By DEB WUETHRICH

Tecumseh lost a good physician/surgeon, friend and colleague with the passing last Wednesday of Bienvenido G. Buenaflor, M.D., 72. He had leukemia.

Dr. B, as he was known, was born in the Philippines and came to the United States in 1962. He and his wife, Filomena, arrived in Tecumseh in 1971 to work at Herrick Medical Center. Dr. Buenaflor had a general medical and general surgical practice until he retired in July, 2007. He was a pioneer in laparoscopic surgery, which involved making tiny incisions to remove organs such as a gall bladder or appendix, which shortened hospital stays for patients.

“He was a positive force in the quality of medical care that the people in this town got,” said Dr. Carlton Cook, a long time friend and associate, who added that he was also very ethical and innovative. “He forged new opportunities to serve people better, mainly by laparoscopic surgery,” said Dr. Cook.

“He had exceptional hands,” said Dr. Gordon Guild, who served as his personal physician as well as friend and colleague. Dr. Guild wrote a tribute he entitled, “Gifted Hands,” and delivered it as a eulogy during Dr. Buenaflor’s funeral on Sunday. “He was instrumental in the utilization of laparoscopic surgery in southeast Michigan and had remarkable manipulation of the scope.”

Dr. Guild also said that for more than 35 years, Dr. Buenaflor provided exceptional medical coverage for the community and was loved by all the staff as well as his patients.

“He was always kind, respectful and liked by the nurses, and I never heard him get upset. He was just a fine physician and surgeon and always humble, never looking for accolades,” he said.

Registered Nurse Barb Irelan worked with Dr. Buenaflor many years, starting with his 1971 arrival at Herrick Medical Center.

By DEB WUETHRICH

In what Tecumseh City Manager Kevin Welch described as a “long awaited process,” Tecumseh City Council members approved the selection of Stante Excavating from Wixom, for infrastructure work at the Tecumseh Business and Technology campus. The construction contract is not to exceed $1,824,737.37. Welch said the company was the lowest qualified bidder of 25 bids submitted for the project.

The construction contract includes preparing roadways and infrastructure to include utilities and street lighting for a portion of the campus in order to make it more inviting for companies to locate or relocate in the city. Individual electrical hook-ups to sites would take place later through Consumers Energy, however, since there could be specific requirements involved.

The city expects to be reimbursed by the Economic Development Authority for 50 percent of the project since receiving a grant designated for preparing the site. Welch said the company would be ready to begin work soon.

“We’ll probably have a mid-winter groundbreaking as soon as we can schedule a date for it,” Welch said. “We’re excited to get going on this.”

The city also approved that a legal services contract with Joel Piell of Miller Canfield be increased by $2,500, with fees to be deducted from sale of ARRA (American Recovery and Reinvestment Act) bonds, and authorized the hiring of Robert W. Baird and Company of Traverse City for financial services needed to sell the ARRA Bonds for the Tecumseh Business and Technology Campus at a fee of $23,100. Welch said selling bonds at the municipal level is “not for the faint of heart,” and said the city needs experts to help negotiate the sale.

In other business, the council members:

By CRISTINA TRAPANI-SCOTT

CLINTON — Clinton Township fire fighters were called to a Pennington Road house fire Friday, Jan. 15, at 1:11 a.m.

The house at 4087 Pennington Road remains standing, but the roof is mostly gone, according to Clinton Fire Chief Dennis Keezer. The home belongs to Ed and Beth Yeary and the couple was home at the time of the fire but escaped without injury.

“The fire started somewhere between the bedroom and the living room in the wall,” Keezer said.

The couple reportedly went to bed around midnight and woke up to the sound of the fire, but no detector had gone off, yet. By the time the fire fighters arrived, 10 minutes after the initial call, the flames were coming through the roof.

Clinton fire fighters were assisted by Ridgeway and Raisin Township departments as well as Sand Lake, Manchester, Madison and Chelsea. Keezer said that 11 tankers were used. The fire was under control after about an hour and Keezer called it out at 3:19 a.m.

There is yet no word as to what caused the fire. Keezer said it started in the area of a wood burning stove, but “nothing says that that was the cause at this time,” he said.

The couple was able to get some belongings out before the fire spread. Keezer couldn’t say whether or not the home could be repaired.

By CRISTINA TRAPANI-SCOTT

When the award-winning Tecumseh Dance Theatre Company takes the stage at the Tecumseh Center for the Arts Saturday, Jan. 23, for its performance of Chiaroscuro, the pull of darkness and light will become a rhythmic expression of movement. While the program showcases the strength and grace of the dancers who study at the Tecumseh Dance Workshop, the show is anything but a typical recital.

“Every year we try to do something different, to have some central title genre to fall into,” said Deena Bryan, executive director of Tecumseh Dance Theatre Company. “This year we wanted to explore all aspects of good versus evil, light versus dark, happy versus sad.”

In doing that, Chiaroscuro will balance light, playful dances that represent good with heavier dances that represent evil.

“We try, as a company, to get away from two-minute recitals and dances to productions where we have a theme. We are doing longer dances, mini ballets, but it’s not only a ballet company. They do all styles of dance. We are gearing it more toward dance productions that have story lines,” Bryan said, adding that this year’s concept really encourages the dancers to explore the emotions through movement.

While the pieces are connected to the theme, they stand alone as well. Each teacher, including Bryan, Helene Knierim, Annamia Rumley, Joe Briggs and Rhea Kupisz as well as guest choreographer Anna McGarry of the University of Michigan School of Dance have all choreographed pieces for the performance.

By DEB WUETHRICH

 Tecumseh Chief Financial Officer Bill Wright shared news Monday night from the day’s State Consensus Revenue Estimating Conference in Lansing, stating that, “The good news for now, I think, is the projected formula cut of $268 per student for next year.” Wright said given the fact that projections for next year had been as high as $600-$900 for the cuts, figures provided by state representatives and other groups, that figure was not as bad as it might have been.

A cut in the per pupil school foundation allowance of  $165 made earlier this school year remains in place, however the $127 per student cut announced later has been reinstated to the formula. Wright said that now makes Tecumseh Public School’s Foundation Allowance $7,151 per student, down from $7,316 last year.

“For the rest of this year, the ending balance [in the School Aid Fund] is projected to be a positive $53 million, which is good news,” Wright said. “However, to get to that point, the state had to use $424 million in ARRA funds. As the state moves forward, they have to plug that hole back in.” He said looking at 2010-2011, the “best news” is that the State Aid Fund is beginning to stabilize. “However, there’s not as much available in federal stimulus dollars,” he said, adding that the state is projecting to use $184 million in ARRA funds next year.  

Because funding is still relatively unstable, Wright said schools are moving cautiously as they work on amending current year budgets and prepare for next year. He said that Tecumseh Public Schools likely would budget for approximately $300 in cuts per student, even with the $268 cut announcement.

“Are we out of the woods yet?” Wright asked. “I wouldn’t say that — we’ll have to wait a few months to see, but we’re seeing some relief and that, to me, is good news.”

By DEB WUETHRICH

Members of Community Arts of Tecumseh (CAT) hope that individuals living and working in and around the city will visit Evans Street Station for lunch on Thursday, Jan. 21, from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. to take part in an Empty Bowls event.

CAT will sponsor one of three county Empty Bowls events, with proceeds going to support the Salvation Army Soup Kitchen. Patrons at an Empty Bowls event select a bowl made by art and design students and pay $10, $15, or $20 for the bowl, depending on size and design, and then have it filled with soup made at Evans Street Station.
“I think there have been about 200 bowls made up of different sizes for the event,” said Martha Poppink-Melcher, who is serving as a CAT coordinator along with local artist Jean Lash. “Some of them were made by Pi Benio’s Adrian College art and design students, and some by Tecumseh High School Art teacher Ron Frenzen and his students as well,” she said.

John Hartom, who once worked as an art teacher in Adrian and now teaches in Bloomington Hills, started the Empty Bowls project as a charitable way to make a personal difference toward feeding the hungry. The program then expanded to include nationwide events.

“It’s not meant to be a big lunch, but a simple meal to acknowledge that there are a lot of hungry people in the world, and to provide a way to help feed others,” said Poppink-Melcher. Busch’s will supply bread to accompany the meal and a beverage also will be included, she said.

“We’re hoping that a lot of people who work downtown — and others — will come to share lunch and enjoy each other’s company for a good cause,” said Poppink-Melcher.