In order to grow to the next level, the airport needs a new 4,000-foot crosswind runway, said City Manager Kathie Grinzinger.

The runway has been a priority for the Michigan Aeronautics Commission and the Federal Aviation Administration, and has been in the planning phase for about 10 years. Construction was originally planned for this summer but was pushed back, said Airport Manager John Benzinger.

“We are now moving forward on the list of federal and state funds,” Grinzinger said. “But there are a number of things to be done before the project can take place.”

An exact cost for the project has yet to be determined.

Mount Pleasant needs to purchase 40 acres of privately-owned property before construction can begin. The cost of the property and construction are still being determined.

The appraisal and negotiation process on a piece of land is underway, said Randy Chesney, Mount Pleasant interim director of public works and city engineer.

“Once that is complete we will present it to the City Commission for approval,” Chesney said. “We hope to purchase the property this year and begin work on the runway in 2012.”

Grinzinger said 95 percent of the funding for the project would come from the state and federal government. The rest would fall upon the city.

But the process for receiving funds is long, Benzinger said.

Every year, the airport puts in a request to Lansing for areas that need to be upgraded, repaired, replaced or purchased new.

The list contains 10 things the airport would like to see done over the next five to 10 years. Priorities are set but receiving funding takes a few years.

The main problem is having all the funding line up, Benzinger said.

“If we get an OK from Lansing, then the city has to figure out our portion of funding, then the state, then the feds,” he said. “You never know if it’s really going to happen until everyone says ‘yes.’”

The airport is also in need of a new corporate hangar, Benzinger said.

The airport has not yet found any funding for the hangar, although it has asked the Saginaw Chippewa Indian Tribe for funds. The tribe funded 90 percent of the airport’s current corporate hangar, he said.

A common assumption is that most of the airport’s business comes from the tribe flying in entertainers and associates, Benzinger said.

“Actually, less than 10 percent of jets do business with the tribe,” Benzinger said. “The rest are corporate jets owned by businesses like Sam’s Club, Dollar Daze, Walmart, Menard’s, Kmart and others flying in to check on local businesses.”

The airport is also hoping to replace some runway and taxiway lighting systems.

The process should begin this spring with the selection of a qualified consultant to complete the specialized work. The City Commission will also have to approve the project.

Work on replacing the lighting will likely begin later this year or early 2012.

“A lot of things we are doing out here aren’t particularly about improving and making things bigger,” Benzinger. “It’s just taking care of what we have.”

The 13-year-old Mount Pleasant resident is a student in an eight-week program at Dream Key Design Academy, 2120 E. Remus Road, the city’s newest sewing facility designed for interested students of all ages and genders.

Dream Key instructor Elizabeth Soderquist said the idea sparked when owner Sandra Howell’s daughter wanted a place to study sewing and design.

“There just wasn’t anything available on her level,” Elizabeth said. “(Howell) decided to … see how many other girls are interested, and it turns out a lot of people are.”

The academy originally began in Howell’s basement and developed into the full academy it is today, offering classes of all levels for students of all ages after opening in August.

“It’s challenging,” Katlin said. “That makes me happy because I can’t find many things that are challenging to me.”

Katlin created three pairs of pajama pants and a music note-print apron with bright red piping in her first six weeks of class.

As an aspiring art teacher, Katlin developed interest in the class when her mother Elizabeth began instructing.

“I figure she knows what she’s doing,” Katlin laughed.

Elizabeth said pillowcases, tote bags and aprons are constructed in the beginner sewing class.

Dream Key is also in the process of developing “mindi’s,” an online boutique opening in January where students can choose to sell their completed projects if they choose.

Beginner sewing classes, Elizabeth said, also teach students the various parts of a sewing machine, how to thread a bobbin and how to stitch a straight seam.

“We start at the very basics, in case anyone doesn’t have them,” she said. “If you do have them already, we’ll start you a little higher, and we’ll go all the way up to advance sewing.”

Illinois senior Shannon Hubbard is an apparel design student at CMU and teaches adult sew and beginner sew classes at Dream Key, as well as an after school program. She learned about the academy’s need for instructors through a friend.

“I kind of stumbled upon it on my own regard,” she said. “It’s just a great thing for both me and my resources … to be hooked up with the company, to be able to teach here.”

Hubbard thinks her recent schooling adds a lot to her appeal as an instructor at Dream Key.

“I think it gives the students a fresh perspective for teaching, considering I have just gone through my education,” she said.

The crippling effects of the recent financial recession are evidence of the growing number of foreclosures across the state and the nation.

While some would say no area is immune, one may find fewer victims in Isabella County. County Treasurer Steve Pickens said Isabella saw just 12 foreclosure filings in 2009.

Despite the county’s low numbers, Teagen Lefere, housing counselor for Mount Pleasant’s Listening Ear Crisis Center, said she has seen a steady increase of customers seeking help with taxes and impending foreclosures.

“Probably one out of every 20 people are here for home-buyer education, and the other 19 are for foreclosure,” she said.

Tax trouble

Lefere attributes Isabella’s foreclosures to drops in income, mainly from those employed in the auto market and other factory-based industries in Michigan.

Pickens blames debt, in many cases.

“Sometimes, it comes down to having to choose between paying taxes and eating, feeding your family,” he said. “The repercussions from that? A lot of bank mortgages don’t get paid, a lot of taxes don’t get paid.”

Based on state law, Pickens said if a local entity or homeowner owes a large sum in taxes to the county, the property would be foreclosed.

He said the county “really tries” to prevent the situation until all options have been exhausted.

“(The owner) would lose all ownership on that property,” he said. “Even if they’ve had 30 years to pay off their house, the county would turn around and sell the property.”

According to the Isabella County Tax Sale, Crankers Coney Island, 1207 E. Pickard St., owed $16,081.16 in taxes within the last few weeks. Crankers owner and manager Jim Crank declined to comment on the matter, saying “everything’s been taken care of.”

Also, the house of the Sigma Pi fraternity, which is not active on campus, at 1016 S. Main St. is behind $6,866.76 in taxes, while P & J Party Store, 1018 W. Broadway St., owes $2,918.10.

A growing crisis

Isabella County ranks 59th in the state in foreclosure rates, with less than 1 percent subject to the situation, according to a RealtyTrac, Inc. database.

Michigan, as a state, ranks eighth in the nation for highest foreclosure rate, with 2.6 percent of housing units filing for foreclosure last year.

Mary Townley, director of the Michigan State Housing Development Authority’s Homeownership Division, said she has noticed a problem over the last 20 years.

“We’ve been at this as a state longer than any other state in the U.S.,” she said. “The industry had a rough term in the early 80s and struggles in the early 90s. Right now, is probably one of the worst (crises) that I’ve ever seen.”

But past economic and foreclosure crises have spawned increased resources, Townley said.

MSHDA offers several tips on its Web site for avoiding foreclosure. The site offers links to counseling centers by county, including Mount Pleasant’s Listening Ear.

“That’s very important with scams happening across the state,” Townley said. “People are asking for an exorbitant amount of money when these services are really offered for free.”

A survey of counselors in the state’s third quarter last year showed that 60 percent of those who received help became success stories.

For those in a “back tax black hole,” Pickens recommends considering partial payments and loans rather than considering the debt an insurmountable challenge.

“A lot of people think they can only pay (taxes) in a large sum,” he said.

Additionally, Pickens said borrowing money at a 4 or 5 percent interest rate is better than accumulating debt and trying to pay off the interest rates and fees on back taxes.

Act quickly

Townley is optimistic for the state’s ability to move beyond its financial challenges, pegging Michigan as a resilient place with a proven track record of overcoming its problems.

She said people need to take the necessary steps to find help before the problem of personal debt grows too large. In years past, she said, it was “just easier to walk away.”

“They still have the ability to call or not to call, but now there’s more of a nudge,” she said. “I am hopeful that every month we continue to look into every option, we start to see more people trying.”

It originally had credit cards in nearly every major vendor in the community. Now it has one credit card used for all expenses, said Union Township Supervisor John Barker.

Problems with the previous accounting system were brought before the board for many years, Barker said. He said the hodgepodge system is what presented the opportunity for embezzlement Plowman took advantage of.

“The problems with the accounting system were brought before the board five years ago,” Barker said. “The response was to change auditors, not to change policies.”

Plowman was charged with embezzlement by a public official. She allegedly used the township credit card to purchase fuel when out of town without authorization and billed the township for mileage reimbursements.

“She was ordered to pay $39,200 in restitution to Union Township,” said Isabella County Prosecuting Attorney Larry Burdick.

That money also is for the forensic accountant that Union Township hired to reconstruct the case to determine what happened, he said.

Plowman’s fuel purchases date back to 1999 and the charges came to light in October 2008.

Ninety days of her jail time is to be served in Mount Pleasant before the probation, and the other half would be served at the end of her probation if she fails to complete it.

Plowman will be released from her 90-day sentence later this month.

Many Union Township members were concerned by the accounting system’s problems, but none of the current board realized how large they were until elected into office. There was low transparency with the accounting policies of the township and how the embezzlement occurred would have been hard to catch in a regular audit.

Now Union Township has a system similar to that of Mount Pleasant. Both groups have stronger systems of checks and balances, with higher levels of accountability, officials say.

“We have multiple layers of review,” said Mount Pleasant City Manager Kathie Grinzinger. “And the credit card is not in the hands of the person who is reviewing it.”

Union Township requires people who use credit cards to turn in receipts and all charges must be allocated budget items.

The township also brought in an entirely new accounting system with a new township manager, Brian Smith, and a new staff accountant.

“It’s been a delight because it makes things simpler for everyone,” Barker said. “Anecdotally, I’ve received a lot of support from local government officials in the community.”

Since former Diversity Coordinator Blossom Hill left the position last year, Carole Richardson, vice chairperson of the HRC, said it has been hard to move forward.

“Since we have lost our diversity coordinator, there have been some issues that have been sort of at a standstill,” she said. “We are hoping that the interns can help do some of the things the diversity coordinator did.”

Committee member Laura Gonzales said they have already been in contact with CMU for potential interns.

“There are a number of next steps before we can get the interns, but we have contacted Sean Novak at Minority Student Services at CMU to help us find someone,” she said.

The HRC could potentially hire interns as early as this spring semester, but is shooting for the summer.  The subcommittee will send out a draft of what the two internships will entail to the HRC so they can be approved before next month’s meeting.

The organization is in its second year. It was formerly the Disability Advisory Council before expanding two years ago.

Sean Novak, assistant director of MSS and former HRC member, said it is difficult for the committee to make a significant impact in the first year because it has taken time to set things up.

“We spent the whole first developing things,” he said. “We developed the bylaws and had to set goals for the year before we really could get into things.”

The HRC is a part of setting up local agencies that train county and public schools employees.

“These programs have been a great opportunity to discuss the issues,” Richardson said. “They allow these workers to go through diversity training.”

Committee member Patty Csernai said the HRC does a lot of things to work with the people at CMU.

“We try to get involved with things on campus, and we have a couple CMU representatives on the committee,” she said.

County residents can fill out an incident report form if they feel they have been discriminated against. Richardson said they have had to deal with only a few incidents so far.

“We only had a few, but the incidents that we did have were taken care of,” she said.

But for owner Robin Heath, the southern barbecue takeout joint is his chance at a true entrepreneurial success story.

Heath opened the restaurant, 1010 W. Broadway St., on Dec. 26. Since then, the Mount Pleasant resident said business has been better than expected and he is already building a solid customer base.

The restaurant carries various selections of pulled pork and ribs, though he is considering a new dish aimed for the college crowd: a 10-pound nacho plate eating challenge.

“We haven’t worked out all the details yet, but we’re working on it,” he said.

His daughter Adrienne, 22 of Mount Pleasant, said the fact it is away from other businesses may help draw customers.

“Everyone’s been excited to have a business on the west side,” she said.

The entire Heath family helps with the restaurant, which is situated in one large room decorated simply, but offers a warm atmosphere.

Tom Kimbell, 20 of Mount Pleasant, lives right down the road from Robin Hood’s.

“It’s very convenient,” Kimbell said. “Other than the bar on M-20, this is the closest, most convenient place to eat.”

Heath said he chose the building because it was affordable and had the necessary plumbing and equipment. Although he would have preferred a bigger building on Mission Street, Heath is happy with the location.

He said many of his customers are regulars who come back three or four times a week.

Samantha Orlandi, 23 of New Boston, learned of the restaurant when her co-workers tried it for lunch. She has been there twice since then.

A large amount of business comes from workers on their lunch breaks, said Mount Pleasant resident Angie Wordwell, Heath’s fiancé.

Heath decided to open the business after being laid off as a sales representative with Michigan Office Solutions. He has been working on his barbecuing skills for the past 15 years and said the layoff was the “push over the cliff” he needed to start his own restaurant.

He carried just a single mentality for the job: Do not pull the quarterback out of the game. At least not yet.

Formerly vice mayor, Holton was appointed mayor by the City Commission in January 2009 and was soon entrenched with a horde of issues and projects — litigation with the Saginaw Chippewa Indian Tribe, the closing of the Mount Pleasant Center and a list of redevelopment plans throughout the city.

He said 2009 left an open channel of dialogue for such issues and, when city commissioners reappointed him last month to the job, he was ready.

“I’m glad I got elected to a second term because, on your first, you’re learning the ropes, basically,” Holton said. “I’m getting my processes down, and meeting people in the community and in the state as mayor.”

He said he had not come to the job with any certain agenda.

Holton was known for pushing for government efficiency and his cut-to-the-chase approach to leading meetings which, halfway through his first term, had his colleagues thinking that, perhaps, he was “too quick to call the vote.”

“I think he realized that other commissioners like to have a little more time,” City Manager Kathie Grinzinger said. “Other mayors had bugged him about how they were able to get meetings done in 27 or 27-and-a-half minutes. So there’s a little more competition in him.”

Serve the youth

As proceedings slowed down, city projects hit the fast track under Holton’s tenure, namely the children’s spray park, which opened late last summer.

Though his hope for the construction of a parking garage downtown “went over like a lead balloon,” other projects, such as a skating rink for Island Park, he thinks are feasible to become reality this year.

A 1995 Central Michigan University alumnus, Holton said any project that is an investment in the city’s youths, who he referred to as its future leaders, are among his top priorities. He said it is the touchy-feely community efforts that lead to success and, ultimately, retention of residents.

But on the forefront of Holton’s concerns, as well as any city leader, are the declining portions of state-shared revenue.

“We know that state-shared revenue will continue to dwindle. We know in 2011, it’ll be real bad, especially because there will be no federal stimulus money,” Holton said. “My goal and I think the commissioners’ goal is not to raise taxes.”

Holton said he would spearhead a “strong approach” — consolidating departmental duties, not replacing those who might retire and potentially cutting city services to residents.

“They’re going to have to put valued judgments on each of those services of which they can reduce,” Grinzinger said.

Active in the community

Vice Mayor Bruce Kilmer, who also was reappointed to his position last month, has worked closely with Holton throughout 2009, picking up the slack to whatever meeting or ceremony the mayor could not attend.

He said Holton keeps him regularly updated with his activities to keep his finger “on the pulse of the community.” Holton said it is all to prompt Kilmer’s interest to be the next mayor.

“I’m very interested in that and we’re working toward that, and he’s keeping me in the loop of everything,” Kilmer said. “Over the year, I think he’s grown in the position. He’s seen the need to be sure everybody’s included too … I think he’s learned to be a little more thorough and more careful.”

Holton, owner of Mountain Town Station and the Mount Pleasant Brewing Company, said the job has not kept him completely from his family, nor changed his perception.

“There’s so many people that will run for elected office because they have an issue. Say, a parking ticket, and they’re going to change parking rules,” Holton said. “My philosophy in the dorms was if it seems wrong, it probably is, but not if you do the right thing and have a passion for it.”

The biometric technology takes pictures of tattoos and enters them into a database. The new technology would allow police officers to determine how many criminals have similar tattoos based on color, shading and location.

“It’s a modernization of what law enforcement already does,” said Bill Yeagley, Central Michigan University police chief. “It’s just one more piece. We need to positively identify the suspect.”

Police currently take pictures of scars, marks and tattoos at all bookings. But the only way to search the pictures is by using text descriptors.

“If a suspect comes in with a tattoo, they can search the database and see if this tattoo has come in before,” said Anil Jain, the professor of computer science and engineering at MSU who developed the technology. “The idea is to narrow down who this person is.”

Jain said police sometimes receive video footage where a criminal’s face is not visible, but a tattoo of a skull can be seen on their neck. This technology can be used as a starting point that video could not provide.

It has been licensed to MorphoTrak, a Virginia-based company that works in biometrics. The company is further developing the concept and hopes for field testing soon.

“I am expecting that, hopefully, by the end of the year, we’ll have the technology in law enforcement’s hands to get us some feedback,” said Eric Hess, senior biometric product manager for facial recognition and SMT matching technology at MorphoTrak. “This technology lets us use the image as the basis of the search rather than hoping the same descriptors have been used.”

The technology is not fool-proof, however. It does not hold the same level of conclusiveness as other pieces of evidence.

“DNA and fingerprints are conclusive,” Yeagley said. “I don’t see it replacing DNA and fingerprints. I would not go and arrest someone based solely on that they have a similar tattoo.”

Jain said the technology can be helpful when dealing with groups such as gangs, whose members often get similar tattoos.

Instead of interviewing for the position he seeks, he is campaigning for it.

The Lansing senior is vying for the 71st District House seat’s democratic nomination.

“Our district has been lacking leadership for the last decade,” Eagle said. “I don’t want to sit back and say, ‘Oh, I could have made a difference,’ you know, 40 years down the road.”

If Eagle wins the primary, he will go head-to-head with the Republican candidate in the Nov. 2 general election.

Eagle is enrolled in Central Michigan University’s accelerated public administration master’s program, having completed his bachelor’s degree in political science last fall.

If elected, the 24-year-old will be the youngest representative in the Michigan House of Representatives and the only full-time CMU student to hold a state-wide public office.

Second try

Despite his age, Eagle is no novice when it comes to politics.

This year’s election cycle is Eagle’s second attempt to represent the 71st District, which includes all of Eaton County except Eaton Rapids and the townships of Hamlin and Brookfield.

In 2008, he won the Democratic nomination, but lost to Rep. Rick Jones, the incumbent, in the general election.

His campaign promises this time around include streamlining the budget-making process to avoid government shutdowns, reforming tax laws, providing more funds for higher education and protecting Michigan’s natural resources.

Eagle also would like to update the Michigan Business Tax to create jobs.

“It’s extremely complicated. People don’t understand it, so we need to overhaul that so businesses can start hiring people,” he said.

Eagle is running against Eaton County Commissioner Theresa Abed, Charlotte attorney Fred Fry and Bob Robinson of Vermontville in the Democratic primary election.

Possible candidates for the Republican nominee slot include Deb Shaughnessy of Charlotte and Cheryl Krapf Haddock of Grand Ledge, according to the Lansing State Journal.

Other ..

John Porter, vice-chair of the CMU chapter of College Republicans, is considering running for public office himself.

The Coleman sophomore plans on running for Coleman’s school board either this year or next, depending on the filing deadline.

Porter said Coleman’s size — less than 5,000 residents — puts the school district at a disadvantage in secondary education. The small size dictates the type of classes it can and cannot offer, he said.

“It really encouraged me to want to make a change and get my hands on anything I could to try and make it better,” he said.

Porter does not think an individual’s age should be a factor in determining one’s ability to run for public office.

He said a candidate should be considered based on experience and intellect.

“I think that a very important part of government is to have a say from each and every demographic and age group,” Porter said. “I absolutely have no problem with someone our age being in politics.”

Mount Pleasant senior Benjamin Barker is also considering running for a public office this year for a second time. Barker, treasurer for the Isabella County Democratic Party, earned 412 votes in November’s City Commission raise, coming in fifth out of seven candidates.

Barker said that, despite his close loss, he was happy with the progress he made and said the experience was amazing. He encourages young adults and students to run for public office if they ever get the chance.

Like his father, the current Union Township supervisor, Barker aspires to pursue a career in politics.

“It’s really important to keep the younger generation focused,” Barker said, who calls himself a “politics junkie.”