IF WE BUILD IT THEY WILL COME—The proposed West Michigan Sports Commission (WMSC) Ten Mile Road Athletic Complex. According to the WMSC, the field would host youth and amateur sports teams every weekend of the baseball/softball season and bring millions in revenue to the area. Artwork courtesy progresivejae

Millions of dollars would come to the area if a proposed sports complex is built on Ten Mile Road. According to Mike Guswiler, Executive Director of the West Michigan Sports Commission (WMSC), this area was identified in a study as being ideal for a sports complex.

“We really took a look at this and had a consultant come in and tell us what the best sports fields were… They said travel amateur and youth baseball and softball leagues would use the fields Thursday through Sunday,” he stated.

The WMSC is a three-year-old organization designed to promote economic opportunities for the area. They identified the site, in part, because it is county-owned.

On Thursday, June 11, the WMSC approached the Kent County Board of Commissioners asking if a long-term lease of the property could be arranged for one dollar a year.

Roger Morgan, Chairman of the Kent County Board of Commissioners, said their finance committee formed a sub-committee to look into the legalities of such a transaction.

“Because that land was purchased by ratepayer dollars, there may be some stipulations as to its use,” he said. He added that he is entirely in support of the project.

City Manager Michael Young, who is on the Ten Mile Corridor Committee dedicated to controlling retail growth in the corridor, said this use would be accepted.

“We wouldn’t want any of the fast food or retail that can come with this kind of development, but we don’t oppose this use at all,” he said.

Guswiler said the study the WMSC is following shows that 12 fields and a championship field would be ideal. It would cost 5.6 million to build, not including any land cost.

A donor was identified who would offer a fund-matching gift of part of the amount. That offer is tentatively on hold, however, given the state of the state economy.

“We are not a development organization, we are in a position to lead the discussion on this project,” said Guswiler.

He said economic growth through increased hotel/motel revenue is a part of the goal in creating a project like this, but not the whole purpose.

“Our studies show that people will travel within 40 miles of this complex for shopping, dining and other reasons,” said Guswiler. “It wouldn’t only benefit the businesses in downtown Rockford, it would benefit anyone in the greater Rockford area. It’s not just an economic opportunity, it’s also a quality of life opportunity.”

Morgan said legal issues should be answered by this fall. If financing came in immediately, the complex could be ready for play by 2011.

“We are lucky in this area to have many wonderful philanthropists,” Guswiler stated. The financing would be a gift, since the complex itself would not be a money-maker. “The economic growth would be through visitors coming to the area for sports tourism.” Guswiler said their study figures show 50 million in hotel/motel revenue alone in ten years.

According to Supervisor Pete MacGregor, the development will “plug and play” for anyone in a position to start building on the site. The infrastructure-roads, sewer, curbs, etc.,-are complete, with the exception of rain gardens.

“Everyone loves Ric’s,” MacGregor said. “This board very much wants Ric’s to be successful. When they went in, they expected a whole community to be built around them and those would be their customers. That didn’t happen. They are an island.”

MacGregor said the Planned Unit Development at the northwest intersection of Myers Lake Road and Belding Road is slated for 85 single homes, town homes, retail and office. A bank, cafe and restaurant were already approved and one of those businesses could build tomorrow.

The proposed development was also slated to boast a clubhouse and park. As it stands, anyone who purchases the development would have to adhere to the conditions of the original PUD. “They can come back and ask for changes,” MacGregor said.

The Town Square was designed to be a walkable, neighbor-friendly community. Original developers, Tol Companies Incorporated, planned to have a mix of residential and commercial-a mini-town where residents could virtually do all their shopping without driving their cars.

Robert Tol said in December of 2007 that he believed the public was ready for the project, based on the principals of New Urbanism. That concept features walkability, connectivity mixed-use diversity and the theory that people enjoy a pedestrian-friendly design.

The project was pushed back by years with changes and negotiation with the township. By the time they were able to build and sell residential and commercial spaces, the economy had tanked.

Now the 40-acre center is undeveloped except for  the Ric’s Food Center. MacGregor hopes that won’t be the case in the long-term.

“I’d love a developer to drive by and say, ‘Wow! This is an opportunity,’ “  he said. “I want this to be a beautiful, vivacious, thriving corner. I want it done and done right.”

Photo by Karen Salyer (taken before no stopping, no standing signs were erected)

The new signage making it illegal for residents to watch nesting American eagles on 12 Mile Road made national news, according to Neil Blakeslee, who last week took the Squire to task for publicizing the nest location.

Blakeslee said he was out of the state when his wife saw the nest on television on a CNN broadcast.

Oakfield Township Supervisor Greg Dean is convinced someone is going to get hurt on 12 Mile Road where crowds have gathered to watch a pair of eagles raising their two young. “It’s always the 10 percent that ruin it for the 90 percent,” he said. “It seems like it is always like that.”

Dean said disregard for no-parking signs, standing in the road, and leaving garbage have led him to ask the Kent County Road Commission to post “No Parking, No Standing” signs at the nesting site. Dean said people have been parking in the no-parking zone, parking on private property, leaving litter and cigarette butts behind and, most importantly, standing in the road, which has a 55 MPH speed limit. Dean said a small boy was almost struck by a car on Sunday, June 14, but was pulled from harm’s way by a bystander. He said the child’s parent yelled obscenities at the driver.

“I was out there all day Saturday [June 13],” he said. “A woman pulled up and

Photo by Karen Salyer (taken before no stopping, no standing signs were erected)

parked, and when I pointed out the no parking signs, she told me she was only going to be there a few minutes.”

Dean said he went so far as to cut trees along the roadside, trying to make more room for people to watch the eagles safely, but has given up. “I’m really upset. I didn’t want to make that decision, but someone is going to get hurt,” Dean said. He mentioned an earlier incident where a car was parked in the road in the no-parking zone. When he found the car’s owner and asked the man to leave, the man first checked to make sure his infant was still in the safety seat in the car.

The no-standing signs are enforceable by the Kent County Sheriff’s Department and would likely result in a $100 ticket. If Dean issues a ticket, it will result in a $250 fine.

Dean said, “If these eagles nest here for the next four or five years, we will be dealing with this for four or five years. Safety has to be my first concern.”

Dr. John P. Klooster

Enjoy the coffee bar and internet in the waiting room before you go in for your dental appointment at Dr. John P. Klooster’s Belmont Dentistry, PLC at 1259 Post Drive in Belmont. Dr. Klooster calls his office a “scratch start-up practice based on the principals of convenience, care and value.” “Our high-tech office focuses on the patients’ experience,” he said.

Dr. Klooster is proud of his profession and all it has to offer his patients. The general dentistry practice allows Dr. Klooster to provide a wide variety of services to all ages. His family dental practice offers all aspects of general dental care as well as short-term braces for adults, in-office bleaching, veneers and especially enjoys working with children.

While being treated, patients can enjoy the over the-chair television with headphones and warm, scented towels after the treatment is complete. A resident of Belmont, Dr. Klooster finds the community a great place to work and raise a family. He is looking forward to building his patient family through providing excellent service and going the extra mile in his profession. “We believe we offer a unique service to our patients that will build strong, long-term relationships,” he said.

“I feel really privileged to be a general dentist. It’s a profession I’m proud of and I really enjoy what I do,” he said. “Much of the reward comes from the relationships I get to build with our patient-family.”

Proof of the Belmont dental offices confidence in their quality of services is the $100 gift certificate they are offering toward the value of any treatment. They are also currently offering free in-office bleaching to their adult orthodontic patients. 

Along with Dr. Klooster on staff are Heather Jansma ( office manager),  Kylie Gieroch (patient care and hygiene coordinator), Ginger Martin (assistant), and Nicki Spring ( hygienist). “We continually take extended courses, not only to keep licenses current, but to keep up with the most modern materials and techniques available,” Dr. Klooster stated.

Opened in January of this year, Dr. Klooster and staff look forward to meeting more area residents and proving how pleasant and stress-free dental care can be. Visit them online at Belmontsmiles.com, in person at 1259 Post Drive, Belmont. The office is open Monday from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m., Tuesday and Thursday from 7 a.m. to 4 p.m., Friday from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m., and some Saturday availability from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. The phone number is (616) 284-3200, or email us at info@belmontsmiles.com. Keep smiling.

The public is welcome to observe the event at North Rockford Middle School on Ten Mile (Division) at 11 a.m. Saturday, June 27 at 11 a.m. The time capsule is a concrete burial vault donated by Pederson Funeral Home.

The Squire covered the burial twenty-five years ago. As quoted in the Squire on May 15, 1984, among  items were Dave Vandenboss’ pair of red high-topped tennis shoes. LP (long play) records with music popular at the time, newspapers, magazines, a horn from the band, a class ring and  more.

The seniors tried to capture a little bit of what their four years at Rockford High School were like, as well as some memories of 1984.

It will be interesting to see what is unearthed from the past. The capsule was buried at what was then Rockford’s High School.

SET IT DOWN RIGHT THERE BOYS!—Mike Bouwkamp assists in positioning a shed for use by the Market Master during Rockford’s Farm Market.

by CLIFF AND NANCY HILL

In future weeks, visitors to the Rockford Farm Market will find a Rockford Lions donated shed smack dab in the center of the popular Saturday morning marketplace. The shed will serve as headquarters for the Market Master as he oversees the Market’s vendors and morning’s activities.

Head Market Master Bob Winegar, on behalf of the Rockford Lions Club, said, “We couldn’t have managed this move without the generous support of River Valley Auto. Owner Dan Williams sent two of his vehicles, one a specialized flat-bed truck, to transport the shed to the site and assist in lowering it into place. With the patience and skill of the two tow-truck drivers, Ryan Nielsen and John Frazine, the difficult task went off without a hitch.”

Rockford Public Services Director Mike Bouwkamp was also on hand Tuesday morning to lend his expertise and the use of a City front-loader.

As the Squire reported in their story of this season’s Market opening, the Lions will vend fresh and hot popcorn from an authentic popcorn machine. Proceeds of popcorn sales will go towards various Lions Club charitable service projects. Stop by Saturday morning to admire the Market Master headquarters and get yourself a bag of good old-fashioned popcorn.

River Valley was also a good neighbor to the Squire the week of Start of Summer Celebration. We forgot to bring a tarp to cover our beautiful float. With rain in the night’s forcast, River Vally kindly let us store our float safely in their garage. Thanks, guys.

29th  Megan Blakely    •   Frank Nelson   •   Roberta Shripka   •   Shelia Tidey

30th  Mark Blakeslee   •   Fred VandenBoogert   •   Sue Wobma

JULY

 1st     Sonia Andrews   •   Jean Karloski

 2nd   Kerri TenBrink

 3rd    Maggie Chipman   •   Kristine Stotz   •   Henery VandenHeuvel

Roger Allen, publisher.

Big worry, short fingernails

A lot of people worry about the national budget deficit. The idea of the government spending borrowed money goes against the grain. But, on a personal scale, we Americans did the same thing with our unrestrained credit card binge and mortgages we couldn’t afford. Let’s not get all moral about the national budget deficit.

But the deficit problem is real and the facts aren’t simple. President Clinton was relatively frugal, so George W. Bush inherited a small surplus. Then, under the Bush administration, Congress actually reduced taxes (with most reductions going to the already wealthy) while embarking on two wars. This combo of lowering taxes during war had never been done before. (Wonder why.) The result was a gigantic budget deficit made to seem only huge-because (holy moley!) the Bush folks didn’t include the costs of the two wars in their budget numbers.

President Obama inherited a uniquely ghastly fiscal fiasco; he and his team of advisers, including the respected Warren Buffet, decided on the stimulus package to try to fend off a total meltdown. We’re printing money like crazy and selling bonds to foreign governments to back it up. No wonder we Americans are biting our fingernails down to the first knuckle.

On the other hand, we Americans are still buying loads of stuff from China and putting it on our bill. Way to go, Wal-Mart! Bet the Chinese are laughing all the way to the bank.

Ye gods. What happens if we can’t pay those bonds when they come due? Do the Chinese get to foreclose on us? Are we going bankrupt? I can see where the Feds might have to sign over Boulder Dam to the Chinese to help cover our debts. And how about Connecticut? Will the Chinese demand ownership of some small state to cancel our debt?

I think about these things as I nibble away at
my fingernails.

Momentary worry

A guy goes to the supermarket and notices an attractive woman waving at him. She says hello. He’s rather taken aback because she looks familiar but he can’t place where he knows her from.

So he says, “Do you know me?”

She replies, “I think you’re the father of one of
my kids.”

Now his mind travels back in time.

“My God,” he says, “are you the stripper from my bachelor party?”

She looks into his eyes and says calmly, “No, I’m your son’s teacher.”

Not to worry #1

An exasperated mother, whose son was always getting into mischief, finally asked him, “How do you expect to get into heaven?”

The boy thought it over a minute and then said, “Well, I’ll run in and out and keep slamming the door until St. Peter says, “For heavens sake, Dylan, come in or stay out!”

Not to worry #2

Notice: No animals were mistreated in the preparation of this column.

Jerry Coon, Enrolled Agent

How are Social Security benefits

calculated?

The catching of fish in Canada was not quite as good this year as other years. The black flies and mosquitoes were not a problem, though. I guess they don’t like 50 degree and rainy weather either. However, the fishing was as good as ever.

As those of us who fish know, catching fish is only a small part of the whole story. I go to Canada fishing for walleye almost every year. I go with fellows whom I have been friends with for more than 30 years now. Around the campfire, along with a beer or two, we get to laugh about the stories of the trips we took over those 30-plus years.

Some of those stories are actually true and not embellished too much, like the time we almost ran over a moose between White River and Wawa. Scary, but I swerved right around him and we kept on going.

Another time, we hit a rock in the river and I flew out of the boat so fast I didn’t have time to even say “Ro……” before I hit the water. I lost my sunglasses but held onto my coffee cup and hat. They were good sunglasses too. I saw that rock quite clearly.

Yet another time, we were driving down the two-track to the boat launch and looked over to see a big black bear nonchalantly walking back toward our camp on the two-track going in the opposite direction. I don’t know, but I think he knew we weren’t going to be there to defend our property.

One time we bet one of the guys that he couldn’t leave the campfire, jump into the boat, go out into the lake, catch a fish and get back to his seat at the campfire within five minutes. He won the bet, too, with a nice pike. It’s just as impressive to me today as I write this as it was seeing him do it.

Another time, a mink figured out how to open the latch on our minnow buckets and eat all of our minnows. Smart-aleck little fellow, but it was probably quite a feast for him. He ate probably $20 worth of minnows before we got smart enough to put snap catches on our buckets. He never did figure out how to get those snap catches open, either.

Once we saw a loon go under and come up with at least a 20-inch walleye in its mouth. It took him about five minutes to eat that walleye, but eat it he did.

It is indeed fun going fishing and camping with guys you are comfortable with. I’m very grateful I have those guys that I call friends.

I would like to continue discussing our Social Security system and how benefits are calculated. To earn regular Social Security benefits, a taxpayer needs 40 credits. For 2009, one credit is earned for each $1,090 of earnings. Once the taxpayer earns $4,360, he has earned the maximum of four credits that can be earned for 2009. In effect, 40 credits is equal to 10 years worth of earnings.

           For a taxpayer who turns age 62 in 2009, the Social Security Administration (SSA) will review the earnings of the taxpayer in all of the years basically from birth until he turned age 62. To somewhat level the playing field, earnings in the years from birth until the age of 60 are indexed for inflation. Following is an example provided by the SSA of how indexing works.

A taxpayer earned $978 in 1965 when he was 18. The magic of indexing turns this $978 into indexed adjusted earnings of $8,482. In 1975, this taxpayer earned $14,100. Indexing turns this into earnings of $66,008. In 1985, he earned $31,589. Indexing turns this figure into earnings of $75,872. In 2005, $64,999 turns into $71,071.

Indexing is attempting to provide a current value of career earnings. The highest 35 of indexed adjusted earnings years are then added together and divided by 420, which is the number of months in 35 years. Dividing by 420 provides the taxpayer’s Average Indexed Monthly Earnings (AIME). This AIME figure is then used to calculate the taxpayer’s monthly retirement benefit.

For example, a taxpayer’s AIME is $6,000. The first $744 is multiplied by 90%. This equals $669.60. The next $3,739 is multiplied by 32%. This equals $1,196.48. The next $1,517 is multiplied by 15%. This equals $227.55. These three figures, $669.60, $1,196.48 and $227.55, are added together to get a total of $2,093.63. This is rounded down to $2,093. That is the taxpayer’s benefit at full retirement age of 66.

If the taxpayer chooses to begin drawing at age 62, multiply the $2,093 times 75% to get the reduced benefit available to the taxpayer today. That figure is $1,569.

The SSA has an online estimator that can be found at www.socialsecurity.gov/estimator. It’s quite easy to use if you are interested in finding out how much your potential benefit may be. This is Jerry Coon signing off.

Jerry Coon is an Enrolled Agent. He owns
Action Tax Service on Northland Drive in Rockford.
His e-mail address is jcoon@actiontaxservice.com.

by DAN WARREN, Principal East Rockford Middle School

We have arrived at a place in our lives where we are instantly connected to each other through technology. It only takes a few seconds for us to connect for a conversation with just about anyone in just about any place in the world. We are communicating through personal technology at a rate so fast that when new information actually arrives to most of the general public, it’s already old news.

Not only are we easily and quickly connected to others, our technology also allows us to gather information on any topic within seconds of pushing a few buttons. Want to find out a play-by-play analysis of your favorite professional sports team? Just dial it up. Or, maybe if you have the appropriate system, you could watch it live in the palm of your hand.

Arguably, the cell phone is the personal electronic device that has revolutionized our ability to easily communicate with the world. Some of us remember the days when only physicians had pagers or the bulkiness of the first mobile phones. Today, a cell phone the size of a business card is all you need to run an international business. Personal technology devices that allow us instant communication and the ability to gather information are all probably very good for us and most likely unavoidable in today’s “need to know and do” society. And I am sure these devices will become even more efficient over time and certainly increase in popularity with each citizen.

Allowing students to have cell phones in school is a challenging dilemma for both educators and parents. Aside from the obvious disruption cell phone use presents in public, how do we maintain normalcy in the instructional day, while knowing that a student is in possession of a communication tool that could easily be used for various inappropriate means? There have been many court cases involving student improper use of cell phones in school settings, most involving cyber bullying and transmitting unacceptable content. Obviously, this adds another layer of student behavior schools and parents have to manage. At some point in the future, maybe the cell phone will serve as a student’s personal computer that connects seamlessly with instruction. However, schools are not at this level of technology integration, yet.

It’s easy to conclude that maybe schools should not allow students to have cell phones on campus. Or some could contend that allowing your teen to have a cell phone is questionable parenting. However, national research indicates that parents desire the convenience of having the connection with their teen that cell phones provide. There is safety in knowing your teen can quickly connect with you if necessary. Certainly teenagers are more than capable of understanding and following proper cell phone use procedures.

As with many changes in our evolving culture, schools have created policies to address cell phone possession and use by students. These policies are designed to allow students to possess personal cell phones, while also protecting the rights of others and honoring the school’s instructional process. Like most schools, Rockford’s cell phone policy does not allow students to use cell phones during the instructional day. However, they are allowed to have a cell phone at school.

How do parents and educators address this whole cell phone issue with teens? We have a big challenge, according to most studies regarding teens and cell phones. Adolescents represent an important demographic for cell phone makers, as cell phones have become an integral part of teens’ lives. In a recent Neilson survey, about four out of every five teens carry a cell phone. This is up from 40 percent of teens owning a cell phone in 2004. Approximately 50 percent of teens today say that having a cell phone is “key” to their social lives. According to Nielsen, kids are getting cell phones even before they hit their teens. Nearly half of kids aged 8 to 12 years own cell phones in the U.S. On average, kids get their first cell phone between the ages of 10 and 11 years. The next time a teenager says, “Mom, if I don’t have a phone, I am going to be a nobody,” they are being serious.

So, what impact does the cell phone have on teen behavior? According to Nielsen, the cell phone has become a primary mode of socializing for teens and they will often avoid contact with peers who don’t have cell phones. Teens often express an attitude that “if you are not a name or number on my phone book, then you are not on my social radar screen.”

Teens also believe that they can gauge a peer’s popularity or status by the phone he or she uses. It’s not uncommon for a teen to be embarrassed for his friends to see his phone if it’s not “teched up” enough. Consistent with the findings of the Nielsen survey, teens text message as much as or more than they talk on the phone. Almost 50 percent of teens say they could text blindfolded.

Teenagers can get so immersed in the use of their technology that they often see little difference between meeting face-to-face and talking on the phone. A common scene often observed is a group of teenagers sitting together at a mall, all with ears glued to cell phones, while talking with faraway friends rather than to each other. This “social” interaction has created a new kind of “digital divide” among teenagers in which they are hanging out, but not really communicating face-to-face. For teens, this behavior is completely normal and acceptable. It does appear that the cell phone has now presented teens with yet another social challenge, as if they do not have enough existing on their already full self-esteem plate.

Not only are we adults presented with challenges to teach our children how to properly and safely use their cell phone, we are also caught up in trying to understand the social issues associated with the cell phone. I have certainly witnessed this “digital divide” as there is nothing more annoying than trying to talk with a teenager when you have to compete with an electronic device, which is obviously more important to the teen than my wisdom. Whatever happened to the days in which we sent our kids off with a dime for the pay phone? Or when an actual conversation occurred in the car on a trip to visit grandma?

However, let’s be fair to our teens and keep this whole cell phone issue in perspective. Adults, like teens, also find themselves tied to their cell phones. Adults are just as guilty as their teenage kids of accepting cell phone calls during dinner or excusing themselves from a conversation or meeting to take a call on their mobile phone.

The huge majority of school-age teens use cell phones for their intended purposes and respect rules associated with proper use. We have to trust that teens will not “poke their eyes out” with their cell phones.

Nevertheless, schools must have a policy to address cell phone use. Both parents and educators must continue instructing teens to adhere to the specific behaviors necessary to reflect responsible cell phone use. Listed below is Rockford Public Schools’ student cell phone use policy. This policy is designed to inform both students and parents that cellular phones must not disrupt the school day. All student cellular devices must be off during the instructional day starting at 7:40 a.m. and ending at 2:30 p.m. The policy is as follows:

• First Offense:  cellular device will be confiscated and returned to student after 2:30 p.m. Parent called by teacher (if cellular device is on in class) or administrator (if cellular phone is on outside of class).
• Second Offense:  after-school detention; cellular device will be returned after assigned detention is served. Parent contacted by administration to discuss consequences if a third offense should occur.
• Third Offense:  one-day suspension. Parent conference with student and administrator before cellular device will be returned to the parent.
• Fourth Offense:  three-day suspension. Parent informed, student will not be permitted to bring cellular device into the building. Parent conference with administrator before cellular phone returned to parent.