The Gala scheduled for October 20, by the Community Building Development Team (CBDT) was recently postponed. Unfortunately, mailing providers temporarily lost the invitations, delaying the opportunity for invitees to make room in their schedules and to RSVP. Additionally, as often happens, the Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) delayed approval for the placement of the amphitheater until two weeks ago. The CBDT Board had set the date for the Gala believing at least the foundation and base of the amphitheater would be in place by Red Flannel Day and the Gala would be an opportunity to celebrate another giant step forward in the building of Phase I of the “Heart of Cedar Springs.”  

Therefore, the CBDT decided to forgo the gala until completion of more projects within the Phase 1 of the CBDT’s Master Plan.  

“It is still hoped Part 1 of the amphitheater, which includes excavating, electrical, and concrete, will be done yet this fall depending on weather conditions and contractor’s availability. If you wish to see the design plans for the amphitheater, they are available at the library, “explained Kurt Mabie, President of the CBDT Board of Directors. “Also scheduled to be done this fall are the concrete pads and placement of the donor benches and a sculpture recently donated. 

“Sometimes we are forced to move at the speed of government agencies but things continue to move along at a good pace and we are excited to get started and finished with the amphitheater as soon as weather and final engineering permit. Our apologies go out to the community for the postponement. The CBDT appreciates the community supporting these valuable community development projects through both financial gifts and the donation of individuals’ time. All is priceless to the betterment of our community,” continued Mabie.

L to R:  Dan George, CTA School Leader/Superintendent; Ron Rizzo, Director, Ferris State University Charter Schools Office; Lexie Coxon, former Superintendent; Dr. Richard Halik, Consultant for Board Policy, National Charter Schools Institute; and Dan Quisenberry, President of Michigan Association of Public School Academies. Courtesy photo.
This ceiling in the auditorium at CTA (which was formerly Jordan Chapel) is made up of planks from area barns. Post photo by J. Reed.

By Judy Reed

This ceiling in the auditorium at CTA (which was formerly Jordan Chapel) is made up of planks from area barns. Post photo by J. Reed.

When Lexie Coxon was told in May of 1998 that Ferris State University was going to issue a charter to Creative Technologies Academy to become a school for grades 7-12, she wasn’t sure how they were going to get the 120 students they needed to open. But they did it by the skin of their teeth—and opened with 122 that September.

“It was a tremendous challenge,” she said.

Coxon and others spoke about the school’s journey during CTA’s 20^th anniversary celebration on Friday, May 11.

The property at 350 Pine Street, in Cedar Springs, was originally the home of Jordan College, founded by Lexie and her husband DeWayne. In 1966, they bought the property, and in 1967 they built their first building. Coxon explained how back then, they got building materials from area farmers who were tearing down their barns. A good example is in the planking in the chapel roof—it all came from area farmers.

In those early days of charter schools, Lexie and DeWayne’s son, Rob Coxon, told them to get a charter, they would need to have something unique. So they decided to go into being a computer based program. “We were one of the first schools to have computers for all students,” said Lexie.

She also noted that while most charter schools were for-profit, they wanted to remain a non-profit. And needing to have 120 students was tough—they had no money and no resources. But they made it work.

As time went on, they added in grades K-6. This year the school had 319 students K-12.

Lexie was also proud of the fact they have had 100 percent compliance with all of the paperwork that is needed. Ron Rizzo, with FSU, backed her up on that. “I don’t think there is any other academy that has had 100 percent compliance for 17 years,” he said. “It’s amazing. That means every document turned in on time.”

Rizzo said CTA was one of their original class of nine academies. “I’ve been here for 16 of those 20 years. It’s very welcoming. You truly are here for kids, doing what’s best for the trajectory of their lives. You should very proud of what you have accomplished here,” he said.

Dan Quisenberry, President of the Michigan Association of Public School Academies noted that CTA feels like family. “Charters were intended to be that—partnerships. Think of the kids’ lives you’ve impacted here. You are doing something important.” He also noted that charter schools are the “R&D” (research and development) of education. “Dan (George, current school superintendent) doesn’t view CTA as a competitor, but as a partner,” he said.

He noted that CTA teacher Kayla Campbell, who was recently named one of the top 5 charter school teachers in the state by MAPSA, represented CTA well. “We did a Facebook live announcement and I think you had every student in here. When we announced it, I thought this place was going to fall down,” he said.

Former teacher and coach Gary Bailey shared both some funny stories and some more serious thoughts. “Most coaches know that our success is measured by #s (winds and losses) after our name. But we know success is more than that.” He went on to share how a former student had sent him a video at 1:40 a.m. that morning, thanking him for being a mentor.

Kurt Mabie, a former educator who retired five  years ago from public education, said he’s been involved with CTA for 15 years. And he has been happy to work with Dan George and CTA via the Community Building Development Team. “Through collaboration, great things can happen,” he said. “Nothing happens on its own.”

One of those things is the recent donation of 10 acres to CTA by Fred and Carolee Gunnell. The property will be the future home of a new gymnasium for the school with a soccer field, and a couple of classrooms. And when it is not being used by the school, it will be open to the community, which fulfills one of the goals of the CBDT—to have a recreation center. 

George said that the planning, fundraising, and construction of that facility would be a major undertaking and their biggest project over the next five years.

The Post asked George what he is most proud of accomplishing at CTA. “I can answer that in two ways, institutionally and personally. First, we are proud to be able to give the families of the communities we serve a quality choice for the education of their children while partnering, not competing, with our neighboring traditional public schools. That produces a shared focus on doing what is best for kids. Personally, I’m proud of the staff that has become my team over the last 8+ years. Their dedication, love of kids, professionalism, and pursuit of learning is unsurpassed,” he said.

For more on CTA, visit www.ctachargers.org.

The Cedar Springs Community Library reverted to the City of Cedar Springs in a signing ceremony Wednesday, August 30. From L to R: Julie Wheeler, notary Independent Bank; Kurt Mabie, Chair of the CBDT; Bob Ellick, Library Board Chair; Gerald Hall, Mayor of Cedar Springs; and Rebecca Newland, Cedar Springs City Clerk. Photo by J. Reed.

By Judy Reed

The ownership of the Cedar Springs Community Library was transferred to the City of Cedar Springs Wednesday in an official signing ceremony at the new Library.

The Community Building Development Team had previously entered an agreement with the City to develop the library on City property, and then sign it over to the City on completion. Both the CBDT and the Library signed a real estate conveyance agreement, quit claim deed, and transfer agreement.

Signing for the CBDT was Chair Kurt Mabie; signing for the Library board was Chair Bob Ellick, who is also Solon Townships Supervisor; and signing for the City of Cedar Springs Mayor Gerald Hall. City Clerk Rebecca Newland was on hand to distribute the paperwork, and Julie Wheeler of Independent Bank served as notary.

The City will now lease the building to the library board.

The new $1.6 million facility was completed in the spring. “This just shows what we can do when we work as a team,” remarked Hall. “We owe a debt of gratitude to a great many people.”

Included are Tom and Claudia Mabie, who donated $300,000 in December of 2006 toward the construction of a new library in an effort to kick start enthusiasm for the project. The signing was an emotional event for Claudia, who has waited a long time to see the library come to fruition. “Cedar Springs is full of kind, caring, hard working people. Good things can and will happen in Cedar Springs,” she said. “Cedar Springs has something to be proud of.”

Other people mentioned included the Holton family for their contributions; Duane McIntyre for his volunteer work; and the dedication of Nugent Builders on the project.

Kurt Mabie said that the next part of the project would be the amphitheatre, which will sit to west of the library. They also hope to have all the bricks in place by Red Flannel Day. There are bricks still available to purchase. You can pick up a brochure at the Library or contact them at 616-696-1910.

The ceremonial ribbon cutting at the new Cedar Springs Community Library. From L to R: Duane McIntyre, licensed builder; Solon Township Supervisor Bob Ellick; Cedar Springs Mayor Gerald Hall; Library Director Donna Clark; CS City Manager Michael Womack; Lakeland Library Coop Director Sandra Wilson; Claudia and Tom Mabie, representatives of the Community Building Development Team. Not shown are Mayor Pro Tem Pam Conley (to the far left of Duane McIntyre) and Kurt Mabie, Chair of the CBDT (to the right of Tom Mabie). Photo by Kathy Anderson.

By Sue Harrison

A project planned for many years became a reality last Saturday, May 13, with the grand opening celebration of the new Cedar Springs Community Library, located in the “Heart of Cedar Springs” at the corner of Main and W. Maple St.

Sue Harrison, Master of Ceremonies, introduced the event by thanking the dozens of organizations and countless individuals who have been working on the Town Square, which includes the new library, a Veteran’s Clock Tower, a bridge across Cedar Creek, a steel dragonfly sculpture, and the historic flowing well.

“So much has been done already, but in order to complete the vision, much more funding is needed through donations and pledges through the Community Building Development Team,” she added.

The Ceremony started with the American Legion Color Guard Glen Hill Post 287 raising the American flag and the State of Michigan Flag on the new flagpoles in front of the Library

The Ceremony started with the American Legion Color Guard Glen Hill Post 287 raising the American flag and the State of Michigan Flag on the new flagpoles in front of the Library. Viet Nam veteran Dan Davis delivered the invocation, which was followed by the playing of the Star Spangled Banner and America the Beautiful by members of the Cedar Springs High School, under the direction of Ryan Miller and Adam Borst.

City Manager Michael Womack and Mayor Pro-tem Pam Conley spoke about the city planting a maple tree on the library grounds. Mayor Gerald Hall presented some special “Making a Difference” awards to Duane McIntyre, Kurt Mabie, Dale Larson, and Dean Wall for for their work on the “Heart of Cedar Springs” projects.

Louise King, member of the Library Board, gave some of the history of the library in Cedar Springs and introduced Cedar Springs Library Director Donna Clark, who spoke about the importance of the new library to the Cedar Springs Community.

Crowd gathers in front of library for the Grand Opening.

“This is a very significant contribution to our community and one only being accomplished through a cooperative and caring group of people. Our community now has its own library where people of all ages can learn, share, gather, and celebrate for many years to come,” said Clark.

The Ribbon Cutting for the Library followed with many dignitaries present. They were Duane McIntyre, licensed builder; Solon Township Supervisor Bob Ellick; Cedar Springs Mayor Gerald Hall; Library Director Donna Clark; CS City Manager Michael Womack; Lakeland Library Coop Director Sandra Wilson; Claudia and Tom Mabie and Kurt Mabie, representatives of the Community Building Development Team.

Mayor Gerald Hall does a ceremonial first check-out of The Cedar Springs Story. He is shown here with co-author Sue Harrison and Library Director Donna Clark. Photo by Kathy Anderson.

After the ribbon cutting, Mayor Gerald Hall ceremonially checked out the first book, a signed copy of The Cedar Springs Story presented to him by co-author, Sue Harrison. The book will remain permanently in the library and will be checked out in perpetuity to the Mayor.

Members of the Cedar Springs Women’s Club served refreshments to the hundreds of visitors who toured the new library and grounds. Visitors also talked with local authors Sue Harrison, Shirley Neff, Kathryn Moore, David Stricklen and puppeteer Rebecca Casavant. The Open House lasted from 2:30-5:00 p.m.

View of the Community Room patio.

View of the interior of the new Cedar Springs Community Library

Community members helped clean up around the Heart of Cedar Springs and other roadsides within the city limits on Earth Day last Saturday. Photo by Kathy Ensley.

In honor of National Earth Day on Saturday, April 22, the City of Cedar Springs and the Community Building Development Team (CBDT) volunteers took to cleaning up the newly acquired city property running north along Cedar Creek and intersecting with the White Pine and North Country Trails, just west of Main Street in downtown Cedar Springs. Approximately 28 community members came together to cut down brush and dead trees, haul away the lumber, clean out creek waters, and pick up debris in the area.

Earth Day cleanup. Photo by Perry Hopkins.

Perry Hopkins, City Councilor and CBDT Board Member, along with Tom Mabie, CBDT member, and other community members were careful to protect and keep flowers, bushes, plants, and trees that are environmentally important to maintaining proper creek temperatures for the trout, as well as providing an enjoyable year-round variety of natural blooming and therapeutic vegetation. The Hopkins and Mabie duo are teaming up with the Cedar Springs Garden Club and Trout Unlimited in creating natural rain gardens and learning stations along the creek beds. Other city councilors participating in the Earth Day cleanup included Rose Powell and Gerry Hall.

John Ensley, CBDT, organized the Earth Day cleanup and has secured the donated marble stone from Doreen and Dan Welch, Welch Tile and Stone, which will be eventually installed along the walking path.

Community members helped clean up on Earth Day. Photo by Kathy Ensley.

“The goal is to open up the new downtown park areas known as the Heart of Cedar Springs. We got a lot accomplished today thanks to the many dedicated volunteers. We still have some work ahead of us but it’s coming along nicely,” explained Ensley.

Julie Wheeler, CBDT Board Member, organized various other community organizations who also began their Cedar Springs Earth Day cleanup along the primary roadsides within the city limits and other sections of the White Pine Trail as part of the Earth Day efforts.  The groups have until May 1 to complete their section of the roads.

“This is another example of folks coming together for our community. We had volunteers out there on a sunny Saturday willing to do some hard physical labor,“ shared Kurt Mabie, CBDT President. “We hope to continue the cleanup this summer along with constructing a new amphitheatre, walking path, and veteran’s memorial by fall as needed funds become available.”

Garett Tunison, Ground Control Aerial LLC, did a second drone fly-over to show the area progress since his first video done prior to the construction of the library. The video will be added to the CBDT website.

The CBDT meets on the third Tuesday of each month at 6 p.m. in their new regular meeting location of the Community Library gathering room. All are invited. More information is available on the website of CSCommunityCenter.org, the Facebook page of Cedar Springs Community Building Development Team or by calling Sue Wolfe at 696-2246.

Post photo by J. Reed.

By Judy Reed

The Community Building Development Team installed a new clock tower at the corner of Main and Maple Streets this week, a perfect accent to the new Cedar Springs Community Library.

According to CBDT president Kurt Mabie, Dale Larson, of North Kent Mechanical, made and donated the clock tower, which would have cost the CBDT thousands of dollars to purchase. The dark red paint perfectly matches the accent on the new library, as well as the Cedar Springs Brewing Company across the street.

Jerry Gebhardt, also of North Kent Mechanical, oversaw the design and building of the tower, which is 20 feet high.

Mabie said the current clock faces are only temporary, and they are working with the American Legion to get other faces that may honor veterans.

A new clock tower was installed this week on the northwest corner of Main and W. Maple St.
Post photo by J. Reed.

Emerson June Mabie, age 7, daughter of Ryan and Koree Mabie of Ada, caught her first trout—an 11-1/2 inch brown—while fishing at the bridge on Cedar Creek with her grandfather, Kurt Mabie, on Memorial Day weekend.

Way to go, Emerson! You made the Post Catch of the Week!

It’s back—get out those cameras!

It’s that time of year again when anglers big and small like to tell their fish tales! Send us a photo and story of your first, best, funniest, biggest, or even your smallest catch. Include your name, age, address, and phone number, along with the type and size of fish, and where caught.  We can’t wait to hear from you! Photos published as space allows. Photos/stories may be sent by email to news@cedarspringspost.com with Catch of the Week in the subject line, or mail to: Catch of the Week, PO Box 370, Cedar Springs, MI 49319.