HO AG- AND SJONS .BOOK BIDDERS 3 PAPERS 5PRINGPORT, MICH. 49284 Bond issue vitally affects elementary schools Forty members of a 110-member citizens committee used for blacktopping the play areas, providing fencing at all bond issue. School officials pointed out that higher-than- development, leaving little or nothing for 'landscaping and which worked on the 1966 school bond issue drive got a detailed schools and for seeding and landscaping. exppcted costs in the development of sewers (storm and finishing the lawn and play areas. look last week at the progress of the building program—and sanitary), street blacktop and curb and gutter and sidewalk, on The bus storage shelter would cost about $17,500, school why additional money is needed to finish it up. THE BALANCE OFTHE$250,000wouldbeusedfor several Sickles Street and the school sharing in the cost of renovation officials said. It would consist of two facing three-sided and The problem, school administrators pointed out, is that purposes, including site development at the high school, capital­ of a city sewer on Railroad Street has .already taken about covered shelters in which the school's 36-bus fleet would be building costs have run about $250,000 above what had been ized interest and bonding costs, contingenciesandabus storage $52,000 of the original $60,000. parked when not in use. The shelter buildings would be built anticipated in the original bond issue of $5.4 million; . shelter (which wasn't involved in the original bond issue). where the buses are presently parked.. The school board has scheduled a special election for The high school site development portion of the new bond If more money is notavailable,the $52,000will of necessity THE FURNITURE AND EQUIPMENT FOR the rural Nov. 20 at which time they are asking voters to approve a issue is $60,000—the same figure that was included in the 1966 come from the original $60,000 allocated to the high school site ,$250,000 bond issue so that the original plan can be completed. (See BOND ISSUE, Page 2-A) It would cost taxpayers an additional three-quarters of a mill for 10 years. ABOUT HALF THE ADDITIONAL money-$124,200, to be efcact—would be used to buy furniture and equipment for the new rural neighborhood elementaryschools and additions. When the elementary construction bids came in higher than expected (after being re-bid once), the board elected to use money originally allocated for furniture and equipment to pay for the building, rather than to chop features off the buildings that could . never be replaced. They hoped to be able to make up the overage later in the building program, but when high school bids came in about as originally anticipated, those hopes disappeared. The only alternative left, the board decided after lengthy discussion and deliberation, was to return to the voters and ask for additional money for the equipment. In addition to the furniture and equipment for the rural elementary schools, another $14,000 of the $250,000 would be • • • • • • 112th Year, No. 27 ST. JOHNS, MICHIGAN — THURSDAY, OCTOBER 26, 1967 2 SECTIONS - 34 PAGES 15 Cents Indecision apparent on city income tax His birthday's Monday Only handful Ed Craun, at 91, looks 71, tell objections moves around like it, too A city income tax ordinance for St. • Johns got over its first big hurdle— intro­ By LOWELL G. RINKER His birthday will be Monday. of 20, he did his first painting. duction— last' Tuesday night, but whether Editor . He was born Oct. 30, 1876, on *I came back to St. Johns the a farm in Riley Township. year they built the (Clinton) na­ it will get any further than that, or not Ed H. CraUn will be 91 years "They've got my birth certificate tional bank (1906)* he recalled, isn't certain. old Monday, but he could more up here as Oct. 31, but,my "and I helped build it. It was . easily., pass for a. .man. in:' his. mother always toid me my birth­ After its introduction the ordinance, built, fin the winter. We half an J 70s, and his house and grounds day waS on the 30th, and she open winter that year, with the was tabled. In response 'to;:*a..que stio.n^fronr are kept neat and clean to the ought to know," he chuckled. weather just about like this. Then the audience, Mayor Charles Coletta point it looks like someone it would freeze up and snow a younger ye;t is living there. • For a man 91 years old, Craun t would fool almost anyone; His little, then thaw" and be nice promised that the ordinance would be on CrauQ lives at 305 E. Baldwin again." Street in St. Johns. He's prob­ hair is only greying and is not the agenda for the commission's Nov. 7 grey. His eyes have a sparkle That was his first job here, but ably one of the most active people in the 60 years since then he meeting, but "I d'on't know if it will be you'll ever find at the age of behind his glasses. He moves around the house, up and down has done a whaje of a lot of taken from the table." " 91. He still drives a car oc­ painting, and at one time he casionally, he just finished pick­ stairs and about the yard un­ . Commissioner Rex hesitatingly and even with a brisk employed six to eight men In his Ormston ing the tomatoes in his small business. "There aren't very Sirrine, ' who said he gardan, and Monday he was out step. The fact he enjoys sitting in many houses inthistownlhaven't had been taken by sur­ cleaning up his rose gardens worked in," he said. to head and other flower beds at the a rocking chair at a dining room prise by the autumn side of the house. window has nothing to do with U his age. It's a nice place to sit. I PAINTED THE OLD court­ Municipal Report He does his own cooking and The window looks out to the west house on the outside three times. FB board is proud of his boiled dinners which, first broached beyond a fir tree, a bird feeder, And I had the .painting contract Lee Ormston of 4151 E.Walk­ and the fact he roasted a large his flower garden, and across oh the high school here when the income tax ques­ er Road, St. Johns, was elected turkey last Christmas He was neighbor Bill Beechler's lawn they built that. That wasn't any new president of the Clinton an interior decorator by trade tion, told- the mayor at the busy Oakland-Baldwin small job. When they built the County Farm Bureau by the new In the days before he retired, intersection. 'high school at Ovid" I had that Nov. 7 would be too board of directors last Tuesday and he views as natural the contract, too," fast for him to make a night. fact he still washes and paints His last major amount of paint­ the walls of the interior of the IT WAS WHILE SITTING there ing on contract was done only Neil Harte of R-4 St. Johns house and keeps It clean. Monday afternoon that Craun decision. reminisced a bit about his 91 five years ago. The Nov. 7 meeting would be was elected vice president, and CELEBRATION OF HIS, 91st years and some of the experi­ Tie first year in St. Johns the last at which the commission James Becker of West Walker birthday started last weekend ences he had during that time. Craun joined the St. Johns Vol­ could pass a city' income tax Road was chosen as the third when a friend took him out to Craun worked on farms and in unteer Fire Department, and he if it were to take effect Jan. 1. member of the executive board. dinner at Corunna. "I've got a the- lumbering industry in his was a fireman 17 years. "That Halloween curiosity was when we had the two-wheel THERE WAS A GREAT.dealof Ormston succeeds E. J. Bot­ hunch there are more shenan­ early days, but while working at Jerry and Terry Norman, 4-year-o!d twin sons of Mr and Mrs L D. Nor­ tom, who has been president for igans up this weekend," he said. Ellendale, N.D., at about the age (See AT .91, Page 4-A) consternation at the meeting over man of 704 E. McConnell, St. Johns, move in close to see where the light whether or not the city commis­ the past several years. Ormston and ,his father, Frank, operate a is coming from in that toothy grin from their giant jack-o-latem. The sioners even knew about the in­ come tax question before it ap­ 324-acre farm with a 65-cow all punkin' is one of thousands which wil! help bring Halloween enjoyment to peared in, the Municipal Report, registered Guernsey dairy herd. youngsters all over the area. Attorney Tim Green, one of 20 The Ormston farm was one of persons in the audience last those toured during the State Tuesday night, brought the sub­ Farm Management Tour in Clin­ ject up when he asked commis­ ton County Aug. 1. sioners if they had read it. Bath man Named delegates' to the Farm Fiscal situation dims Commissioner Sirrine and Mrs Jeanne Rand said they had Bureau's annual state meeting dies of not seen the report prior to its were Bruce Mehney, Dennis being published, although Mrs Phillips, Ormston, Harte, An­ talk of new street Rand said she may have over­ drew Cobb and Bottom, gun wound looked it.