Archive - Jul 2011

The Heath family joined Tecumseh’s Eighth Annual Pet Parade on Saturday, July 23, dressed in 1950’s attire. Five-month-old Estelle Heath (left) was carried by her father Ryan Heath while Fred the Pomeranian (right) was carried by Brooke Caterina-Heath.

By DEANE ERTS

Tecumseh Community Memorial Pool was one of the main topics of discussion at Tecumseh School Board’s regular meeting Monday night. Many of the audience members were in attendance under the impression that the pool was financially supported by a quarter-mill levy and that the pool was slated to be closed, despite previous assurances from the trustees and administration that neither presumption was true.

The discussion concerning the pool began with the first public comment opportunity on the evening’s agenda. That public comment section is confined to agenda items only, and the pool was a topic that the board was to address on two action points, both relative to the continuing operation and maintenance of the facility.

Board President Ed Tritt encouraged the speakers, most of whom were longtime regular users of the pool, to get involved with the Committee for Advisement and Advancement of Responsible Education (CAARE), a citizens’ action group that is assisting school administrators in budgetary decisions.

“What I would recommend is that all of you who are concerned about the pool’s future join CAARE to help brainstorm what should be done with the money we get from the state next year,” said Tritt.

“There is no separate millage to support the pool,” trustee Stanley Ames told the audience. “Unfortunately, it is actually no longer a community pool, as it once was. It is owned and exclusively supported by the school, and every dollar that goes into it is a dollar that is taken from somewhere else.”

Pat Forsyth, a water aerobics instructor at the pool, had submitted a request to the board to speak on behalf of pool users. She said that the community members that she had spoken with had no qualms about paying more for their use of the pool.

“There are many non-school users who are seniors in their 60s, 70s, and 80s who would have no problem paying more to use the pool,” she said.

By DEB WUETHRICH

At a time when things are looking pretty dry, city officials don’t anticipate any problems with Tecumseh’s water supply.

“We’re very blessed with our water situation,” said Todd Amstutz, superintendent of the city’s Department of Public Utilities. “There are communities that would love to be able to pump hundreds of gallons a minute like we do.”

The city works hard, however, to stay on top of things, including compliance with many state and federal mandates regarding water and wastewater services. One of the things the city is currently engaged in is a Water Reliability study.

“This is something the state is requiring of us,” said Amstutz. “We did a study ourselves in 1995, but now there is a mandate to have one done by December 4, 2011. And they usually want an engineer’s stamp on it.”

The study, which is being done by Tetra Tech of Ann Arbor, and budgeted at approximately $18,000, will provide basic planning data to include the city’s current population and number of service connections and equivalent residential units. Such studies are designed to show that the city has sufficient water production and consumption data to identify trends including additional production and consumption data requirements.

“They will create a model and we will be able to plug in different scenarios, such as when we had a fire on Russell Road, and we can gauge which wells were on at the time,” explained Amstutz. “We can see what might happen if one of our wells is down. It will show deficiencies we may have throughout the town and will show, number one, if we have enough water; number two, do we need a new tower; and number three, where we should target capital improvement programs, such as looping streets to get rid of dead ends.”

The study also will include the creation of a colored chart that shows pressure zones and whether there are any deficiencies.

To the Editor,

Swimming at the Tecumseh Community Pool has become a big part of my children’s lives (which makes it a huge part of our family’s lives).

Our son was fortunate enough to have swim incorporated as part of his gym class for the last two years at the Tecumseh Middle School. After each session, he would tell stories about other children who had never had a swimming experience until that gym class. This astonishes me as a parent. Swimming is a life saving, life skill that I commend Tecumseh Middle School for offering in their gym program.

Our 10 year old daughter just finished her third session of Tigersharks at the Tecumseh Community Pool. She has finally found a sport/exercise that she loves and excels at. She has even made new friendships with swimmers from other schools. My husband and I have also seen our daughter’s self-esteem grow.

The Tecumseh Community Pool is an asset to our community and school.

Kathleen Linn
Tecumseh

To the Editor,

The 8th Annual Pet Parade was a “Fabulous 50’s” fun time for everyone! Pet owners and their pets… dogs, bunnies, guinea pigs, a snake and cats came dressed in their favorite 50’s theme attire…cat eye glasses, poodle skirts, white T’s and jeans, you name it… everyone had a fun time.

We’d like to extend a special thanks to Lucy, Larry VanAlstine, Jr.’s,  4 year old Bouvier for serving as Grand Marshal, to Shelley Lim for serving as the MC for the Pet Parade and to our three judges.

Special thanks to the Tecumseh Lion’s Club for their sponsorship and assistance during the parade. Thanks go to Red Mill Pet Supply, Bad Hair Day? and Companion Animal Clinic for donating prizes to be given to the winners. We appreciate their continued support of this special event.

Thanks to Martin’s for supplying water bowls for the pets and the Cemetery & Police Department for their assistance with the parade. Thanks to all who brought pet food to donate to local pets in need.

The Pet Parade is a fun event for all ages. Thanks to everyone who participated in this family friendly event!
 

Linda Hewlett
City of Tecumseh
Marketing Coordinator

Keith Allen Lama, 47, of Adrian passed away, Sunday, July 24, 2011, at Flower Hospital in Toledo. He was born Dec. 31, 1963, in Indianapolis, Ind., to Kenneth Richard and Judith Ellen (Vanderburg) Lama. On Feb. 15, 2003, he married Julie Christine Clelland and she survives.

Keith was employed with the Michigan Department of Corrections in Adrian. He was a member of the Freedom Christian Fellowship Church.

In addition to his wife, he is survived by his parents, Kenneth and Judith Lama of Onsted; seven children, Wyatt and Krista Clemons, Chelsea, Courtnie, Jeana, Alissa and Nathan Lama; and one brother, Christopher Lama of West Allis, Wisc.
He was preceded in death by his grandparents.

Visitation was held on Wednesday at the Adrian Chapel of the Anderson Funeral Home. Funeral services for Keith will be held on Thursday, July 28, 2011, at 11 a.m. at the Freedom Christian Fellowship Church with the Reverend Jerry Lacey officiating. Cremation will follow the service.

Condolences may be sent to the family at www.andersonfuneralhomeadriantecumseh.com.
During Keith’s illness, he required many blood transfusions which helped to keep him alive. The family wishes in his honor in lieu of flowers, friends and family donate a pint of blood to the American Red Cross Keith Lama Blood Drive, date and time will be determined within the next 30 days. The blood drive will take place at Anderson Funeral Home, Adrian. There will be a sign up sheet available at the funeral home during the visitation and funeral. A financial contribution may be made to the family to help offset funeral expenses. Envelopes are available at the Adrian Chapel of the Anderson Funeral Home.