1970-12-09; Clare Sentinel

              CITY LIBRARY
4TH & MCEWAN
48617
XX
IS
|£*
W$t Clare Sentinel
FIFTEEN CENTS
16 PAGES
WEDNESDAY,  DECEMBER 9, 1970
OUR 93rd NEW YEAR SERIES
VOL. 79 NO. 14
Election Today  on Clare
School   Bond Proposal
Clare School District voters are
going to the polls today to determine whether a new 700 pupil
primary building will be constructed on the present school site.
Also at stake will be remodeling
of the present elementary building for use as an intermediate
school.
The official wording on the ballot
for the proposal asks voters to
approve a $2.2 million bond issue
and increase local property taxes
in the Clare School District $6.50
for each $1,000 of state equalized valued property.
All currently registered voters
residing in the Clare School
District may vote. As the result of a recent United States
Supreme Court decision, both property and non-property owners
are eligible to vote. Polls will
be open from 7 a.m. until 8 p.m. in
the high school gym.
The funds will be used "for the
purpose of erecting, furnishing
and equipping a primary school
building; remodeling the Clare
Elementary School for intermediate school purposes; constructing
and equipping playgrounds; and
developing, and improving sites."
The 700 pupil primary school
will be built adjacent to the present elementary building on land
owned by the school district. A
two story classroom wing will contain three kindergartens, five first
and five second grade rooms on
the ground floor with five third
and five fourth grade rooms and
one  special  education classroom
GOP Group
To Elect
on the second floor. An instructional materials center, workroom and other facilities for special education will also be included
in the classroom wing.
Remodeling of the present elementary school to serve as an
intermediate building for grades
5 through 8 is expected to include new plumbing in the old part
of the building, a new heating
and ventilating' system, new electrical wiring, exterior work on
the roof, windows and brick, interior painting and accoustical improvement of the classrooms.
Stauder, Barch and Associates,
financial consultants to the school
system, have indicated, that
interest rates on school issues
have dropped over one per cent
in the past month. If the bond
issue can be passed now and the
bonds sold as soon as possible,
the school district may benefit
from both lower interest rates
and lower bids on the projects
because contractors are seeking
work.
Clare's school board has received the endorsement from the
City Commission, the Chamber of
Commerce and the Clare Rotary
Club in favor of the proposed bond
election.
The bonds are programed to be
paid for during a 25-year period.
On an individual basis this should
not "cost property owners more than
6.5 additional mills. The additional millage will bring about an
additional tax levy of approximately $32.50 per $5,000 of state
equalized valuation, or an additional $6.50 in taxes for each
$1,000 in state equalized valuation.
Garbage Rates To Be Reviewed
Garbage collection rates again
proved to be an issue of discussion during the regular meeting of
the Clare City Commission Monday evening at the Clare City Hall.
During a question and answer
period at the commission meeting
Don Collum requested that the city
commission reexamine its rubbish
pick-up rates and schedule to take
into consideration individual
needs.
Collum said he objected to only
once a week garbage pick-up by
city crews. Commissioners voter
November 16 to begin a program
of once a-week pick up after the
first of the year for an annual
charge of $24.
The decision to go only once
a-week with pick-ups was made
after earlier reducing an increase
in the rates to $36 for twice a-
week pick-up. The $36 rate was
increased from $18 for twice a-
week pick-up and then reduced, a-
long with a reduction in service,
after nearly 50 citizens, mostly
senior citizens, protested the increases.
"We were trying to appease
what was probably a minority of
the public at the time, "when the
rate was decreased to $24, Commissioner Charles Clark said.
"I'm not so sure once a-week
pick up is the answer," Clark
said.
Commissioners instructed City
Manager Glen Cain to make a further study of collection rates and
programs and to report back to the
commission  at  its next meeting.
Some commissioners felt a sliding scale of rates could be produced that would accommodate individual needs such as once or twice
a-week pick-up service.
Commissioners pointed out that
city residents are not required
to subscribe to the> pity rubbish
collection service.
In other action, commissioners
went   on  record  as  favoring  the
carrying of fire arms by members
of the Clare Auxilary Police Force.
Formal action will probably come
on the matter after the city attorney
examines the request.
CITY TAX BILLS— Madge Ruark, Clare City Clerk (left) and
Genia Thomas, (right), prepare copies of the 1970 city winter
tax bills that will be mailed to property owners late this week and
early  next  week. (Sentinel Photo)
Subscription Rates To Increase
Subscription rates will be increased for The Clare Sentinel
beginning January 1, 1971 because
of increased operating factors,
according to Sentinel Managing
Editor Phil Schneider.
"We regret that we are forced
to take this action, but we must
increase the subscription cost of
The Sentinel due to general inflationary operating circumstances
in production, materials and pos-
Effective in January, a one-year
subscription will be $5.50 for all
subscribers whose paper is mailed
from the Clare Post Office. Previously, only Clare County residents were eligible for the local
county subscription rate, however
the local rate area has been expanded to include those areas just
outside of the county that are still
served by the Clare Post office.
The one-year subscription price
of $5.50 for Clare County and related area subscribers represents
a $2.60 savings over the regular
newstand price which would total
$8.10 during the year if the paper
were bought separately.
As   a   service   to   subscribers,
Chai
airman
Hospital Drive To End January 1
Members of the Clare County
Republican Party executive committee will meet Thursday night
to elect a new county GOP chairman to replace Don Luce whose
term expires.
Recently, 14 members were elected to the county's GOP executive committee at a convention in the Clare County Courthouse. The Thursday meeting
will begin at 8 p.m., according
to Ellen Ulch, secretary of the
GOP organization.
State Representative Donald E.
Holbrook Jr. will present a report at the meeting on current situations in the state house.
The county chairman and members of the executive committee
all will serve for two-year terms.
Elected to the executive committee were William Warner, Richard Shanahan, Phil Schneider,
Forrest Sogge, McKinley Brown,
Nial Ressequie, Earl Householder,
Dr . John Weitzel, Dorothy Ashcraft, Mary Ruckle, Montz Gee,
John Quinnan, Jerry Forsberg and
M. D. Thompson.
HARRISON— A concentrated
effort will be made in Harrison and
Houghton Lake this Thursday to
seek subscribers to the Clare
Osteopathic Hospital fund raising
drive.
Four members of a citizens
steering committee will solicit
The Hough.on Lake area while
others will continue the drive in
Harrison. A 12-members citizen's committee has been directing a bond sale drive since early
August to raise funds to make
required improvements in the hospital.
To date $34_t899 has been raised
in bond sales and contributions.
That figure was reported to committee members by Miss Helen
Morgan, hospital administrator,
at a 7 a.m. meeting of the committee Tuesday at the Doherty
Hotel.
Of the $335,889, approximately
$11,889 has been raised through
individual contributions while the
remainder was raised through the
sale of $1,000 and $500 denomination bonds.
Approximately       $700,000     is
needed to raise iunds to make
improvements in the hospital facility that are required by the
Michigan Department of Public
Health.
The fund raising drive will be
concluded December 31, according to drive officials. Members
of the steering committee will meet
again January 12 at 7 a.m. for their
final meeting.
The steering committee has been
selling bonds in $500 and $1,000
demoninations.     The   bonds earn
eight per cent interest over a
15-year period. To date $308,000
in bonds have been subscribed
and over $11,000 has ben contributed to  the hospital fund drive.
The health department has stated
the operating license of the hospital
will not be renewed unless the improvements are made.
Improvements required by the
health department call for the construction of two new patient service
floors to be built on top of the newest wing of the hospital.   '
In addition, diet, x-ray and surgery facilities must be moved from
the oldest portion of the hospital
into the newest portion.
Michigan Department of Public Health officials notified the
hospital's board of directors the
hospital has 48 deficiencies in the
older portion of the building. The
"deficiencies" deal mainly with
improvements in the physical condition of the building such as in-
Approximately 140 persons are
employed at the hospital.
current subscriptions may be renewed at the present rate, even
if the subscription doesn't expire
until later next year, islew subscriptions also will continue to be
taken at current rates until January 1.
Subscription rates in Gladwin,
Midland, Osceola and Mecosta
Counties will be $6.50 for one
year, while rates in other counties in the state will be $,'
per year and in other ste
$8.00 per year. (
Higher out county subscription
rates are required because postage
costs are more for greater distance.
Newstand sale price will remain
the same as will the policy of
charging a local county rate for
mail subscriptions for service
men. Introduction three-month fee
subscriptions will still be provided
by The Sentinel to each new family
in the Clare area which signs up
for the service through the Welcome Wagon program.
The Clare Sentinel is Clare
County's oldest newspaper, having been founded in 1877. The
3,800 weekly circulation of The
Sentinel is larger than the combined circulation of the other two
newspapers in the county, according to the Michigan Press Association.
Weekend Thefts Net $1,500
Over $1,500 was taken in three
separate breaking and enterings
in Clare and Harrison over the
weekend, according to law enforcement officials.
Deputies from the Clare County
Sheriff Department investigated
one breaking and entering that
took place in Harrison and netted
Assessment Report Rejected
the robber more than $500 in
cash.
Officers from the Clare Police
Department are still investigating
today two separate breaking and
enterings that resulted in almost
$1,000 being taken.
In the Harrison theft, more than
$500 in cash was taken sometime during the night on Friday,
at Murton Oil Company. The
theft was discovered when the
station was opened Saturday morning
Clare County Sheriff Raymond O.
Lippold, Jr. said persons entered
the office of Murton Oil Company
by prying open a back door and
then obtained the money by prying   the  door   open  on  the   safe.
Lippold said the theft is still
under investigation and that deputies are checking several leads.
In Clare, Police Chief Elry Tice
reported to The Sentinel that persons broke > into the office of the
Clare Clinic, next to the Clare City
HARRISON- Clare County Commissioners rejected by a 4-1 vote
a report on the county's equalization tax assessment during an afr
ternoon session of the board at the
Clare County Courthouse Monday
in Harrison.
Commissioners voted to reject
a report compiled by county equalization director Clarence Gum because the report showed several
of the county's taxing units have
not assessed property at the required state level of 50 per cent.
Rejection of the report was no
reflection upon the performance of
duties by Gum or by personnel
in   the   equalization   department.
The report Indicated that only
six of the county's 16 townships
and the City of Harrison are assessing property at the 50 per
cent value mark as required by
the state.
Property assessments • re used
to compute the county's budget
based on taxation revenues from
property assessment. State law
requires that all property within
a taxing unit be assessed at 50
per cent of its true market value.
According to the report submitted by Gum, only the City of
Harrison and the following townships are assessing property at
the 50 per cent level. Those
townships and their percentage-
of assessment are: Freeman, 49.2
per cent; Greenwood, 49.8 per
cent; Hamilton, 53.2 per cent; Hayes, 50.5 per cent; Surrey (including the Village of Farwell), 51.6
per cent, and Winterfield Township, 51.2 per cent. Harrison city
officials assess property at 51.9
per cent of the true market value.
State law requires that assessing units may vary two percentage   points,   from   49   to   51
per  cent  when
sment rates.
computing asses-
Taxing units which are assessed at the legal rate can file
an appeal to county and state officials to have their assessments
reduced to the average assessment level in the county, which
would be 45.9 per cent. Or, the
taxing units assessing at required
rates could appeal to require all
other units in the county to meet
state minimum assessing standards.
The City of Clare at 37.7 per
cent and the following townships
all assess property below the state
requirement. Arthur, Franklin,
Frost, Garfield, Grant, Hatton,
Lincoln, Redding, Sheridan, and
Summerfield. The taxing unit in
the county assessing property at
the lowest percentage rate is Arthur Township at 34.3 per cent.
Christmas Lites
Contest Planned
A Christmas lighting contest for
Clare homeowners is being sponsored by the Clare Sentinel and
three other businesses for the first
time in several years in the Clare
area.
Cash prizes Will be awarded by
the Citizen's Bank and Trust Company of Clare and Consumers Power Company. A complete, full
course meal also will be awarded
to the grand prize winner by the
Doherty Motor Hotel.
Prizes will be awarded for the
most creative, the best religious
theme and the most outstanding
entry.
To enter the contest, simply
mail your name- and address to
The Clare Sentinel 112 West Fourth
Street, Clare; and indicate which
classification in which you wish
to have your display judged.
All entries must be received
by 5 p.m. December 18 With judging scheduled to take place the
night of December 19. Pictures
of prize winners and honorable
mentions will be published in the
December 23 issue of The Sentinel.
Santa Claus is scheduled to make
a special stop over in the Clare
area beginning at 10 a.m. that
Saturday morning and is scheduled
to ride into town escorted by the
Clare City Fire Department, while
proceeding down McEwan Street
distributing Christmas dandy to
young folks.
Hailj and took approximately $800.
Tice said the point of entry into
the clinic has not been determined.
In another breaking and entering
over the weekend Tice reported,
that unknown persons broke into
Witbeck's IGA Supermarket and
took more than $200 in coins and
cash. Tice said entry was gained
in the store by breaking four sections of glass on part of the roof
overhang of the store.
A third breaking and entering
proved unsuccessful for thieves,
according to Tice. He said unknown persons attempted to break
into the office of Dr. Donald Dunlop by breaking glass in a door,
but no entry was gained.
Tice said all three breaking and
enterings are under investigation
by the Clare Police Department
and by troopers from the Michigan
State Police Post in Mt. Pleasant. Officers are checking several
leads, according to Tice.
In addition to the three breaking and enterings in Clare, Mt.
Pleasant State Police troopers also
are investigating a breaking and
entering at a local .beauty shop
over the weekend.
Law officers are not sure
whether the breakings and enterings are part of an organized
program in the area. Officials
reported that the incidents over the
weekend are the first breaking
and enterings in the area since
nearly six weeks ago.