The five to 10-year plan includes paving the Mount Pleasant Municipal Airport’s crosswind runway and increasing it to 4,000 feet from 2,500 feet.

“The turf runway will intersect part of that 40 acres,” said airport manager John Benzinger. “Then there won’t be any problems with making a wider, long runway.”

Assessments for the site were approved last year, Director of Public Works Duane Ellis said, and should be completed in late spring or early summer.

The land was formerly occupied by the Central Michigan Inn but is now undeveloped, Benzinger said. Along with federal guidelines, he said the state’s departments of Environmental Quality and Natural Resources, and the Wildlife Assessment, have done studies on the parcel.

“Nobody has put any red flags (on it),” he said. “There is one portion of the 40 acres that has to have some more evaluation on it because there is a recess in the ground.”

After the assessment, Benzinger said, the city will further look into purchasing the land.

The purchase will be beneficial to the airport and its future plans, said Allen Bryan, Airport Advisory Board member and Mount Pleasant resident.

“It allows us to have a little more control over what happens long-term,” Bryan said.

By purchasing the undeveloped lot, he said, the airport can ensure no future development is made on the land.

The assessments cost is $80,000 and the 40 acres will cost $100,000, Ellis said. The assessments are covered by federal and state grants and 97.5 percent of the parcel would be paid by federal grants, he said.

Federal grants also would cover much of the project costs if approved, Benzinger said.

The airport’s long-term plan is to increase safety and utilization, Ellis said, including year-long crosswind turf operations.

Benzinger said the crosswind runway is used so airplanes may land and take off into the direction the wind is blowing.

The 1,500-foot increase will make it easier for planes to land, he said.

“So far, we’ve gotten the blessing from the Federal Aviation Administration and Lansing,” Benzinger said. “What we don’t have is just how much money is available.”

Once the land is purchased, Ellis said a three-phase project would start.

“We hope to purchase (the parcel,) grade it and get ready for future paving,” he said.

“We’re out here, and they need to listen to us,” said Duane Breijak, a member of the Michigan Democratic Party LGBT Caucus and Michigan organizer for the national event.

Participants want equality and protection in all issues concerning civil law in all 50 states.

The march, which coincides with National Coming Out Day, will begin at noon Sunday and will end at the west lawn of the United States Capitol at approximately 2 p.m. with a rally to follow. About 10,000 people from all over the nation are expected to be in attendance.

The Michigan group will depart to Washington D.C. on Friday night, Breijak said.

The caucus will take two buses down on Friday, he said, with 100 to 110 people in attendance. One bus will be full of University of Michigan students, he said.

“The march is basically a kick off for grassroots organizations,” Breijak said. “We’re not going to be silent anymore. Things need to happen.”

Students from Grand Valley State University, Michigan State University, Lansing Community College, Western Michigan University and Central Michigan University will be in attendance, along with residents from around the state, including the Mount Pleasant area.

Community unity

Will Calhoun, a Flint senior and CMU Representative for the Isabella County Human Rights Committee, is one of the Central Michigan University students going to the march.

He said unity within the LGBT community is key to making changes.

“We need to network with ourselves, and with other communities in the country,” Calhoun said.

After the march, Calhoun wants to take community enthusiasm to the local level.

“One thing I want to do (in Mount Pleasant) is the non-discrimination ordinance. We cannot as an LGBT community do this alone,” he said. “The big push after the march is individual legislatures.”

Other events

There will be several LGBT rights events in Washington D.C., this weekend.

Saturday’s events include a media training workshop by the Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation and a protest and memorial service regarding the military “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” policy.

Barack Obama will be speaking at the Human Rights Campaign’s annual dinner on Saturday.

The National Equality March hopes to involve residents in all 435 congressional districts in the United States.

Calhoun said he is excited to be part of such a large movement.

“Right now, we are at times a fractured community,” he said. “I wanted to help my community and friends. I wanted to join fellow people from my state in this.”

More information about the National Equality March can be found at equalityacrossamerica.org.

The city approved the $42,484 purchase at its Sept. 28 City Commission meeting. The vehicles cost $21,242 each and are expected to arrive in 8 to 10 weeks.

The decision to purchase the Crown Victorias came from the Director of Public Safety Anthony Gomez-Mesquita’s recommendation.

The city looked at purchasing two 2010 Dodge Chargers, he said, but decided on Crown Victorias for a number of reasons.

“The biggest financial savings was the fact that equipment we take off will fit exactly,” Gomez-Mesquita said.

The Crown Victorias were less expensive, did not cost extra for a paint job and the city already had police equipment for the model, he said.

The older cars will be sold or will replace other cars in the department, and if either is sold the money will go into the city’s General Fund, Gomez-Mesquita said.

The Mount Pleasant Department of Public Safety is a member of the Michigan Inter-Governmental Trade Network, and will receive the cars from Signature Ford Lincoln Mercury in Owosso. Membership in the MITN ensures police vehicles can be purchased at a cheaper rate than on the open market.

At the Sept. 14 City Commission meeting, several commissioners expressed interest in purchasing the police vehicles through a local dealership instead of through the MITN.

The Commission postponed the decision to find out if it could re-bid the cars to local dealerships to stimulate the local economy, said City Commissioner David McGuire.

“It’s a fair deal for the city,” McGuire said. “The intention of postponing that (was) to see if we could, after knowing what their price was, seek prices.”
The Commission has plans to revisit the city’s purchasing policy this year, McGuire said.

“Unfortunately our agreement with the state purchasing group precludes us from doing that,” he said.

The Commission is unable to re-bid the police cars with the prices provided by the MITN.

Wear and tear

The wear and tear on police vehicles is quite different than of a regular passenger car, Gomez-Mesquita said.

“The overall abuse is much different than a passenger vehicle,” he said.

Police cars are expected to run 24 hours a day, he said, and other factors include the rapid acceleration and turns a vehicle may be required to make.

With these factors, Gomez-Mesquita said, police vehicles need to be replaced faster than similar passenger vehicles. The city begins to look at replacing their police cars at 80,000 to 90,000 miles, he said.

Police vehicles last an average of three years in the department, he said. There are currently eight police patrol cars in the city’s fleet.

They include the ability to chat with a Tech Ops producer with help on creating video and podcasts on iChat, a new content management service for Web sites called Plone and a Wiki that everyone can access and edit.

The technologies were unveiled at their event, “A World of Difference,” last Friday.

Jeff Wilson, the manager of Technology Operations and the assistant director of residences and auxilary services, said that as of July 31, all students, faculty and administrators can access support help with creating video and podcasts by contacting a Tech Ops Producer through iChat.

“At Tech Ops, we feel that the benefits of CMU diving into video (and) mobile learning is so tremendous, that we really wanted to facilitate the transition into this exciting new frontier,” Wilson said.

Interested users simply click on a video icon in their iChat window to be connected to a producer, Wilson said. Producers are already available for questions on CMU’s Jabber chat system, he said.

Secondly, Wilson said, a new content management server named Plone has been launched to aid CMU Web site administrators in the creation and editing of their Web sites. Plone is very user-friendly, he said.

Tech Ops Application Programmer Kevin Daum also said Plone is easy to use.

“Plone lets non-technical people create and maintain information using only a Web browser,” Daum said. “Plone allows us to put powerful Web site development tools in the hands of those who care most about the Web sites.”

Plone is an open-source CMS and is also free, Wilson said. Tech Ops currently maintains more than 30 Web sites and the group receives new requests almost daily, he said.

“A CMS was an obvious choice for us in order to effectively allow our sites to grow,” he said.

Tech Ops has also set up a Wiki to share information about their services and is allowing other groups and organizations on campus to create their own Wikis as well.

“The basic idea (of a Wiki) is to rapidly share information,” Wilson said. “Think of it like having a set of word documents that everybody collaborates on.”

Any CMU faculty member, staff member or registered student organization can request a Wiki for their group from Tech Ops.

Tech Ops staff maintain campus software and computers, create Web sites and web applications, maintain the CMU housing portal and provide technological support to students, staff, faculty and administration.

More information about new campus technologies and Tech Ops can be found at www.ihelp.cmich.edu. To access the Tech Ops Wiki or request a Wiki, interested parties can go to ihelp.cmich.edu/rsvp/wiki.

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Events started in February will conclude in December.

The Sesquicentennial Committee has been planning the events for about two years and split into subcommittees to handle the many events, said Committee Member Mary Ellen Brandell.

“All of us have taken turns at different events,” she said.

Brandell said she worked on the school subcommittee and so far, they have provided schools with a picture book and coloring book about the county’s history. The committee also plans on making a video for the school system.

“The committee from the beginning has sought to have all activities youth friendly…(and) involve all communities of the county in planning and carrying out the events in their area,” Committee chairperson Loren Anderson said in an e-mail to Central Michigan Life.

Many businesses, organizations and individuals were eager to participate in the events, Brandell said.

“We put the word out months ago,” she said. “A lot of people came forward.”

Anderson said he was happy to see so many people volunteer.

“Part of the personal pleasure for me has been the opportunity to observe many hundreds of volunteers pull together to make (this) a memorable event,” he said.

September events include a historic barn tour, a Victorian Tea funeral cemetery walk and the 5th annual Civil War Muster. In October, the Mount Pleasant Area Historical Society is organizing a Historical quilt hop.

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The water spray park should be completed by the end of August, said Mount Pleasant Director of Parks and Recreation Chris Bundy.

The park, located at 331 N. Main St., was designed by Miracle Recreation of Michigan and will include a “dancing water” area and a permanent canopy for shade and weather protection.

These two elements are the first to be installed anywhere in Michigan by Miracle Recreation, he said.

“The dancing water sprays shoot (water) into the middle,” Bundy said. “This is the first time they’ve done this design in Michigan (and) the canopy is first in Michigan. It’s a pretty unique location.”

Other interactive elements in the park include spray hoses, water cannons, flowers that spray water, different water sprays on a timer and “mushroom” water fountains.

All the piping, electrical and water elements have already been installed and installation of the separate elements will happen sometime next week, he said. External elements such as park benches, bike racks and tables and will be installed soon.

Hours of operation for the park have not yet been decided, but Bundy said they will be published soon.

In order to prevent water waste, the city will run the water through a computer system, he said. All water elements will run on a timer and will activate once a user pushes a button.

“The spray points aren’t on until someone pushes the (button),” he said.

Once a button is pushed, the computer will generate the water and it will only allow water to flow during designated hours. This assures the water will run when users are around to enjoy it and that water will not run when the park is not open.

The spray park water activators will be obvious to children, Bundy said. One of the activation buttons is a giant flower.

One area is made specifically with toddlers in mind and includes smaller, lower-pressure elements. The center area of the park is made for older kids.

Island Park has been busy with additions and improvements this summer, Bundy said.

“There are some other projects going on,” he said. “A lot of things are happening at the park.”

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The committee, created in January, has four members researching the effects of fluoridation in water supplies and aid the city’s commission on decisions regarding water fluoridation.

Four applicants were confirmed at the city commission’s May 11 meeting.

Sharyl Majorski, a member of the committee, chemist and laboratory coordinator of the chemistry lab at Central Michigan University, said the committee had its first meeting about a month ago.

The Fluoride Task Force is currently doing research into water fluoridation and the effects of fluoride, she said.

“We are looking at people already established (as experts),” she said.

The committee is currently running individual research about fluoride, Majorski said. The committee plans on meeting regularly and plans on taking action in September, when all members of the committee are available.

“We are really going to pick up the pace in September,” Majorski said. “We will figure out our game plan from there.”

Some Mount Pleasant residents are also concerned about fluoride.

John Emerick, a Mount Pleasant resident, attended Monday’s city commission meeting to speak to the commission about the issue of fluoride in the water. Fluoride is an issue that needs to be looked at, he said. Emerick brought DVDs and a packet of information about fluoride for the commission to review.

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As decided at the commission’s meeting on July 13, the River Walk Trail will be renamed the Gregory K. Baderschneider River Walk Trail.

Baderschneider, who died in October 2008, spent almost 30 years working for the city’s parks. He spent 12 years working in the Isabella County parks system before moving into the city’s parks system in 1990.

Residents and friends filled the commission chamber to show their support.

Mayor Jim Holton said Baderschneider had a huge impact on the park systems in Mount Pleasant and Isabella County.

“Words cannot express the devotion he had for the park system,” Holton said. “I am so proud to be in this community, (and) so proud of the park system.”

Members of Baderschneider’s family came to accept the dedication on his behalf.

The dedication for the new trail is planned for next spring in conjunction with the opening of the city’s Access Adventure Trail.

Clowning around

Several clowns also showed up at Monday’s Mount Pleasant City Commission meeting to say thanks for the city’s proclamation for “International Clown Week,” scheduled to run from Saturday to Aug. 7.

The clowns from area organization Heart of Michigan distributed foam clown noses to the commissioners, commission staff and the board of directors.

The clowns were also recognized in the proclamation for their work in the community.

Betty Clark, a Mount Pleasant resident also known as “Jiggs the Clown,” said the group had fun at the meeting and appreciated the proclamation.

“(We are) so proud you have honored us tonight,” she said.

The Heart of Michigan clowns organized themselves in 1999 and represent clowns throughout Isabella County. Clowns come to the meeting from Alma, Clare, Mount Pleasant and other area cities.

President Richard Nixon first proclaimed International Clown week on August 2, 1971.

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Mount Pleasant resident and Central Michigan University alumna Ingrid Tourangeau is presenting “Tree Song,” a tribute to Gordon Matta-Clark’s piece, “Tree Dance.”

“I was a big fan of Gordon Matta-Clark (in college),” Tourangeau said. “‘Tree Song’ is a response piece to his piece.”

With a group of friends, Tourangeau will decorate the tree, which will “sing” when the wind blows through it.

The tree is part of her display called “Housewarming,” which will be presented at the Art Reach Gift Shop and Gallery, 111 E. Broadway St., from Aug. 3 to Aug. 29. The opening reception for her work will be from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. on Aug. 6

Other pieces of Tourangeau’s work include photography of mini-houses she constructed, some of her oil paintings and a video of “Tree Song.”

Heather Shelton, Art Reach administrative assistant, said Tourangeau’s show is part of an nine month exhibit. Each artist has a month for their display, she said. Artists interested in displaying their work through Art Reach submit their proposals to a gallery committee, who decides which artists to display, she said.

Tourangeau wanted to bring modern performance art to Mount Pleasant.

“I think it will be a pretty cool show,” she said.

Tourangeau’s show, as well as Art Reach’s 2009 artist exhibits, is open to the public.

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Brandon Doman’s result? “Don’t Talk to Strangers,” a book of journal entries collected from people on the streets of Ann Arbor over a five-day period.

“Couples stop by (writing they love each other),” Doman said. “Other people find it therapeutic, I think. I’ve had several people cry.”

His favorite part of the project, he said, is to experience people coming together.

“(I’ve) found a lot of people (are) able to share an amazing amount with a stranger,” he said.

Doman graduated from CMU in May with a bachelor’s degree in English. His interest in English and writing was what inspired him to begin his projects, he said.

“I just like people’s stories,” Doman said. “A lot of people are really touched by it.”

Sherrine Eckersley, an Illinois resident visiting Ann Arbor for business, sat down with Doman and wasn’t originally planning on writing in his journal.

“I was more interested on what he was doing and why,” she said.

Eckersley ended up writing and venting about a street preacher she saw.

“Someone in the world will read it,” she said.

The entries were printed without a name, something Doman said was important.

“(It’s) supposed to be anonymous, ambiguous on age and gender,” he said. “By leaving the name out, it is easier to relate the stories.”

A very large range of people of different genders, economic backgrounds and ages have written their thoughts down in his journal, he said.

“(There is) a wide range of everything (in the journal), every kind of person,” he said. “(I have) all sides of life. Most of the stories are pretty heartbreaking.”

Doman till sits outside of Espresso Royale, 322 S. State St., in Ann Arbor, with a sign explaining his project and an invite for strangers to sit down.

“I’ve talked to maybe 120 (people) in a week and a half,” he said.

Doman is selling his book online and on the street, and is offering an Adobe PDF file to download online for free.

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