Diary of a Wimpy Kid

Diary of a Wimpy Kid started on the Internet, much like a diary or a journal. Since the first book that was released on line, at least five books have been published in print, and next week the movie "Wimpy Gets Real" will be released. Kids love reading the books and many youth aged 6 and up came to the KDL Alpine Township Library for fun and games all with the theme of the Wimpy Kid. Kids had the opportunity to win a book, shirt, sweater and other prizes by completing a number of projects.

Picking beads off the ground was not a planned activity but it was fun anyway.

Creating and decorating personal journals was one of the many activities the children enjoyed.

Greg sharing a moment with one of the many attendees.

MACMA

Alpine Township Hall was again the location for a meeting on Good Agricultural Practices conducted by MACMA, (Michigan Agricultural Cooperative Marketing Association). MACMA is a voluntary membership association made up of over 700 apple growers. This is the second meeting in front of a full house and a third is scheduled for March 11, 2010.

Dawn Drake with MACMA (in center), welcoming a guest

For more information, please contact Dawn Drake at dawn_drake@verizon.net

Stop, Drop and Roll

Stop Drop and Roll. it is a single released by New Zealand hip hop artist, Mareko in 2003. It is also something preschoolers learned to do Tuesday morning at the Alpine Township Library program. Library Manager Laura Weld and Fire Chief Ron Christians were on hand to conduct the program and the children also had the opportunity to get familiar with the fire truck.

Stop Drop and Roll is the response fire personnel teach people to do if their clothing catches on fire. While children are usually tought this at school, nobody is too young to learn, and you can teach your children at home too.

1. Explain to your child you are going to go over some fire safety lessons, and that you are going to teach them what to do if their clothes ever catch fire

2. Teach your child that Stop, Drop and Roll can save their lives if their clothes ever catch on fire.

3. Tell your child that if their clothes ever catch on fire they need to stop whatever they are doing and drop to the ground.

4. Demonstrate to your child how to drop and then roll.

5. Teach your child to cover his mouth and nose while rolling, to protect his airways from damage

6. Practice Stop, Drop and Roll at home with your child. Tell them that if they see anyone else's clothes catch fire, to yell "Stop, Drop and Roll" and to find an adult and call 911.

Abuse of Rx Drugs

Abuse of Prescription Drugs is more and more prevalent. Learn why teens abuse Rx drugs more than almost all illegal drugs combined. Find out which drug use is 23% down and which is rising drastically. Learn more about the signs and symptoms of abuse. Learn why 1 of 3 teens reports having a friend who abuses Rx drugs.

Be part of a nationwide campaign to educate parents across America.

Bring your unused and expired prescription drugs for disposal. (They should not be flushed down the drain)

Feb 22 - 26 8:00 - 5:00pm
Kent County Sheriff's Office

701 Ball Ave NE GR, MI

Feb 22 - 26 8:30-4:30pm

Kent County Sheriff's Office

790 17 Mile Road NW Kent City, MI

Assistance with Tax Returns

Kent County Tax Credit Coalition announces Super Saturdays
Free Tax Preparation and E-filing
February 20th and February 27th, 2010

Volunteers will prepare and e-file your 2009 tax return free of charge if your family income is $48, 279 or less!


Saturday, February 20th, 2010 from 9 am to noon:
Steepletown Ministries
671 Davis Ave. NW
Grand Rapids, MI 49504

Saturday, February 27th, 2010 from 9 am to noon:

North Kent Service Center
10075 Northland Dr. NE
Rockford, MI 49341

Please bring these documents with you on Super Saturday:

Social Security card for each family member and picture Id for adults W-2 form for all jobs worked the previous year
1099 forms for other income, including employment
Supplemental Security Income (SSI) letter
Copy of your last year’s return (if available)
Last year’s heating bills (11/2008 -11/2009)

Proof of rent or mortgage and property tax payments

Childcare provider’s name, address, and federal tax ID number

Blank, voided check (to set up direct deposit of your refund)

Any other tax-related letters or documents you have received (including letters from IRS)

Good Agricultural Practices

Alpine Township Hall was the venue for a session on Good Agricultural Practices. (GAP)

Representatives from the agricultural community gathered here to learn more about issues that growers face when tackling food safety certification. The program, sponsored by Michigan State Extension Services will be repeated here next week.

York Creek Teams Up

Paul Land(right) from Land & Company, passing on the key to the donated York Creek unit to the representative of the American Red Cross while representatives from CORT and Arrow Restorations look on.

February 17, 2010, 6:56PM, By Aaron Ogg | The Grand Rapids Press

ALPINE TOWNSHIP -- Land & Co., the Wyoming-based owner of 20 West Michigan rental communities, has donated two apartments to the American Red Cross of Greater Grand Rapids to house disaster victims.

The dwellings at York Creek Apartments, 650 York Creek Drive NW and Woodfield Apartments, 6111 Woodfield Drive SE, will be available to those displaced by house fires or other emergencies for at least six months, Land & Co. spokesman Craig Clark said.

CORT, a Fairfax, Va.-based furniture rental firm, and Arrow Restoration, 311 28th St. SE, donated furnishings and cleaning services.

The apartments, which typically each rent for $600 a month, are expected to save the Red Cross $5,000 that would have been paid for motel rentals.

Clark said the donation was planned several months ago, and is unrelated to a special York Creek police and fire tax proposal discussed by Alpine Township officials earlier this week

Members of Land & Co management team

IHOP Fundraiser

GRAND RAPIDS -- Free short stacks of buttermilk pancakes are being offered at local IHOP restaurants from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 23.
The local celebration of National Pancake Day is designed to raise money for the Children's Miracle Network at Helen DeVos Children's Hospital, and those ordering the free pancakes will be asked to support the cause.
Alpine Township's IHOP is located at 3796 Alpine Ave. NW, Comstock Park; and there ar several other IHOP locations offering the same.

Details are online at ihoppancakeday.com.
E-mail Julia Bauer: jbauer@grpress.com

Happy Valentine's Day

Photo by Ladyheart used with permission

Dragon Dancing at the Library

In the preschool picture book Dragon Dancing, by Carole Lexa Schaefer and illustrated by Pierre Morgan, young children show us the wonder and fun of learning. After reading a book about dragons with their teacher, these inventive preschoolers decide to make their own dragon out of colored paper, yarn, feathers, and . . . themselves! Soon they're out the door, onto the playground, and into another world--the world of imagination. Becoming a magnificent dragon, the children dance over snowy mountains, through tall forests, and into whispery meadows, before returning to school for a wonderful birthday treat.

At the Alpine Township KDL Library, pre-schoolers did just that, making their own dragon outfits and travelling in the world of imagination. They even created their own firecrackers, also known as bubble wrap.

The kids thoroughly enjoyed the activities

The bubble wrap served well as a substitute for chinese firecrackers

Library Manager Laura Wells with one of the props.

Alpine Twp Telephone Communications

The staff at the AlpineTownship Hall was excited to get new telephones installed this week. The old telephone system has served the Township well in the past but was so old that the only known service agent had retired and the system was no longer supported locally. The Township purchased a Toshiba telephone system from Central Interconnect.

Donna Vining (l), familiarizing Deputy Clerk Erin Randall with the new phone system

Scott Vogel. a technician for Central Interconnect connecting all the right wires (we hope)

Sandy Oostdyk, Telecom Design Engineer programming the phone system

Smaller Government is More Efficient, Less Expensive

For Immediate Release Contact:
February 1, 2010 David Bertram
MTA Office: 517.321.6467
C: 517.927.4314
Michigan Townships Association:
Smaller Government is More Efficient and Less Expensive
Lansing, Mich. — The Michigan Townships Association (MTA) today released a study showing that smaller government is more efficient and saves taxpayer dollars.
While a few interest groups are advocating for the consolidation of local governments as a way to reduce the cost of government, the MTA study shows the results of such consolidations would be the exact opposite. The MTA found that creating bigger governments would not save money or improve efficiencies.
“Making smaller governments into bigger governments will most certainly drive the cost of government up, not down,” said G. Lawrence Merrill, MTA Executive Director. “Simply combining local government or local government services does not result in cost savings unless the service consolidation allows for reducing staffing levels or eliminating major capital purchases – and these opportunities cannot be assumed.”
“Making bigger governments to reduce costs is an often repeated falsehood,” added Merrill.
“When you compare Michigan to other states with similar populations, density, climate and character, Michigan actually has far fewer local governments. Michigan ranks 33rd in the number of local governments per capita, and 29th in the average population per jurisdiction.”
Consolidation is extraordinarily complicated In addition to creating inefficient government, the consolidation process is time consuming, expensive, complicated and would take five or more years to even develop. A consolidation effort would include:
• Melding different tax rates
• Connecting separate infrastructure systems
• Resolving different levels of debt
• Rectifying two or more incompatible administrative systems
• Unifying compensation systems and personnel policies
• Standardizing ordinances
Most efficient form of government
Michigan’s 1,240 townships, which comprise more than 96 percent of Michigan’s land area and over half of the state’s population, already perform very efficiently compared to local governments in other states.
One of the advantages of operating with a smaller government is the ability to provide services more efficiently with less staff. The majority of Michigan townships are managed by part time staff. Based on a 2008 MTA survey, townships reported the following:
• 30% operate full time
• 70% operate part time (40% of which have no office staff)
• 22% of townships have unions
In addition, Michigan townships continue to look for cooperative arrangements to provide more efficient services. Cooperative fire protection is provided by nearly 48 percent of townships, according to the 2008 MTA survey. Many others buy and sell fire protection for a part of their geographic areas. Michigan ranks 37 out of fifty states in per capita expenditures for fire protection. This demonstrates that Michigan townships are providing emergency services
efficiently and affordably.
Of the townships that provide local law enforcement, three-quarters do so through contracts with other governmental entities.
“In these difficult times, township governments across the state continue to seize opportunities to provide and share services that provide taxpayers with smart savings,” said Merrill.
The MTA advocates reform efforts in Michigan at the local government level focused on
regional economic development strategies that leverage regional assets and utilize placemaking tactics to:
• Attract knowledge-based industries
• Develop regional infrastructure necessary to attract new Economy jobs
• Promote entrepreneurship and diversity
• Develop value-added agriculture using 21st-century technologies
“Michigan needs its state government to be the essential catalyst to foster more regional collaboration,” said Merrill. “The most important reform involving local governments that state government could undertake that would revitalize the Michigan economy is to create regional consortiums to make Michigan attractive to New Economy employers.”
To review the complete White Papers: Reforming Michigan’s Local Government, please visit the MTA website at http://www.michigantownships.org/. or download directly from here.

Applebee's and NKF of Michgan

On Wednesday, February 10, 2010, the Alpine Township Applebee's will donate 15% of your bill to the National Kidney Foundation of Michigan. If you are looking for a meal that will fill you and that is fulfilling at the same time, reserve Wednesday February 10 on your calendar. The mission of the National Kidney Foundation of Michigan is to prevent kidney disease and improve the quality of life for those living with it.

Since 1955, the NKF of Michigan, Inc. (NKFM) has led the fight against these life-threatening diseases. They have enhanced the lives of many Michigan residents through their patient services, research and education programs. Their efforts have also changed legislation, ensured quality care for patients and advanced medical knowledge. They have informed the public about kidney and urological diseases and increased awareness of the critical need for organ and tissue donations.

Monday Monday

The Alpine Township Employees shut down the office for two hours today in order to celebrate a "Post Holiday Employee Appreciation Lunch". The event took place at the Alpine Township Fire Station #3. Everyone enjoyed the food and the fellowship. On hand to celebrate with the employees were Alpine Township Trustees Ron Cordes, Jim May, Bill Schweitzer and Ted Wallace, and Historical Commission Charirwoman Ruth Post.

Good food and great company


Jim Townsend demonstrating his kitchen skills

The Zoning Board of Appeals met this Monday. special guest was Alpine Township Attorney Jeff Sluggett (Law Weathers) who gave the Board Members a view of the Zoning Board of Appeals, and drew pictures of 30,000 feet up right to ground level. The training was very helpful,

Jeff Sluggett makes a point, and is observed by Nelda Johnson who represents the Planning Commission on the Alpine Zoning Board of Appeals.

Township Planner and Zoning Administrator Sue Thomas. (left) Township Clerk Jean Wahlfield, and Zoning Board of Appeals members Jason Rosenzweig and Doug Pointer.

Alpine Township Trustees Ted Wallace (l), Jim May, and Ron Cordes were in attendance as well as Bill Schweitzer (not shown)

Preserving Old Documents

Don Doyle, an officer of the Alpine Twp. Historical Commission, built a frame, as instructed by the producers of the television program Dirty Jobs, in order to stretch a very old graduation diploma that was printed on sheep skin. He placed a moist towel on it for 15 minutes and the skin relaxed, but stayed straight in the frame. Members were excited to see the improvement of the document. After it dries, they will have it framed for exhibit

Don Doyle, a very active member of the Alpine Township Historical Society

.

On Sunday, Jan. 17th, Alpine Township Historical Commission's open house started early with members left to right: Judy McNally, Patricia Cederholm and Don Doyle examining the diploma that had almost dried.

Kent County Municipal Clerks Meet

The Kent County Clerks Association conducted their January meeting at the Alpine Township Center. Clerks from various Kent County municipalities gathered together to learn, share, discuss upcoming election procedures etc.

Clerks fromKent County townships, towns, cities were in attendance

From left to right, Association Treasurer Scott Harvey, Plainfield Twp; President Jean Wahlfield, Alpine Twp; Secretary Sarah Bydalek, Walker, and Kent County Elections Director Susan deSteiguer.

Comstock Park Rotary Celebrates its 58th Birthday

It was approximately 58 years ago that Comstock Park Rotary was chartered. 92 year old charter member Martin Buth was on hand at the weekly Rotary meeting to help celebrate the event and he shared some interesting history with the members in attendance. One interesting note is that Congressman Gerald R Ford attended several of the meetings of the Comstock Park Chapter. The chapter raised its first funds through the sale of fruitcakes.

Martin Buth reminiscing about the old days

Former Alpine Township Supervisor, Clerk, and Trustee Sharon Steffens was on hand at the Thursday Rotary meeting. Sharon will soon be celebrating her 50th wedding anniversary with husband John Steffens.

Not to be outdone by the Rotary, the Comstock Park Lions met Tuesday night. Seen are guest speakers Stanley Hone (left) and John Phipps who made a presentation on the Sightseers Radio Network, whose motto is "Changing Print to Voice" . It is a program created for people who are blind, visually impaired or physically unable to hold or read print material.

Martin Luther King Day

PRESIDENTIAL PROCLAMATION

The Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., challenged our Nation to recognize that our individual liberty relies upon our common equality. In communities marred by division and injustice, the movement he built from the ground up forced open doors to negotiation. The strength of his leadership was matched only by the power of his words, which still call on us to perfect those sacred ideals enshrined in our founding documents.

"We have an opportunity to make America a better Nation," Dr. King said on the eve of his death. "I may not get there with you. But I want you to know tonight that we, as a people, will get to the promised land." Though we have made great strides since the turbulent era of Dr. King's movement, his work and our journey remain unfinished. Only when our children are free to pursue their full measure of success -- unhindered by the color of their skin, their gender, the faith in their heart, the people they love, or the fortune of their birth -- will we have reached our destination.

Today, we are closer to fulfilling America's promise of economic and social justice because we stand on the shoulders of giants like Dr. King, yet our future progress will depend on how we prepare our next generation of leaders. We must fortify their ladders of opportunity by correcting social injustice, breaking the cycle of poverty in struggling communities, and reinvesting in our schools. Education can unlock a child's potential and remains our strongest weapon against injustice and inequality.

Recognizing that our Nation has yet to reach Dr. King's promised land is not an admission of defeat, but a call to action. In these challenging times, too many Americans face limited opportunities, but our capacity to support each other remains limitless. Today, let us ask ourselves what Dr. King believed to be life's most urgent and persistent question: "What are you doing for others?" Visit www.MLKDay.gov to find Martin Luther King, Jr., Day of Service projects across our country.

Dr. King devoted his life to serving others, and his message transcends national borders. The devastating earthquake in Haiti, and the urgent need for humanitarian support, reminds us that our service and generosity of spirit must also extend beyond our immediate communities. As our Government continues to bring our resources to bear on the international emergency in Haiti, I ask all Americans who want to contribute to this effort to visit www.WhiteHouse.gov/HaitiEarthquake.

By lifting up our brothers and sisters through dedication and service -- both at home and around the world -- we honor Dr. King's memory and reaffirm our common humanity.

NOW, THEREFORE, I, BARACK OBAMA, President of the United States of America, by virtue of the authority vested in me by the Constitution and the laws of the United States, do hereby proclaim January 18, 2010, as the Martin Luther King, Jr., Federal Holiday. I encourage all Americans to observe this day with appropriate civic, community, and service programs in honor of Dr. King's life and lasting legacy.

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this fifteenth day of January, in the year of our Lord two thousand ten, and of the Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and thirty-fourth.

BARACK OBAMA

Jam at Fricano's Pizza

Bluegrass lovers were invited to bring their own instruments and jam, or just listen as the West Michigan Bluegrass Music Association sponsored a free jam session following their boardmeeting hosted by Fricano's Pizza, 5808 Alpine Ave NW in Alpine Township.

By 6:30 pm Fricanos was jam packed.

The band "Blue County Line" kicked off the event and entertained the crowd

Serious business

People came from all over West Michigan to listen to the music or just for the famous Fricano's Pizza. An encore is planned for February 20, with the house band Rogue River Grass kicking off the evening.

Kenowa Hills Public Schools Saves Money and Increases Communication

Kenowa Hills Public Schools recently reallocated funds to increase communication. The Honeywell Instant Alert® for Schools was introduced to Kenowa Hills families today. Within minutes of an emergency, school officials can use Instant Alert® to deliver a single clear message to the students’ parents or guardians by telephone, cell phone, e-mail, pager or PDA in any combination.
The district decreased the amount of dollars spent on the district newsletter by reducing the number of printed issues. The savings was then used to purchase the instant alert system. The cost of the system was also set at a reduced rate due to a partnership with Kent ISD. Total cost to the district equates to $1.67 per student.

More information on how to use the instant alert system can be found at www.khps.org.

MSU Extention Meeting

With Alpine Township being ideally located in the six county district of the Michigan State Extension Service, it gets increasing demands for hosting area meetings. Last week a couple of MSU professors met at the Alpine Township Hall with dairy nutritionalists who serve local farmers.

Senior District Dairy Educator G. William Robb preparing coffee for the meeting

High Speed Chase?

Several rumors have been circulating regarding unusual activities at Walmart a few Sundays before Christmas last year. One of the rumors is that the Kent County Sheriff's Department got involved in a high speed chase that ended up on the Walmart parking lot. Witnesses reported seeing as many as 30 Sheriff's patrol cars there. Other witnesses reported that sheriff deputies were actually chasing a low flying vehicle and caught up with it as it landed on Walmart's parking lot.

Much commotion at the Alpine Township Walmart on Sunday morning, December 13

After further investigation it was determined that all of this was part of the "Shop with the Sheriff" program that was sponsored by the Kent County Sheriff's Department who took nearly 60 kids to Walmart that morning and gave them the opportunity to purchase Christmas gifts for family members. This year, Kent County Sheriff's Department personnel raised $13,000 in cash for this program, which is in part co-sponsored by the Alpine Township Walmart.

Deputies Lude (left) and Marcella (right) with new found friends

Lt. Kelley (right) with Santa and friends

Sgt Kok (right) with Santa and friends

Pastor Richard Gordon

Pastor Richard Gordon, the first full time pastor at Maranatha Bible Church at 4426 Stoney Creek in Alpine Township passed away on New Year's Day at the age of 85. His full obituary can be found in the Grand Rapids Press.

Pastor Gordon had the special spiritual gift for shepherding, presenting the gospel of Jesus Christ, and caring for people, especially the young people

In 1968 he established Maranatha Day Camp. Through this ministry, Pastor Gordon touched the lives of thousands of local community youth from many denominations as well as the unchurched. He is survived by his loving wife, the former JoAnn VanWingerden whom he married nearly 63 years ago. Several of his children still live in the Comstock Park area. The Celebration of Pastor Gordon's faith life and physical life will be Saturday at 1:00 p.m. at the Sanctuary of Calvary Church, 707 E. Beltline, Grand Rapids, with Pastor Lee Buer and Pastor Todd Dykstra officiating. Military honors will be under the auspices of the U.S. Navy with interment in Nunica Cemetery. Relatives and friends may gather at Maranatha Bible Church, 4426 Stoney Creek, Comstock Park, on Thursday from 7 to 9 p.m. and Friday from 2 to 4 and 7 to 9 p.m. Those planning an expression of sympathy are asked to consider Maranatha Day Camp, 4426 Stoney Creek, Comstock Park. Pederson Funeral Home, Rockford www.pedersonfuneralhome.com

We thank and remember Pastor Gordon for the positive way he touched the lives of many in our community. Pastor Gordon was a Navy Veteran and had been scheduled to be conduct the Alpine Township Memorial Day Service in May of this year