THEY DRANK WHAT?!—Bubbling sewage part way through the treatment process cooks down in aerated tanks at the sewer treatment plant on Coit Avenue.

Sewer Authority Board Chairman and Rockford City Manager Michael Young called the day historic and the story courageous.

The plant is the ninth largest of its kind in the entire world, and built from the initiative of five communities. According to Young, it was built with 13,500 cubic yards of concrete, the equivalent of 27 and a half tons which was brought in by 1,500 concrete trucks.

There are 17,000 tons of steel in the plant, the site took in 163,000 yards of sand (the missing hill of the medical mile in Grand Rapids)  and a quarter million yards of dirt.

The effluent that the plant produces from the more than four million gallons of sewage it takes in daily is cleaner than the Grand River. It also doesn’t taste half bad.

Young declined to taste the liquid, which for a decade he has bragged up as “so clean you literally could drink it.” But many others at the day’s ceremony weren’t as reluctant.

Plainfield Township Manager Robert Homan was joined with plant manager Larry Campbell for the first swig of the brew, which indeed looked clear if not tasty.

“It’s a little funky,” Homan reported. Campbell said it was better than some city water he’s had.

Homan amazed onlookers by filling his glass up again for another swig. His enthusiasm proved contagious. Former Cannon Township treasurer Dan Barker followed suit with a drink as did State Representative Tom Pearce. Plainfield Township’s clerk Scott Harvey downed a glass. Squire reporters Cliff Hill and Beth Altena were so caught up in the moment, they drank the treated sewage too.

Campbell said it is almost a shame that the effluent is released into the Grand River because the quality is so good it should be put to use. He said if there was still a golf course close by he’d talk to them about taking advantage of this clean water.

“As a country someday we are going to have to come to grips with the concept of ‘toilet to tap,’ ” said Campbell. He said at the high level of treatment this water receives, it wouldn’t take much to make it as clean as the water in our faucets and water bottles.

“You could take it one step further and filter it with reverse osmosis and it could be reintroduced in the groundwater system,” he said. With growing water issues in the country, Campbell believes it is inevitable that we will eventually be drinking treated wastewater.

With over four million gallons a day entering the plant, the treatment process has to be as quick as it is thorough. According to one of the tour guides (plant staff), from start to finish the wastewater is processed in six to eight hours. That means the product that was tasted following the afternoon ceremony could have been in someone’s toilet that morning.

The plant has been ten years in the making, and is a testimony to the cooperative efforts of the five communities who made it possible. The City of Rockford and the townships of Alpine, Cannon, Courtland and Plainfield are represented in the name, the PARCCside Clean Water Plant.

“This is an emotional day. The plant represents a lot of sacrifice,” said Young, who said the members on the board have been meeting monthly for ten years-a lot of meetings.

Although sewer rates have gone up for many, Young said increases were less than if the plant had not been built. In fact, it was in response to increases that the decision to build the plant was made.

Most people will never drink the treated sewage, but should appreciate the environmental benefit to our waterways of this type of new technology.

Homan, who has long stated he would drink a glass of the effluent and probably never expected to be joined by a group of fellow enthusiasts, said he hadn’t given much thought to the actual act over the years.

“I understand the technology and know it is safe to drink,” he said. “The symbolism of the gesture is what is important.”

WHAT YOU DO FOR YOUR VOTERS—Drink effluent. Tom Pearce downed a glass of treated wastewater along with township officials and a variety of other brave individuals. This morning this liquid was in someone’s toilet.

WRITE THE NEWS OR BE THE NEWS?—In the excitement of the moment it’s easy for reporters to cross the line. We thought, ‘How can we be here and not be able to say we did it?’ Drinking the treated sewage are Squire reporters Beth Altena and Cliff Hill.

THEY DRANK WHAT?!—Bubbling sewage part way through the treatment process cooks down in aerated tanks at the sewer treatment plant on Coit Avenue.

GROUP EFFORT—Those who were involved in the creation of the North Kent Sewer Authority plant were asked to take part in a ribbon cutting Friday, June 5.

THE SOLID PRODUCT—There is a shorter word for this. Along with open tanks of percolating liquid, grated walkways cover the denser solid matter as it makes its way though treatment. It will eventually be compressed into a giant glob—called a slug—with the consistency of silly putty that will go to landfills. There it helps landfill waste decompose faster and releases methane gas, which is used to make electricity.

SCHEDULE OF EVENTS

Friday, June 12

12:00        Carnival, Food & Craft Booths Open!

12-11pm   Lions’ Beverage Tent

12-4pm     Children’s Tent

1-4:00pm Rockford Historical Museum Open

2-7:00pm Changing Tent (sponsored by St. Peter’s Lutheran Church)

3:00pm     Kentwood Senior Steppers-senior dances

4:00pm     Dee Jay the Clown

4:30-5:30 Dee Jay the Clown-Balloon Animals

5-11pm      Shuttle Service provided by REBA

5:00pm     Aaron VandeWege-Delightful & Silly Songs for Kids

5-7:00pm Opus Mime

6:00           Rockford School of Dance

6:30pm     American Martial Arts Institute Demonstration-on Courtland Street

7-9:00pm Tim Salisbury-Comedian & Juggler

8:00pm     The Eschelon’s-Music from the ’50s & ’60s

8:00pm     American Legion presents Elvis/Tom Jones-Post 102, 330 Rockford Park Dr.

10am              Carnival, Food & Craft Booths Open

10am-11pm  Lions’ Beverage Tent

10am-11pm  Shuttle Service provided by REBA

11-7:00          Changing Tent (sponsored by St. Stephens Evangelical Lutheran Church)

11:00am        PARADE

After
Parade          Water Ball Demo—City of Rockford Fire Parade Dept. (Contact Chief Reus at 866-1553 to participate.)

11am-7pm    Changing Tent (sponsored by St. Peter’s Lutheran Church)

12:00pm       Rockford Area Concert Band

12-4:00pm   Children’s Tent

12:30-2:30   Opus Mime

12:30-3pm   Tours of Little Red Schoolhouse

1-4:00pm     Rockford Historical Museum Open

1:30pm         Rockford Area Orchestra

2:00pm        Frog & Turtle Race-at Chase Bank on Main St.

2:30-4:30    Dee Jay the Clown-balloon animals

3:00pm        Peri Phillips & Friends

4:30pm        Aarganik- “Organically Fused Alt Folkwave”

6:00pm       Mari Castagnaro

7:00pm       Rotary Duck Race at the Dam

8:00             The Outer Vibe

Dark           FIREWORKS

Sunday, June 14

10am            BridgeWay Church Service-at Garden Park

11am             Carnival, Food & Craft Booths Open

12pm            Lions’ Beverage Tent Opens

12-4pm        Children’s Tent

1:00pm       Bedlam in Rockford Bed Race-Pre-register at Rockford Independent; event day sign-up at Krause Memorial Library.

1:00pm      The Big Tiny Young Show

1-5:00pm  Changing Tent (sponsored by St. Peter’s Lutheran Church)

2-4:00pm  Dee Jay the Clown-balloon animals

3:00pm      Jeff Large-Acoustic

DO YOU WANT TO BE A FIREFIGHTER?—Again this year join Rockford firefighters in waterball competitions outside the firebarn following the parade on Saturday. You must sign up by calling Rockford Fire Chief Mike Reus at (616) 866-1553.

There is no reason to wait for Start of Summer fun. Rockford residents can begin enjoying beautiful downtown Rockford and the carnival in the South Squires Street lot on Thursday, June 11. As a special thank you to City residents for putting up with all the activities, the City again offers Community Night on Thursday from 5 to 10 p.m. For just $10 residents who show proof of City residency may purchase wrist bands allowing unlimited carnival rides. For Rockford residents living outside the City, enjoy the same unlimited rides at Community Night by buying the bands for just $20. Wrist bands are available at the carnival ticket booth.

After Community Night, there are still three great days of fun planned for this year’s 41st annual Start of Summer Celebration. Regular events begin Friday, June 12 and run through Sunday, June 14.

The carnival opens for family fun at noon on Friday along with craft and food booths downtown. Enjoy a children’s tent, Dee Jay the Clown, Delightful and Silly Songs by Aaron VandeWege, and Elvis at the American Legion at 8 p.m. and more (see schedule, pages 2 and 3.

The Rockford East Business Association (REBA) is again helping with transportation by offering a free shuttle every half hour from D&W Center, MVP and Rockford Center on Friday 5 to 11 p.m. and Saturday 10 a.m. to 11 p.m. Enjoy booths, food of all sorts, activities for all ages. The popular frog and turtle races will be back on Saturday at 2 p.m. at Chase Bank, so catch your critters soon.

Also popular is the annual Start of Summer parade Satuday, June 13 beginning at 11 a.m. The parade route follows Main Street to Bridge and ends on Monroe. Fireworks will be at dusk on Saturday and can be viewed from downtown, especially near the dam. 

OLD-TIME FUN—Frog and turtle races downtown Rockford are a staple of the Start of Summer Celebration. Here a youngster holds up her racing box turtle before the event.

Rockford’s Anna Crysler is just eight years old, but an old hand at bringing home the gold.

On May 17 Anna competed in the state gymnastic meet in Kalamazoo. The young gymnast ended up winning the State Championship All-Around Gold medal with a score of 37.325.

She also won gold on uneven bars, silver on vault and bronze on floor exercise. Her 2008-09 season was also impressive, with 11 All-Around gold medals out of 12 meets for ages nine and under and brought in 23 gold medals in individual events. She trains four days a week since starting a recreational gymnastic class  at age five.

The Rockford Area Arts Commission offered their third annual t-shirt design contest again this year.

Third and fourth-graders from Belmont, Meadowridge and Parkside elementary schools entered the contest.

The best all around designs were chosen. There were four winners. Fourth place went to Bailey Abbey of Belmont Elementary, third place to  Paige Anderson  of Meadowridge Elementary, second place to  Anna Kurtz of Belmont Elementary and first place to Brandon Schwandt of Parkside Elementary. 

Brandon’s design will be used on the t-shirts for “Freedom To Express” the sixth Annual Summer Arts Camp being held July 20 to July 24 here in Rockford.

For more information about the Summer Camp phone (616) 874-5264. 

RUNNERS UP— Anna Kurtz from Belmont Elementary and fourth- place-Bailey Abbey from Belmont Elementary.

WINNER— Brandon (pictured at left) Schwandt, fourth-grader at Parkside Elementary.

Squires

 Pauline B. Squires, 87, of Rockford died Wednesday, June 3, 2009.

Mrs. Squires was born October 21, 1921, in Rockford, the daughter of Frank and Samantha (Fredericks) Fisk. She was a 1938 graduate of Rockford High School. She then graduated from beauty school and opened her first beauty salon with close friend Gayle Butler in Byron Center. She was a born entrepreneur, was very ambitious and went on to own two other beauty salons in Grand Rapids.

She met her husband, Robert D. Squires Sr., at Wolverine World Wide and traveled to Texas to marry him while he was in the U.S. Army. She was very loyal to her family and a wonderful caregiver to her husband, who preceded her in death on July 28, 2008.

Surviving are two children, Robert D. Squires Jr. of Rockford, Brenda L. Squires of Duluth, Ga.; one grandson, Robert D. (Jennifer) Squires III; one great-granddaughter, Nicole L. Squires; many nieces and nephews. She was also preceded in death by three brothers, Jack, Bud and Gordon Fisk; and one sister, Leora Ashley.

The family received friends Tuesday at the Courtland-Oakfield United Methodist Church with Pastor Michael Conklin officiating. Interment was in Rockford Cemetery. Memorial contributions may be made to the American Cancer Society or the American Heart Association. Online condolences may be made at www.blisswitterspike.com.

Arrangements were made by Bliss-Witters & Pike Funeral Home, Cedar Springs.

WAY TO GO GIRLS

Crestwood Elementary fourth-grade Girl Scouts take a break from swimming to enjoy the Rockford Squire during a trip to the Great Wolf Lodge! The girls wrapped up a year focused on community service with a trip they earned themselves.

ILLEGAL HARVEST

Reward offered for information resulting in the arrest and conviction of the pictured individual responsible for the illegal harvest of a sturgeon at the Sixth Street Dam in Grand Rapids. Report any information to the DNR RAP hotline at: 1-800-292-7800.

A Rockford man is making a big difference for our soldiers in Iraq. And he doesn’t even carry a weapon.

Leslie Wayne Sims, a Master Electrician employed by Stanley Consultants, is serving as a member of Task Force S.A.F.E. The 47-year-old’s daily job is the safety of service members and civilians in Iraq.

Task Force S.A.F.E. (Safety Actions for Fire and Electricity) was formed by a Congressional mandate in August  2008 to inspect, assess and correct any electrical, fire or safety issues at more than 94,000 Coalition facilities across Iraq.

Made up of highly-skilled electricians, fire protection experts and a variety of other civilian and military specialists, TF S.A.F.E. has completed inspection on more than 47,000 facilities in the past ten months. This has also led to a 50% reduction in electrical and fire incidents within the Coalition.

Sims, a graduate of Rockford High School and ITT Technical Institute, spends long days inspecting facilities and supervising repairs at facilities across Iraq, but says providing a safe living and working environment for our troops is worth the sacrifices he and his teammates make.

His wife, Connie and children Lena and Ian all live in Rockford. His parents, James and Vivian Sims reside in Grattan.

Sims has been working in Iraq since last October.

13th   Frank Berris   Andrew Halliday   Willie Schrier   Bunny Voss   Dylis Wilson

14th   Michelle Doane   Betsy Leistner    Rick Maharry

16th   Paula Kruer   Dave Ruehs   Bill Throckmorton   Sharon Zapf                                               

17th   Mary Liz Chipman   Alma Madges   Sue Morrow   Shirley Richardson   Judy Wilson

18th   Gen Waid   Tom Wybranowski

19th  Marquita Campbell   Cathy Fusee   Phyllis VanderKolk