
Joan LaRue of Saline. (See Joan's report from the Roundup
on page two.) Joan returned to Saline Wednesday morning.
The announcement of a $73,000 deficit in school operating
funds, built up over the past three years, may come as a shock
to Saline area taxpayers.
But in a way, it reinforces the school board's argument that
its request for 3.85 additional millage is being made only as a
last resort.
"Our first consideration, always," they stated, "has been to
maintain our teaching and educational standards at a high level.
Yet our budgets have always been set with an eye to economy.
In each of the three years, our expenses have gone far beyond
what we anticipated . . . and at the same time our revenues have
fallen below our expectations."
The abrupt increases in pupil population during this period
account in large part for the increase in expense. This, in itself,
was enough to throw the budgets for these years somewhat out
of kilter.
But in addition to this, an unexpected $3,000,000 cut in the
school district's expected valuation in the 1960-61 tax year,
slashed $30,000 from expected operating funds. This didn't help
the budget, either. In this same year, the district was granted
10 mills in the annual tax allocation . . . but it levied only 8.28.
At that time the board felt the lower figfiEe to be adequate . . .
but pupil enrollment soared far beyond any^reasonable expectations that year, and has continued to soar.  **"''
"Our 1600-pupil membership which we project for the school
year 1962-63 is probably conservative," school board members
state.   "
Our present deficit, plus the present population trend in the
district, are fair proof of two facts: (1) The board has exercised
all possible thrift in the past, and will continue to do so, and
(2) the millage hike has been requested only because it is urgently needed.