by Justin Gibson | Jun 10, 2018 | Schoolcraft, Sports
By Sue Moore
Wyatt Adams, who wrestled at 140 lbs. for Schoolcraft’s team in 2018, will take his talents to Adrian College for the 2018-2019 season on an academic scholarship for the Division III team.
He has been involved in wrestling from middle school to his senior year after coming from Petoskey several years ago when his family was transferred to this area. Adams was injured toward the end of his junior year but his record at Schoolcraft was good enough to get him an invitation to visit Adrian and take his talents to the next level.
His Schoolcraft wrestling coach, Rob Ling, praised Adams as a good tactician and mat smart. “He likes going one on one with the other guy. He feels it builds character and accountability.” Adams has achieved a 4.0 GPA while working at Subway for two years and this summer is stocking shelves at B&G on US 131. He plans to major in accounting with a minor in pre-law and feels he is good in math. His parents are John and Michelle Adams.
by Justin Gibson | Jun 10, 2018 | Government, Schoolcraft
By Travis Smola
“I can assure you that 35 miles per hour is not the speed limit that is abided by.”
Those were the words of Sloan Samulski as she addressed the Schoolcraft village Council at its May meeting. Samulski asked for time to address the Council because she and her husband have recently purchased a property on Grand Street.
One of her primary concerns is the line of grass on the opposite side of the sidewalk and its proximity to fast-moving traffic along the 131 corridor. She said it creates a real safety concern when they have to mow that strip of grass and get close to the road with fast-moving vehicles. The trucks in particular are what concerns Samulski.
“I don’t even know if it would be a big issue if it were regular car traffic,” she said. Samulski says they knew what they were in for with the traffic when they bought the house, but she’s also noticed excessive rattling and dust coming from her basement walls when heavier vehicles drive past the house.
She asked the council if there was anything it can do to slow down the traffic such as new signs.
Village president Keith Gunnett said he wants the same thing as Samulski , adding he’s also observed traffic travelling at very high rates of speed. But he also noted the Council can’t do a whole lot on its own.
“There’s not a whole lot that we can change because MDOT owns the highway,” Gunnett said. But he also noted this is an issue council members have been planning to discuss with MDOT. “We will be talking with MDOT people here in the next few months to try and sway them to some of our ideas and certainly speed is one,” Gunnett said. But he also noted that with 131 being a major highway, “you’re not going to stop the traffic.”
Trustee Michael Rochholz said he has heard similar complaints from his parents, especially when it comes to noisy truck Jake brakes and trucks hitting manhole covers. “My parents complain more about the trucks as they’re slowing down,” Rochholz said. He also acknowledged it isn’t an easy thing for the Council to address. “It’s challenging,” he said.
Sloan asked if it would be possible to replace the grass with gravel so they no longer have to mow so close to the road. Village manager Cheri Lutz said they might be open to that option. Gunnett encouraged Samulski to contact Lutz again on that issue. He also said anyone with traffic concerns is welcome to sit in on some village planning sessions.
He said as the village works through its master plans and re-creation of the downtown area, some of these issues might come up for discussion there too. “We’re certainly looking at all the possibilities,” Gunnett said.
by Justin Gibson | Jun 10, 2018 | Community, Schoolcraft, Vicksburg
-
-
The Fulton Memorial Day parade annually draws a large crowd including these big dogs who were caught jockeying for the best seat at the parade on a very hot day.
-
-
Children line up early to ride their decorated bicycles the quarter mile down 42nd street in the Fulton Memorial Day parade.
Vicksburg
6/8 – Fri. Cruise Night 1950s Drive In downtown Vicksburg. 6 p.m. – 8 p.m.
6/8, 6/9, & 6/11 – Fri., Sat., & Mon. Book Sale at the Vicksburg District Library. 10 a.m. – 5 p.m. on Thurs. & Fri., 10 a.m. – 1 p.m. on Mon.
6/9 – Sat. 35th Annual Vicksburg Car Show in downtown Vicksburg. 9 a.m. – 4 p.m.
6/15 – Fri. VCS Band Blood Drive at Vicksburg High School. Vicksburg Bands earns $10 for each person who attempts to give blood. To make an appointment, email boroark@vicksburgschools.org. 1 p.m. – 7 p.m.
6/15 – Fri. Coffeehouse Concert: Dani Jamerson at the Vicksburg Community Center. Snacks and drinks available. Tickets $7 and can be purchased in the Vicksburg Cultural Arts Center or online at http://www.vicksburgarts.com. Doors open at 6:30 p.m., concert starts at 7 p.m.
6/25 – 6/29 – Mon. – Fri. Arts In The Burg Summer Day Camp at the Vicksburg Community Center. For more information, email info@vicksburgarts.com
6/27 – Wed. Writer’s Round Table at the Vicksburg District Library. 1 p.m. – 2 p.m.
6/27 – Wed. Geek Out! Teen Summer Reading Program at the Vicksburg District Library. 6:30 p.m. – 8 p.m. For more information or to register visit http://www.vicksburglibrary.org.
7/5 – Thurs. Adult Book Club at the Vicksburg District Library. 9 a.m. – 10 a.m.
Schoolcraft
6/6 – Wed. Adult Book Club at the Schoolcraft Community Library. Begins 2 p.m.
6/20 & 6/27 – Wed. Paws and Pages Story Time at the Schoolcraft Community Library. For Pre-K and kindergarteners. 1 p.m. – 1:20 p.m. Registration Required.
6/20 – 6/21, & 6/27 – 6/28 – Wed. & Thurs. Tales to Tails at the Schoolcraft Community Library. Kids first grade and up can read to a therapy dog. Registration Required.
6/27 – Wed. Movie and Popcorn for Kids at the Schoolcraft Community Library. For kindergarten through 5th graders. 1 p.m. – 3 p.m.
6/29 – Fri. Teen Cupcake Decorating at the Schoolcraft Community Library. For grades 6 – 12. Registration Required
7/4 – 4th of July Schoolcraft annual celebration.
by Justin Gibson | May 12, 2018 | Community, Schoolcraft
Schoolcraft High School’s track, stadium and tennis facilities were singled out by the facilities advisory committee in need of upgrades.
By Travis Smola
Results of a 2017 study of the Schoolcraft school district’s facilities were presented to the public at two meetings in April by a committee including the school board, a facilities advisory committee, Brian Crissman of Christman Construction and two architects from architecture and engineering firm C2AE.
One thing they sought to make clear: There is no project. Right now, they are just presenting their findings to the community. “We are not going to be ready for a project next year,” Secretary Jennifer Gottschalk said. “We’ve got to come up with a process. This is going to be painstakingly slow.”
Trustee Jill VanDyken-Hunt said one of the options is to do nothing at all.
C2AE and Christman worked together with architects, mechanical and electrical engineers to walk through all the existing facilities at Schoolcraft schools. They looked at everything, including interior and exteriors, mechanical and electrical systems. They also looked at food services and education technology and adequacy.
The group gave each facility a score on a scale of 0-100 with higher being better. The high school fared the best, scoring 83 in part because it was built just 19 years ago. The older elementary building scored 61 and the middle school got a 53.
“While they are well-maintained, we are talking decades old,” Steve Jurczuk, project manager and architect at C2AE said.
Jurczuk said things like mechanical systems are either at or beyond their end of life spans. In particular, the boilers at the middle school are of great concern. “Those are getting near end of life,” Jurczuk said. “We’re well beyond where we should be.”
Also a big concern is security. In all three buildings, once someone is through the main entrance, the person can go anywhere without interacting with office staff. One possible solution: Creation of a security vestibule at the middle school where visitors would have to interact with office staff before being able to roam the building.
For the elementary and middle school, C2AE took photos during school dismissal times that show safety issues of children having to enter or cross into an active street to get to their parent’s vehicles.
C2AE also said the middle school cafeteria creates scheduling issues. Because of the size of the room, there is only room for approximately 100 students at a time to eat lunch. This results in four different lunches, which cuts into class time. It also means lunch staff must work longer hours.
Other issues with the elementary and middle school include a flooding problem in the back parking lot, old windows that are not energy-efficient, storage issues in many classrooms and doors to classrooms that are not fire rated.
C2AE Buildings Group Leader and architect Bob McGraw said the stadium, track and tennis courts all have problems that need to be addressed, especially the courts. “The tennis courts are in very poor condition and those need to be reconstructed,” McGraw said.
The track surface has divots in many places in the surface. McGraw said the standard now is an eight-lane track, while Schoolcraft’s is only six. The extra lanes allow more events to be run quicker and in shorter time.
The press box also has ADA issues and the wood bleachers are in rough shape. There are also areas where the concrete is deteriorating.
For now, the groups will work to collect feedback from the community on how to proceed before their May board meeting where the results will be discussed further.
by Justin Gibson | May 12, 2018 | Community, Schoolcraft
Audience member Jenny Sportel in the center, commented on the facilities study. Seated on her left is Tracey Branch and Doug Ryskamp on the right.
By Travis Smola
After presenting their findings to the public at the two April meetings, the Schoolcraft school board and facilities advisory committee immediately began looking for feedback from the people in attendance.
Surveys put out by the board and committee showed many residents believe the elementary and middle schools are in good shape. But consultants said the results of the study have shown otherwise. That’s why the meeting was held – to show members of the public the exact conditions at the schools. “We as board members thought it was really important to bring the community along with us,” Trustee Jill Vandyken-Hunt said.
One of the biggest concerns immediately expressed concerned the middle school boiler issue and why maintenance has not been kept up on it. Board Secretary Jennifer Gottschalk said there isn’t enough money to address the issue. A new boiler will cost approximately $1 million.
She said the district spends approximately $500,000 a year on maintenance already and other money that they have on hand is often already slated for things like teacher salaries.
“We need to think about a long-term goal and band-aids are not fixing the long-term problems we have,” facilities committee member Wade Rutkoskie added.
Schoolcraft village Trustee John Stodola said he was struck by the age of the buildings and noted they weren’t really designed for the larger classes and technology of today. “A new boiler won’t fix that,” Stodola said. He said his opinion was to build new because he hopes his grandchildren will have children in the district one day.
Several parents in the audience with young children agreed and said the issues brought up were of major concern because they planned to be in the village for the long haul. One mother said she is willing to make some extra sacrifices to pay more for the good of the community.
Kelli Brussee, a kindergarten teacher at the elementary school, spoke about handicap accessibility within the elementary and middle schools. “I have a student in a wheelchair. It’s hard,” Brussee said.
Gottschalk addressed a question about a possible location of new buildings, noting the district owns a piece of land near the high school that might be suitable.
More than one audience member expressed concern that school-of-choice parents aren’t paying taxes that would cover any project. The board acknowledged this is true, but elementary principal Matt Webster said those students bring along federal and state funds that go into programming.
“It’s not that they’re walking in free of charge and we’re just burdened with this debt to educate them.”
Before the meeting ended, those in the audience were handed community support surveys asking what specific projects they would support and what they would not. The survey also asked their level of support for the formation of a committee to develop a bond issue proposal.
A bond issue isn’t the only possible option. Another is a sinking fund. But trustees noted a sinking fund would probably be used to address existing options. A bond issue would be needed for new buildings.
The board continually emphasized there are no plans of yet, and one option is do nothing at all. They urged those in the audience to talk to neighbors, family and friends about the issue. A final report and committee determination will be made at the May board meeting.
by Justin Gibson | May 12, 2018 | Community, Schoolcraft
A nice dinner at Fisher Lake Inn with family is how Jesse and Sandra (Sandy) Rochholz celebrated 60 years of marriage. They met in fourth grade in Schoolcraft schools when Jesse’s family moved from Mattawan. Sandy was a Schoolcraft native, the daughter of Paul Sims, who owned PS Tavern. They were married at the Schoolcraft United Methodist Church on April 20, 1958.
Both attended Kalamazoo Valley Community College to become accountants. He worked for Custom Farm Services south of Schoolcraft; Sandy spent 26 years with Quality Films. She did volunteer stints as an accountant for Little Lambs Nursery School and Schoolcraft Ambulance Service before it was combined with Vicksburg. She also spent 14 years as Schoolcraft Village treasurer.
They are very proud of their adult children who also volunteer in the community. They are Mike and Brenda Rochholz, Roy and Rosie Rochholz, Dena and Steve Holman, all of Schoolcraft. Paula and Bob Beckman live near Cincinnati, Ohio. They have produced seven grandchildren and 10 great grandchildren.
