Archive - Jun 2011

The Second Annual Great Tecumseh Campout had another spectacular fireworks display on Saturday evening, June 25, at the Cal Zorn Recreation Center. Tecumseh Parks and Recreation Director Shelley Lim said that this year 120 campers stayed the night.

By DEANE ERTS

The agenda for Monday night’s Tecumseh School Board meeting set the mood for the evening’s proceedings. As the last meeting of the fiscal year, action items were scheduled for the approval of the district’s 2010-2011 budget and, inevitably, on the jobs that might be sacrificed to balance the next budget.

The jobs hanging in the balance included teachers, library assistants, instructional assistants, and secretaries.

To no one’s surprise, the budget was approved and the layoff and termination of services for the employees was approved by the board members to help balance the cash-strapped district’s ledger.

The votes on the budget and the layoffs had been the topics of discussion by finance subcommittees, a community action group, administrators, and board members throughout the budget development process in which a one-two punch from declining enrollment and decreased state and federal income for the schools had to be factored against what cuts could be made to produce a balanced budget as required in the end-of-the-fiscal-year bookkeeping of all schools and most businesses.

School district business manager William Wright presented a review of the 2010-2011 general budget and the projected general fund budget for 2011-2012.

For the fiscal year just ending, the district had revenue of $24,519,230 and expenditures of $24,477,668 with an ending fund equity of $2,183,242.

Expected revenue for 2011-2012 is $21,874,754. With the loss of the aforementioned state and federal revenues, such as American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA), which is no longer available, and total expenditures of $22,810,860, the shortfall of $936,106 will come out of the fund equity mentioned above for a reduced fund equity this time next year of $1,247,136.

By DEB WUETHRICH

A new shop called Blush — Young Women’s Apparel and Accessories Boutique, will be opening on Friday, July 1, at 154 E. Chicago Boulevard, in downtown Tecumseh. A ribbon-cutting is scheduled to take place at 9 a.m., and a grand opening party, with refreshments, will take place in the evening from 6-9 p.m.

Owner Holly Dewitt said she feels fortunate to have been able to secure the building, which is the former home of the River Raisin Gallery, and was just recently renovated. There is a lot of light in the shop to showcase the clothing.

“Opening a boutique is something I’ve always wanted to do,” said Dewitt, who holds a business degree and has gleaned retail experience from four years of employment with Target stores. “At Target, I learned so much about retail and discovered how much I love apparel and the accessory aspect of it. People were always telling me, ‘You need to open your own boutique;’ I just never thought I’d get the opportunity.”

She is originally from California, and her husband, Kyle, attended the University of Michigan. They currently reside in Normal Park in Ypsilanti, but have plans to relocate to Tecumseh. After the birth of their son, Jacob, Dewitt revived her dream of opening a boutique.

“We were friends with some people from Tecumseh and we came down one day and just wandered around the town,” she said. “We kind of fell in love with the small town aspect, with both of us being from small towns.” Dewitt said that after a contact was made with Tecumseh Economic Development Director Paula Holtz she learned the retail space was available and looked at it.

“It was a perfect fit,” she said. “We liked the family feel downtown, and that’s really why we moved to Michigan, to raise a family and start a business.”

Dewitt said that the clothing she will be offering will be “trendy but wearable.”

John K. Ford, 78, of Tecumseh, Mich., passed away peacefully Saturday, June 25, 2011, at his home, cared for by his family and Hospice of Lenawee. He was born Oct. 24, 1932, in Springfield, Ill., to Joseph Edward and Margaret (Downey) Ford. His mother died in childbirth.

John joined the Illinois National Guard and played clarinet in the 44th Division Band. He was activated during the latter part of the Korean conflict and served on the U.S. west coast. On Sept. 3, 1955, he married Carol Lou Embry at Blessed Sacrament Church in Springfield, Ill.

John received his B.S. degree in accounting from Marquette University in Milwaukee, Wisc., but quickly became interested in the developing field of data processing. He worked for 30 years for Allis-Chalmers (later Fiat-Allis) in a variety of roles before retiring as corporate manager of data processing in 1982. He joined Tecumseh Products in 1985 as the manager of data processing, retiring in 1999.

When his six children were younger John enjoyed grilling for them and their friends and watching them play volleyball. It was during this period that he earned the nickname “Spike.” He enjoyed reading, especially about the Civil War, doing the daily crossword with his wife, rooting for Notre Dame, and listening to a variety of music.

To the Editor,

Back in the old days they used to always say, “It takes a village to raise a child.” I am a firm believer that this still stands today. My family has endured the absence of my husband who is deployed to Afghanistan for almost a year now. He left in August 2010 and will return in August this year.

During this past year my family has had a rough time. I could make a list of the misfortunes we went through to include my husband getting hurt in Afghanistan, but I really want to take the time to thank this community for their support.

Tecumseh Public Schools went above and beyond their call of duty to help me and my children through this year. Without them we probably would not have been able to trudge through some of the tough times we had. The school recognized that my children’s Dad was deployed and they told us if we needed anything not to hesitate to let the school know.

From time to time, my children’s teachers would check in with me to see how things were going at home. Principal Edward Manuszack (Mr. M) was amazing. He talked to my kids on and off just so they could vent and to make sure they were dealing with their dad being gone as well as they could. My middle son had the opportunity to eat lunch with a very special man the kids called “Grandpa Hawkins or Mr. Hawkins.” He allowed my son to vent to him and they discussed “man problems” that as a mom I probably couldn’t fully understand.

My son’s teacher, Mrs. Hoag was amazing. She has a really big heart and always helped me stay on top of homework and behavior. She even checked in on me from time to time.

To the Editor,

On Saturday June 25, Cal Zorn Recreation Center was once again transformed into “Camp Tecumseh.” Over 120 people camped overnight and hundreds more stopped in throughout the day for the second annual Great Tecumseh Campout and Fireworks. Campers of all ages enjoyed camp crafts, a chalk art contest, free face painting, pie eating contests and music throughout the day, plenty of camp games, s’mores during our campfire, and of course, everyone’s favorite: FIREWORKS!

The annual fireworks display is a true community event and thanks go to Raisin Charter Township, the City of Tecumseh and the Lenawee County Road Commission for making sure everyone safely enjoyed the fireworks.

Thank you to everyone who donated to the fireworks fund. United Bank and Trust, D&P Communications, Hafeli Staran Hallahan & Christ, P.C., Tecumseh Big Boy, George and Mary Beth Reasoner, Dan’s Farm Supply, Tecumseh Plywood, Richard Johnson, Glycon, Avery Oil & Propane Inc., Downtown Printing and Earl & Erik Mason, all made substantial financial donations. Thank you to everyone that made a donation the day of the fireworks or dropped money into one of the collection jugs that could be found in many area businesses for several months prior to the fireworks.

The Great Tecumseh Campout could not have been possible without the sponsorship of First Federal Bank, Tecumseh Big Boy, Busch’s, Moonwalk Adventures, the Splash Universe mascots, the Lions Club and DJ, Rockin’ Ron.

Please accept heartfelt thanks for putting smiles on so many faces!

Shelley Lim
Parks and Recreation Director
City of Tecumseh