1970-10-14; Clare Sentinel

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CITY   LIuRARY
4TH  &  MCEiVAN
x:
Che Clare Sentinel
FIFTCIN CENTS
20 PAGES 2 SECTIONS
WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 14, 1970
OUR 93rd   YEAR SERIES
VOL. 79 NO. 6
County  OK's   $704,611  Budget
By Phil Schneider
Managing Editor
An operating budget of
jttst over $700,000 was
approved by members of
the Clare County Board
of Commissioners after
a public hearing on the
budget Monday.
Official approval of the
budget came about a week
after the budget was reported out of the board's
budget committee to the
entire board member-
ship. '
While no one testified
at the public hearing,
commissioners conducted several last minute
meetings before approving the final budget. The
public hearing is an annual event required by law
to provide citizens with
an opportunity to express
their opinion on the operation of the various services offered by the
county.
The final figure approved by the commissioners totalled $704,
611.68, which balances
with the county's expected income.
Original budget requests from the various
county departments submitted last April and May
totalled $930,909.00
From that figure county
commissioners had to reduce the requests to meet
anticipated revenue by
$226,298.
Most of the work in
preparing the budget for
board adoption was done
by    John   Brubaker _.nd
Carl Bringold, members
of the board's budget
committee. The budget
committee presented , a
report to the board last
Monday for consideration
and then recess until the
following night before finalizing the proposal.
Only two county departments received an increase over last year's
appropriations. Nine appropriations remained
the same and the rest
were reduced.
Those appropriations
that remained the same
are regulated to a degree
by state regulations and
remain as fixed operating costs.
Only one item that received funding from the
county last year did not
receive an appropriation
Sentinel Cooking School
Program Set Wednesday
It's only a few hours
,   away— the event Clare
County women have been
waiting for.
Beginning at 7 p.m.
Wednesday Clare's first
Designs for Living home-
makers school starts at
the Clare Elementary
School Auditorium.
Miss Kay Jepsen, nationally known home-
maker will conduct the
Designs for Living
school, sponsored by The
Clare Sentinel. Admis-
> *>v„sion 4s free and seating
is available On the first
come basis.
Miss Jepsen will prepare several recipes on
stage and give demonstrations on fabric care
for modern fabrics and
provide hints on how to
make housework easier.
In addition to the cooking and homemaking hints
door prizes and bags of
food will be given away
to lucky persons attending the homemakers
school.
The Clare Sentinel was
selected as one of only
10 newspapers in the state
to sponsor this nationally
known program..
Indications are that a
capacity crowd of home-
makers will be attending
this Homemakers School,
just as capacity crowds
have attended other De
signs for Living schools
held in other cities
fact, this year the average daily attendance is
running in excess of 1,300
homemakers attending
each homemaker school
session.
One of the big drawing cards for the program
will be the fact that numerous local merchants
and many national firms
will be giving out door
prizes at the DESIGNS
FOR LIVING? Hdfirema-
kers School.
Each person attending
the homemakers school
will have a chance to win
one of the more than 30
door prizes. Also, each
person will be presented
with discount coupons to
be used on nationally advertised merchandise
sold in the Clare area.
The Designs for Living
cookbook also serves as
the actual program of
what the home economist
lectures.
this year. The lone item not to gain an appropriation was a $900 request for membership
dues to the East Michigan Tourist Association.
Based on the county's
state equalized evaluation of $95,937,949 for
property in the county,
commissioners estimated that approximately
$428,687 would be raised through property assessment taxation based
on a collection system
getting 87 per cent tax
payment.
In addition to property
assessments-the county's
estimated revenue would
also be derived from delinquent tax collections
totalling about $55,000
and $166,923 from nontax revenues.
The largest cuts came
in the probate court and
tax equalization departments, registrar of deeds
office, animal shelter operation sheriff office and
patrol and social services department.
The cut in the probate
court request was primarily a salary item that
involves a savings to the
county by the fact that
the state pays three-
fourths of the probate
court judge's salary and
the county pays the remaining fourth.
In Clare's case, the
probate court district has
Continued on Page-14
RUSHING WATER— Run off water from drainage
outlets rushed into the Tobacco River Saturday
morning after a 2.7 inch rainfall Friday night
throughout the Clare Area. Football games played
in  Clare,  Farwell  and  elsewhere were played on
fields   that   often looked like  small  lakes.  Some
streets  in   Clare   were flooded for a while during
the night and minor damage was reported to businesses  with water leaking into buildings, but noi
serious   damage   was   reported    (Sentinel  Photo).
Plans Started For Youth Job Program In Clare
Clare may soon have
a youth development program to provide jobs for
students from low income
families.
Plans are being formed to organize a youth
development program to
serve Clare and the remainder of Clare County
through the Sixcap organization, a federally funded
organization.
The youth development
program was explained to
members   of   the   Clare
Commissioners Pass
Routine Business
Chamber of Commerce
board of directors during
the board's regular meeting Monday noon by Ken
Dennis of Sixcap.
Dennis said as soon as
a building can be obtained
and a youttiadult advisory
council established the
program could get underway.
The purpose of the
youth development program is to involve the
youth of the county in the
social and economic
structure.
Dennis said there were
eight major steps in
forming a youth development program in a community. The steps involve the formation of a
youth advisory council of
adults who can-lend technical skill to the youth
involved in the program.
Other steps involve
providing meaningful
work     experiences    for
youth, building leadership
establishing a volunteer
employment service,
creating an awareness of
the problems of low income youth, provide skill
training programs and
establish close working
relationships with courts
law enforcement agencies and schools.
Dennis explained the
program is similar to the
Junior Achievement programs operated in large
,,,._, „»»***__-,■. „ ^ .. ,, . __,J____
cities that" are designed
to teach youth about the
economic system of the
nation.
Once formed, Dennis
said there would be about
50 youths in the Clare
area that could benefit
from the program, which
is designed to reach students in the 16-21 age
bracket.
Planners will meet
Wednesday at 7:30 p.m.
at  the  Clare  City  Hall.
Routine business occupied members of the
Clare City Commission
during the commissioner's regular meeting
Monday night, at Clare
City Hall.
During the short meeting commissioners approved eight building permits that called for the
construction   of garages
and interior and exterior
remodeling of existing
structures in some cases.
Glen Cain, Clare city
manager, reported to
commissioners that city
crews will begin this
Wednesday night flushing
portions of the city's water mains. Cain said the
flushing program happens twice each year and
involves the flushing of
water drains for cleaning purposes. The water mains also will be
flushed Thursday and
Friday, begining each
night at 9 p.m. and will
last until the early morning hours.
Cain also reported that
it    was permissible  for
Continued on Page-14
Merchants Salute Area Farmers
Business and professional people of Clare
County are giving a rousing 21-gun salute to the
farmers of this area.
Your industrious habits
and knowledge of the soil
Clare Chamber
Hospital Drive
The drive to raise
funds to finance needed
improvements at Clare
Osteopathic Hospital received the endorsement
of the board of directors
of the Clare Chamber
of Commerce Monday.
Chamber support was
granted during the regular monthly meeting of
the board of directors after a report by Ken Barnes, executive secretary
to the chamber.
A three - week fund
raising drive began last
week to raise $700,000 to
make improvements in
the physical portions of
the hospital that are required by the state health
department.
Approximately $250,
000 has already been
pledged to the drive, "But
we need the support of
everybody," said Bernie
Wyman, chairman of a
citizen's committee •conducting   the  fund drive.
The chamber's resolution calls upon individuals
and members of the
chamber to support the
fund raising drive.
The resolution passed
by chamber directors
states, "because of the
essential need and worthwhile service given to
the greater Clare area,
the directors of the Clare
Chamber of Commerce
endorse the current fund
raising drive launched by
the citizen's committee
and we urge all persons
to support the drive to
their fullest extent."
"As directors of your
chamber of commerce,
we urge every citizen to
rally to the cause of the
hospital and to help both
financially and through a
donation of time to insure the continued operation of Clare Osteopathic
Hospital," the directors
said.
The concept of suppor
ting the hospital fund
raising drive by loaning
money was also endorsed
by the directors in addition "to those who wish
to contribute individually."
"Unless the area that
the hospital serves can
demonstrate support for
the hospital, the state
health department will
not renew its operating
license," Wyman said.
The State has given the
hospital board of directors until the first of November to demonstrate
that concrete steps are
being takeri to raise funds
to make the improvements required by the
health department.
In May the health department ordered that two
additional floors be built
on top of the newest portion of the hospital" and
that operating, x-ray and
diet facilities be moved
into the lower two floors
of the same portion and
move administrative facilities into the oldest portion of the hospital.
To raise the needed
funds, bonds are being
sold in demoninations of
$1,000 and $500 and will
earn eight per cent interest over a 15-year period.
"The steering committee decided to sell bonds
and pay supporters for
their financial aid rather
than simply ask for another donation," Wyman
said.
If the state health department does not renew
the operating license* the
hospital will not be able
to operate on a non-cash
basis.
If the hospital is not
allowed to operate on a
non-cash basis it Would
be prohibited from accepting patients on private
and governmental insurance   programs  because
all services would have
to  be paid  for  in cash.
If the hospital were
forced to close, emergency and routine cases
would have to be" handled
either by private medical
staff or at other hospitals in Midland, Saginaw
and elsewhere.
During the last fiscal
year the Clare Osteopathic Hospital had 21,114
in-patient care days, excluding new born babies;
while the average length
of   stay   was   7-9  days.
More than 4,000 emergency cases were handled by the hospital* s staff
last year and more than
$699,000 was paid for
in wages for the hospital's
117 member staff.
"It's essential that we
raise thenecessaryfunds,
or Clare andthe surrounding area will simply be
without a hospital," Wyman said.
and livestock, have made
our area one of the most
profitable communities in
the state of Michigan.
Business and professional people of Clare
County look with pride
on their ability to supply
your needs and utilize
your diversified products.
Clare County feed and
seed dealers are always
willing and eager to give
professional help and assistance in finding the
right rations for the best
results.
Clare County farm
dealers will be happy to
assist you with any problems that arise. You can
consult with them at any
time, with confidence that
they will do their best for
you. Free information
and estimates are part
of their service.
Merchants participating in the Bazaar of
Values are:
Jim's Leonard Service,
Sunshine   Center,  Bell's
Men &T Boys, Discount
Carpet Center, Even's
Jewelers, LpgCabinGro-
cery, Ruby's Mobil
Homes, Dan McDonald
Ford Sales. Clare Furniture, Alexander Shoes
and Clare Carpet Ranch.
Others participating in
the Bazaar of Values include:   Seiter   Brothers.
Park View Hotel, Allen's
Department Store, Ken's
Hardware, Witbeck's IGA,
Gambles, R & M Sales,
Northland Hardware,
* Cerwin's Carpets, Car-
row's Supermarket, Witbeck's Sales Agency,
Gateway Sno-Mo-Rina,
Barb's Children's Shop,
Clare H & S Hardware,
Giant Supermarket, See-
beck' s Sport Center, Thayer Dairy, Akins Piano
Service.
More Bazaar of Values
participants are: Green's
Clothing, Wilson T. V.,
Flegel Sports Center,
Bolle, Mill End Store,
Magnus Farm Machinery*
Harrison Trading Post,
and Ackerman Plumbing
and Heating.
School Operating
Budgets Approved
Next year's operating
budget of $1.4 million was
approved by members of
the Clare Board of Education Monday night after
a public hearing on the
budget at the Clare High
School.
While budget matters
occupied most of the
board member's time,
other related matters
were acted upon and a
date was set for a special
meeting this month.
The special meeting
Will be conducted October 26 and will be used
to make plans for the December 9 election on a
$2.2 million bond issue
that if passed by voters
will provide funds for the
remodeling of existing
structures and the construction of a new elementary school.
The 1970-71 operating
budget totals $1,419,567;
an increase over last
year's operating budget
of $1,247,937.
In other action board
members appointed elementary school grade level chairmen and authorized school Superintendent Richard L. Snyder-
to seek bids on three new
school bus chassis.
Board members approved a 10 per cent increase in the amount of
insurance      on     school
Continued on Page-l4
Hospital Drive Steams Toward Success $250,000 Pledged
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