General Guide Issue XV Archives - Albion, Michigan - General Guide to Arts and Trails

January 3, 2016January 6, 2016

Riverside Cemetery Walking Tour

Riverside Cemetery has been the final resting place for the men and women of Albion since 1837. Take a tour of Riverside and learn about the Gardners, the Crowells, the Peabodys and the Sheldons. Learn more about Albion’s Mother of Mother’s Day, the Kinneys, and the Deans. If you’ve lived in Albion all your life, you know these names. If you don’t live in Albion, come anyway, you will learn a lot.

The families highlighted in this brochure were chosen due to their accomplishments, historical interest, notoriety, or unusual monuments. More information about Riverside Cemetery can be found on the City of Albion website. There are also extensive historical articles written about the men and women buried here, and tour books of Riverside Cemetery, from Albion’s Historian Frank Passic.

This brochure was created in conjunction with the City of Albion in 1990, and the 11″ x 17″ version is still available at the cemetery office. Click on the images at left to see a larger view. There are two pdf versions of the brochure linked below.

Riverside_Cemetery_LITE_map (447k faster for mobile devices)

Riverside Cemetery Printable (1.7MB – suitable for printing, uses 3 pages – set printer to landscape view)

December 30, 2015January 1, 2016

General Guide XV – January/February 2016 – printable version

The “Albion History Edition” – Issue XV – January/February 2016 featuring Albion’s Historical Challenges

Click on either of the images below to access a printable pdf file of the January/February 2016 General Guide to Albion (size ~2MB – give it a minute to load)
Depending upon your plugins and settings in your browser, the file may download to your computer. From there you can read the file and print it onto two sheets of paper.

December 30, 2015January 2, 2016

The Albion City Council Resolution regarding Albion Public Schools and Marshall Public Schools

A long and somewhat contentious City Council meeting ended with a bittersweet farewell to the City Hall intern from France, Marie Marcone. To see the YouTube video her farewell speech (click continue reading.) Click here for a short link to the segment of the 12-7-15 meeting of the Albion City Council courtesy of their YouTube channel. Marie also helped to facilitate a “Show Your Best” trade show at Albion Community School and proposed new “Welcome to Albion” signs.

An earlier segment of this same Albion City Council meeting covered a vote by the City Council “disapproving” of the proposed annexation with Marshall Public Schools. The exact wording of the resolution is below. The reasoning behind the votes against the resolution are explained by Albion City Councilman Andrew French in a short clip of the official City Council Youtube at minute 1:24 (skips hour and half of the video but let the video load before playing). “in fact, these five questions (of the resolution) do not address the annexation at all.””

ALBION CITY COUNCIL EXPLAINS VOTE ON ANNEXATION

The Albion City Council voted to adopt a resolution at their regular meeting on December 8, 2015, that disapproves the annexation of Albion Public Schools by Marshall Public Schools in the absence of specific guarantees, assurances, and answers. The council resolution expressed the Council’s strong concern regarding the potential educational, economic, and social implications of annexation for the future of the community.

The Council resolution recognized that confronting the district’s present educational and financial challenges demands genuine community consensus based on open communication, transparent processes, and creative leadership. The Council raised the following concerns and questions:

(1) The city and public will receive a clear plan detailing how existing loans and debt will be repaid.

(2) The city and public will have sufficient time to review the Section 22g District/ISD Consolidation Grant application before it is submitted.

(3) The city and public will receive details regarding the Albion Public Schools operation plan for the remaining portion of the academic year.

(4) The city and public will be given a minimum estimate for how long Marshall Public Schools would operate a school in Albion.

(5) The city and public will receive a detailed plan addressing the “consolidation of services” option that preserves Albion Public Schools as an entity.

The Resolution passed on a 4-3 vote, with Mayor Joe Domingo, Council Members, Garrett Brown, Rebecca Decker, and Lenn Reid voting in favor. Council Members Maurice Barnes, Cheryl Krause, and Andrew French voted in opposition.

City of Albion

RESOLUTION #2015-34

Resolution Disapproving the Proposed Annexation of Albion Public Schools by Marshall Public Schools in the Absence of Specific Guarantees, Assurances, and Answers

Background and Purpose: The Albion Public Schools Board Of Education on December I, 2015 adopted a resolution in support of an annexation of its territory by the Marshall Public Schools. Albion Public Schools is prohibited from adopting a deficit budget or operating in deficit pursuant to state law, and is therefore pursuing annexation in hopes of ensuring that some form of public education remains accessible within its territory given the enrollment declines and financial stress that threaten its viability. The Albion City Council recognizes this as a decisive moment in the life of our community. The Council wishes to express its strong concern regarding the potential educational, economic, and social implications of annexation for the future of the community that it represents, and its opposition to annexation in the absence of specific guarantees, assurances, and answers.

Council Member Brown moved, supported by Council Member Decker, to approve the following resolution:

WHEREAS, the Albion City Council recognizes that access to a quality education is an essential component of a sustainable and competitive community for residents and businesses; and

WHEREAS, the Michigan State Treasurer has determined that Albion Public Schools is subject to rapidly deteriorating financial circumstances likely to result in recurring operating deficits or financial stress; and

WHEREAS, in search of a solution, the Albion Public Schools Board of Education by resolution has initiated a process that could result in the annexation of its district by Marshall Public Schools; and

WHEREAS, Albion Public Schools is in the midst of significant and lasting transformation that will forever shape not only the educational future of our children, but the viability of the city in which they live; and

WHEREAS, the pursuit of the Section 22g District/lSD Consolidation Grant, a $5 million competitive state grant for the reimbursement of transition costs associated with the complete consolidation or annexation of districts or intermediate districts, and its December 22, 2015 deadline have unnecessarily hindered discussion of other feasible options beyond annexation; and

WHEREAS, the tax implications for residents and businesses regarding the payment of Albion Public Schools’ debt-potentially in excess of $2 million-and the revenue implications for the Albion District Library remain sources of great confusion and concern; and

WHEREAS, annexation by Marshall Public Schools would will permanently remove “local control” and the responsive, neighborhood-level accountability that a locally elected school board represents; and

WHEREAS, there are at present many unanswered questions and there needs to be a thorough review to provide the community with a firm understanding of all of the implications to our students, to our district, our taxpayers, and to our community; and

WHEREAS, confronting the district’s present educational and financial challenges demands genuine community consensus based on open communication, transparent processes, and creative leadership.

NOW THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that the Albion City Council hereby disapproves the proposed annexation of Albion Public Schools by Marshall Public Schools in the absence of the following specific guarantees, assurances, and answers from the Albion Public Schools and Marshall Public Schools:

(1) The city and public will receive a clear plan detailing how existing loans and debt will be repaid.

(2) The city and public will have sufficient time to review the Section 22g District/lSD Consolidation Grant application before it is submitted.

(3) The city and public will receive details regarding the Albion Public Schools operation plan for the remaining portion of the academic year.

(4) The city and public will be given a minimum estimate for how long Marshall Public Schools would operate a school in Albion.

(5) The city and public will receive a detailed plan addressing the “consolidation of services” option that preserves Albion Public Schools as an entity.

I hereby certify that the above resolution was adopted on December 7, 2015 in a regular session of the Albion City Council, and this is a true copy of that resolution.

Ayes 4

Nays 3 (Barnes, Krause, French)
Absent 0

Jill Domingo, Albion City clerk Date: December 7, 2015

To see the video of this meeting – go to the City of Albion YouTube channel and see the meeting from December 7, 2015

December 27, 2015January 1, 2016

Albion’s Tuskegee Airmen

The Tuskegee Airmen is the popular name of a group of African-American military pilots (fighter and bomber) who fought in World War II. Formally, they formed the 332nd Fighter Group and the 477th Bombardment Group of theUnited States Army Air Forces. The name also applies to the navigators, bombardiers, mechanics, instructors, crew chiefs, nurses, cooks and other support personnel for the pilots.(source Wikipedia)

Albion had four servicemen that served as Tuskegee Airmen during World War II. They were: Robert Chandler, Grover Crumsby, Finis Holt and Richard Weatherford. They were part of a group of around 1,000 black soldiers who were trained at the Tuskegee Institute in Alabama to become pilots in the U.S. Army Air Corps. There has been research and write-ups about our local men by others in the past. It is very unusual for a community the size of Albion to have been the home of four of the Tuskegees.
Source Historical Albion Michigan

One of the exhibits at the Gardner House Museum upstairs is about Albion’s veterans, including Albion’s Tuskegee Airmen. Currently one of the exhibit rooms displays World War II photographs and memorabilia of area veterans including three Albion residents who were Tuskegee Airmen.
Source Albion Historical Society home page.

Portraits above are by Jerome Washington. See more of Jerome’s art at:

http://www.albionmich.com/jerome

December 27, 2015January 1, 2016

Walk for Warmth

Do you know the history of Walk for Warmth? Here’s some information about how it all started in Albion!
Community Action agencies across the nation hold an annual “Walk for Warmth” fundraising event in which funds are raised to assist low to middle-income individuals and families who struggle with the costs of heating their home. The roots of this event are traced back to Albion, Michigan.
On February 14, 1983, Tim Kurtz, the Albion Community Action Coordinator at the time, held a 24 hour walk-a-thon to raise funds for heating assistance. “Helping the Poor in 24” was his motto. In addition to the $1,500 he raised for heat-related emergencies, he raised community awareness about the needs of low-income and elderly in the community. This was the first Walk for Warmth.

Three years later, on February 15, 1986, Community Action expanded the Walk for Warmth into Barry, Branch, Calhoun, and St. Joseph Counties. That year the organization raised $16,700 and had 325 individuals walk in the events. Two year later in 1988, the Walk for Warmth had increased to 450 people attending the event while raising $18,000.

In 1990, ten more counties in the State of Michigan held Walk for Warmth events. Today, Walk for Warmth events can be found all across the country. We are so proud that Walk for Warmth can be traced back to our community.

More historical information can be found here.

This year’s Community Action Agency events can be found here.

December 27, 2015January 1, 2016

Marshall School Bus information

Albion Middle School students will be attending Marshall Middle School beginning mid January. Watch for information from the school system and in the news. While this is a bit of a change, there are a few opportunities here that Albion Middle School students may appreciate. Marshall Middle School offers educational opportunities that Albion Community School was not able to provide. This winter is fairly mild so far, and the travel may be easier due to the warmer than usual temperatures. Some of the bus stops are described in this postcard provided to us by a Marshall School board member. Click on the postcard to see a larger view suitable for printing. Visit the Marshall Public Schools website.

If any Albion youth are interested in writing about their experience of the Marshall Schools, especially the benefits they observe, they can request membership in the Facebook Group Albion Michigan Arts and post their comments on that site for now. Later, if there is interest, we can set up a page just for the experience of education in Albion. The activity of sharing information about new ways of learning will be helpful overall, and may be also useful in a students resume down the road.

December 27, 2015January 1, 2016

Marshall Public Schools

Albion High School students began attending school in Marshall High School (see photo at left) the fall of 2014. Albion students reported more opportunities in several areas, even though they missed the days of the Albion Wildcats.

After the winter recess, Albion Middle School students will also begin to attend school in Marshall. More information about this decision: Battle Creek Enquirer article Dec. 21, 2015

Here is a link to the Marshall Public Schools website:
http://www.marshall.k12.mi.us/

See more information about the changes to Albion Public Education including videos of meetings and key comments on the Education page on AlbionMich.net

December 1, 2015February 15, 2016

Albion History Map

This is the online version of the map that was featured in the General Guide to Albion XV, “Albion History” Edition. Click on this direct link to map if you cannot see the interactive map below. As you click on each marker, more information appears about that spot. These items match the items in the printed Guide. Please also check out the Google map of Art near the Albion River Trail.

Also visit the map called Explore the Albion River Trail that pinpoints public art near the Albion River Trail, as well as some historic sites, and some Purple Gang Tour locations.