1970-05-27; Clare Sentinel

              CITY LIBRARY
4TH & MSEVAN
48617
XX
Wht Clare Sentinel
FIFTEEN CENTS
14 PAGES
WEDNESDAY, MAY 27. 1970
OUR 92nd YEAR SERIES
VOL. 78 NO. 38
Memorial Day
Plans Set
Cla- ;'s Annual Memorial Day parade sponsored by the Veterans of
Foreign Wars and the
American Legion will
take place at-10 a.m. Saturday morning.
According to Bob Schellhas and Jack Green, parade marshals, the parade
will assemble a»- *-he city
Honor Roll on Fifth Street
across from City Hall at
9:45 a.m. At the Honor
roll the Gold Star Mothers, the Blue Star Mothers and the Legion Auxiliary will make wreath
presentations.
At 10:00 a.m. the group
will i roceed down Fifth
St. to McEwan, to State
St. and then on to the
Cherry Grove Cemetery.
Local Census
Way Up
According to preliminary census figures
released Monday by the
district office in Midland,
Clare County has enjoyed
a population increase of
over 4,000 people since
1960.
R.W. Swinehart the District manager said that
his preliminary figures
show a count of 15,680
persons in Clare County.
The final 1960 figure was
11,647.
The new figures represent an increase of
about 25 per cent which
compares quite favorably
with neighboring counties
Isabella County enjoyed1
an increase of about 20
per cent as preliminary
figures set their 1970 population at 43,769 compared to 35,348 in 1960.
Gladwin County enjoyed
an increased population
of approximately 15 per
cent as the 1960 figure
of 10,769 jumped about
2,000 to 12,747.
The census material has
now been forwarded from
the district offices to the
national computer center
in Jeffersonville, Indiana
where statistics for all
the cities, villages and
counties in the country
will be tabulated, tne
Census Bureau will begin
publishing those final figures next fall.
Swinehart has expressed
his personal thanks and
the thank yous of the Census Bureau to area residents, officials, and news
media for their cooperation in the taking of the
1970 census.
A program including a
main address by Charles
Paxton will be held at
the cemetery. VFW Post
Commander Gerald Gingery will preside over the
services. Reverend
Charles Hilliard of the
Colonville Church of God
wil 1 deliver the invocation for the ceremonies
and Reverend Gilbert
Miller of the Congregational Church will give
the Benediction.
Schellhas and Green
have asked all' interested
organizations or groups
to participate in the Memorial ceremony. Questions concerning the parade may be directed at
Schellhas at 386-2597 or
Green at 386-2447.
Most retail businesses will be closed on Saturday as will the Post
Office. Most businesses
will stay open on Friday.
The Clare Citizens Bank
has also announced they
will keep their doors
open on Friday.
Meanwhile State Police
and local law enforcement
agencies have girded
themselves for the first
big vacation onslaught of
the summer season.
The State Police have
advised travelers that
north-south highways will
most likely be heavily
congested. They suggest
that travelers plan to
avoid peak hours.
Police predict northbound traffic will be heaviest in the Clare area in
the late afternoon on
Thursday around 4 p.m.
On Friday, northern adventurers will be most
plentiful around 1 p.m.
West-bound travelers
through Clare should be
heaviest during the early
evening hours on Thursday and about noon on Friday. On Sunday, the State
Police expect peak periods at 1 p.m. and 5 p.m.
in the Clare area.
Full law enforcement
patrols will be in effect
throughout the weekend
and the State Auto Club
will sponsor its frequent
traffic reports on some
100 radio stations in
Michigan.
JOHN HENRY TIME—The comprehensive Water,
Sewer and Land Use planning program is officially underway in Clare County as final contracts
for the work have been signed and delivered. On
Monday, Chairman of the Clare County Planning
Commission, Ken Barnes, acting under the authorization of the County board of Commissioners,
signed the Farmers Home Administration funding
contract   for   Water  and  Sewer  planning.   Barnes
also signed a funding contract from Clare County
for land use planning. Also signing the contracts
were Environetic Research consultant George Justus, who will be doing the investigative work, and
Gordon Purdy of the Farmer Home Administration. Barnes has called for a kick-off meeting to
coordinate plans and methods on Thursday, May
28 at 7:30 p.m. in the county building at Harrison.
CLARE VOTERS FACE
SCHOOL BOND ISSUE
Bills Due
Madge Ruark, Clare
City Clerk has announced there will be a 1
per cent delinquent fee
added to the flat rate
water and sewer bills due
May 1, 1970.
By Tim McGuire
The Clare School Board
has asked school district
voters to approve a two
million dollar bond request for additional building.
The June 8 proposal, if
passed, would give the
school district, a new
elementary school building which would house
grades Kindergarten
through fourth grade. Architect Donald Wakely has
designed the building to
accomodate 700 youngsters. That construction
would cost about $1,550,
000. With the remaining
$450,000 the school board
plans to remodel the
structure presently used
as an elementary school
building for grades Kindergarten through 6th.
The remodeling would
make the building funct-
ionable as an intermediate school for grades
5,6,7 and 8.
This would release the
seventh and eighth graders from the high school
building-jand leave oqly
graces 9" through 12 in
that building.
According to Superintendent of Schools Richard Snyder two things motivated the Clare School
board to ask for this bond
issue. He said, "The University of Michigan survey conducted in 1967 and
the recommendations of
the Citizen's committee
were big factors in determining what measures
the school board would
take."
Snyder went on to explain that U of M survey.
He said, "the survey rated the working capacity
of our buildings at 1,260
to 1,430 students depending on their activities.
The survey said that our
High school had a working
capacity for 637 to 725
students and rated the
elementary building about
the same." However, Snyder added, "at this time
our two buildings (with
four relocatable elementary classroom buildings)
hjivei> been forced to ac-
qbmbdate 1,910 students
(from 440 to 690 too many)
There- are 900 students
in the 637 student high
school and 1,010 students
in the 700 student elementary school."
Snyder feels that there
is more to the overcrowded situation than
mere numbers. He says,,
"it is educationally undesirable to teach seventh
and eighth graders in the
same building as high
school students.
Mervyn Maxwell sees
another undesirable aspect. He is chairman of
the Citizens Committee
and feels that an injustice is being done to elementary students who are
"attending classes in a
building designed several
years ago as a high school
and subsequently for
much bigger people. The
little children need a
building more suited to
their needs."
The Clare Citizens Committee recommendations
made in September are,
according to Maxwell,
".for the most the proposal which voters will be
voting on June 8. The
board changed our recommendations slightly
but the substance is the
same. We saw a serious
overcrowded condition-
which we felt had to be
alleviated quickly. We
felt that it would be best
educationally to group our
youngsters in three divisions, K-4, 5-8and9-12.
In order to do this we
need a new building and
have to remodel the old
one. I think that our build
ing investment is a practical one and definitely
should satisfy our needs
quite nicely for a long
time to come."
The voters will judge
the merits of a new building which in addition to
providing 33 classrooms
for K-4 on the first two
levels of the tri-leveltwo
story building, will provide a service and community area on the floor.
This space will be used
as a cafeteria for the entire school system and
will also serve as a public meeting place for the
citizens  of  the  district.
Financing for the two
million dollar project will
be through the sale of
bonds on the market. The
cost to the individual taxpayer will be determined
by the sale of the bonds.
If the school district can,
catch the market at a
favorable time then the
interest rate would be
lower and the individual
cost less. However, to
insure complete voter
understanding, the school
superintendent has computed the cost of the bond
issue at the maximum 8
per cent interest ceiling.
If this is the sold rate
each taxpayer will be levied an .additional 5.85
mills for debt service.
This is in addition to the
current 2 mills of debt
service on the 1958 high
school construction and to
the 15.5 mills levied for
operational costs.
Continued on page 14
Area Votes
On June 8
Voters in two of three
school districts in Clare
County will have personalities and issues to vote
on in next Monday's (June
8) annual school election.
Harrison has two open
seats for the School Board
but only two men, David
(Ernie) Roth and Ken Haskell have filed petitions
for rhe two posts.
The Clare School District is asking voters to
approve a two million
dollar bond issue for construction of a new elementary building and for
remodeling of the present
elementary building (See
related story on page 1.)
Clare voters also will
choose a successor to
Bill Warner, a Board of
Education member for the
past four years. Two
Clare men have filed petitions for the post.
Dr. J.R. Gershon has
practiced as an Osteopathic physician in Clare
for 17 years. He is married and has three children in the Clare Public
School System.
Dr. Gershon will be
opposed for the seat by
William Comer a Clare
resident for the past six
years. Comer was born
and raised in Clare and
is now employed as a
contractor in the engineering department of
Midland's Dow Chemical.
He lives on Colonville
Road just outside of the
city and has three children  in  the Clare School
system.
Farwell voters are being
asked to renew a six mill
operating levy which expires this year. The previous six mills was levied for a five year period as will be the new
voted millage. Superintendent of Farwell
Schools has reminded
local voters that they are
not voting on an addidional
millage levy but simply
a continuance of the current levy.
Three candidates are
contending for two four
year terms on the Far-
well Board of Education.
Incumbent Bernard Davis
of 1909 Ludington Drive,
faces challenge from
James Fabatz of 53 Ash-
brook Shores at Littlefield Lake and Lyle R.
Swanson, 3400 Maple
Grove Rd.
Voters in the intermediate school districts
of Clare and Gladwin
counties have one more
race to decide on June 8
as seven persons vie for
two positions on the Mid-
Michigan Community
College Board of Trustees.
The terms of Charles
Amble and Dr. Thomas
Howarth expire in June
this year. Both men, who
were members of the
founding board are seeking re-election.
Other candidates who
have filed petitions are
McKinley Browne, Charles Hilliard, Forrest B.
Meek, George Read Jr.
and George Schmiedicke.
The candidates are competing for six-year terms.
DR. J. R. GERSHON
WILLIAM COMER
Clare County Sheriff
Makes 267 Calls
The Clare County Sheriff s Department has answered an average of 10.9
complaints per day in a
period from May 1 to May
23 according to figures
released by the department this week.
A total of 267 complaints
were answered during
the three week period.
Breaking and Entering
complaints during that
time totaled 40 while
there were 18 larcenies
and three reports of
prowlers in buildings.
The six man department were called to five
personal injury accidents
and 20 property damage
accidents. Some 90 mis-,
cellaneous complaints
were answered and 27
calls were made for animal complaints.
According to deputy
Howard Haskin the complaint figures do not include department time
spent at the 11 department
sponsored meetings during this time period nor
the 50 prisoners who passed through the county
jail. It also does not include the normal patrols
of the department.
Haskin has also determined that Sheriff Ray
Lippold* s volunteer posse
volunteered 172 man
hours of work during the
three  week May period.
Graduations Begin At Harrison
WE'RE PROUD—"We're proud to live in Michigan"
was the theme of the study program at St. Cecilia's
parish school last week. All the elementary students
participated in studying Michigan week and produced
individual projects, shown displaying their work
above are front row (left to right) Julie. Pake,
Beth Ann Lapham, Kathy Collom and Michael Collom. In the back row are Gene Berg, Melinda
Myers,   Jim   Dickerson  and  Mary  Jane  Jackson.
Spring is slipping away
and summer brings the
graduation of some 400
seniors from three Clare
County High schools.
Harrison High School is
first with its graduation
ceremonies this year as
they graduate 92 seniors
this Thursday May 29.
That number is the largest ever graduated from
Harrison High School.
Baccalaureate ceremonies were held Sunday in
the high school gym.
Brenda Burnett a grad
uating senior will deliver
the main address at Harrison as student addresses become more and
more common in Michigan high schools. Valedictorian Terry Pechacek
and salutatorian Pam
Gassman will also address their classmates.
Farwell will hold its
Baccalaureate Services
this Sunday at 8 p.m.
in the Farwell High School
Gymnasium. Elder Dee
Beavers of the Farwell
Reorganized   Church   of
Jesus Christ of Latter
Day Saints giving the
main address.
Commencement will take
place Friday evening June
5 at 8 p.m. in the school
gym with some 85 seniors receiving diplomas.
The class valedictorian,
Ginny Howard and salutatorian Sandy Putnam will
give the addresses to
their classmates.
Clare High School graduates some 124 seniors
one of the system's smaller   classes   of   recent
years, on Thursday June
11. Baccalaureate services will be held Sunday
June 7th with the Reverend Luke Stephens presenting a sermon entitled "Who Will Answer."
Rev. Stephens is pastor
of Prince of Peace Lutheran Church in Clare.
Kim Montney will deliver the commencement
address. The senior who
has enjoyed an outstanding academic and extracurricular     career    at
Continued on page 14
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