The Lowell 14Th Annual Lowell Community Expo To
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ROOI the lowell 97 Wednesday • march • 17 • 2010 I c^ cl ^ " p vol. 39 issue 23 for over 116 years • today - tomorrow - your lowell area news source www, thelowell ledger, com Happy th St. Patrick's Day! 14 annual Lowell Community Expo to maple feature variety of businesses, nonprofits syrup time byv Emma PaloyPalova ^ / i The 14th annual Lowell provide networking oppor- Baker. "We wanted to show- to provide the venue to this This year, the exclusive Community Expo will fea- tunities offered by the Low- case our businesses, organi- day. business sponsor is The ture most area businesses ell Area Chamber of Com- zations and churches." The first Expo was held in Lowell Ledger/Lowell Litho. and nonprofits on March 27 merce. The Lowell Area Schools May, but the committee soon As part of the overall market- at the Lowell High School. "We were one of the first (LAS) were pushing market- found out that was too late ing strategy, a special section The mission remains the small community expos," ing at the time and continue in the year to hold an Expo. covering the Expo with maps same as in the beginning to said chamber director Liz The event was then changed and the schedule will come to March. out in the Buyers Guide on "it's a true community March 21. Expo where everybody "This is a new venture works to create the commu- in our marketing strategy," nity we live in," said Baker. said Baker. "It's good for the 4klt also highlights the Low- sponsoring business." ell Area School districl." The Expo has become a The attendance has huge part of the greater Low- grown over the years from ell community. 25 booths to 150 spotlight- "You go there to meet ,, $ ing area businesses, service friends, said Baker. "You groups, churches and gov- Community Expo, page 10-11 ernment agencies. continued, paf>c3 winter guard Lowell's Persha to help kiokoff treadmill challenge City will transition to using by Thad Kraus Rheta Persha has been "I came here. It's been a exercising/working out at the new life. A good life," she Kent County Sheriff's YMCA for 34 years. says. Her routine has included The YMCA has been dispatch during off-hours two days of swimming and good to and for Persha. three days of weight exercise "Both in Royal Oak and by Emma Palova due to Kent Countv restruc- to represent the city of Low- machines. here at the Lowell YMCA The city will transition turing of 911 centers from ell. The bulk of those years I've been with a really nice to using the Kent County five to two facilities. Walker "A benefit to this restruc- (29) were in Royal Oak, bunch of people. They've Sheriffs dispatch during off- will be closed. turing is that the communities Michigan. treated me like one of the page 9 hours from 6 p.m. to 6 a.m. According to police chief will save money on future "I came here to Lowell people and not like an old and weekends starting this James Hinton, this change call taking services with bet- because I sort of outlived person," she said. October. The service will be was necessary to make the ter communications between them (her YMCA partners) Persha will help kickoff provided through the Kent FFA honors 911 call process cleaner agencies which are sharing in Royal Oak," Persha ex- Lowell YMCA's 24-hour County Dispatch Authority. and more user-friendly for more services," said Hinton. plains. The switch will end a 20- Treadmill challenge, the citizens. Hinton was ap- You see, the Lowell resi- year partnership between the continued, page 3 pointed to the Kent County City news, dent of five years will turn 90 city of Lowell and Walker continued, page 2 Dispatch Authority in 2008 in June. Teft left "beaming" after state championship page 12 by Thad Kraus Kelsey Teft placed 22nd as a freshman state qualifier times at a stale meet. on the balance beam. "By far it was my best day as trolls Fast forward to Saturday at the Division 2 state gym- a gymnast," Teft said. Lowell's Kelsey in town nastic tournament in Rockford, Teft, now a senior, stood Her best day included three Teft finished her tall on the medal stand's top step as the balance beam state other medals. They were earned Lowell gymnastic champion. with a fifth-place finish on the career with a "it was exciting. I didn't know what to feel. I've always vault (9.3), a ninth place in the Division 2 state looked at other people up there," Teft explained. "It was a floor exercise (9.225) and Teft championship on good day." was eighth overall with her all- the balance beam. Her beam performance earned her a school record of around score of 35.650. 9.45, replacing the old mark set by Holly Planner (9.4). Teft's 7.675 did not earn her page 20 Her 9.45 placed her in a first-place tie with Farming- a medal on the uneven bars. ton's Samantha Kohl and Sturgis' Mary Boyd. Teft's vault score tied her with Canton's Ayanna "I'm always more nervous than the girls," said Lowell Lewis and Grand Ledge's Sara Peltier. gymnastic coach Michele DeHaan. "This time I wasn't. "Kelsey showed our young gymnasts what can be Kelsey was so prepared, so driven, so focused and so con- accomplished when you set your mind to doing some- CENTS fident. She kept her eye on the prize and never waivered." thing and work hard to achieve it," DeHaan said. Teft's good day didn't end on the balance beam. The senior was the first Lowell gymnast to qualify for the state tournament in all four exercises and to medal four the IhB page 3 page 2 ledger Wednesday • march • 17 • 2010 Wednesday • march • 17 • 2010 rg'dger City news, continued Community Expo, continued make communications more dispatch fee will cost more there is a verbal agreement to and capital plan. There will Michigan Department of the project is $559,000. The have fun, talk, learn and see 5,000 to 6,000 people attend "I hope people will come first grade puppet show and LAS Robotics Club with a ness of the products and efficient." until Kent County Dispatch extend the existing contract be a three to 3.5 percent rate Transportation (MOOT) for project is funded through what's going on. It's a great the Expo annually. out." high school choir singing. robot. The electronics recy- services provided or manu- The only two remaining Authority starts paying units to Oct. 4,2010. adjustment in September. the Bowes Road project. The a mix of funds from the event." Baker expects the Expo And all who participate New this year is the rec- cling is in its second year, factured in the Greater Low- dispatch centers in Kent of government for call taking In other business, Lowell The council approved street will be reconstructed stimulus money, federal The event has always been to sell out. will gain from the experi- ognition of 14-year Expo "This event is an excellent ell Area," said Baker. County will be the Grand services. Light and Power director a resolution authorizing from West Street to 1950 surface transportation small free with free parking and "I hope the weather is not ence. There is always enter- participants at 1:45 p.m. opportunity for the commu- The event runs from 9 Rapids Police Department "C urrently, everything Greg Pierce presented the signatures for the contract feet west of Valley Vista urban funds and city major giveaways. Approximately glorious sunshine," she said. tainmentsuchasthe Bushnell Other novices include the nity to increase their aware- a.m. to 3 p.m. and the Kent County Sheriff's is on track for a seamless 2010-2011 annual budget between the City and the Drive. The estimated cost of street funds. Department. The city of switchover date and the Walker, Wyoming and the citizens of Lowell will not Michigan State Police Post be affected by this transition Social Security's Treadmill challenge, continued in Rockford will no longer be nor will there be a loss of YMCA meet its mission of looking for staff, members, least 10 years-old) and/or the 24-hour Treadmill Chal- Baker and Lowell mayor Jim answering 911 calls effective i convenient online Treadmill Challenge on Fri- dispatching services," said and friends of the YMCA teams are encouraged to so- lenge will include Lowell Hodges. January 1,2011. day, March 26 at noon. not turning away any family Hinton. You probably don't need to volunteer their time and licit sponsors to pledge an Area School's chief finan- Funds for the Strong Hinton informed the prepare for your disability The event supports the due to financial constraints. Next action will be the anyone to tell you that times efforts to raise money. The amount for miles walked or cial officer John Zielinski, Kids Cam- council about a potential application. The kit explains Y's Strong Kids Campaign This year's Strong Kids approval of a new dispatch paign are are tough for many people the documentation and which raises money to sup- Campaign goal is to raise challenge is to have three run. Pledges can also be for Lowell football coach Noel grant to offset the costs for agreement between Kent right now. The past year treadmills going for 24 con- a specific amount no matter Dean, Lowell Area Chamber also raised equipment, such as a radio information you'll be port the financial assistance $35,000.