Vol. 109 No .. 51 Socand clan PDDtGDO pofd at Ma1on, Mlchlgon, P,O, Box 226, Moton, Michigan 48!164 .r4 weeks behind ... ' ·speedup ordered to finish school Construction work at the Mason Junior High school is unlikely· that arts and crafts and shop areas wJll be · is very little furniture or equipment which will have to be junior high building and contractors will not be able to approximately four weeks behind schedule, but Mason completed by Jan. 5. · moved, All new . equipment was ordered for the new school administrators are still look'ing forward to having Administrators arc not too concerned over the delay in meef their tentative completion deadline of Dec. 19. school as the Jefferson street building will be needing the Some of the finishing work that remains to be done classes in the building on Jan. 26. as much as classes weren't expected to make the building existing equipment for the sixth grade students who will Building architects have called on all the contractors to switch over until the beginning of the second semester. be transferred there. includes installation of acoustical tile, lockers, science find ways to expedite their work. They indicate it is ANOTHER THING in favor of the move is that there casework as no arrangements have been made for the Final touch~s are needed in nearly all areas of the (See SCHOOL • Page A·12) Mason buys Wright to ask • $20,000 1n for citizen help street gear in running city . At the Mason city council meeting Monday night, the For a community said to be "living on the edge of , last session for outgoing city administrator William Bopf, yesterday," by a Detroit-based journalist, there are some the city gave the final go ··ahead for the purchase of rather significant changes afoot for Mason. nearly $20,000 worth of equipment. For one thing, a new city administrator is due to arrive Some $13,500 will go for a street sweeper to be Jan. 5 and for another, four of the seven seats on the city purchased from the Miller Equipment Co. of Grand council are due to be filled this Rapids. Warren Wright, selected as The city will retain its present sweeper as part of the new city administrator was agreement until the new machine is delivered in· June or contacted by the News in July of 1970, Money for the sweeper will come from the Ypsilanti where he has been general fund. operating as assistant city manager. ALSO RECEIVING FINAL approval was the purchase Wright was asked what !•: .• :::.,··••-.: of a sewer cleaner for $6,149 from the Saginaw Bay he'd like to do in Mason Equipment Co. in Bay City. The money for the cleaner when he assumes his duties will come from the water and sewer fund. next month. Wright said he'd prefer to City Clerk Harold L. Barnhill announced that four speak in generalities since he vacancies will exist on the city council this spring. Terms hasn't been in Mason long are expiring for Mayor Dewayne R. Evans, and enough to really assess its Councilmen Robert C. Sheldon, Allen E. Shapley and William C. Jacobs. problems, if, in fact, there are any. The council approved a sewer study which will entail mapping, plotting and an evaluation of the existing AN IMPORTANT thing facilities.The study is estimated to cost about $2,000 to for any community, Wright $3,000 ifccording to Fred White, city engineer. said, is citizen involvemerif. Administrator Bopf said the last tinie the city had its Another paramount item is sewer and . water system studied was in 194 7. The an improved flow of . 22-year-old study does not include any new development if1formation, he said. Warren Wnght .. since that time, Bopf said, and a newer, more In line with improving information dispersal, Wright comprehensive evaluation is "sorely needed." said he presently works on a quarterly newsletter for In other business, two sets of personnel policies for Ypsilanti. general city employes and for police were submitted to He said that city also has a formalized complaint the council. procedure, which may or may not be applicable to Mason. The value of the procedure is basically that it gets fast Both policies were referred to John O'Brien, city 'Neither snow, nor rain. • • • attorney, for his approval. ' answers to citizen questions, usually within a week, PUSHING MAlL THROUGH··Mason postal employes have their work cut out for them during the Christmas season. * "' * Rural route carrier Russell Huntington of Mason is loading up his car with just one day's yule mail quota for half of his Wright said. ALSO AS PART of his report, Bopf discussed route, (News Staff Photo) As part of his duties as assistant city manager in ambulance service in light of the recent announcement by Ypsilanti, Wright worked on the Human Relations the Mason General Hospital that it would be discontinuing Commission, the Youth Commission and the obstetrical services on Jan. I. Beautification committee. The question has been raised, Bopf said, regarding rWe' re keeP-i ng_MP-. ..' "'"' * where to take pregnant Mason women who have WRIGHT SAID THAT it is possible that Mason could summoned ambulances. benefit form a youth commission. In Ypsilanti, the nine-member group has, as one accomplishment, made an The council decided that all pregnancies where older city-owned house into a teen center. Wright said it ambulances are called will go first to Mason General where Mason post office b-u-s-y has been successfully operated for more than one year. a doctor . can determine if the women can safely be The young people in the community painted and transported to a Lansing hospital for delivery. By SALLY TROUT delivered, but that this guarantee does not apply to out-. News Staff Writer furnished the buldirig, Wright said, ' going mail to areas other than central Michigan. Other areas of interest ought to be downtown The council also agreed to postpone further .action Probably the busie·st place in town during the day and Individuals are taking their chances if Christmas against contractor Lloyd "Pete" Ketchum who did not most of the night too is the U.S. post office, improvement if necessary and possible, Wright said. complete paving work at the Mason Junior High School mailings are not completed by ·this weekend, he said. He co nun ended Bopf on the job that he did as city Flooded with Christmas cards, letters and holiday Although all postal employes are working at top speed, by the Oct. 15 deadline if certain work outlined in a letter parcels, the Mason office is working at top speed to insure administrator and said it would be presumP.tuous for him to Ketchum were performed. it is necessary to call in the regular substitutes during the to make many suggestions before fully acquainting everyone getting their mail deliveries before Christmas. holiday season for longer hours. The council ordered Ketchum to replace stop signs at If stamp sales are any indication, the post office is himself with with situation here. Substitute mail carriers are working daily taking half of Wright called Mason a "very attractive community" the corner of Temple and Ash streets and at the southwest realizing a I 0 per cent increase in business over last year. the routes of the regular carriers so that the deliveries can corner of Willow and South Lansing streets by Dec, 16 or As a convenience for patrons, the post office will have with a well arranged business district. be completed as soon as possible. Pure volume of mail has . At least for awhile, Wright said he will be working the city would perform the work and charge the special Saturday, Dec. 20 hours from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. made it necessary to call in the extra help. contractor. This weeke.nd is the absolute deadline for mailing closely with Norman L. Austin, assistant city treasurer, "Right now we are keeping up nicely with the mail who is presently functioning as interim city administrator. Contacted by telephone at the meeting, Ketchum packages and Christmas cards and being relatively assured deliveries," Stubbert said. "Of course, this has been agreed to do the above work and also to remove bricks, they will arrive before the holidays, helped a great deal by the weather conditions, with few rubble and tile from the corner of Lawton and Roosevelt According to James Stubbert, Mason postmaster, any snow squalls and no ice storms the mail has gotten 1 • streets and from the right-of-way off East South Street. mail at the Mason post office before Christmas day will be delivered without too many serious problems," 'f~-------------------- Also ordered were barricades at Temple street from the Mason banks announce 1 north side of the school entrance and at Columbia road and Temple street. Ispecial holiday hours I Paving will ,prob~bly be started in the spring for 1 sections of Temple, Cmdy and Maple streets. County surveyor sought I Both Mason banks, Dart National bank and Mason I The council referred an annexation petition to the city J· State bank, have anr,ounced special holiday closing hours I attorney for review. Entailed is a 37.5 acre parcel of .for their customers and employes. Both of the finan~ial 1 undeveloped land presently in Vevay township which is firms will be closing Dec. 24 and Dec .. 31 at 3 ~.m. WIth 1 adjacent to the Mason city limits, I the switchboard at Dart National ceasmg operations at 4J * * • to meet new state rule I p.m.Evening · hours at each banks· dnve-m · · Iocat10n · WJ'11 be I THE LAND, to be annexed is owned by Mrs.