?oi h-jo-oo im JORDAN VPL: tY DISIRK'I LIHRARi PO BOX 8 7 7 EAST .JORDAN Nl 417?;-Ofl77 75 cents W JORDAN 1 Vol. 8 No. 50 Journal East Jordan, Michigan Wednesday, September 27, 2000 Serving East Jordan, Boyne City and surrounding areas at a GLANCE Harvest festival celebrates the season Scarecrows, pumpkins and lots of family fun will get everyone in the swing of the season at the annual Fall Harvest Festival in Boyne City, to be held this year on 'the weekend of Oct. 6-8. A new addition this year, a haunted hayride aptly titled "Field o'^^^rearris^" will join favorite events such as the Scarecrow Ball, the With his son Stephen and Art Tebo (center) looking on, Everett Kircher Harvest Market, the 5K run, Stein Eriksen, left, Bill Fleming and Everett Kircher were among those relates a story from Boyne Mountain's earlier days. and a trolley color tour. attending the festivities on Saturday. Also featured will be an arts and crafts show, pumpkin sculpting, and live musical entertainment. Activities like pumpkin Grand painting and the inflatable playground are sure to keep the kids busy, too. The event is sponsored EVERY WAY by Citizens Bank, Great .Lakes Energy, LexaMar, • Construction begins Huntington Bank, and Korthase Insurance and on Boyne Mountain's Financial Services. For more information, new 222-room hotel call the Chamber of Com• Boyne USA Resorts held merce at 582-6222. groundbreaking ceremonies Saturday afternoon to kick off construction of its new 222-room hotel and spa and condo• Top scarecrow minium, part of a $150 million renewal of the Boyne Mountain Resort. will win Leaf More than 600 people attended the groundbreaking, including skiing greats Officially breaking ground for Boyne Mountain's new lodge are, from left: Lois Kircher, Warren Miller, Stein Peeker prize Olympic gold-medalist Stein Erikson, Eriksen, John Kircher, Amy Kircher Prange, Bill Flemming, Kathryn Kircher, Everett Kircher, Stephen Kircher who was the first director of the Interna• The East Jordan Cham• holding his daughter Loren, and Othmar Schneider. tional Ski School at Boyne Mountain, ber of Commerce is calling for local businesses, schools, See BREAKING GROUND on page 3 and organizations to get in the harvest spirit and enter this year's Leaf Peeker Scarecrow Contest. Scarecrows may be entered by groups in three Dura selling East Jordan building categories — businesses, organizations, and school (classes/clubs) — and must Dura Automotive has told the only the loss of employment for the ance is one local agency that will what the amenities are," said easier. be built in the Downtown City of East Jordan that the company approximately 300 workers at the likely be involved in the transition Johnson. Repre• The challenge, he said, will be to Development Authority will be selling its property in town. plant, but will impact the city as a over the next year. sentatives of Northern Lakes then find a company that can use the ap• district. Scarecrows will be Last week, city administrator whole. According to executive director undertakes various marketing strat• proximately 110,000 square feet the judged on the afternoon of David White spoke with David For example. White noted that the Tom Johnson, the agency will be egies, such as attending site consult• facility offers. Friday, Oct. 6, by the East Bovee in Dura's real estate division, company has previously paid working to assist in marketing the ants conferences to make contacts, "Someone who just wants 60,000 Jordan High School cheer• who told White that the company has $17,000 per year in personal prop• ptoperty to prospective employers, and utilizing such resources as direct [square feet] might not be interested, leaders. chosen a realtor and is in the process erty tax, most of which the DDA cap• in order to minimize the financial im• mailings, the Internet, creative net• because they won't be making full use Cash prizes of $50 for of listing the property. The asking tures, and generated $88,000 of rev• pact on the city and create new jobs working and advertising, as well as of their investment," said Johnson. first place, $35 for second, price has not yet been finalized. enue to the city last year for water for displaced workers. Northern contact with the Michigan Economic "It's very particular to the type of and $15 for third will be White said he will be meeting and sewer usage. The city's yearly Lakes specializes in economic devel• Development Corporation. business." awarded. Winners will be with the realtor next week, and will budget is based on revenue from the opment, and while the closing of "There are some creative things Johnson also noted that besides notified on Monday, Oct. 9, keep the city commission up to date previous year, meaning that such a Dura creates many challenges for the we're hoping to do in working with attempting to bring in a new business and prizes will be presented on further developments. loss could significantly impact the community, Johnson said their cur• the company," said Johnson, though to utilize the property and workforce on Tuesday, Oct. 10, at Dura announced recently that it city financially. rent position must be that "you can't the details will not be worked out Dura will leave behind, another Citizens Bank in East will be closing its East Jordan facil• The city plans to have continued change the mind of a multi-million until they have actually met with agency that will likely be on board is Jordan. ity in order to move production to its contact with the company and will dollar corporation." Therefore, "we company representatives. the Workforce Development Board, For more information or Jacksonville, Fla., location, in the in• work, along with various agencies will work with them." , One positive aspect to marketing which specializes in employee train• an entry form, call the terest of filling previously unused and the chamber of commerce, to The first steps would be to get the the property is "definitely the avail• ing, retraining, and job placement. chamber of commerce at manufacturing capacity. The com• bringing a new employer to the area. physical specifications of the build• able labor force," Johnson said. "Just "The sooner they're involved, the 536-7351. pany plans to phase out the East Jor• "We're all in this together," he ing as well as a breakdown of the ex• having an empty building by itself better," said Johnson. "Everyone has dan location by the fall of 2001. said. isting workforce, "so that when we isn't easy to sell anymore. An empty a different role [in this situation}.. The closing of Dura will mean not Northern Lakes Economic Alli• get inquiries, we can respond as to building with a workforce makes it It's a team effort." Boyne City plans dredging of marina, shopper's dock The City of Boyhe City is begin• plans to dredge the river mouth. Ac• go. By the time all of those elements ning preparation this week for dredg• cording to O'Leary, Peninsula Beach were in place, there was "too much ing of the city marina. will be "torn up" for the remainder [boating] activity to do it then," said Dredging is also scheduled for the of the year with reconstruction to O'Leary. The present timing of the shopper's dock area and the river take place i n the spring. project will create "very little disrup• mouth, if weather permits. The dredge itself will pump ma• tion to the boating season." "We're preparing Peninsula terial to the containment site through The city hopes to secure a por• Beach right now as a containment a long tube in the water. Once tion of the funding required th'rough site," said parks and recreation direc• dredged materials dry out, they will grants, though, said O'Leary, "only tor Tim O'Leairy. be trucked to Rotary Park, to be used that portion directly related to the Boyne USA will be performing as fill for the remaining three sports marina is eligible." the dredging, and will begin to bring fields the city is planning to con• The city submitted a grant request in equipment next week, a process struct. earlier in the year, for the entire : that will take several days to com• The city had originally hoped to project, and- were told that the plete. dredge the areas in the spring, but shopper's dock area and river mouth Homecoming celebs The timeline for the entire dredg• was forced to postpone the project were not eligible for funding. ing project is uncertain at this point. pending the approval of some work The city is in the process of re• Members of the East Jordan homecoming court are, front row from left: Katie Brock, Linda The marina will be dredged first, permits as well as some complica• submitting a grant request for the Slough, Tricla Pennington, Heather Jones, Jamie Baker, and Josle Krause. Back row from followed by the shopper's dock. If tions in determining the logistics of portion of the project involving the left: Tyson Potter, Bobby Huffman, Charlie Talboye, Tarn Leach, Mlcah Mlddaugh, and the weather holds out, the city also where the dredged materials would marina area. Nate Stop, test Jordan will host Harbor Springs at 3 p.m. on Saturday. PAGE 2 SEPTEMBER 27,2000 BETWEEN the LINES LETTERS W The Politico! Olympics ^SS Denying Let's be prepared one's freedom next time of choice TO THE EDITOR: By ANGELA SHULTIS I am writing this letter to ask the people of Boyne I know it's easy to second-guess the City why they will not let motorcyclists and bikers decisions made by others, especially those have their freedom of choice as guaranteed in the decisions that can't be reversed.