Photos by Ken DeLaat
Ground-breaking ceremonies
for the expansion of the Newaygo Area District Library included (left to right) Vivian
Sorden, Joyce Carpenter, Doug Day, Jack Long, Barbara Ivens, Gina VanBruggen and Jon
Schneider.
Newaygo
Ground-breaking ceremony
marks next phase in library's life
By
Ken DeLaat
The
Newaygo Area District Library held a groundbreaking ceremony on Friday, May 4 as dozens of
community leaders, business owners, city officials, library board members, staff members,
library patrons and folks from throughout the area celebrated the beginning of a new era
for the library.
Library
Director Dennis Caplis welcomed the crowd and thanked the many contributors to the
initiative, praising the generosity of the Fremont Area Community Foundation and the
Gerber Foundation along with the efforts of one of the library’s most avid donors,
three-year-old Domanic Laubhan.
“Domanic
loves coming to the library and he has one of our Mason jars that we give out for
fundraising,” Caplis said. “His mom, Christin, says that he hits up everyone who
comes to their house for their change to put in the jar for his ‘bigger, better
library.’ Domanic has filled his jar many times and is always happy to bring it in
during his many visits.”
Library
Board President Jack Long, Fremont Area Community Foundation Vice-President Gina
VanBruggen and Gerber Foundation board President Barbara J. Ivens each spoke of the
opportunity that the new library will provide.
Participants
enjoyed two cakes, one with a picture of the current library and another depicting the
planned new structure.
Dignitaries
donned the obligatory hard hats and wielded shiny shovels as they marked the beginning of
the next stage in continuing the mission of philanthropist Andrew Carnegie.
“In
1915, Carnegie provided the building and the equipment, and Newaygo provided a building
site and a budget to help with its operation and maintenance,” Ivens said. “Ninety-seven
years later, our Newaygo community continues to employ the Carnegie formula. This expansion project brings together community
leaders, community funders and foundations so we may continue to bring the joy of books
and reading to the community.”
“The
Gerber Foundation is especially pleased to be a supporter of the Children’s Library
area, the Story Time Room, the Read to Me area, and Early Literacy area,” Ivens
added. “Carnegie understood the power of books and imagination for children in
creating the ability to see beyond the forest.”
“Somewhere
in the Hundred Acre Woods, I can hear a Pooh Bear saying:
‘When you see someone putting on his Big Boots, you can be pretty sure
an adventure is going to happen.’ Well, I see this community putting on their hard
hats, and I am pretty sure an expansion is about to happen.”
Newaygo Area District Library
fund-raising volunteer
Domanic Laubhan enjoys
spending time in “his” library.
Fremont
School district voters reject Sinking fund millage
Fremont
area voters again rejected a 1.75-mill “sinking fund” levy on Tuesday, May 8.
Voters
rejected the proposal by a margin of 1,322 to 1,016. A majority of voters in the City of
Fremont voted in favor of the proposal, but a majority of voters outside the city were
opposed to it.
The
total was 482 to 412 in favor of the proposal in the city, but voters in Bridgeton,
Dayton, Garfield, Lincoln,
Sheridan and Sherman townships opposed it by a total margin of 534 to 910. The biggest
margin was in Bridgeton Township, where voters rejected the proposal by a 108 to 4 margin.
Voter
turnout was 27.68 percent in the city and 20.5 percent in the townships, with 2,338 of the
school district’s registered voters participating in the election.
School
district voters approved the millage in 2001, providing funding for building and site
maintenance and improvements. Voters rejected a renewal proposal in November by a 1,170 to
872 margin. The proposal would have renewed the millage for another 10 years.
County gets good fiscal rating
By
Ken DeLaat
At
a meeting of the Newaygo County Board of Commissioners last week, County Administrator
Tobi Lake reported that the county has received a very good rating of its fiscal health.
In
a presentation to commissioners, Lake outlined the reports from Munetrix, a system used by
the state to measure the fiscal health of Michigan’s municipalities and schools. Lake
said that the system measures key performance indicators and ranks the governmental units
on a scale of zero to nine, with zero being the best and nine as the worst.
Lake
reported that Newaygo County was given a rating of one. The rankings are available online
at www.munetrix.com.
Earlier
in the meeting, commissioners voted to accept a Fremont Area Community Foundation grant
for the Newaygo County Commission on Aging’s Senior Project Fresh program. The
program makes fresh produce available to low-income, nutritionally at-risk consumers
through collaboration with Michigan farm markets.
Newaygo
County Human Resources Director Jodie McGarry presented a check to American Cancer Society
Relay for Life representative Savannah Rayner. The
check represented county employees’ Casual Day donations from the first quarter.
Employees donate to the fund in return for the freedom to dress casually on Fridays.
Rayner
announced that the Relay for Life would be held on June 9 and 10 in Grant. The
organization hopes to raise $60,000 at the event.
Commissioner
Chuck Trapp announced that the Newaygo County Hazardous Waste Collection would be held at
the Newaygo County Road Commission on June 2. The free service allows residents to dispose
of hazardous products from around the home. Appointments are required and may be scheduled
by calling the Newaygo County Board of Public Works at 689-7225.
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