8/29/00 - It's coming down. Not softly and quietly like autumn leaves, much needed rain, or even snow, but with bumps and thuds of trucks and equipment being maneuvered around and work crews throwing roofing material into dumpsters - the sounds of progress. The back-up beepers are drowning out the noise of the crickets and tree frogs. Demolition of the city public works building (some call it the city garage) on Samuel Street next to City Hall has begun. The building is considered to be "structurally unsound" and will be replaced with a 50' x 160' building. Details on the project will go to city residents in a newsletter included with their next utility bill.
Not many are around who remember when the building opened as a music hall in 1906. A few remember when it was used as a gym for the high school, and boys who wanted to practice basketball had to build a fire in the wood stove to warm the building first. Later it was used for high school Shop Classes, and for a while there was a section in the back where people brought their fruits and vegetables to "can" them in real cans rather than glass jars.
The demolition of the old building and construction of the new one is expected to cost $275,000. There are no plans to raise property taxes as the money will come from some of the city's reserve funds.
8/28/00 - Reunion season is ending but Ed and Ruth Kline hosted a get-together with his sisters, Frances, Clara, Evelyn (Sister Bernadette) and Gertrude, this past weekend on the family farm in the Palestine area. Rogene was unable to be there but she and Gertrude were best friends to my sister Irene and I when we were growing up. In those days schools closed for several days in the fall (like they do now for hunting season) so kids could make a little money picking potatoes. We always picked at Klines. We also enjoyed watching them make maple syrup in the spring and being members of a 4-H Coloring Club. But the best memory is of riding with them to Stephenson for Catechism classes at the Catholic church. The family had a pickup truck and Rogene was old enough to drive...with help. She would operate the steering wheel and the gas, clutch and brake pedals and Gertrude would do the shifting. I think Irene and I mostly prayed! We probably learned more about faith from the rides to and from classes than from the classes themselves.
8/26/00 - The Stephenson High School varsity football team started out the season right with a 44 - 9 win over Crivitz on Friday night.
8/22/00 - Who could resist an open invitation to spend a Saturday afternoon and evening on the banks of Hermansville Lake listening to hours of good country music. No good Yooper could say "No." This was the 7th annual Woodtick Festival many had never heard of before. That's because organizer Brian Whitens has been holding it in his garage and yard in Hermansville for six years and just decided to go public with it this year. And no, you didn't have to be wearing a woodtick to get in, or pay any admission, for that matter. The "Woodtick" in the title, Brian said, is the Yooper version of "Woodstock." The event was not widely publicized but there was a cameraman from the Marquette TV station there, and fans of the Whitens Brothers' Band and there families pretty well filled the park. Brian explained that the musicians in the five groups that performed all donated their time, since this was originally just an annual picnic and jam session. Local churches and other groups provided food and children's games. Because of the good public response there is serious talk of making it an annual event.
August Horrorscope:
8/19/00 -I've put it off as long as I can - Your Lucky Number has been disconnected, your Lucky Break will probably
be your arm, and the Good Fairy who watches over you has just been arrested. So...if you've survived this far you
must be doing a lot of things right!
8/17/00 - I don't know about the students, but the Stephenson Schools' administrative staff is prepared and excited about the start of the new school year next week. Their notes, provided to School Board Members at their meeting on the 15th, included comments like these: SHS Assistant Principal Rundle - "We are ready for the challenges of the new year. The fall sports have begun and we anticipate a banner year. The building looks great. Mr. Timblin and his staff are to be congratulated...the classrooms, hallways, locker rooms, offices and athletic venues literally shine." High School Principal Weismantel - "Most of our materials and supplies have arrived and are being distributed. Each day we see a couple of teachers coming in to begin their preparations and to check on details." And from Elementary Principal Snyder - "It took the better part of a day and a half to move my office across the hall. (I'll be in Mr. Massoni's former office and am excited about being out of the former supply closet and into a "real" office with a window and a/c!)."
New on the staff this year are Sharon Hoots as Special Ed Director/K-3 Elementary Principal; Tina Thanos, who will fill the Jr/Sr High mathematics teacher position vacated by Jennifer Meyer; JoAnn Falecki who was hired as the 8th grade girls' basketball coach; Holly Bayerl will fill the elementary school special education posistion formerly held by Cindy Raspor; and Judy Bright will fill the secretarial position vacated by Bonnie Phillips.
Jacqueline Dupler expressed the Board's confidence in the selection of new employees as very competent and qualified choices, giving a "good feeling that it will all work out." Superintendent Kalhoefer, speaking for the administrative staff added, "We are too."
8/15/00 - Some problems are fairly easy to correct, others get down and dirty. The Stephenson City Council heard , by mail and in person, from the County Library and businesses on South Railroad Street about problems with casino bus riders filling parking spaces, leaving little room for their customers. The council decided the best solution would be to limit parking in the area to two hours and work with the bus company to have them pick up passengers in the parking area south of the Menominee Street Bridge. They did. It worked.
Down and dirty is a bit more difficult. The complaint was that a young man's white clothes were turning brown when washed on certain days. When it would happen was unpredictable and he was asking for action and/or answers (other than to use bleach, which he said made it worse, or to wear dark colored tee-shirts, which didn't seem acceptable as he noted he was wearing a new white shirt).
He was told the city is aware of the problem but not sure of what is causing it. They will continue to look for an answer. The latest theory is that it may be because water in some areas of the city is now flowing in the oppsite direction from before the recent water system update. That could be causing barnacles that may have formed years ago to start breaking loose in the pipes and mess up the water supply. They will continue to work on it.
8/15/00 - Summer is almost over, at least for school students. In Stephenson they will start the new school year on August 23. It's also almost the end of the outdoor concert series season in Menominee. A group from Quito, Ecuador drew a large, appreciative crowd last Thursday, even though most came prepared with sweaters or jackets. This Thursday's event will feature the Community Jazz Ensemble, a popular group of local musicians, who will close the season. The concerts are sponsored by the City of Menominee & the Menominee Area Chamber of Commerce. If you like a variety of live music, pleasant surroundings and a place to meet friends the bandshell area at Marina Park will be the place to be at 7 pm Thursday.
8/12/00 - About 25 people attended the August 9th meeting of TRIAD, held at the Hermansville Senior Center this month. The group was formed in April of this year to work with local law enforcement agencies as "the eyes and ears of the community," and to implement projects to help the elderly
.Information on the Files of Life program, which provides medical history and medication details for responders to emergency calls, was presented at the first TRIAD meeting in April. The majority of those present ageed to make it their first project. At that time Sheriff Unger noted that funding and donation money was available to cover an order of 500 of the Files, which are posted on refrigerator doors, and instructed Tina Nast, TRIAD Coordinator, to place the order. At the June meeting the TRIAD Advisory Council report emphasized that "This is not about fund raising. This is about cooperating with law enforcement." Funds were to be solicited "...as needed, for TRIAD projects. This is not about food baskets for the poor."
Each of the monthly TRIAD meetings has included a scam update. Seniors are constantly warned not to give money or information to anyone, even if it sounds like a "good cause" without asking for written details on how and where the money will be spent. But TRIAD apparently plans to began soliciting money for the Files of Life project even though there are funds already available to cover at least 500 people. Now, at four months into the program the goal (unofficially - there have been no motions or votes) is to provide every household in the County with the service and "that will cost money."
But there are still no committees to study, organize and implement the program. Will it be for seniors only or for everyone? Who will distribute the Files and give information on their use? Where? When? To be effective and safe the medical information must be kept current. Who will be responsible for that and how will it be handled? At this point questions are still being answered with "Those are things we are going to talk about," or "It will take a while to get all this organized." The only certainty seems to be the need for money...maybe put up canisters at the Senior Centers or wherever participants will register (hint, hint). There was assurance, however, that there would be no asking for personal donations or going door-to-door. They will only be contacting businesses. Who will do that or when is not clear, but implications are that it will start soon.
Verbal information provided on the Files of Life indicates that it is a legitimate, good, even life-saving, program and the Senior Center staff members seem knowledgeable and willing to help. But if it is going to be a TRIAD program there will have to be a lot better organization before it can be implemented, unless the Senior Centers take on the bulk of the responsibility. Part of the problem is that there are new and different people at every meeting. They are not aware of the statements and decisions made at earlier meetings, and policies and priorities change from month to month.
Sheriff Unger closed the meeting with a report on the financial status of the County Sheriff's Department. Unger, who lives on the north end of the county and has been actively involved in the letter writing, name calling, in-fighting going on in various county departments in recent months, used the opportunity to give his version of the facts regardless of "what the connivers down there are saying."
The next TRIAD meeting is scheduled for September l3th at the Menominee Senior Center.
If you have any comments or suggestions, please take a minute to write H. Barb Upton.
Main Page.