Bringing gymnastics back to Tecumseh
The Ann Arbor News
By Pamela Appea
Tecumseh, Michigan—An area gymnastics club has revived pressure on the Tecumseh school board to reinstate gymnastics as a letter sport at Tecumseh’s middle and high schools.
Leo Jubenville, president and proprietor of J & B Gymnastics, an area gymnastics club, said that they’re championing the cause in order to meet the needs of area residents.
Jubenville’s club boost about 400 members, with young gymnasts from Adrian to Milan.
The club has a few dozen middle school and high school age gymnasts who want to do gymnastics as a competitive sport, Jubenville said.
Gymnastics was phased out as a competitive sport in 1991, due in part of the budget crunch the Tecumseh district faced at the time, school board members aid.
But school trustees also said there was a lack of interest in gymnastics at the time, one of the reasons why the district may be reluctant to consider starting a gymnastics team now.
Jane Baker, a coach at J & B Gymnastics, and a former gymnastics coach at Tecumseh High School, said they’ve unsuccessfully approached the school board several times under a past school superintendent’s administration.
According to Baker, a group of parents and other gymnastics team proponents approached the school board in 1991, 1993 and 1999 to protest the phasing out of gymnastics.
Baker, who is Jubenville’s daughter, said proponents of gymnastics as a team sport have two things going for them this time: a new superintendent and a new large high school opening next year. Baker said with the space at Tecumseh’s new high school, school board members might be might be more inclined to see gymnastics as a feasible option for the district.
Another point of resistance on the school board’s end is keeping the balance of girls’ and boys’ teams, Baker said.
At a Tecumseh school board meeting earlier this month, trustees erroneously reported that there were more girls’ sports than boys, a balance the district does not want to upset, due to Title IX considerations, Baker said.
But Jim Gilmore, athletic director at Tecumseh High School, said the district miscounted the number of teams, and that reinstating a girls’ gymnastics team will not upset the balance.
Gilmore said Tecumseh school administrators and school board members “have made no determination” whether or not the school district wants to implement a Tecumseh schools-sponsored gymnastics program.
Gilmore went on to say that the Tecumseh schools are looking at financial considerations, including the cost of equipment, uniforms, hiring a coach, and the possible increase in liability insurance.
Baker said that fund-raising is something most gymnasts’ parents are used to, and she said many would be willing to help cushion some of the extra costs of a gymnastics team.
Baker and Jubenville also said if the high school is willing to explore a co-op sharing agreement with students from nearby smaller communities that might provide an additional means for the district to cut costs.
Photo Credit: Dan Williamson
Photo Caption: Jane Baker, left, Leo Jubenville, center and Carol Cruz are the co-owners and coaches at J & B Gymnastics in Tecumseh. They and others in the area are trying to get gymnastics re-instated as a varsity sport at Tecumseh High School.
Originally published Thursday, March 30, 2000
Thursday, March 30, 2000
Tuesday, March 28, 2000
Tecumseh addresses coaching grievance, The Ann Arbor News
Tecumseh addresses coaching grievance
By Pamela Appea
The Ann Arbor News
Tecumseh school board members said they hope to speedily resolve a union grievance over hours worked by assistant coaches.
Janet B. Kolleth, an area official of the Michigan Education Association, said she shares the same goal.
But Kolleth charges that Richard D. Fauble, the Tecumseh schools superintendent, did not follow proper union procedure when the grievance was first filed several weeks ago.
Kolleth presented the grievance at the school board meeting Monday night.
When Tecumseh High School’s track team currently has one head coach and two half-time coach positions, Kolleth said it is unclear whether all three coaches are required to work the same number of hours—although the part-time coaches receive substantially less pay.
Fauble said he and Tecumseh Athletic Director Jim Gimore are researching the job description differences between part-time and full-time coaches in other districts for a base of comparison.
But when Kolleth asked, on average, how much more a full-time coach works than a part-time coach, Fauble said he couldn’t answer the question since hours “vary” for all Tecumseh coaches’ schedules.
Kolleth complained that Gilmore was also unable to answer the question during a previous conversation.
Although the original grievant, Scott Banghart, a former part-time track coach, moved to a full-time coaching position in the district, Kolleth said the problem still remains, since the salary discrepancy between part-and full-time coaches continues.
Kolleth said the amount of the discrepancies between part-time and full-time coaches is a “few thousand dollars.”
Kolleth also said the superintendent erred by threatening retaliation – not to a particular individual, but rather to future job applicants – in a recent conversation with the former grievant.
About two weeks ago, Kolleth said Fauble Banghart heard Fauble say that the district would eliminate one of the part-time coaching positions for the track team. Kolleth said Fauble should not be “meddling with union affairs.”
“He should work with the association, not the grievant,” Kolleth said.
But at Monday night’s school board meeting, Fauble said he did not do or suggest anything of a retaliatory nature during the conversation with Banghart.
“I think I’ve been fair. I’ve tried to be fair at all times,” Fauble said.
Edward Tritt, president of the school board, said the school board cannot make a snap decision to make all three track coaching positions full-time.
Tritt said it’s been a “common practice” for the Tecumseh schools to offer full and part-time coaching positions for different school athletic teams.
Kolleth emphasized to board members that the MEA does not want to file a second, presumably more severe, grievance with the Tecumseh school board.
Instead, Kolleth said she hopes to find a solution “that we can both live with.”
Originally published Tuesday, March 28, 2000
By Pamela Appea
The Ann Arbor News
Tecumseh school board members said they hope to speedily resolve a union grievance over hours worked by assistant coaches.
Janet B. Kolleth, an area official of the Michigan Education Association, said she shares the same goal.
But Kolleth charges that Richard D. Fauble, the Tecumseh schools superintendent, did not follow proper union procedure when the grievance was first filed several weeks ago.
Kolleth presented the grievance at the school board meeting Monday night.
When Tecumseh High School’s track team currently has one head coach and two half-time coach positions, Kolleth said it is unclear whether all three coaches are required to work the same number of hours—although the part-time coaches receive substantially less pay.
Fauble said he and Tecumseh Athletic Director Jim Gimore are researching the job description differences between part-time and full-time coaches in other districts for a base of comparison.
But when Kolleth asked, on average, how much more a full-time coach works than a part-time coach, Fauble said he couldn’t answer the question since hours “vary” for all Tecumseh coaches’ schedules.
Kolleth complained that Gilmore was also unable to answer the question during a previous conversation.
Although the original grievant, Scott Banghart, a former part-time track coach, moved to a full-time coaching position in the district, Kolleth said the problem still remains, since the salary discrepancy between part-and full-time coaches continues.
Kolleth said the amount of the discrepancies between part-time and full-time coaches is a “few thousand dollars.”
Kolleth also said the superintendent erred by threatening retaliation – not to a particular individual, but rather to future job applicants – in a recent conversation with the former grievant.
About two weeks ago, Kolleth said Fauble Banghart heard Fauble say that the district would eliminate one of the part-time coaching positions for the track team. Kolleth said Fauble should not be “meddling with union affairs.”
“He should work with the association, not the grievant,” Kolleth said.
But at Monday night’s school board meeting, Fauble said he did not do or suggest anything of a retaliatory nature during the conversation with Banghart.
“I think I’ve been fair. I’ve tried to be fair at all times,” Fauble said.
Edward Tritt, president of the school board, said the school board cannot make a snap decision to make all three track coaching positions full-time.
Tritt said it’s been a “common practice” for the Tecumseh schools to offer full and part-time coaching positions for different school athletic teams.
Kolleth emphasized to board members that the MEA does not want to file a second, presumably more severe, grievance with the Tecumseh school board.
Instead, Kolleth said she hopes to find a solution “that we can both live with.”
Originally published Tuesday, March 28, 2000
Thursday, March 23, 2000
High Marks for school chief
High Marks for school chief
Clinton board gives superintendent top ratings, delays specifics on contract extension and pay hike.
The Ann Arbor News
By Pamela Appea
Clinton, Michigan—Board of Education trustees gave Clinton Schools Superintendent David Pray high marks in his annual evaluation at a school board meeting this week.
Board president Doug Murray said Pray will receive a contract extension, but the particulars of a contract extension or salary increase will be decided late in the year.
School board members rated Pray in six categories on a 1-5 scale, with 1 being the highest score. Pray earned an overall performance rating of 1.3, with all marks placing near the top of the scale.
Pray received the highest marks in the category of relations with the board of education. The superintendent’s lowest marks was for the goal attainment category.
Individual marks were:
v 1.4 in personnel—faculty/administration
v 1.2 in business administration
v 1.3 in community relations
v 1.2 in personal qualities
o in relations with the board of education
v 1.5 in goal attainment.
School board member Wanda Heinz praised the superintendent saying Pray goes “well and above the call of duty” for the district.
Trustee Shirley Campbell said she’s personally pleased with the superintendent’s job performance.
“Mr. Pray has done an outstanding job. I’m sure he will stay if we ask him to,” she said.
Campbell, an outgoing school board member, said she will regret not having the opportunity to work with the superintendent after her term expires in June.
“He is the epitome of what a superintendent should be,” she said.
Pray, who has been the district’s superintendent for the past six years, is paid about $85,000 annually, Murray said.
Pray first taught at the Clinton school district in the 1970s. He moved up to become a principal, first at Clinton Elementary and then at Clinton Middle School.
Originally published Thursday, March 23, 2000
Clinton board gives superintendent top ratings, delays specifics on contract extension and pay hike.
The Ann Arbor News
By Pamela Appea
Clinton, Michigan—Board of Education trustees gave Clinton Schools Superintendent David Pray high marks in his annual evaluation at a school board meeting this week.
Board president Doug Murray said Pray will receive a contract extension, but the particulars of a contract extension or salary increase will be decided late in the year.
School board members rated Pray in six categories on a 1-5 scale, with 1 being the highest score. Pray earned an overall performance rating of 1.3, with all marks placing near the top of the scale.
Pray received the highest marks in the category of relations with the board of education. The superintendent’s lowest marks was for the goal attainment category.
Individual marks were:
v 1.4 in personnel—faculty/administration
v 1.2 in business administration
v 1.3 in community relations
v 1.2 in personal qualities
o in relations with the board of education
v 1.5 in goal attainment.
School board member Wanda Heinz praised the superintendent saying Pray goes “well and above the call of duty” for the district.
Trustee Shirley Campbell said she’s personally pleased with the superintendent’s job performance.
“Mr. Pray has done an outstanding job. I’m sure he will stay if we ask him to,” she said.
Campbell, an outgoing school board member, said she will regret not having the opportunity to work with the superintendent after her term expires in June.
“He is the epitome of what a superintendent should be,” she said.
Pray, who has been the district’s superintendent for the past six years, is paid about $85,000 annually, Murray said.
Pray first taught at the Clinton school district in the 1970s. He moved up to become a principal, first at Clinton Elementary and then at Clinton Middle School.
Originally published Thursday, March 23, 2000
Seniors’ Groups has more to offer
Seniors’ Groups has more to offer
The Ann Arbor News
By Pamela Appea
The Tuesday Ladies gather faithfully every week at the Ypsilanti Senior Center, an unassuming building tucked away in a residential pocket but close to the heart of Ypsilanti’s downtown.
The place serves as a home, as the sign outside the center says, for the young at heart.
A few, like Gretchen Broach, 89, a retired elementary school teacher, have been part of this seniors’ group for 20 years—close to the time of the Tuesday Ladies’ inception.
But in the past few months, many of the Tuesday ladies say in-house projects that used to come in regularly –including envelope stuffing and bandage-rolling–inexplicably have stopped completely.
A service-based group, the Tuesday Ladies, at least some of them, knit, quilt, sew and crotchet homespun creations that they give away to whoever needs them, including area hospitals and battered women’s shelters.
Several of the Tuesday Ladies have given up sewing and the like over the years due to arthritis and failing eyesight. But that doesn’t mean they don’t want other projects to work on, the women say.
Wanda Schuler, another Tuesday Lady, said of the flow of project the group received from all over the city: “All of a sudden it just stopped.”
Schuler said the dip in volunteer-related requests has hurt the group’s volunteer base as well. A few of the Tuesday ladies migrated to other more active Ypsilanti-area service groups, Schuler said.
Many of the Tuesday Ladies say they also keep themselves busy at the Ypsilanti Senior Center’s other programs and activities—including everything from shopping trips to Tai Chi exercise classes.
But the service component, said Thora B. Keene, program coordinator for the Tuesday Ladies is important to all members of the group.
“We keep active by doing things for other people,” Keene said.
Originally published Thursday, March 23, 2000
The Ann Arbor News
By Pamela Appea
The Tuesday Ladies gather faithfully every week at the Ypsilanti Senior Center, an unassuming building tucked away in a residential pocket but close to the heart of Ypsilanti’s downtown.
The place serves as a home, as the sign outside the center says, for the young at heart.
A few, like Gretchen Broach, 89, a retired elementary school teacher, have been part of this seniors’ group for 20 years—close to the time of the Tuesday Ladies’ inception.
But in the past few months, many of the Tuesday ladies say in-house projects that used to come in regularly –including envelope stuffing and bandage-rolling–inexplicably have stopped completely.
A service-based group, the Tuesday Ladies, at least some of them, knit, quilt, sew and crotchet homespun creations that they give away to whoever needs them, including area hospitals and battered women’s shelters.
Several of the Tuesday Ladies have given up sewing and the like over the years due to arthritis and failing eyesight. But that doesn’t mean they don’t want other projects to work on, the women say.
Wanda Schuler, another Tuesday Lady, said of the flow of project the group received from all over the city: “All of a sudden it just stopped.”
Schuler said the dip in volunteer-related requests has hurt the group’s volunteer base as well. A few of the Tuesday ladies migrated to other more active Ypsilanti-area service groups, Schuler said.
Many of the Tuesday Ladies say they also keep themselves busy at the Ypsilanti Senior Center’s other programs and activities—including everything from shopping trips to Tai Chi exercise classes.
But the service component, said Thora B. Keene, program coordinator for the Tuesday Ladies is important to all members of the group.
“We keep active by doing things for other people,” Keene said.
Originally published Thursday, March 23, 2000
Friday, March 17, 2000
Beyer’s Senior Volunteers: RSVP: Them, it’s short for love
Beyer’s Senior Volunteers: RSVP: Them, it’s short for love
The Ann Arbor News
By Pamela Appea
Inside the cozy gift shop at Oakwood Hospital Beyer Center, Anita Cooper, a Retired and Senior Volunteer Program volunteer, handles the bustle of newcomers with grace and ease.
“We don’t have much left,” Cooper said this week,” although the gift shop’s shelves were still reasonably supplied with candy, magazines and some gifts. “It’s going ... gone,” she said, waving her hand, before helping the next customer.
“It appears as though the same can be said for the Ypsilanti hospital. Oakwood Healthcare System which operates Beyer, plans to close the money-losing facility next month. Cooper and other volunteers are among many who wish it wouldn’t have to be that way.
Along with hospital employees and administrators, many of hospital RSVP volunteers have worked there for years, some for decades.
The hospital’s volunteer work force boasts 45 women who wear pink coats, known as the women’s auxiliary, and eight men known affectingly as the “gold coats.”
All RSVP volunteers are 55 and older. The Catholic Social Services sponsored-program, said RSVP program coordinator Paula A. Dana, provides training, accident and liability insurance, transportation, recognition and expense assistance for service to all their volunteers.
Many Beyer RSVP volunteers said they’ve had a chance to try their hand at everything from the RSVP nursing student’s scholarship program at Eastern Michigan University to the hospital’s emergency room.
“Over the years, I’ve volunteered to do everything,” said Irene Hadley, who said she has worked at the hospital for 28 years, though not always as a RSVP volunteer.”
Hadley, an Ypsilanti Township resident, said that when she ran an area beauty shop in the 1970s, the shop was closed Mondays, and her husband encouraged her to do something on her day off. Hadley said she enjoyed hospital service from the beginning.
Elnora Miller, a coordinator of the women’s auxiliary volunteers, holds the record for RSVP staffers--12,000 hours of service over the past 20 years.
“You’ve got to keep busy,” Miller said.
But even Miller may cut down on her volunteering, which includes a post at the Ypsilanti Historical Museum, when the hospital closes.
Volunteer Bob Collins said that after Beyer closes, he’ll do something different. With plans to drive a van for Belleville-area seniors, Collins said he will find ways to occupy his time.
Although the city of Ypsilanti is disputing the closing of the hospital and is talking with a new group of physicians about continuing to operate the facility, the volunteers said they have come to terms with the closing.
Helen Birdsall, a volunteer for several years, said that many people she has talked to are finding that not working for the hospital will be “really hard.”
An RSVP volunteer of one year, Phyllis Meadows, said she started coming to the hospital to do services as a result of the kind care her mother received at Beyer while a patient.
Volunteers gathered for a good-bye and recognition party Wednesday. Dana encouraged the volunteers to sign up to participate at one of the 125 other RSVP volunteer sites in Washtenaw County.
Volunteer Simon Eaglin said serving at another hospital just wouldn’t be the same. The retired Ypsilanti postal worker, who has volunteered at the hospital for about 10 years, said he plans to work at Beyer until the hospital’s last day.
“I’ll be here till they close the door,” he said. “And I’ll come back the next day to make sure they’re locked.”
Originally published Friday, March 17, 2000
The Ann Arbor News
By Pamela Appea
Inside the cozy gift shop at Oakwood Hospital Beyer Center, Anita Cooper, a Retired and Senior Volunteer Program volunteer, handles the bustle of newcomers with grace and ease.
“We don’t have much left,” Cooper said this week,” although the gift shop’s shelves were still reasonably supplied with candy, magazines and some gifts. “It’s going ... gone,” she said, waving her hand, before helping the next customer.
“It appears as though the same can be said for the Ypsilanti hospital. Oakwood Healthcare System which operates Beyer, plans to close the money-losing facility next month. Cooper and other volunteers are among many who wish it wouldn’t have to be that way.
Along with hospital employees and administrators, many of hospital RSVP volunteers have worked there for years, some for decades.
The hospital’s volunteer work force boasts 45 women who wear pink coats, known as the women’s auxiliary, and eight men known affectingly as the “gold coats.”
All RSVP volunteers are 55 and older. The Catholic Social Services sponsored-program, said RSVP program coordinator Paula A. Dana, provides training, accident and liability insurance, transportation, recognition and expense assistance for service to all their volunteers.
Many Beyer RSVP volunteers said they’ve had a chance to try their hand at everything from the RSVP nursing student’s scholarship program at Eastern Michigan University to the hospital’s emergency room.
“Over the years, I’ve volunteered to do everything,” said Irene Hadley, who said she has worked at the hospital for 28 years, though not always as a RSVP volunteer.”
Hadley, an Ypsilanti Township resident, said that when she ran an area beauty shop in the 1970s, the shop was closed Mondays, and her husband encouraged her to do something on her day off. Hadley said she enjoyed hospital service from the beginning.
Elnora Miller, a coordinator of the women’s auxiliary volunteers, holds the record for RSVP staffers--12,000 hours of service over the past 20 years.
“You’ve got to keep busy,” Miller said.
But even Miller may cut down on her volunteering, which includes a post at the Ypsilanti Historical Museum, when the hospital closes.
Volunteer Bob Collins said that after Beyer closes, he’ll do something different. With plans to drive a van for Belleville-area seniors, Collins said he will find ways to occupy his time.
Although the city of Ypsilanti is disputing the closing of the hospital and is talking with a new group of physicians about continuing to operate the facility, the volunteers said they have come to terms with the closing.
Helen Birdsall, a volunteer for several years, said that many people she has talked to are finding that not working for the hospital will be “really hard.”
An RSVP volunteer of one year, Phyllis Meadows, said she started coming to the hospital to do services as a result of the kind care her mother received at Beyer while a patient.
Volunteers gathered for a good-bye and recognition party Wednesday. Dana encouraged the volunteers to sign up to participate at one of the 125 other RSVP volunteer sites in Washtenaw County.
Volunteer Simon Eaglin said serving at another hospital just wouldn’t be the same. The retired Ypsilanti postal worker, who has volunteered at the hospital for about 10 years, said he plans to work at Beyer until the hospital’s last day.
“I’ll be here till they close the door,” he said. “And I’ll come back the next day to make sure they’re locked.”
Originally published Friday, March 17, 2000
Saturday, March 11, 2000
Cabela’s local megastore to open by fall
Cabela’s local megastore to open by fall
The Ann Arbor News
By Pamela Appea
Dundee, Michigan--Cabela’s is coming.
The national hunting, fishing and outdoor gear retailer will open a huge retail facility in Dundee in September.
Cabela’s officials boast the planned store, the seventh retail outfit in the chain, will become the “top tourist attraction” in Michigan, drawing 6 million visitors or more each year.
The Cabela’s showroom in Dundee is expected to feature everything from outdoor sports, including tents, sport-utility vehicles, clothing, and fishing and hunting equipment. The entire store will encompass 220,000 square feet.
Along with merchandise, the store will showcase stuffed animals from all over the world, much like a museum. Cabela’s will also have an aquarium, a display of antique and prize-worthy guns, and conference space for meetings.
Chelsea resident Don Janowiecki said he has been a faithful Cabela’s catalog customer for at least 15 years.
“I think a lot of people from Michigan and Ohio are going to come to this Cabela’s store,” Janowiecki said.
Bob Wolverton, vice president of the Lenawee County Conservation League, said he plans to go to Cabela’s to see what it’s like once the store opens. Like Janowiecki, Wolverton has received Cabela’s catalogs for years.
Cabela’s officials said another draw at the Dundee store will be an “interactive” laser gun shooting practice ranges where adults and children can practice targeting shooting at taped videos of animals.
The compound hall, built on 150 acres, will also house hotels, resteraunts and service stations in the future, similar to other Cabela’s complexes in rural and semi rural pockets of Nebraska, Minnesota, South Dakota and Wisconsin.
“It’s conceivable that our six million (visitors) estimate could be broken. It’s a conservative estimate,” said Cheyanne West, retail marketing manager for Cabela’s Retail.
In comparison, Ann Arbor’s Briarwood Mall attracts between eight million and 11.5 million people a year, according to Briarwood general manager Marc P. Strich.
West said Dundee was picked as the next site for the Nebraska-based chain, due to a high number of Cabela’s catalogue sales coming in from the Michigan and Ohio areas.
Susy Avery, vice president of Travel Michigan in Lansing, said the agency courted Cabela’s so the company would pock Michigan as its next retail site. Michigan was vying for the store with other states including Pennsylvania and Ohio, Avery said.
Residents of communities near Dundee--including Tecumseh, Saline and Clinton--are preparing for a possible increase in traffic and development as a result of Cabela’s.
Patrick Burtch, the longtime village manager of Dundee, said he’s been contacted by some people who “have a lot of misinformation on Cabela’s.”
“A lot of people have problems about the amount of traffic,” Burtch said.
“People get in their mind six-to-eight million Cabela’s visitors means six-to-eight million cars a year,” he said.
But the village manager said most Cabela’s customers and visitors will come in on tour buses or otherwise in groups. Citing a Cabelas’s-sponsored traffic impact study, Burtch said that 3,600 cars--during peak hours--would come off the expressway to Dundee.
“That’s just a small percentage increase,” he said.
Greg Golab, the appointed manager of the Dundee store said the retail outlet hopes to hire between 500 and 500 people. Most employment will come from the local area, Golab said. But several higher-level management positions may be filled with people from outside the state.
When asked whether he anticipates difficulty hiring, Golab said, “It’s definitely going to be an issue.”
The unemployment rate in Dundee, a town of 3,200 is about 2 percent, Burtch said. Nearby Tecumseh, Clinton and Saline have similar low-levels of unemployment, officials said. But Golab said he feels Cabela’s has a lot to offer its employees, citing the company’s compensation and benfits package.
Including Cabela’s catalog staff, the company employs 2,426 people in the United States. According to the Fortune magazine Webs site, Cabela’s revenue in 1998 was $667 million.
Originally published Saturday, March 11, 2000
The Ann Arbor News
By Pamela Appea
Dundee, Michigan--Cabela’s is coming.
The national hunting, fishing and outdoor gear retailer will open a huge retail facility in Dundee in September.
Cabela’s officials boast the planned store, the seventh retail outfit in the chain, will become the “top tourist attraction” in Michigan, drawing 6 million visitors or more each year.
The Cabela’s showroom in Dundee is expected to feature everything from outdoor sports, including tents, sport-utility vehicles, clothing, and fishing and hunting equipment. The entire store will encompass 220,000 square feet.
Along with merchandise, the store will showcase stuffed animals from all over the world, much like a museum. Cabela’s will also have an aquarium, a display of antique and prize-worthy guns, and conference space for meetings.
Chelsea resident Don Janowiecki said he has been a faithful Cabela’s catalog customer for at least 15 years.
“I think a lot of people from Michigan and Ohio are going to come to this Cabela’s store,” Janowiecki said.
Bob Wolverton, vice president of the Lenawee County Conservation League, said he plans to go to Cabela’s to see what it’s like once the store opens. Like Janowiecki, Wolverton has received Cabela’s catalogs for years.
Cabela’s officials said another draw at the Dundee store will be an “interactive” laser gun shooting practice ranges where adults and children can practice targeting shooting at taped videos of animals.
The compound hall, built on 150 acres, will also house hotels, resteraunts and service stations in the future, similar to other Cabela’s complexes in rural and semi rural pockets of Nebraska, Minnesota, South Dakota and Wisconsin.
“It’s conceivable that our six million (visitors) estimate could be broken. It’s a conservative estimate,” said Cheyanne West, retail marketing manager for Cabela’s Retail.
In comparison, Ann Arbor’s Briarwood Mall attracts between eight million and 11.5 million people a year, according to Briarwood general manager Marc P. Strich.
West said Dundee was picked as the next site for the Nebraska-based chain, due to a high number of Cabela’s catalogue sales coming in from the Michigan and Ohio areas.
Susy Avery, vice president of Travel Michigan in Lansing, said the agency courted Cabela’s so the company would pock Michigan as its next retail site. Michigan was vying for the store with other states including Pennsylvania and Ohio, Avery said.
Residents of communities near Dundee--including Tecumseh, Saline and Clinton--are preparing for a possible increase in traffic and development as a result of Cabela’s.
Patrick Burtch, the longtime village manager of Dundee, said he’s been contacted by some people who “have a lot of misinformation on Cabela’s.”
“A lot of people have problems about the amount of traffic,” Burtch said.
“People get in their mind six-to-eight million Cabela’s visitors means six-to-eight million cars a year,” he said.
But the village manager said most Cabela’s customers and visitors will come in on tour buses or otherwise in groups. Citing a Cabelas’s-sponsored traffic impact study, Burtch said that 3,600 cars--during peak hours--would come off the expressway to Dundee.
“That’s just a small percentage increase,” he said.
Greg Golab, the appointed manager of the Dundee store said the retail outlet hopes to hire between 500 and 500 people. Most employment will come from the local area, Golab said. But several higher-level management positions may be filled with people from outside the state.
When asked whether he anticipates difficulty hiring, Golab said, “It’s definitely going to be an issue.”
The unemployment rate in Dundee, a town of 3,200 is about 2 percent, Burtch said. Nearby Tecumseh, Clinton and Saline have similar low-levels of unemployment, officials said. But Golab said he feels Cabela’s has a lot to offer its employees, citing the company’s compensation and benfits package.
Including Cabela’s catalog staff, the company employs 2,426 people in the United States. According to the Fortune magazine Webs site, Cabela’s revenue in 1998 was $667 million.
Originally published Saturday, March 11, 2000
Friday, March 10, 2000
Street exits for new school considered
Street exits for new school considered
The Ann Arbor News
By Pamela Appea
Tecumseh, Michigan—Tecumseh school officials continue to consider potential locations for a second street exit at the district’s planned high school.
Richard D. Fabule, Tecumseh schools superintendent, said the two most viable options for a second exit are off Occidental Road or off Chicago Boulevard.
Slated to open in fall 2001, the planned high school’s main entrance and exit will be on Brown Street, a decision made by the project architects and the district months ago.
But negotiations for the second exit aren’t advancing as quickly as many have hoped, due in part to stalled communication with a property owner over the Chicago Boulevard option, school administrators said.
The Occidental Road exit would bring up more considerations that have to be taken into account, including additional financial concerns and development of that area, said Tom Emery, Tecumseh schools business manager.
But school administrators said its unclear at this point whether the board is leaning toward one option over the other.
At recent board meetings, where the issue was discussed, a handful of residents have expressed concern with the cost factor of a second exit, in addition to whether the Occidental Road exit is a wise option.
Tecumseh resident Gerald Roslin raised the concern several weeks ago that if the Michigan Department of Transportation doesn’t approve a traffic light on Occidental Road, then the district’s money “would be wasted.”
Edward Tritt, president of the school board, responded at the time that the board hasn’t decided one way or another.
Representatives from TMP Architecture of Bloomfield Hills—the firm in charge of the high school construction—recently echoed Tritt.
“Everyone is very hopeful that the second exit will be identified quickly,” said Eric Geiser, project manager.
Geiser stressed that while the negotiation for the second exit has taken several months, he likens the time frame to buying a home.
Originally published Monday, April 10, 2000
The Ann Arbor News
By Pamela Appea
Tecumseh, Michigan—Tecumseh school officials continue to consider potential locations for a second street exit at the district’s planned high school.
Richard D. Fabule, Tecumseh schools superintendent, said the two most viable options for a second exit are off Occidental Road or off Chicago Boulevard.
Slated to open in fall 2001, the planned high school’s main entrance and exit will be on Brown Street, a decision made by the project architects and the district months ago.
But negotiations for the second exit aren’t advancing as quickly as many have hoped, due in part to stalled communication with a property owner over the Chicago Boulevard option, school administrators said.
The Occidental Road exit would bring up more considerations that have to be taken into account, including additional financial concerns and development of that area, said Tom Emery, Tecumseh schools business manager.
But school administrators said its unclear at this point whether the board is leaning toward one option over the other.
At recent board meetings, where the issue was discussed, a handful of residents have expressed concern with the cost factor of a second exit, in addition to whether the Occidental Road exit is a wise option.
Tecumseh resident Gerald Roslin raised the concern several weeks ago that if the Michigan Department of Transportation doesn’t approve a traffic light on Occidental Road, then the district’s money “would be wasted.”
Edward Tritt, president of the school board, responded at the time that the board hasn’t decided one way or another.
Representatives from TMP Architecture of Bloomfield Hills—the firm in charge of the high school construction—recently echoed Tritt.
“Everyone is very hopeful that the second exit will be identified quickly,” said Eric Geiser, project manager.
Geiser stressed that while the negotiation for the second exit has taken several months, he likens the time frame to buying a home.
Originally published Monday, April 10, 2000
Sunday, March 05, 2000
Reinvestment Act helps communities grow with help of banks
Reinvestment Act helps communities grow with help of banks
The Ann Arbor News
By Pamela Appea
Many bankers know giving something bank to the community is a good idea.
Whether it’s dispensing money to help a small Ypsilanti business get started or loaning the funding for a first-time Ann Arbor home buyer, bankers know this: What helps the community, helps local banks too.
But the success of programs like the Washtenaw HomeBuyers Program or putting a low down payment on a new house shouldn’t just be credited to the benevolence of bankers. Its also the law.
The Community Reinvestment Act, a federal law passed in 1977, mandates that banks and other financial lenders give back to the community.
More specifically, the act states that lenders have “continuing and affirmative obligations” to historically “underserved” communities, many of which have low-and moderate-income residents.
While certain aspects of the law have come under fire in recent years, nonprofit groups, activists and many bankers still see the need for it.
“The bankers I know are heavily involved in the community. Its high on their list of priorities,” said Joe Fitzsimmons, president and CEO of Nonprofit Enterprise at Work and a board member of National City Bank of Michigan/Illinois.
The NEW Center houses 20 nonprofits in its Ann Arbor office, in addition to working with hundreds of other groups across the county, like SOS Crisis Community Center and the Hands-on Museum.
Due in part to the law, some bankers serve on the boards of nonprofits as finance director, or they may help raise money, Fitzsimmons said.
Phyllis L. Desprez, vice president and CRA compliance officer at Bank of Ann Arbor, agrees that the act is still needed.
“It’s rewarding to see that there are avenues for people who don’t have the resources to put money down … We are very satisfied with our involvement with community reinvestment,” Desprez said.
Linda Brashears, vice president of community reinvestment at KeyBank, said that during the late 1970s and early 1980s, she came across bankers who thought the CRA meant they only had to put in a token effort.
“A lot of banks thought, “I can just give a donation and that will fulfill my obligation,” Brashears said.
But as community activists mobilized across the U.S., particularly in urban communities, laws became more specific , and banks became more committed to community reinvestment, Brashears said.
Recent federal legislation bolstered community-reinvestment regulation, giving lenders four rating categories to assess how well banks are doing.
The National Community Reinvestment Coalition states that in 1997 and 1998, 98 percent of lenders in the U.S. received a satisfactory or outstanding rating. The other two ratings are “needs to improve” and “substantial noncompliance.”
If a bank doesn’t comply with reinvestment regulation, it may be fined or barred from expanding its lending operations. But reinvestment advocates say with an overall complaint rating, banks across the U.S. may not strive to improve.
In Washtenaw and Livingston counties, most lenders are complaint with CRA standards. TCF National Bank of Illinois in Ann Arbor was given an outstanding rating in 1998, according to information on the Federal Reserve Board’s Website.
But Melvin L. Larson, a member of the now-dissolved Community Reinvestment Alliance of Ann Arbor, argues that still more needs to be done about community reinvestment and affordable housing in the area. At the same time, Larson said Ann Arbor lenders do more to fulfill CRA law than other communities of the same size in other parts of the U.S.
According to the Washington, D.C.-based National Community Reinvestment Coalition, one of the main ways the act has proven its worth over the years is by boosting the rate of home ownership.
The Housing and Urban Development department said the U.S. homeownership rate “rose to a record high” in the third quarter of 1999, with 67 percent of all families owning their homes. In the Midwest, HUD figures show that home-ownership rates increased from 72.1 percent to 72.2 percent in 1999.
A National Community Reinvestment Coalition study found that home ownerships has increased among minority groups, pointing to HUD figures and community-reinvestment programs.
The coalition said that despite an increase in home ownership among Latinos, Blacks and other low-income communities, the percentage of home owners in the group still falls below the national standard.
Dina Sanders, executive director of the Washtenaw HomeBuyers program, said the need for education on home ownership in Washtenaw County is crucial. With poor credit, buying a home may seem to be out of reach for many, Sanders said.
The HomeBuyers Program holds workshops on credit, realtor referral, and mortgages, and works closely with potential home buyers, particularly with low-income families. Seventy-five to 80 percent of the HomeBuyers clients are minorities, Sanders said.
According to Linda Brashears, who is also a board member of the Washtenaw County Community Reinvestment Officer’s Association, one of her main goals now is to help people with bad credit educate themselves on repairing bad credit.
“I see the next push the CRA group really needs to tackle is the credit issues,” she said.
Originally published Sunday, March 5, 2000
The Ann Arbor News
By Pamela Appea
Many bankers know giving something bank to the community is a good idea.
Whether it’s dispensing money to help a small Ypsilanti business get started or loaning the funding for a first-time Ann Arbor home buyer, bankers know this: What helps the community, helps local banks too.
But the success of programs like the Washtenaw HomeBuyers Program or putting a low down payment on a new house shouldn’t just be credited to the benevolence of bankers. Its also the law.
The Community Reinvestment Act, a federal law passed in 1977, mandates that banks and other financial lenders give back to the community.
More specifically, the act states that lenders have “continuing and affirmative obligations” to historically “underserved” communities, many of which have low-and moderate-income residents.
While certain aspects of the law have come under fire in recent years, nonprofit groups, activists and many bankers still see the need for it.
“The bankers I know are heavily involved in the community. Its high on their list of priorities,” said Joe Fitzsimmons, president and CEO of Nonprofit Enterprise at Work and a board member of National City Bank of Michigan/Illinois.
The NEW Center houses 20 nonprofits in its Ann Arbor office, in addition to working with hundreds of other groups across the county, like SOS Crisis Community Center and the Hands-on Museum.
Due in part to the law, some bankers serve on the boards of nonprofits as finance director, or they may help raise money, Fitzsimmons said.
Phyllis L. Desprez, vice president and CRA compliance officer at Bank of Ann Arbor, agrees that the act is still needed.
“It’s rewarding to see that there are avenues for people who don’t have the resources to put money down … We are very satisfied with our involvement with community reinvestment,” Desprez said.
Linda Brashears, vice president of community reinvestment at KeyBank, said that during the late 1970s and early 1980s, she came across bankers who thought the CRA meant they only had to put in a token effort.
“A lot of banks thought, “I can just give a donation and that will fulfill my obligation,” Brashears said.
But as community activists mobilized across the U.S., particularly in urban communities, laws became more specific , and banks became more committed to community reinvestment, Brashears said.
Recent federal legislation bolstered community-reinvestment regulation, giving lenders four rating categories to assess how well banks are doing.
The National Community Reinvestment Coalition states that in 1997 and 1998, 98 percent of lenders in the U.S. received a satisfactory or outstanding rating. The other two ratings are “needs to improve” and “substantial noncompliance.”
If a bank doesn’t comply with reinvestment regulation, it may be fined or barred from expanding its lending operations. But reinvestment advocates say with an overall complaint rating, banks across the U.S. may not strive to improve.
In Washtenaw and Livingston counties, most lenders are complaint with CRA standards. TCF National Bank of Illinois in Ann Arbor was given an outstanding rating in 1998, according to information on the Federal Reserve Board’s Website.
But Melvin L. Larson, a member of the now-dissolved Community Reinvestment Alliance of Ann Arbor, argues that still more needs to be done about community reinvestment and affordable housing in the area. At the same time, Larson said Ann Arbor lenders do more to fulfill CRA law than other communities of the same size in other parts of the U.S.
According to the Washington, D.C.-based National Community Reinvestment Coalition, one of the main ways the act has proven its worth over the years is by boosting the rate of home ownership.
The Housing and Urban Development department said the U.S. homeownership rate “rose to a record high” in the third quarter of 1999, with 67 percent of all families owning their homes. In the Midwest, HUD figures show that home-ownership rates increased from 72.1 percent to 72.2 percent in 1999.
A National Community Reinvestment Coalition study found that home ownerships has increased among minority groups, pointing to HUD figures and community-reinvestment programs.
The coalition said that despite an increase in home ownership among Latinos, Blacks and other low-income communities, the percentage of home owners in the group still falls below the national standard.
Dina Sanders, executive director of the Washtenaw HomeBuyers program, said the need for education on home ownership in Washtenaw County is crucial. With poor credit, buying a home may seem to be out of reach for many, Sanders said.
The HomeBuyers Program holds workshops on credit, realtor referral, and mortgages, and works closely with potential home buyers, particularly with low-income families. Seventy-five to 80 percent of the HomeBuyers clients are minorities, Sanders said.
According to Linda Brashears, who is also a board member of the Washtenaw County Community Reinvestment Officer’s Association, one of her main goals now is to help people with bad credit educate themselves on repairing bad credit.
“I see the next push the CRA group really needs to tackle is the credit issues,” she said.
Originally published Sunday, March 5, 2000
The Chocolate Vault
The Chocolate Vault
The Ann Arbor News
By Pamela Appea
A Tecumseh institution, The Chocolate Vault offers patrons a chance to savor home-made raspberry cremes, amaretto truffles and double dipped brownies.
And that's just the beginning. Since husband-wife team Jim and Barb McCann opened the Chocolate Vault in 1985, the shop's popularity has drawn customers coming everywhere from Toledo to Windsor. Locals, who are regulars, also support the store, Barb McCann said.
Large corporations commission Chocolate Vault staffers to make end-of-the-year chocolate gifts. Kids in Harry Potter book clubs request custom-made chocolate frogs for the group. The shop's name was inspired by several community banks that the building housed in the 19th century and early 20th century.
And the 110-116 W. Chicago Blvd. address has seen a number of other shops and businesses open and fold in its 150-year history, Barb McCann said. Doctors treated patients in the building, insurance companies did business, and postal clerks sold stamps.
The McCanns also previously operated cake decorating, candy shop and bridal-service businesses from the 1970s to the early 1980s at the same address. But the couple decided to convert to an all-chocolate business by the '80s to simplify everyday operations.
Focusing on selling chocolate and ice cream was the natural next step for them, said Barb McCann.It's the kind of store that makes Tecumseh a destination, said Cindy R. Helinksi, economic development director of the city.
The store gets visited by regulars who must have their weekly truffles or turtles or a pound of mixed chocolates for their relative, said Jim McCann. And the staff are glad to oblige with the requests they get for unusual or specialized chocolate molds orders.
The McCanns have filled orders for 500 chocolate train engines, 1,000 post office boxes, 500 boxes of chocolate with chocolates inside (with the company logo on top of the box) Even a chocolate brain. The Chocolate Vault will do it all.
Despite the old-fashioned community feel to the store, most of the Chocolate Vault's business flows from the Internet, said Barb McCann. Since the Chocolate Vault went on line in September 1998, the majority of the Chocolate Vault's customers haven't even met the McCanns or sipped on a coffee or ice cream shake in the old-fashioned seating room there.
"Fifty-five percent of the candy business is from the Internet," Jim McCann said.
According to Jim McCann, the Chocolate Vault's candy sales total in 1999 was up by 13.1 percent as compared with the previous year. Breaking the numbers down, local sales in 1999 went up by .25 percent, while Web sales went up by 42.5 percent.
Most days are long, said Barb McCann, who routinely works 14 hours a day, 7 days a week. With a few staffers on board at the shop, Barb McCann works a full day on the Web and Jim McCann juggles orders for special occasions like Valentine's Day, working the counter and acting as the technical support."We like what we do" Jim McCann said.
By Pamela J. Appea - News Staff Reporter
March 5, 2000
The Ann Arbor News
By Pamela Appea
A Tecumseh institution, The Chocolate Vault offers patrons a chance to savor home-made raspberry cremes, amaretto truffles and double dipped brownies.
And that's just the beginning. Since husband-wife team Jim and Barb McCann opened the Chocolate Vault in 1985, the shop's popularity has drawn customers coming everywhere from Toledo to Windsor. Locals, who are regulars, also support the store, Barb McCann said.
Large corporations commission Chocolate Vault staffers to make end-of-the-year chocolate gifts. Kids in Harry Potter book clubs request custom-made chocolate frogs for the group. The shop's name was inspired by several community banks that the building housed in the 19th century and early 20th century.
And the 110-116 W. Chicago Blvd. address has seen a number of other shops and businesses open and fold in its 150-year history, Barb McCann said. Doctors treated patients in the building, insurance companies did business, and postal clerks sold stamps.
The McCanns also previously operated cake decorating, candy shop and bridal-service businesses from the 1970s to the early 1980s at the same address. But the couple decided to convert to an all-chocolate business by the '80s to simplify everyday operations.
Focusing on selling chocolate and ice cream was the natural next step for them, said Barb McCann.It's the kind of store that makes Tecumseh a destination, said Cindy R. Helinksi, economic development director of the city.
The store gets visited by regulars who must have their weekly truffles or turtles or a pound of mixed chocolates for their relative, said Jim McCann. And the staff are glad to oblige with the requests they get for unusual or specialized chocolate molds orders.
The McCanns have filled orders for 500 chocolate train engines, 1,000 post office boxes, 500 boxes of chocolate with chocolates inside (with the company logo on top of the box) Even a chocolate brain. The Chocolate Vault will do it all.
Despite the old-fashioned community feel to the store, most of the Chocolate Vault's business flows from the Internet, said Barb McCann. Since the Chocolate Vault went on line in September 1998, the majority of the Chocolate Vault's customers haven't even met the McCanns or sipped on a coffee or ice cream shake in the old-fashioned seating room there.
"Fifty-five percent of the candy business is from the Internet," Jim McCann said.
According to Jim McCann, the Chocolate Vault's candy sales total in 1999 was up by 13.1 percent as compared with the previous year. Breaking the numbers down, local sales in 1999 went up by .25 percent, while Web sales went up by 42.5 percent.
Most days are long, said Barb McCann, who routinely works 14 hours a day, 7 days a week. With a few staffers on board at the shop, Barb McCann works a full day on the Web and Jim McCann juggles orders for special occasions like Valentine's Day, working the counter and acting as the technical support."We like what we do" Jim McCann said.
By Pamela J. Appea - News Staff Reporter
March 5, 2000
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