2023 Year In Review

January
• Tecumseh’s City Council approved a ballot proposal to revise the city charter, with 41 recommendations to the charter offered by City Clerk Tonya Miller and city attorney Fred Lucas. Voters were to decide on that revision in November as well as deciding whether to elect members of a city charter commission.

• The Tecumseh Area Historical Museum was chosen to receive a $45,000 grant from the Michigan Arts & Culture Council to help complete a project of installing an accessible ramp and new front steps at the museum.

• Tecumseh’s 14th Annual Ice Sculpture Festival took place January 21-22 with 52 sculptures and a variety of activities.

• Tecumseh Public Schools Superintendent Rick Hilderley signed a letter of intent to sell the former administration building to housing developer LRC Commercial of Michigan, and the school board approved a new dress code for students. New board members Joshua Mattison and Jacob Martinez were sworn in for four-year terms.

• Tecumseh City Council approved a proposal to add another role for Police Chief Brett Coker, that of assistant city manager. The assistant position was last held in 1992.

• Tecumseh City Council moved forward with plans to seek improvements to Cal Zorn Park, approving a land survey in order to be eligible to apply for a Michigan Natural Resources Trust Fund Grant.

• The TPS school board approved a new boiler for Tecumseh Community Pool but faced an additional $600,000 or more additional repairs to the pool.

February
• A British film production company sought leads on the whereabouts of Erb Avore, formerly known as Chad Erb, who graduated from Tecumseh High School in 1990. The company was in the process of making a 90-minute feature documentary titled “Stiff Nights,” on Avore’s involvement in a company that sold herbal supplements for erectile dysfunction.

• DJW Development, owned by Dove Waynick and his son, Dreyson, proposed a 16-unit luxury apartment complex in Raisin Township on 3.53 acres off Rogers Highway between East Russell Road and Comfort Road.

• The Clinton location of Schmidt and Sons Pharmacy was set to close at the beginning of February, according to a press release from owner Harvey Schmidt.

• Tecumseh Center for the Arts Director Kelly Jo Gilmore was appointed as Tecumseh’s next Economic Development Director. It was announced that Gilmore would cover both positions for three to four months, or until her replacement at the TCA could be found.

• Dundee resident Sean Dennis was hired as the new president and CEO of the Greater Lenawee Chamber of Commerce after working for several years in the private sector.

• Tecumseh City Council approved a six-year capital improvement plan with a cost of $2,472,917 for the fiscal year of July 1, 2023, to June 20, 2024. The plan featured 33 budget items including a city hall landscape design for $50,000, awning replacement for city hall, rear police department doors for $15,000, equipment and repairs for the fire department, and more.

• The Tecumseh Alumni Association made plans to honor three Tecumseh High School alumni including Dr. David Jadwin, Dr. James Sisson, and local pharmacist Harvey Schmidt, whose names were to be added to the “Wall of Fame” at the high school.

• Businessman Patrick Farver was named as the new executive director at Lenawee Now, taking the reins from former executive director Jim Van Doren, who left the organization after being elected to the Lenawee County Commission.

March
• A school board meeting at Tecumseh High School brought out more than a dozen teachers, students, parents and others to speak against possible cuts in the district, including eliminating co-teaching in music classes. The board was seeking ways to free up funds for repairs to the district’s aging buildings.

• An ice storm throughout the region caused power outages, blocked streets, and damaged properties in Tecumseh and the surrounding area, bringing extra work to city and utilities crews as well as tree removal companies.

• The Tecumseh Police Department’s annual report by Chief Brett Coker revealed that the city’s crime rate was low in 2022, with a one in 1,091 chance of Tecumseh’s residents becoming a victim of a violent crime. That number was compared to a one in 202 chance in Michigan and a one in 147 chance in Adrian.

• An attempt by new Lenawee County Commission Chair Jim Van Doren and Commissioner Kevon Martis to invalidate the contract of Lenawee County Administrator Kim Murphy failed after the county’s corporate legal council found that her contract, which was confirmed in 2022 and ratified in September, was valid. Van Doren had suggested that the contract was not in conformity with Public Act 156 and wanted it to be renegotiated.

• Tecumseh City Council approved Scot Long as Emergency Services Chief, to take over the role from current Chief Joe Tuckey, who was set to retire in the summer. Long was to become Deputy Chief until that time.

• The topic of budget cuts was prominent at the Tecumseh Public Schools board meeting, and several teachers and community members spoke to express their opposition to the option of closing Herrick Park Intermediate Learning Center to help solve financial issues.  

• A project by Tecumseh High School junior Mackenzie Guenther showcased photos she developed and printed from rolls of black and white film taken by Pete Higgins in the 1950s during the Korean War. Dan Higgins, her foster grandfather and the son of Pete Higgins, had shared the film with her.

• Tecumseh’s social district was expanded to include new boundaries east on Chicago Boulevard and south on Pottawatamie Street. The social district allows patrons of a restaurant or tavern to carry alcoholic drinks in specially marked containers in a common outdoor area.

• A special three-hour school board meeting addressed updated budget options for Tecumseh Public Schools, after several members of the public spoke in opposition of the possible closure of Herrick Park Intermediate Learning Center.

• Plans to celebrate Tecumseh’s bicentennial in July 2024 were announced, including a parade, tours of Indian Crossing Trails Park, Brookside Cemetery, and historical homes, fireworks, and other relevant activities.

April
• Businessman, industrialist, and philanthropist Ray Herrick was remembered 50 years after his death. Herrick built Tecumseh institutions, including Tecumseh Products and Herrick Hospital, and his commitment to helping others had an impact on scores of other communities, colleges, universities, hospitals, and research laboratories.

• The Lenawee County Commission vowed to fix audio issues that made it difficult for attendees and online viewers to hear what was being discussed at commission and committee meetings. The cost of improvements was projected to cost $67,380.

• Eighteen-year-old Faith Rhodes, a Tecumseh resident and 2022 graduate of Tecumseh High School, told her story about the experience of a lifetime when she was chosen in September 2022 to travel to Las Vegas for an in-person audition for the television show “American Idol.”

• Ann Arbor police veteran Noel Scott was hired as the new liaison officer for Clinton Community Schools.

• Tecumseh’s Downtown Development Authority accepted a bid from Underwood Nursery to landscape the boundary of the vacant lot on the northeast corner of Evans and Logan streets used for parking. The project would include edging, plantings, crushed stone, and pavers in areas where pedestrians would cross the planted areas.

• The Lenawee Community Foundation honored local attorney Charles Gross with the Lenawee Leadership Award and Tecumseh City Councilmember Austin See with the Incito Award, while choosing Adrian businessman Harry “Dusty” Steele with the Stubnitz Award. All were chosen for their commitment and efforts toward making their community a better place to live and work.

• Tecumseh City Council accepted a proposed 2023-24 budget that included a 5% wage increase for city employees to keep up with wage increases in the larger economy, according to City Manager Dan Swallow. It also showed a 12% increase in health insurance premiums and a 5% increase in current taxes due to the increase in property tax values.

• The Tecumseh board of education approved project costs for Tecumseh High School and acquiring engineered drawings to replace the middle school boiler as well as discussing increased security in the school buildings in the form of personnel.

• Heather Marks opened the doors of Three Bridges Boutique in downtown Tecumseh, in the building that formerly held Hopscotch Kids. The store offers unique housewares and gifts.

May
• Construction began on a solar farm off Bent Oak Highway in Adrian Township, one that was expected to hold 71,928 solar panels estimated to power 4,000 homes with renewable energy.

• A woman’s body was found in the 400 block of South Maumee Street on the morning of May 2. It appeared that the subject, a white female approximately 40 to 50 years old, had been in the location for a period of weeks.

• Tecumseh City Council approved an ordinance to allow golf carts to be driven on city streets with some restrictions, including a speed limit of 15 miles per hour and limiting the carts to streets that have speed limits not exceeding 35 miles per hour.

• Robert Loudermilk, owner of four JR’s restaurants in Lenawee and Washtenaw counties, began operation of JR’s Quick-Stop gas station and convenience store at 805 W. Chicago Blvd. The former Perky Pantry location had been shuttered for two years before Loudermilk worked with Lenawee Fuels to open the new branch of his business.

• The Personnel/Ways and Means Committee of the Lenawee County Commission voted to order a forensic audit of the economic development agency Lenawee Now after questions regarding the agency’s financial documents were not answered completely. Lenawee Now sought to renew a $150,000 per year contract with the county after a lapse following a June 2022 decision by the commissioners to halt the contract.

• Amy Slupe was hired as the new director of the Tecumseh Center for the Arts, bringing decades of experience to the position. Slupe’s theatre resume includes roles on the Croswell stage and at the TCA, at the Westgate Dinner Theater in Toledo, at Dollywood, and in a national tour as Dorothy in “The Wizard of Oz” among many other roles.  

• The Lenawee County Medical Examiner’s Office identified the body found in Tecumseh May 2 as Melissa Gilbert, 51, of Lenawee County. The cause of death was unknown, but foul play was not suspected.

• Neighbors of Hope announced that Tecumseh’s women and children’s shelter would close as of June 1, after the economic impact of the pandemic and rising inflation created an unsustainable financial situation for the nonprofit.

• Deerfield resident Yohanna Dunham Stringer, 55, was killed in an automobile crash on Occidental Highway south of Gady Road on May 17 and her husband, Ronald Dean Stringer, was seriously injured. Willis Eugene Lofton, the driver of the 2014 Ford F-150 pickup truck that crossed the center line and struck the Stringer’s vehicle, also sustained serious injuries.  

June
• Construction began on the site of the new Arby’s restaurant on the corner of North Occidental Road and West Chicago Boulevard. Completion was expected sometime in mid-August.

• Tecumseh police officers and utilities workers were to get a 5% pay boost effective July 1 after city council approved the increases at their regular meeting.

• A concert by Tecumseh alumnus Tim Ries and friends capped off a grand opening of the Tecumseh High School Sculpture Garden, which opened following the completion of a tiered seating area.

• A motion by Commissioner Dustin Krasny to accept a proposed Lenawee Now contract for $150,000 failed after other Lenawee County Commissioners pointed out that Lenawee Now’s executive director, Patrick Farver, had agreed to a forensic audit before the commission would consider the contract.

• Tecumseh Fire Chief Joe Tuckey announced his retirement, effective June 30, after 37 years on the city’s fire department.

• Nicholas Williams presented his plan to start a steel tubing company at the former Tecumseh Products property, which he planned to purchase, in a meeting of the Lenawee County Commission. Williams said he needed to seal the deal within four to eight weeks to meet manufacturing deadlines, but an appraisal of the property had not yet been completed.

• The Maurice and Dorothy Stubnitz Foundation awarded the City of Tecumseh Parks and Recreation Department a $10,000 grant for the proposed trailhead development at Cal Zorn Park.

• Tecumseh Acres kindergarten teacher Lindsey Saxton and her class of 22 students published a children’s book titled “If You Give a Bear a Book” after completing a study of children’s book author Laura Numeroff.

• The City of Tecumseh considered a revitalization plan of Elliott Park that would include a new building to replace the Scout Cabin, a new playground, and a parking lot. Parks and Recreation Director Sarah Gilmore said a grant from the Michigan Economic Development Corporation, if received, would cover 50% of the project.

• The canopy walk at Hidden Lake Gardens opened to the public, giving visitors a treetop view of the natural beauty of the arboretum.

• A budget workshop by the school board revealed that Tecumseh Public Schools was in danger of seeing a $6 million deficit in the 2024-25 school year, partly because of the loss of state funds and partly due to repairs needed on the aging buildings.

• Lenawee Now’s board of directors announced they would not cooperate with a forensic audit requested by the Lenawee County Commission despite the fact that Executive Director Pat Farver agreed to the audit, risking the forfeiture of a contract with the county.

July
• John and Erika Aylward, owners of The Boulevard Market, added a new option to the specialty food store when they installed café tables and chairs in front of the store and created a new pick-up menu of items.

• A purchase agreement was signed between ProMedica and 500 E. Pottawatamie Street LLC for the former Herrick Hospital building. The LLC had a goal of creating behavioral health solutions center with community-based mental health and substance abuse disorder services.

• After being closed for renovations, Lev’s Bakery reopened with a new look inside and out, as well as new menu items. Owners Jason and Martha Miller vowed to keep the old favorites on the menu as well as add choices for their customers.

• Tecumseh’s Summer Beach Party returned with six large sand sculptures created by Ice Creations of Napoleon, Ohio and a variety of family-friendly activities.

• Doug Shotsky began his role as pastor of NewSong Community Church, taking over the reins from retiring pastor Tom Hawkins.

• The former Tecumseh Public Schools administration building was sold after several years of efforts to find a new owner for the property. LRC Commercial of Michigan planned to renovate the former school building and create dozens of one- to two-bedroom units.

• An environmental review cleared the Hayden-Ford Mill Building with recommendations for resolving an issue with a small area of the basement floor so the City of Tecumseh could move forward to a goal to sell the property. A prior purchase agreement with Old Mill Holdings reached in August 2021 was extended to 2022, but expired when the company had concerns about the cost of rehabilitating the building.

August
• Tecumseh Products continued cleanup efforts at the former Products property, installing an injection/extraction system and monitoring equipment to meet environmental requirements and planning to remove debris left from demolition of structures on the property in recent years.

• The Tecumseh Center for the Arts Music Fest featured a slate of performers and the added benefit of the TCAs newly opened Music Park.

• A group calling itself “Election Integrity Force” targeted local municipalities with Freedom of Information Act requests for voter information, putting pressure on local boards to provide data from election poll books and the qualified voter file. The group had ties to the election denier group “Michigan Fair Elections.”

• Gregg Hardy, brother of Dee Warner, who has been missing since April 2021, was dealing with the aftermath of a fire at his dairy farm that destroyed an office complex and maternity barn and killed dozens of cattle.

• The media center at Tecumseh High School was revamped, with 25% of the books discarded or donated and new uses planned for the space.

• The possibility of security personnel carrying guns was discussed at the Tecumseh Public Schools board meeting as the board considered safety issues in the district.

• Superintendent Rick Hilderley announced that he would retire from Tecumseh Public Schools at the end of the school year after five years in that role and having started his teaching career in the district in 1988.

• A tractor poker run brought the owners of 276 tractors with 101 riders together to raise $44,000 for ALS of Michigan, an organization that provides services to individuals with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis and their families.

• A $34.8 million project at Clinton Community Scools showed visible progress with an addition to the preschool and the construction of a new high school addition. The entire project, which is to include additions and changes to the elementary school, has a spring 2025 projected completion date.

• Tecumseh Public Schools confirmed that Facilities Director Tom Hawkins and Technology Director Deven Knight had been dismissed just days before the start of the new school year. Hawkins and Knight disputed the reasons for their dismissal.

• Retired Tecumseh police officer Gaylord Long reconnected with Sally (Scott) Greenham, whom he had a hand in saving when she was just three years old and stopped breathing as her parents were driving her to Herrick Hospital.

• Cambrian Senior Living resident Nina Barber celebrated her 100th birthday. She told of being struck by lightning as a child and other details of her long life.

September
• Accountant Chris Masters shared his experience as a participant in the West Virginia Spartan Beast course, which included running 14.6 miles, conquering 32 obstacles, and conquering an elevation gain of 3,077 feet.

• An automobile crash in Macon Township claimed the lives of four men on September 4 when a Ford F-250 traveling east on Milwaukee Road struck a Ford F-150 traveling south on Britton Highway. All four occupants of the F-150 lost their lives and the driver of the other vehicle sustained life-threatening injuries.

• Local filmmakers and father and son team Alan and Shaun Maki premiered their film, “Fly Old Bird” at the Tecumseh Center for the Arts on September 9.

• Four candidates announced their bids for Tecumseh City Council seats. Up for re-election were incumbents Gary Naugle, Vicki Riddle, and Austin See, with challenger Bill Swift vying for a spot on council.

• Sisters Ela Dineen and Silvia Frey planned to open The Matthews House, a home furnishings and décor store, at 127 E. Chicago Blvd. between Pentamere Winery and J-Bar Hobbies.

• Superintendent Rick Hilderley announced that a director of operations position had been created for Tecumseh Public Schools and interviews were being scheduled. The director would oversee the departments of maintenance, custodial, technology, and transportation, as well as Tecumseh Community Pool operations.

• The Lenawee County Road Commission planned to initiate a traffic study at the intersection of Britton Highway and Milwaukee Road, the site of a traffic crash that claimed four lives in September.

• Tecumseh Community Pool was closed after the Tecumseh Public Schools Board of Education considered a report by the engineering firm SME, which stated that the roof had structural issues.

October
• The Tecumseh school board discussed major cuts to expenditures based on a five-year projection by Business Services Director Kelli Glenn with assumptions of rising future costs. On the list of possibilities was the closing of Herrick Park and Patterson Intermediate Learning Centers.

• The Kapnick family, which had owned Raisin Valley Golf Club since 1977, sold the course to Rex Crist, who had also recently purchased Wolf Creek Golf Club. Crist owns 30 Lightning Quick convenience stores. The sale was to be finalized November 1.

• The year’s winner of the Musgrove Evans Award was none other than Dan Meikle, the driving force behind the rehabilitation of several of Tecumseh’s oldest downtown buildings and an altruistic community volunteer.

• Owner Bill Leisenring announced the opening of Tecumseh Commons, a business center in the space formerly occupied by the Sports Hut.

• A new event at Hidden Lake Gardens called “Hog Warts and Toad Bellies Festival” brought a Renaissance Festival atmosphere to the Tipton arboretum, with a knight’s adventure, a fairy tale picnic, scavenger hunt, storytelling, a roaming pocket faerie, and musical performances.

• A crowd packed a Raisin Township Planning Commission hearing on a proposed gravel pit off South Occidental Highway, with some 100 residents expressing their opposition to the plan.

• Attendance soared at Hidden Lake Gardens following the opening of the Reach for the Sky Canopy Walk, bringing in many new visitors and increasing the amount of people who purchased memberships to the arboretum.

• Representatives from Tecumseh Public Schools’ board and administration shared details to help the public understand reasons for the possible closing of the Herrick Park and Patterson buildings, as well as the proposal to borrow $10 million to enable capital improvements.

• A bus-pedestrian accident claimed the life of a 59-year-old Clinton Township man early in the morning of October 17. The man, who was wearing dark clothing during the pre-dawn hour, was standing in the middle of the roadway when he was struck by the bus.

• A crowd of teachers and community members filled the Tecumseh High School Media Center during a board meeting to protest the board’s options of ways to cut the district’s budget, including the possibility of closing two school buildings.

• Eric Mulka opened King & Cross Tattoo at 740 Mill Hwy., and his partner, Alexa Daluz, showcased her mural and large wall painting business.

November
• Jerry’s Market was sold to Ken Heers and Justin Dalenberg, owners of Manchester Market in Manchester and Doll n’ Burgers in Tecumseh and Jackson. The new owners planned to retain customer favorites and enhance the store’s offerings with meat, baked goods, and other items from their Manchester facility.

• Engineers Richard Cox and Greg Donofrio shared plans to purchase the historic Hayden-Ford Mill Building, perform extensive renovations, and open a banquet facility in the building.

• A community forum to give residents a chance to share their ideas and solutions for Tecumseh Public Schools’ budget woes brought plenty of questions from those in attendance, but few alternate plans.

• Local pharmacist Sam Schmidt, 48, competed in the New York city Marathon following encouragement from a friend. He was 1,207 in his age group, a field of 3,504 runners.

• Voters chose to retain the incumbent Tecumseh City Council members, re-electing councilmembers Vicki Riddle, Gary Naugle, and Austin See. The also approved a proposal for a city charter revision, elected three members of the charter commission, and approved the Tecumseh Public Schools operating millage renewal.

• Taylor Farms Country Store opened on the farm of Rod and Michelle Taylor at 5224 Exelby Hwy., just a mile from the center of Britton. The store offered local, farm-raised meat and eggs, homemade soups, stews, entrees, breads and desserts, locally grown produce, and more.

• Tecumseh Tavern was set to open in the building that once held Tecumseh Camera Shop, bringing a British pub atmosphere to downtown Tecumseh. Owner Bill Leisenring and his son, Jack, detailed their plans for a high-quality experience for customers, with a variety of menu items and a full bar with beer, alcohol, and wine.

• Superintendent Rick Hilderley responded to concerns regarding the loss of students through School of Choice, stating that the district would form an advisory council to brainstorm how they can combat the issue.

• Results of staff and community surveys and board member input narrowed four Tecumseh Public Schools’ reconfiguration options down to two. Remaining were Plan 3, which would have Young 5s through third grade at Sutton and Tecumseh Acres, with grades four through eight at the middle school and nine through 12 at the high school; and Plan 4, with Young 5s through first grade at Sutton, grades two and three at Tecumseh Acres, grades four through eight at the middle school, and grades nine through 12 at the high school.

• The second phase of Newburg Meadows’ modular home park was projected to open in April 2024 with more than 60 new manufactured homes, including many along Red Mill Pond.

• The Tecumseh school board meeting once again had a full house of teachers and community members opposing the possible closure of two school buildings to address the district’s financial issues. Four plans were suggested by Superintendent Rick Hilderley, and each plan included closing Herrick Park and Patterson Intermediate Learning Centers.

• Santa’s helper David Lupone shared his experiences assisting the jolly old elf by visiting with children in Tecumseh.

December
• A mistake on a winter tax form in August 2022 was discovered by some Britton Deerfield school district residents when they opened their winter 2023 tax bills and found that their school millage amount had been doubled to make up for millage taxes not requested by the district in 2022. Although Superintendent Stacy Johnson claimed she was not responsible for the error and expressed concern that residents were not informed of the mistake, it was discovered that Johnson knew of the error in January 2023 and the district applied for a $328,860 loan from the state treasury in April to make up for the missing funds.

• Tecumseh City Council voted to turn down an amendment to its zoning ordinance to allow property owners to use fabric as privacy screens along their fences.

• Tecumseh Community Pool reopened after SME, the company that said the roof was unsafe in early fall, re-evaluated the ceiling and determined that the structure was safe and able to be utilized.

• Tom Hawkins was honored with a retirement soiree to celebrate his 19-year stint as pastor of NewSong Community Church.

• Tecumseh City Council approved the purchase agreement of $100,000 for the Hayden Ford Mill Building, paving the way for Greg Donofrio and Richard Cox to renovate the structure and turn it into a banquet facility.

• Tecumseh City Council discussed a proposal from Stevens Disposals that would include an automated pickup service and would require city residents to use 96-gallon trash and recycling totes.

• The Tecumseh Schools Board of Education voted to close Herrick Park and Patterson Intermediate Learning Centers at the end of the 2023-24 school year, choosing budget-cutting plans to have students in Young 5s through third grade at Sutton and Tecumseh Acres, grades four through eight at Tecumseh Middle School, and grades nine through 12 at the high school. The plan is estimated to reduce the budget by $1,849,698, keep the fund balance at 12%, and includes a reduction of 11-13 staff members. Tecumseh Education Association President Joey Chase warned the board that 34% of the staff would consider seeking employment elsewhere if the changes were made.

• Tecumseh’s Merry & Bright Contest first place winner was 8853 Hawthorne Dr., the residence of David and Scheryl Staten. Second place went to 1901 Wind Dancer Trail, and third place to 3172 Cobblestone Ridge.

• The Britton Deerfield Schools millage tax mistake saga continued, with County Commission Chair Jim Van Doren stating that the error was Superintendent Stacy Johnson’s responsibility and County Administrator Kim Murphy standing behind Equalization Director Marchelle DeLong, stating that the department followed all the necessary protocols.

• A group of Tecumseh residents asked Tecumseh City Council to come up with a trash plan that would fit their living quarters, as the proposed change to 96-gallon totes from Stevens Disposal and the city requirement to have the totes out of sight were not possible given the housing setup for their community at The Clusters.

• Britton Deerfield taxpayers packed the December school board meeting to hear the board’s response to a school millage tax error that had some residents paying double school millage winter taxes for 2023 to make up for taxes not drawn last year. Some public members who spoke supported the board and Superintendent Stacy Johnson, but others pointed out discrepancies in the explanations for why the community was not informed almost a year ago when the superintendent was told of the error.

• A third-grade girl and a retired teacher met to compare the Pablo Picasso-inspired placemat she drew in the spring with the hooked rug he created based on her design.

• Fifteen-year-old Tatiana Urena Rojas of Costa Rica was staying with Josh Roth and Lora Kasik of Musgrove + Company for the holidays, strengthening the connection between the coffee shop owners and her family, which owns the specialty coffee farm where Musgrove gets its beans.