This is the second installment in The Lake Orion Review’s annual Year in Review.
It will provide some remembrances from the second half of the year, from July 1 to December 31, 2015.
We hope that 2015 was a good year for all of you and pray that 2016 will be even better. Lake Orion certainly was a great place to be during the summer and fall of 2015.
July 1
An estimated 10,000 visitors descended on Lake Orion to enjoy all of the treats and fun offered at the annual Lions Jubilee held in downtown. The youngsters had rides and games to enjoy. Adults had their beer tent and everyone had fireworks to savor.
Thanks to some budget adjustments, Lake Orion Schools are projecting a small surplus entering the 2015-16 school year. The adjustments trimmed about $1.3 million from the school’s budget of more than $79 million.
Some personnel cuts that totaled nearly $900,000, coupled with a furlough day to be implemented during the upcoming school year will help. The furlough day for all employees is expected to save about $275,000.
Dallas Cowboy safety and former Lake Orion Dragon Jeff Heath held a football camp for kids at Lake Orion High School. Other Dragon alumni are also expected to attend and help teach youngsters football fundamentals.
Money raised from the event was slated to help the school refurbish its weight room. Heath agreed to match money raised by the $50 entry fee for each person who attends the camp.
July 8

Thousands of local residents and others were treated to a great Fourth of July fireworks show over Lake Orion.
The Lake Orion Fireworks Association did another great job of raising money to finance the show. It costs about $35,000 for the show and money is raised each year through different charitable events.
July 15
Lake Orion bus driver Mike Gatlin was headed to the Minnesota to compete in the School Bus Driver International Safety Competition.
Mr. Mike, as he is known to students, qualified for the competition by finishing first in the qualifying event held in West Branch. Gatlin has been a bus driver for 18 years and said he hoped to make a good showing for Michigan. He is the first-ever driver from Lake Orion to qualify for the national championships.
July 22
Orion Township approved an agreement with Pulte Homes for the development of the Bald Mountain Golf Course for a 343-home development.
The agreement came after an initial denial of the program by the township followed by a lawsuit brought by Pulte and the owners of the property, the Prieskorn family. A court-ordered mediation brought the sides together and concessions were made by each before a final plan could be developed and approved.
Several residents opposed the development, saying it would cause traffic issues and other problems. However, township attorneys told the board that they seemingly had an ‘un-winnable? lawsuit and that a judge would have likely ruled in favor of Pulte and the Prieskorns to allow them to use their property.
August 5
The Lake Orion board approved a phragmites ordinance to control the invasive weed. The ordinance became effective January 1.
According to the ordinance, all property owners, regardless of zoning, will be notified if their property contains the invasive species.
If property owners voluntarily contracts with Orion Township to eliminate the weed, it is estimated to cost the homeowners about $200 per acre. Property owners also could get a permit through the state of Michigan’s Department of Environmental Quality to remove the infestation.
Detroit Tigers pitcher Alfredo Simon stopped by Lake Orion to conduct a baseball camp for kids in first through eighth grades. The 2015 Baseball ProCamp saw about 100 campers learn the skills needed to enjoy and play the game of baseball.
August 12
Members of the Lake Orion Horseshoe Club hosted the Michigan State Doubles tournament this past weekend.
Shoe pitchers from all over the state descended on Lake Orion for the fun of horseshoes. Most of those competing said they came for the great people they have met playing a game they all love.
This is also the week that practice for high school football begins. With the start of school on the horizon, the smell of the gridiron attracted future Dragon stars to the fields.
August 19
Joe Kent, of Addison Township, announced his plans to run for the 46th District seat in the Michigan House of Representatives in the November 2016 election. If elected, Kent would fill the seat of Rep. Brad Jacobsen (R-Oxford) who is unable to seek re-election due to term limits.
The 46th District encompasses Orion Township and Lake Orion, Oxford, Addison, Brandon and Oakland townships as well as the villages of Oxford, Leonard and Ortonville.
August 26
The Lake Orion village Council approved 2.5 percent pay raises for village officials and non-union employees. The move was made in part because the officials and employees had not received any pay increases for five years.
September 2
One of the year’s highlights in Orion is the annual Dragon on The Lake festival held downtown and on Lake Orion.
And 2015 was no exception. Thousands of people came from far and wide to enjoy artists, food, music and entertainment. The iconic Dragon Boat Races attracted 29 teams of rowers with the championship going to a team from Lansing. The event, hosted by the Orion Art Center, has become one of the great attractions in southeast Michigan.
September 9
Of the 14 teachers who received pink slips from Lake Orion Schools, ten have been recalled to reclaim their posts as educators. Five of those who were laid off had already taken positions elsewhere, so that meant that five new teachers will be in Lake Orion classrooms this year.
September 16
The Orion area honored those who died in the September 11, 2001 attacks by terrorists. The ceremony was designed to educate Lake Orion’s youth on what occurred on that day when the United States was attacked. The event was held at the Orion Veteran’s Memorial.
Orion Township agreed to participate in the Michigan Department of Natural Resources? Mute Swan Egg/Nest Destruction plan. The permit allows residents to destroy the eggs of Mute Swans, who are an invasive species that destroy. Ways to destroy the eggs are specified in the DNR guidelines but generally can be done by shaking the eggs or removing them and properly disposing of them. Nests also may be destroyed. Mute Swans are identified by their bright orange bill. The swans are responsible for destruction of native species of animals. Michigan has the highest concentration of the swans than any state.
September 23
Work began on new condominiums behind the K-Mart on Lapeer Rd. The Ponds of Orion will feature 32 to 54 units in the development in the four-buildings. Four large ponds will be added and the complex will sport a clubhouse, pool and fitness center.
September 30
An engaging ONTV show called ‘Between Taorminas? celebrated its 200th episode on the local public channel. The show features the Taormina twins, Anthony and Sammy, along with sidekick Ian Witherspoon. The show is all about sports and especially Dragon sports.
The Taormina twins are fixtures at Lake Orion sporting events, even often serving as announcers, scorers and anything that keeps them involved with the Dragons they love.
villages of Oxford, Leonard and Ortonville.

October 7
The new Lockhart’s BBQ coming to downtown Lake Orion announced they are looking to hire 80 new employees. The new eatery, scheduled to open later in the fall, will add to the great line of restaurants in downtown.
Lockhart’s owners have transformed the 120-year-old former Orion Village offices on Flint Street into a full service facility highlighted by their award-winning barbecue.
The annual Lake Orion High School homecoming parade thrilled more than 1,000 fans as the community marched through downtown in a celebration and an invitation to all Dragons to come home and enjoy the community once again.
October 14
The Lake Orion Village Council took a first step in consideration of a water and sewer rate increase that officials said needed to create $12 million over a 50-year-period to continue to maintain the village’s sometimes deteriorating water system.
The council approved a first reading of a proposed ordinance but it must be followed by another reading and public input. The ordinance change is necessary in order to make any changes to water and sewer rates.
Lake Orion High School celebrated its homecoming with a big, 24-0 win over Bloomfield Hills in front of a packed house at Dragon Stadium.
October 21
Orion Township renewed its contact with the Oakland County Sheriff’s Department for $3.76 million. The one-year contract provides a total of 28 sheriff’s department employees contracted with Orion. The new contract shows no increase from 2015.
Orion Township is using a program called PACE to get energy-efficient products and improvements to the township that will lead to savings that will make the improvements cost-neutral. The state program, known as the Property Assessed Clean Energy Act, will include improvements to all energy systems in the township, including lighting with the use of LED lights and other improvements
October 28
A survey conducted by Orion Township shows that residents love their Orion. A total of 1,200 residents were polled and asked to voice their opinions on Orion and all it has to offer.
Lake Orion Schools were cited as the primary reason in choosing the community as a great place to live.
A majority of residents also said they would be in favor of a single- trash hauler service. It seems unlikely that township officials would visit that question again considering the uproar at the earlier in 2015 when officials said they were considering an ordinance to go to a single waste hauler. Currently, there are nine waste hauling companies in Orion Township.
In January residents at township meetings made it loud and clear they wanted choices in their waste hauling. The survey showed that a majority of residents who took the poll don’t feel the same way.
November 4
Proving again that Orion loves parades, the downtown area was awash with ghouls, goblins, and other characters during the annual Halloween Parade.
Legacy LO revealed its plans to turning the 100-year-old building that housed the Ehman Center into a mixed-use facility incorporating office, retail, housing and event space. The village’s Planning Commission approved the plan and sent it to the village council for consideration.
November 11
Lake Orion residents were critical of the condition of Evergreen Cemetery and asked why, after 18 months since a violent storm roared through the area, have damages in the cemetery gone un-repaired.
The cemetery, which has plots dating to 1818, is at the corner of N. Park Blvd. and Church Street and extends west to North Shore Drive. Numerous headstones were broken or toppled. The village has budgeted $46,000 for both Eastlawn and Evergreen cemeteries but some residents have complained the repairs should have been made before now.
November 18
Pulte Homes announced that it was modifying its plans for construction of homes in the Bald Mountain Golf Course. Pulte acquired the property earlier this year after a court-ordered mediation in a lawsuit brought by Pulte against Orion Township after the township denied plans to construct the large housing development.
The modification will reduce the number of expected homes from 343 units to 338. The modifications came after Pulte officials assessed the area and made the changes. The township board approved the changes.
Veterans in Lake Orion and throughout the nation commemorated Veterans Day with a ceremony at the Orion Senior Center.
Lake Orion’s fallen hero, Trevor Blaylock, was honored by a Carolina Panther linebacker during a ceremony and game in North Carolina, where Blaylock, his wife and children, lived.
Blaylock, a 2004 graduate from Lake Orion, was a Marine Corps. sergeant who died in March along with 10 other soldiers in a crash of a Black Hawk helicopter in a training exercise off the coast of Florida.
November 25
A home along Lake Orion was lost due to a fire. Damage was estimated at $750,000. Fire officials said they were hampered because fire hydrants near the home had no water pressure. The incident prompted testing of water hydrants in the village that showed that there were problems with water pressure in several locations.
A review of records of response times by Orion Township Fire Department for emergency medical calls showed that response times seemed to be slower than in some neighboring communities. Because Orion Township provides only Basic Life Support services, any resident requiring Advanced Life Support must receive it from Star EMS, which can further reduce response times in an emergency.
December 2
No one can ever doubt the good things that the Goodfellows do for residents of Orion. For the 49th consecutive year, the Goodfellows collected money by selling special editions of The Lake Orion Review that raised money to help those in need during the holiday.
The Thanksgiving season was made more special by C.J.’s Lakeside Grill in downtown Lake Orion. Each year the restaurant provides free Thanksgiving means to anyone who comes in. The tradition has been going on for 18 years and is one of many examples of why Lake Orion is truly a great place to live and visit.
December 9
James R. Leach, Sr., a man described as the father of Lake Orion’s police department, passed away at age 76.
Leach devoted his life to the department for 56 years and lived in the community his entire life. He worked as a police officer in Lake Orion from 1959 to 2015 and served as chief for 19 of those years.
The annual Christmas Lighted Parade was another huge success as more than 6,000 people packed downtown to see more than 68 floats and countless marchers in what has become the largest lighted Christmas parade in Michigan.
The theme was ‘out of this world? and of course it was.
December 16
The Lake Orion Village Council postponed a proposal that could have doubled water and sewer rates in the village. The delay came after residents? concerns and frustrations.
City officials said rate increases would have to be made to help fund the aging system’s improvement and to cut losses that have been occurring for years. In 2015 year the operating loss was $328,000.
Residents questioned dramatic increases and asked if they could be phased in over several years. Under the proposal, on average a family of four now paying about $180.93 per quarter, would pay $394.13.
Lake Orion Schools say they will be about $1.9 million short of the budget for the current school year and may need to make some personnel reductions. The budget shortfall occurred after the district has decreased by 80 students for the year.
The district plans to discuss some reductions and decide where they might be made.