The Ann Arbor News
Businesses work hard to get established
By Pamela Appea
Clinton [Michigan.]—Clinton Inn owners Mark and Laurie Pedersen have some advice for those who are thinking of running a business: Don’t buy a nearly 100-year-old inn without thinking a lot of work, time and dedication are involved.
The classic entrepreneur’s dream of opening up a quaint bed and breakfast in the county with a cushy 40-hour work week is just that: a dream, they say. Even with Mark Pedersen’s years of experience in hotel management working at several Hiltons, the couple said being their own bosses in a smaller community like Clinton presents its own set of challenges.
One of the first challenges is how to get a few of the 12,000 daily drivers on the US-12 to stop and check out Clinton.
The Pedersens’ wish isn’t uncommon.
Marilyn T. Weaver, owner of the Wild Swan Shoppe, an eclectic gift and collectibles store, echoes the Pedersens in saying sometimes it feels like a challenge to get drivers to stop and park.
Weaver said she can’t afford to just carry specialty items in her shop. So she carries everything from stickers to Irish-related gifts and crafts to aromatherapy items.
Changing her window display every three weeks is a priority, Weaver said. “People have five seconds to look. I do have people come in—for the first time—who were driving cars by the store,” she said.
Locals come in to look at each new display and support her store by buying gift items, Weaver said. But since Clinton’s population is a little more than 2,500, Weaver said she appreciates the outside support.
Area business owners say it can be challenging to operate a shop or store in a small bedroom community like Clinton where many residents work outside the town and many business owners live elsewhere.
Carl Habrick, president of the Chamber of Commerce, said that many Clinton residents are used to driving to Toledo or Ann Arbor for clothes and big shopping trips.
Clinton could use some diversity in retail businesses, funneling some of the money back into the town, he said. Habrick, who co-owns The Clinton Local newspaper with wife Marianne, feels there is just the right number of eateries and antique and collectibles shops around.
What Clinton needs, Habrick said, are new and different retail busineses like a men’s clothing store and a shoe store. And Weave adds to the wish list of businesses: a hardware store, a bakery and a woman’s clothing store.
Weaver said it can take up to five years for a business to become established, and some potential business owners may feel the risk to too great to open up a business in a smaller community like Clinton.
Newcomers like Hubie’s Jerky and More show there is a market for other stores coming into town.
Tom Huber, owner of Hubie’s Jerky and More, said right now that business could be better. Huber said he hopes to see business improve in the spring and summer time as the weather warms up and more people will go out driving. The Manchester native said he sees a market for quality jerky, especially priced at a competitive level.
“I know it’s a very popular snack good. Everybody thought that, and I began selling it where I work, selling to where I golf. There weren’t any stores available (in Manchester.) My stepson heard about the opening in Clinton and I had two days to decide if I wanted it,” Huber said.
Huber’s store, which has been open for 16 months, sells 12 different varieties of jerky, including beef and turkey jerky, and flavors such as beef teriyaki jerky.
Habrick’s prognosis for Clinton merchants is optimistic. Armed with the support of the Clinton Chamber of Commerce members and the community, Habrick said the goal is to “get things going.”
“Clinton is a growing area and I don’t see a lot of turnover in business … People are taking a chance and finding it a good place to do business.”
Originally published in The Ann Arbor News.
Copyright 1999-2000
Monday, January 10, 2000
Saturday, January 01, 2000
Milan voters asked to fund new high school
Milan voters asked to fund new highschool
The Ann Arbor News
By Pamela Appea
Milan, Michigan—In an effort to ease overcrowding at Milan’s three schools, the school board voted last week to ask voters to fund a new high school.
Officials approved a preliminary bond application, which is under review by the state Department of Treasury.
If the bond application is approved, then the Milan school board will give residents a chance to vote on the $49.9 million bond issue March 7, 2000.
Superintendent Dennis McComb said the board expects the preliminary application to be approved mid-January.
If the bond issue is passed, Milan schools could have a new grade configuration plan installed as early as 2003, McComb said.
Roberta Myra, co-chair of the Mialn 2000 and Beyond Committee said committee members are working to talk to voters in the next few weeks to get as many “yes” voters for the bond vote as possible.
A district resident and parent of school-age children, Myyra said the committee had considered different plans for Milan area school, including renovating of existing school buildings.
“We decided recently that the best way to solve all the overcrowding problems and still leave room for growth in the future was to build a new high school,” she said.
With a packed elementary school, crowded middle school and a slightly-below capacity high school, district administrators say an approved bon would give the school district the tools they need to address Milan’s long-term growth.
Milan’s elementary school, Paddock Elementary, is the most crowded, with 830 students, McComb said. At the middle and high schools, the superintendent said, several teachers do not have their own classrooms and store materials and planners on mobile carts.
A new high school, if built, would add a fourth school building to the community. School officials said following the proposed grade configuration changes, the current high school would become the middle school for 6-8 graders, the current middle school would house 3-5 grades and the current elementary school would house students at the K-2 level.
Planning at this stage, said architectural firm Fanning/Howey Associates, Inc., is at the most basic level.
George Kacan, executive director and chief architect, said the firm is discussing the programming needs of the Milan community, discussing logistics like how large classrooms will be or how many classrooms the building will need.
“Once the bond issues passes … we actually get into the design work,” Kacan said.
Milan school district officials said they are using enrollment projections several years down the road to judge how large the community will be five years from now. Officials say at this point, they are anticipating a steady but undramatic annual growth rate.
The proposed high school could comfortably accommodate 700-plus students, McComb said. The current high school has 650 students, the superintendent said. In June, the school board delayed the bond issue, originally proposed for September 1999.
The Milan 2000 and Beyond committee, composed of residents and school board members, convened in September 1998.
Copyright 2000 by the Ann Arbor News
The Ann Arbor News
By Pamela Appea
Milan, Michigan—In an effort to ease overcrowding at Milan’s three schools, the school board voted last week to ask voters to fund a new high school.
Officials approved a preliminary bond application, which is under review by the state Department of Treasury.
If the bond application is approved, then the Milan school board will give residents a chance to vote on the $49.9 million bond issue March 7, 2000.
Superintendent Dennis McComb said the board expects the preliminary application to be approved mid-January.
If the bond issue is passed, Milan schools could have a new grade configuration plan installed as early as 2003, McComb said.
Roberta Myra, co-chair of the Mialn 2000 and Beyond Committee said committee members are working to talk to voters in the next few weeks to get as many “yes” voters for the bond vote as possible.
A district resident and parent of school-age children, Myyra said the committee had considered different plans for Milan area school, including renovating of existing school buildings.
“We decided recently that the best way to solve all the overcrowding problems and still leave room for growth in the future was to build a new high school,” she said.
With a packed elementary school, crowded middle school and a slightly-below capacity high school, district administrators say an approved bon would give the school district the tools they need to address Milan’s long-term growth.
Milan’s elementary school, Paddock Elementary, is the most crowded, with 830 students, McComb said. At the middle and high schools, the superintendent said, several teachers do not have their own classrooms and store materials and planners on mobile carts.
A new high school, if built, would add a fourth school building to the community. School officials said following the proposed grade configuration changes, the current high school would become the middle school for 6-8 graders, the current middle school would house 3-5 grades and the current elementary school would house students at the K-2 level.
Planning at this stage, said architectural firm Fanning/Howey Associates, Inc., is at the most basic level.
George Kacan, executive director and chief architect, said the firm is discussing the programming needs of the Milan community, discussing logistics like how large classrooms will be or how many classrooms the building will need.
“Once the bond issues passes … we actually get into the design work,” Kacan said.
Milan school district officials said they are using enrollment projections several years down the road to judge how large the community will be five years from now. Officials say at this point, they are anticipating a steady but undramatic annual growth rate.
The proposed high school could comfortably accommodate 700-plus students, McComb said. The current high school has 650 students, the superintendent said. In June, the school board delayed the bond issue, originally proposed for September 1999.
The Milan 2000 and Beyond committee, composed of residents and school board members, convened in September 1998.
Copyright 2000 by the Ann Arbor News
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