� JUL V 15 - 21, 1985 THE CITIZEN
City anager itchell said
that it is difficult for police to
determine if a child is under 15
while the child i driving the
moped. Mitchell also said that
just because some people have
not seen police stopping juvenile
moped abu rs they hould not
y that police are doing nothing
about the problem.
In another m tter, Mayor
Cooke told city staff to pre
pare a letter of sympathy
for the family of Dr. Daniel
E. Cook, founder of Progressive
Baptist Church, who died
June 29.
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By on Leuty
BE TO HARBOR - With
two dissenting vote and one
. b tention the Benton Harbor
City Commission approved, july
8, to hire a financial consultant
for $60 per hour.
The move cam fter the city
had applied to the ate Emer
gency Loan Bo rd, June 24,
for a 1 million loan. The city
a granted Ie than a third of
its request - $320,000 - under
the condition that an indepen
dent financial consulting firm
be hired by the city. After the
consultant's work is complete,
Benton Harbor will be eligible
to apply for "the balance of
dollars needed to assure con
tinued operation of City
activitie ", according to City
anager Ellis itchell.
Casting the t 0 dissenting
votes ere Commissioners
Arnold Bolin and Charles Hen
derson. Commissioner . chael
Govatos bstained. Voting in
favor of hiring the financial
consultant ere Commi toners
Juanita Echols, Randall Juer
ge n, Ralph Crensha ,Charles
Yarbrough, orvan e ,and
yor ilce Cooke.
Bolin, in the commission's
pre-meeting rkshop, ed if
the 60 per hour being charged
to the city ould include travel
and other expen s for the
Detroit firm of Pierce, onroe
& A oci tes, Inc. The answer
no.
Bolin also ed if any local
firms ere considered for the
job, to which he received the
respon e th t Pierce, Monroe
had good tr ck record. Bolin,
after the m ting, aid that he
raised the concern becau he
no list of other firm that
ere in th runnin for the job.
Commissioner Crenshaw said
that going with Pierce, onroe
. an excellent decision, even
though the firm is not local.
Crenshaw said the decision
"means our servival. If we
crifice urvival for local it's
not a wise decision."
City an ger itchell s . d
that because Pierce, Monroe has
knowledge of the city and
its problems he hopes that the
firm can "expedite the pro
cess" so the cost to the city
won t be as great.
Commissioner Hender on said
that the city could be "held
up" for alot of money if no
time limit is put on the work.
Currently, the contract runs
through June 30, 1986, and
can be extended beyond that.
Also, the cornmi 'on can cancel
the contract if it feels the fees
being charged are excessive.
Crenshaw countered that
either the city follows the loan
board's requirement for a fin
ancial consultant "or e don't
get any money."
any commissioners raised
the . ue of the st te requiring
the consultant but not .giving
the city money to pay for the
consultant.
Commissioner Yarbrough said
that the city is talking about
ot of money that asn't
budgeted. After the meeting
yor Coo e said that t city
is goin to ha to find way to
pay for the con ultant because
of it being a state requirement.
Cooke said th t when he testi
fied before Congre earlier this
year one of the i ues that he
brough up was state and federal
mandates.
In other action, the com
mission approved a waiver to
Section 1604 of the City Code
for r. and r. William
Brown, 1069 Hurd.
The code said th t "no
ccessory building shall be con
structed upon lot until the
construction of the main build-
U GO -·A meeting
for Concer d elfare
others will be held t
2623 Hoyt at 3 p.m., Sunday,
July 21, ccording to Thro
dor L. Smith, 0 e of the
organizer of Concerned el
fare Rights others for ead
and Justice.
ttending the meeting will
be auline Common, chair
person fo the Lansing el-
ned elfare
me t
fare Ri&bt Organization and
ary Held, also of Lansing.
, e need to know more
about our rights," explained
Smith. e need to know
how to go about getting
delayed chec , food stamps
. . . PIe , come out and
she your concern and
interest. "
Coffee and ack will be
rved.
·1186 FIFTH STREET
EGaN. 4944(l'
ATTOR EY .
At LAW
NO
.coNSUlTAlION
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/ Additional loan dollars at stake
ing h been ctually com-
menced".
The Browns acquired pro
perty at 1061 Hurd and de
molished a structure "that stood
on the property. They ant
to construct a garage on the
lot but, for ... various reasons,
did not want to combine the
lots, according to William
Lilly, Director of Community
Services. Lilly aid that a
garage is considered an
accessory, or secondary building,
and recommended that a waiver
be granted. The city's Planning
Commission also approved the
aiver.
Commi loner Hender on, in
nother m tter, said that it is
time "to take action" against
under aged children driving
moped. Henderson said that
parents need to be notified
that it" is "illegal and unsafe"
for children under 15 years
old without a license to drive
mopeds.
Henderson's comments carne
after city resident Sewilla Wil
son, 806 Pipestone, mentioned
the moped problem durin the
citizens' comments portion of
the meeting.
Thomas succumbs to boxing injuries
ERRILL VILLE, IN
Shaun Thorn ,26, who never
regained consciousness following
a May 29 fight, died here July 3
at ethodist South Lake Hos
pital.
He was buried onday, July
8 in service at Faith Temple
Church of God, 114 W. Allen
where Bishop Tommie' Lockett
is pastor.
Thomas, who began his career
an amateur boxer at the
Kalamazoo Boxing Academy,
had been hospitalized since his
nationally. televised bout with
Chris Calvin of ashville, Tenn.
Thomas' manager, Joe
Smelley, has charged that
referee Stanley Berg failed to
stop the fight soon enough.
Smelley threw in the towel
during round seven to stop
the fight.
After the fight, Thomas col
lapsed in his dressing room at
the Holiday Star Theater and
later underwent brain urgery
to remove a blood clot.
The Indiana Boxing Com-
mi ion ruled last month that
"there was no impropriety"
by official or promoters in
volved in the fight.
Boxing Commission Chair
man William Van Orman said
the panel reviewed videotape of
the fight , and that no 0 e
representing Thomas or Calvin
attended the meeting.
Thorn, 1977 graduate of
Kalamazoo Central High School,
had a highly succe ful amateur
career that included four state
Golden Gloves championship.
To adv nee his career, the
119-pounder moved to Detroit
to train under Jerry Sawyer,
manager of former champion
Leon Spink .
Thorn is survived by his
parents, James E. and Carrie
Thomas; a daughter, ichole
Shaunita; three brothers Jame
E. Jr. and Calvin E., all of
Kalamazoo Timothy A. of Dal
la , Tx; one sister-in-law, Denise
arie; two aunts, Jeannie Cru ,
ew York and Inez Hardin of
Birmingham Ala' two uncle
Jimmy and Roosevelt King of
California' three nieces and four
nephew.
Burial was in Riverside
Cemetery. Harper Funeral
Home, 521 Douglas, was in
charge.
Covert spending up 24%
By in Hay
COVERT The Covert
Township Board voted to dopt
its 1985-86 budget for the
fiscal year beginning July I. The
total budget was set for
1,139,400, up 24% over last
year's budget of $919,800.
All five of the budget de
partments showed double digit
increases. Federal Revenue
sharing was up 43%; from S 129,
000 to 185,400. Th' increase
included carry-over savings from
last year. Supervisor Jerry
Sarno pointed out that Federal
Revenue Sharing may not be
included in next year's Federal
budget. Revenue . g funds
were allocated to: local govern
ment.- 10,000, public wel
fare =- 2 000, contribution
to other local departments -
$20 OOOy and capital improve
ments - S 135 ,000.
The road budget wa in
creased to 208 000 this year.
Portions of 38th Avenue nd
34th Avenue are under con
sideration for improvement,
Sarno aid. The general fund
was increased 11 % from 305,
800 to 338,000.
Fire nd Ambul nee wa up
17% from 175,000 to 204,000.
The police dep rtment budget
is being increased 24% to cover
incre ed cost of equipment
and wages for police and fire.
Township workers were voted
4% wage increase at special
meeting on June 25th.
At the June 25th peci I
meeting the Board also voted
to authorize Williams and Works,
a Grand. R pids planning finn,
to file for a 550,000 sewage
grant from the Fanners Horne
Administration. The sewage
proposal would include in tallat
ion of a $ 1 ,263,000 solid
w ste sy tern in the village of
Covert to be financed with
grant , fee and bond sale.
The Board voted to name
Municipal Consulting Managers
of Kalamazoo as the township
insur nee carrier pending the
inc1u ion of Workman s Com
pens tion coverage at Ie than
$12,000 per year.
Richard Lundy of South
Haven was appointed township
representative and inspector for
the elderly housing ellhou
project. Superior Builders of
St. Joseph is the general con
tractor for both the elderly
housing and the wellhou .
The township'S 1974 master
pJan was amended to ch nge
sand mining regulations. The
new regulation will extend the
road centerline setback to 100
feet to allow greater develop
ment to tree and shrub screen
ing along the road.
Cathy Berry of 34413 aple,
Covert, ppeared t the meet
ing to for improvements
at the Teen-Tot Bicentennial
Park. She said her n had
fallen off the ing in the par
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