The Bay City Times. Dec. 15.
Enjoy new outdoor urban recreation opportunities right in Bay City’s backyard
Bay City fitness freaks and nature lovers are soon to have a few new opportunities to crow about thanks to the Saginaw Basin Land Conservancy.
Having protected more than 6,000 acres of land since its inception in 1997, the SBLC is now focusing on several projects that should draw the public’s interest: cleaning up the Golson Nature Area near the Independence Bridge; building a new pavilion at Discovery Preserve on South Euclid Avenue; constructing a canoe and kayak launch at the Bay City Rowing Club and developing a mountain bike trail on Middlegrounds Island.
The first three projects are the targets of a new $100,000 Newell and Elizabeth Eddy Grant from the Bay Area Community Foundation. The Middlegrounds project joins the others as part of a bigger project called OUR Bay City, an acronym for Outdoor Urban Recreation.
Talk about getting more bang for the buck, each of those projects provides its own unique right-in-our-own-backyard chance to get outside, get healthy and experience more of Michigan’s natural resources.
And each was made possible because a small organization wasn’t afraid to reinvent itself. After spending years protecting acres and acres of local land - by securing permanent easements to keep the parcels natural and free from development - SBLC has proven itself a strong link in the chain that makes Bay City a better place.
This organization is looking at ways to promote Bay County like never before, and to steal a much over-used phrase from the past, it has taken a true outside-the-box approach. And it’s an approach that provides residents and visitors easy access to many under-used resources in Bay City.
It’s tough sometimes to actually make things happen as an organization - plans are made, ideas exchanged, money spent with little to no action. So it pays to play well with others to get that ball rolling, either in a project partnership or grant opportunity. That’s just what the Saginaw Basin Land Conservancy has done to provide these niche improvements to Bay City’s natural infrastructure.
Last week, SBLC Executive Director Zachary Branigan said, “Not only are these projects a path to permanent land protection, they’re a path to a better community and we’re fortunate to be a part of that.”
We couldn’t agree more because after all, wouldn’t it be fun to enjoy a Flotilla Friday with a group of paddlers launching from the Bay City Rowing Club each week in the summer? Or how about Mountain Bike Mondays on the Middlegrounds?
So make it your New Year’s resolution to get outside in 2015 and check out those four new urban recreation offerings right in our own backyard. We’ll see you out there.
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Jackson Citizen Patriot. Dec. 19.
Restoring former Merriman house shows Jackson is committed to preserving its history
The city of Jackson made a smart move when it allocated about $70,000 in federal funds to help preserve part of Jackson’s history.
City Council unanimously voted to spend $69,545 of Community Development Block Grant funds on renovations to the former Merriman House - a mansion once owned by philanthropist Ella Sharp’s parents.
The structure at 407 W. Michigan Ave. is now owned by nonprofit Home of New Vision, which is responsible for addiction recovery services, and leases apartments in the building to recovering addicts.
The grant funding - which has restrictions on where and how it can be used - will be used to cover a number of renovations, such as insulating the attic, granite countertops and appliances in the kitchen, drywall in the bathroom and asbestos abatement.
While the renovations may not necessarily be historically accurate, it’s important to not let our historic homes fall into disrepair by neglect.
The home, which records indicate was built in the 1860s, is recognized for its historic significance because of its ties to Ella Sharp. Dwight and Mary Merriman, Ella Sharp’s parents, moved into the mansion in 1883 - leaving their farm, which would become Ella Sharp Park, to their daughter and her new husband, John Sharp.
The mansion was owned by Ella Sharp after her father’s death in 1905 and transferred to the city after Ella Sharp’s death in 1912. According to previous Citizen Patriot reports, the city sold the home after 1919 and it was converted into apartments under private ownership.
Hopkins Radio & Television later built a structure on the northwest section of the front lawn. The store operated there from the 1950s to the late ’80s. That structure was torn down in 1999.
In 2004, Home of New Vision Inc. of Ann Arbor bought the Merriman House and has used it ever since.
Jackson has been in a push in the past several years to demolish blighted building, but it’s important they remember that keeping our historic treasures in good condition also brings value to the city.
With this funding move, it seems city officials realize that.
But the buck shouldn’t stop with the Merriman house. We urge the city to explore using that grant funding on other worthy projects to preserve the city’s history.
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Daily Press (Escanaba). Dec. 19.
Make a resolution to be a blood donor
The American Red Cross asks eligible blood donors to make a resolution to give blood regularly in 2015, beginning with National Blood Donor Month in January.
National Blood Donor Month recognizes the importance of giving blood and platelets while honoring those who roll up a sleeve to help patients in need. It has been observed during January since 1970, and that’s no coincidence. Winter is an especially difficult time to collect enough blood to meet patient needs. Unpredictable winter weather can result in blood drive cancelations, and seasonal illnesses, like the flu, may cause some donors to be unable to make or keep blood donation appointments.
Donors of all blood types are needed, especially those with O negative, A negative and B negative. With a shelf life of 42 days, red blood cells must be constantly replenished to maintain an adequate supply for patients. Individuals who come out to give blood Jan. 1 through Jan. 4 will receive a long-sleeve Red Cross T-shirt, while supplies last.
To learn more about donating blood and to schedule an appointment, download the Red Cross Blood Donor App, visit redcrossblood.org or call 1-800-RED CROSS (1-800-733-2767).
It’s easy to donate blood
Simply download the American Red Cross Blood Donor App, visit redcrossblood.org or call 1-800-RED CROSS (1-800-733-2767) to make an appointment or for more information. All blood types are needed to ensure a reliable supply for patients. A blood donor card or driver’s license or two other forms of identification are required at check-in. Individuals who are 17 years of age (16 with parental consent in some states), weigh at least 110 pounds and are in generally good health may be eligible to donate blood. High school students and other donors 18 years of age and younger also have to meet certain height and weight requirements.
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Detroit Free Press. Dec. 18.
Even with a deal, lawmakers whiff on roads
If you like your potholes, you can keep them.
For at least another season, and that’s if we’re lucky.
After nearly a year of wrangling over a way to raise more money for Michigan’s roads, the Legislature has finally come to something like consensus around a deal that should ultimately make for smoother rides, but also fails spectacularly to demonstrate any leadership.
Difficulty is not an excuse for inaction. And to admit paralysis by indecision is churlish.
That’s exactly what lawmakers did by kicking the decision about how to fund new roads to voters, who’ll cast ballots in spring of 2015 to do what their elected representatives lacked the courage to accomplish.
The roads deal on parade Thursday would rely largely on a 1 percent-increase to the state sales tax, currently 6 percent, which must be approved by voters next May - assuming the ballyhooed compromises pass both chambers today by a two-thirds vote.
Lawmakers had other options that could have been enacted with no delay. They couldn’t come to agreement, so instead, we wait. And our roads continue to deteriorate.
Worse, there’s no fallback. If Michiganders vote the tax increase down, lawmakers must start from scratch.
It’s a stunning abdication of legislative leadership. Because the tax increase is framed as a ballot measure, it cuts Gov. Rick Snyder out of the loop entirely. Snyder, it’s worth noting, has been one of few responsible Republican grown-ups in the room during these negotiations.
Fixing our roads shouldn’t have been a hard sell, especially in a lame-duck session in which this should have been a priority. But that’s the final petty victory of outgoing Republican House Speaker Jase Bolger, who won by thinking smaller than everyone else. His proposal to pilfer road dollars from a tax that currently funds schools and local governments badly distorted the conversation, pushing the poles too far apart to come to a reasonable compromise.
That’s a win for Bolger in the sense that he got some of what he wanted. But it’s a loss for the people he represents, who needed him to think more grandly about what Michigan needs and deserves. The ovations he may be getting from a narrow-minded caucus do not drown out the cries for not only better roads, but better governance in Michigan.
Democrats, on the other hand, scored a few more high-minded wins in the road deal. They secured a restoration of the Earned Income Tax Credit, which benefits low-income, working Michiganders. And they managed to move the vote on roads late on Thursday’s agenda, ensuring their conditional support could be withdrawn if right-wing Republican instincts run amok on other measures.
Bottom line: We still have a tax on fuel at a time when we’re hoping to discourage its use, guaranteeing we’ll reach this cliff again. The sales tax, though commensurate with other Midwestern states, is regressive, with an outsized impact on the state’s poorest residents. And it could all fall apart in May, if residents vote it down.
It’s a fitting end to this legislative session, surely one of the most troubling in recent memory. We know who won. But we also know who lost.
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