Family movie night
Dear Editor,
Brandon Township Parks & Recreation was honored to host our annual Family Movie Night , Aug. 15, 2020.
We could not have done it without the support of our wonderful event sponsors: Genisys Credit Union, The Citizen Newspaper, Ortonville Ace Hardware, Randy Wise Ford, Brandon-Groveland Youth Assistance, Austin Brick Paving and Bueche’s Food World.
The event was held at the sledding hill at Brandon Township Community Park. Just under 100 people showed up and the fun began with children activities and ended with a kid friendly movie (Trolls World Tour). We would also like to thank those who have donated time and resources to the Brandon Township Community Parks through the years.
A special thank you to Members of BGYA Bob and Karen McArthur and Ron and Candee Allen Thank you to those who participated and helped make this 2020 year a well-attended Family Movie Night.
Fred Waybrant, director, Brandon Township Parks & Recreation
Cannibalism
Dear Editor,
He came home to die. After 42 years of unrelenting criticism, cruel mockery and attacks from his father & younger brother (more about him later), after years of dulling his emotional pain with alcohol, he laid down on a thin cot in his parents’ home to die.
When they sent him to the hospital, his brother, (more about him later), after learning this was his brother’s last day, went to the movies. He died alone. At least he did not live to see his baby grandson’s treatment at his brothers’ hands. The baby was racked with seizures from birth. The entire extended family was covered by medical insurance based on the family business. His uncles revoked the baby’s medical coverage to gain his dad’s agreement to their grandfather’s will. The uncles’ lawyer told the young family to “learn CPR.” Is cannibalism ok?
I am still reading Mary Trump’s biographical book, “ Too Much and Never Enough”, about her uncle (more about him later).
Bonnie Beltramo
Attend village meeting
Dear Editor,
Please plan to virtually attend the Village of Ortonville Council Meeting Zoom meeting at 7 p.m., Aug. 24. You should be able to access the link and information on the Village website. www.ortonvillevillage.com I’ll be honest, the link usually doesn’t work and sometimes the meeting is not posted….which is a direct violation of Open Meetings Act and also the guidelines set-forth during the COVID-19 Epidemic. There is also a phone number you can access for the meeting.
It is especially important during these unprecedented times to make an effort to know how your tax dollar is being spent. For example, did you know that council declined to allocate any money for sidewalks or wayfinding signage? That both our Clerk and Building Inspector recently quit? Or that we have gone through FIVE Village Managers in the last four years? How about this one….Council voted against using the $1,000 already in the budget from the cancelled fireworks to contribute to a crowdfounding initiative for our downtown businesses? Oakland County agreed to match funds – dollar for dollar – up to $10,000 to create a relief grant for the businesses in the DDA district to assist with financial impacts of the COVID-19 shutdown. Wouldn’t that have been a great show of support to our local businesses?
Because most “Meet Your Candidates” in-person events will most likely be cancelled due to the pandemic, it is especially important that you engage in other ways. Watch the meetings; check out the Village website to see how Council is voting on things that are important to you.
Feel free to email me with your thoughts and ideas regarding our Village. Melanierepresents@gmail.com WE CAN DO BETTER Melanie Nivelt, Village of Ortonville Planning Commissioner, Past council member, Candidate for Village of Ortonville trustee – November 2020