Home at 138 Main Street, Rockford was demolished. Photo by Cliff Hill

Friday, April 17, demolition on Main Street, Rockford, Photo by Cliff Hill

Main Street Rockford resident Sonja Glass believes the city should have given her more warning that the house next to hers was coming down. She also believes the demolition may not have been safe due to possible asbestos.

Glass has been living in a historic home next to 138 Main, which was demolished on Friday, April 17. The home was purchased by Dave Pederson and had been under ownership of the City of Rockford prior to demolition so local law enforcement and fire fighters could practice in the structure. It was deeded back to Pederson the evening of Thursday, April 16.

“Mine is the last house standing,” said Glass of her stretch of Main Street. She said to the north of her house Wolverine World Wide had taken out two residential homes to make way for the parking lot now there.

Several years ago Pederson had demolished one home and moved another on the south of her, also for parking.

Glass awoke at dawn on Friday to the sound of the demolition, and dust she is worried contained asbestos. She thinks the demolition permit was improperly filled out and “rushed through.”

“The way this was done was so rotten,” she said. Another neighbor has been campaigning to save the home and believes it had historic value. Lynn McIntosh has been dismayed to see the three residential structures disappear over the years.

The final home remaining, which Glass’ father owns, was once owned by Jackson Coon, a well-known former business person and important figure in Rockford history.

Pederson said the house was in very bad shape structurally, even before the damage caused by fire rescue practice.

He said it had a non-functioning heating system and was not worth moving.

Pederson said he wasn’t certain of his plans for the property, which is currently zoned residential.

END OF AN ERA—One hundred years of history ended Saturday when Wolverine closed the doors to the tannery and its former workers.

Marsha Pollaski and her husband Jim worked at the tannery in downtown Rockford for 22 years.

“I was the first one to break down and start bawling,” she said of the January announcement that the facility would close. ” I bawled all day.”

Pollaski said that since January, Wolverine has been closing down different departments within the tannery and at the end only about 50 workers remained. “The last day was bad,” she said. “Everybody was crying.”

She and other former employees are disapointed that Wolverine has yet to reach an agreement with the union over severance pay.

“If the CEO were to leave today, he’d get over 30 million in severance pay,” she said. “It’s just corporate greed. The tannery made them over a million last year and the company made 96 million.”

Pollaski said the salaries at the tannery were not excessive, and estimated the average pay was $14 to $16 an hour. Benefits were very good.

Pollaski said she and her husband are looking to the future and plan to go back to school for their next career. They both liked their supervisors at Wolverine and feel they would have loved to give them a big send-off, but probably weren’t allowed.

The company has long been a world leader in pigskin tanning, and Pollaski said it seems that aspect of the business is going away and the shoe work going overseas.

“We are over the negativity of this, and I hope the others are as optimistic for their future as we are. It’s just sad for the United States because of American jobs going away,” she said.

“Young people today won’t know about job security. We thought we were showing them job security, but I guess we weren’t.”

“People say it’s the union this and the union that, but it’s not about the union. It’s about American jobs,” Pollaski said.

“We had our jobs and we were very grateful. We tried everything to keep them, pay cuts, but they just weren’t intersted.”

Pollaski added, “I know the tannery was smelly,  but that was the smell of American people working their jobs.”

WORKING TOGETHER—Dave Parish of D.A.D.’S Tents and Dave Brickner of Ric’s Food Center team up for Relay for Life.

It’s said two heads are better than one, and two businesses may be as well. Ric’s Food Center at first planned a nice open house and customer appreciation day, but  has now partnered with D.A.D.’S Tents for an event the two businessmen hope will result in a doozy of a donation for Relay for Life. What started out as a simple customer appreciation day on Saturday, May 2 from noon to 5 p.m. has turned into a Relay for Life fundraiser.

Dave Brickner, store director of Ric’c Food Center, 6767 Belding Road, lined up many of his store vendors to offer samples and hoped to provide some food outdoors at the store. When he started talking to Dave Parish, of D.A.D.’s Tents and Party Supplies, the two cooked up more ideas.

Ric’s, a company that believes in being involved and supportive of the towns their stores are in, realized quickly how big a deal Relay for Life is in Rockford.

“In Mount Pleasant, the town is all about Special Olympics, and that’s what we do there,” he said of the store’s parent location.

“Here in Rockford, it’s Relay. I’ve been approached by more than 20 Relay groups,” Brickner said. From the get-go, Ric’s has been supportive of local efforts, and donates all their post-dated bakery goods to Lean on Me, a local charity. Brickner said that after opening doors at the store, the store owners hoped he would get Ric’s involved in the Rockford community.

Brickner learned about some of the biggies here, such as Mitchell’s Run Thru Rockford, and supports as many as possible. Of course, he found out about Relay for Life, which raises money for the American Cancer Society and is wildly successful in Rockford.

Dave at D.A.D.’s Tents is just as passionate about Relay. From the beginning or Relay six years ago he has had his tents at the event. “The first year we had maybe eight tents. The next year we participated. It was a life-changing experience.”

He is so dedicated to the cancer-fighting effort that he has ordered a $2,000 big, bright pink tent and will always donate the rental to Relay.

The D.A.D.’S Dave and Ric’s Dave decided to work together to make the Ric’s event a Relay event. D.A.D.’s is donating 100 percent of the $300 tent rental to Relay. In addition to the events for the open house, Ric’s will be selling hotdogs and pop for $2 to give to Relay. An American Cancer Society representative will be on hand to talk about the efforts to find a way to stop cancer.

“This has really snowballed,” said Brickner. “We are all really excited about this, and it’s the Relay aspect of it that has everyone so enthusiastic.”

Watch for the tent on May 2 and stop in for the open house/Relay fundraiser at Ric’s Food Center.

            Others who rent the tent will understand the point when the tent arrives. It comes with a banner explaining it purpose. It is in memory of those who have passed, in honor of those who have survived and in thanks to those who care.

Rockford Squire visits Animal Kingdom

DISNEY ADVENTURE—

Ryann, Camden and Hope Deuel (l–r) stop to check out the local Rockford news while visiting Walt Disney World’s Animal Kingdom.

HOME BURNS—A woman and her

by JUDY REED

Nelson Township resident Brad Smith knew something wasn’t right when he saw a plume of smoke rising into the air as he drove west on 18 Mile near Shaner about 2 p.m. Thursday, April 16. “I’d seen fires around from people burning but this was different,” he said.

Smith headed in the direction of the smoke, finally finding the source on Wildwood Court, a private drive east off Shaner, just south of Coan. “The roof was on fire, and there was a woman at home, so I helped her get her dog out,” said Smith.

While the home of Nancy and Steve Hazen was destroyed, their sister-in-law, Jean St. Charles, and the dog, made it out safely.

Firefighters were called to the scene about 2 p.m. with DNR aerial support reporting a 5-acre grass fire moving toward the house. Crews from seven fire departments, including Sand Lake, Cedar Springs, Algoma, Solon, Spencer, Howard City, and Courtland Fire Departments, battled both the house fire and the wildfire that ignited it for several hours Thursday afternoon. Four tankers of water were brought in to quell the blaze.

Sand Lake Fire Chief Ed Holtzlander said it was definitely the wildfire that started the house on fire, and not the other way around. “It started in the northeast tract and moved up behind the house,” he explained.

Wildfires were rampant last week because of dry, windy conditions, and officials originally theorized that someone burning brush might have sparked it. However, the state fire marshal inspected the scene Monday, and was not able to determine the exact cause of the fire. The DNR used their GPS tool to estimate that the fire scorched about 17-18 acres, including the home. Other homes were not damaged. 

According to the National Fire Interagency Center, there were 412 wildfires in Michigan in 2008 that burned 2,675 acres. Nationally, over 80,000 wildfires burned over 5,254,000 acres last year.

SHOW YOUR SUPPORT—2009 Committee Members (l-r) John Decker of John Decker Chevrolet, Inc.; Bob Kleinsteiber of LSS Holdings; Jason Rop of Blakeslee, Fry and Scales PC; Lance Carlson of New York Life Insurance Company; Tim Offer of National City Bank; Kristi Robins of Comerica Bank; and Juan Martinez representing Blythefield Country Club. Camera shy—Thom Arends of Thom’s Hair Design; Doug Kliewer of Prudential Financial; Kate Swendrowski of RAI; and Tim Saladin of Independent Bank.

Chamber 14th annual golf outing offers big opportunities

by CHRISTINE BIGNEY

Blythefield Country Club is hosting this year’s 14th Annual Community Golf Outing sponsored by the Rockford Chamber of Commerce on Monday, May 4.

This is the first year that John Decker from Decker Chevrolet will be giving away a brand new car as the grand prize for a hole-in-one on hole # 5. “We’re not giving away a lease this year, we’re giving away the car,” Decker said. Decker drove the 2009 white Chevy Impala LT Sedan, loaded, valued at $28,000 up to the clubhouse.

“The men are at a minimum of 165 yards, and the women are at a minimum of 150 yards. Juan Martinez, representing Blythefield Country Club, said he thought he should mention that Blythefield had 15 hole-in-one’s last year, with one guy getting three of them. “So your car may not be safe, John,” Martinez joked. Independent Bank is once again sponsoring the “Putt Fore Cash” as they have done for the last 18 years. At 6:00 p.m., golfers at the event can try to win $10,000 by sinking a 50′ putt.

Tim Offer, Vice President Branch Manager of National City Bank said that for the third year in a row, someone has a chance to win $1,000,000 in the Million Dollar Shoot-out.

Brenda Davis from the Rockford Chamber of Commerce encouraged early RSVP by Monday, April 27. Cost is $105 per person which entitles participants to 18 holes of golf, cart, hole events, box lunch, strolling dinner, and awards. Chamber members will receive a “perk” on the day of the event.

Proceeds will support several community and chamber events.

Registration starts at 11:30 a.m., hole assignments at 12:30 p.m., with a shotgun start at 1:00 p.m. There will be lots of events. Davis said there is a RSVP by April 27 to participate in this great networking opportunity and fun event.

CRASH CAUSES INJURIES—A rollover accident rerouted traffic at Northland Drive and 14 Mile in the early afternoon Monday.

The construction at Northland Drive and 14 Mile may have played a part in a rollover accident Monday, April 20.

According to the Michigan State Police, an 85-year-old woman from Pierson was driving her Oldsmobile eastbound on M-57 about 12:30 p.m. Monday, when she turned north on Northland Drive and into the path of a westbound Geo driven by a 20-year-old Sparta woman. A witness reported to police that the older woman looked like she was going to turn south, saw the road was closed due to construction, and then turned north instead, crashing into the younger woman. The impact of the crash caused the Geo to roll and land sideways against a telephone pole on the northwest corner of the intersection.

Both drivers were treated at area hospitals but were not seriously injured, according to police. Algoma Fire and Rescue and Rockford Ambulance assisted at the scene.

Disappointed with handling
of tannery closing

I am just writing to let you know that I worked at the tannery for 22 years, my last day of work was Thursday. At that point, Wolverine World Wide, a company that had a 96 million dollar profit last year, has not made a severance package to any of its employees. I think that is pretty despicable.

CHAMBER LEADERS—Board of Directors from L to R as follows: Char Bouwkamp (D & W Fresh Market), Bobbi Lindeman (Wolverine World Wide, Inc.), Vice President Dr. Carl Stites (Stites Eye Care), Jeff Lewis (Fluis, Inc.), Candy Lancioni (Aunt Candy’s Toy Company), Andy Tidey (The Corner Bar), President Polly VonEschen (Baskets in the Belfry), Steve Hallead (Independent Bank), Jody Greco (City of Rockford – EX Officio), Secretary Dr. Mike Shibler (Rockford Public Schools), and Linda Southwick (LSS Holdings). Missing members from the photo are Dan Byrne (Byrne Electrical Specialists, Inc.) and Treasurer Jerry Coon (Action Tax Service).

The Rockford Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors welcomes two new board members and a new vice president. Char Bouwkamp (D & W Fresh Market) will fulfill John Donehoo’s (consultant) term and Bobbi Lindeman (Wolverine World Wide, Inc.) will replace the retired Michael Donabauer. Dr. Carl Stites has agreed to become vice president taking over for John Donehoo.  President, Polly Von Eschen is thrilled to have the new directors on board.

Roger Allen, publisher

Barbary Pirates

For almost 1,000 years years, until the early nineteenth century, Islamic pirates from North Africa raided shipping vessels in the Mediterranean Sea and Atlantic Ocean. They also destroyed villages and towns along the coasts, making some of them nearly uninhabitable. They took prisoners and sold many of them into slavery. Some accounts claim that more than a million people were taken as slaves.

     Eventually, Europe and, finally, America, had had enough. The U.S. refused to continue to pay ransom for ships and crews and sent the Navy to attack the pirates, shelling the city of Tripoli. The combined pressure reduced piracy and eventually solved the problem.

Wall Street Pirates

     Now we have the Wall Street Pirates who got a bailout to allow our banking system to operate again. We paid them billions but don’t know who got a lot of it, or why. Although they accepted the money, we still have little credit available and a sick stock market. We paid the ransom; why can’t we get back to business?

The economy is so bad…

1. CEOs are now playing miniature golf.

2. Hot Wheels and Matchbox stocks are trading higher than GM.

3. McDonald’s is selling the 1/4 Ouncer.

4. People in rich neighborhoods have fired their nannies
and learned their children’s names.

5. A truckload of Americans got caught sneaking into Mexico.  

6. Jury duty pay is now a step up for millions of people.

7. Dick Cheney took his stockbroker hunting.

8. Mothers in Ethiopia are telling their kids, “Finish your plate, do you know how many kids are starving in the US?”

9. Motel Six won’t leave the light on.

You can’t win #1

     The easiest way to find something lost around the house is to buy a replacement.

     How is it one careless match can start a forest fire, but it takes a whole box to start a campfire?

You can’t win #2

     A carpet layer had just finished installing carpet for a lady. He stepped out for a smoke, only to realize that he had lost his cigarettes.

     In the middle of the room, under the carpet, was a bump. “No sense pulling up the entire floor for one pack of smokes,” he said to himself. He got out his hammer and flattened the hump.

     As he was cleaning up, the lady came in. “Here,” she said, handing him his pack of cigarettes. “I found them in the hallway. Now,” she said, “if only I could find my parakeet.”