The Times Herald from Port Huron, Michigan • Page 3

3A WHOM TO CALL: TO DISCUSS LOCAL NEWS Judith McLean, assistant managing editor 989-6255 tfob Gross, city editor 989-6257 Peggy Walsh-Samecki, River District 765-4081 TUESDAY, SEPT. 26, 1995 PORT HURON, MICHIGAN 3A" REPORTER WANT ADS HELP US WITH YOUR STORY Reporter Ron Fonger is looking for people with strong opinions about the future of a proposed museum in Port Huron honoring inventor Thomas Edison. Call him at 989-6276. MICHIGAN Itomd to flk 3 sdnras I I New Haven voters turn down bond 4m issue NO 359 67.48 By KRISTINE M. ANDERSON, Times Herald SLEEK SPEEDSTER: Andrew Neumann applies gold leaf on the lettering of Gar Wood's Miss America IX.

The famous speedboat is getting new lettering and a fresh coat of varnish at Diamond Boat Works in Port Huron. Only 532 voters out of 5,230 registered voters cast their ballots for the $2.25 million bond issue. (SEES lEfMHE QMFIT I llt By PEGGY WALSH-SARNICKI Times Herald NEW HAVEN By a more than 2-to-l ratio, voters here turned down a $2.25 million bond issue that would have paid for repairs to the district's three school buildings. The vote was 173 for the bond issue, 359 opposed. That total represents about 10 of the 5,230 voters registered in the New Haven Community School district, which in-, eludes New Haven and parts of neighboring townships.

"Obviously I'm very disappointed with the issue going down," said Superintendent James Avery. "But school districts being creatures of the state, we'll go with what the voters tell us to do." School officials say maintenance was neglected while the district spent the last three years working its way out of debt. This year, for the first time since 1992-93, the district is operating in the black and has $08,000 in savings. But cutting expenses meant there was little money left over for building repairs. Now, without the bond money, the district could end up using education money for a major repair, Mr.

Avery said. "We'll have to continue the operations as best we can with what we have to work with," he said. "We're going to have to continue to Band-Aid the roofs and boilers and try to keep them up and running as best we can." The money was to be used for maintenance to Siefert Elementary, New Haven Middle and New Haven High schools, including about $1.5 million for heating and roof repairs, sidewalks, parking lots and driveways. Other repairs ranged from Times Herald fixing leaky water heaters to repairing bleachers and gynl lockers. Some of the voters said the district should make the pairs.

"They need the repairs; There's a lot that has to be done to benefit the children. Inside the schools, outside the schools a better envi; ronment for them," said Joyce Purdy of Macomb Township. But other voters were leery of taxes. The $2.25 million represented a 1.7-mill increase for 10 years, or another $85 a year in taxes for a the owner of a $100,000 house with stale equalized valuation of $50,000. Vi Raska of Lenox Township said that because she is retired the issue didn't afreet her as much as those families with children.

"I haven't been to the schools in several years, so I don't know how- bad the schools are," she said. "Of course, nobody likes their taxes raised," she said-. "When my children were in school, I voted for everything. Now, as a senior citizen, I've kind of backed off. 1 think it should be up to the younger people now." NEWS OF THE STATE Police arrest man linked to student's death DETROIT Detroit police arrested a man described as the prime suspect in the death of an Oakland student whose body was found nearly a month after she was missing.

Police acting on a lip arrested Ken Tranchida, 42, about midnight Monday in Detroit. Tina Biggar, 23, last was seen Aug. 23. Her body was found Friday. Conyers tells Powell: Stay out of politics WASHINGTON U.S.

Rep. John Conyers, the dean of the Congressional Black Caucus, wants Gen. Colin Powell to butt out of presidential politics. "He has been in charge of the Pentagon, which has devoured hundreds of billions of dollars over ajid above their needs, while the rest jbf our system has gone begging with tin cup," Rep. Conyers, D-Dctroit, sjiid Monday.

He said the general will hot add to the presidential debate. Solidarity union member meets newspaper pickets DETROIT A member of Poland's Solidarity union said labor leaders worldwide are watching the Tl-week strike against the city's two daily newspapers. Visiting Detroit on Monday, Piotr Zak urged Detroit's striking newspaper workers not to lose heart. Six unions representing 2,500 workers at the Detroit Free Press, The Detroit News and Detroit Newspapers began striking July 13. Descrambler seller gets detention, probation DETROIT A man was sentenced to 90 days' home detention and three years' probation after pleading guilty to charges of conspiring to distribute and sell cable and satellite television descramblers.

Kenneth W. Murdock, 57, of Inkster the plea April 3 and was sentenced Monday by U.S. District Judge Paul Gadola. "Grand jury indicts driver in bicyclist's death "TOLEDO, Ohio A man was indicted Monday on one count of jnvoluntary manslaughter in connection with the fatal beating Sept. 17 of a bicyclist who may have cut him off in traffic.

A Lucas County grand jury indicted John Randolph 21, of Mich. If convicted, he faces up to 25 years in prison. tribes agree on casino operations LANSING Gov. John Engler 'and leaders of three tribes planning casinos signed a compact Monday to cover operations. The agreement al- lows gambling under the federal In-1 dian Gaming Regulatory Act.

It limits the number of casinos to one per reservation. Signing were the agon Band of Potawatomi Indians in Dowagiac, the Little River Band of Ottawa Indians in Manistee and the Little Traverse Bay Bands of Odawa Indians in Petoskey. Students face hearing for defacing statue HILLSDALE Two students have been accused of coating the bald eagle statute at Hillsdale College with tar and feathers last month. Police said William Landin, 21, and Philippe Dayan, 23, were charged with malicious destruction of property. An Oct.

4 hearing is planned. From Times Herald wire services Photo courtesy of Harold Mistele FORMER RECORD HOLDERS: Miss America and Miss America IX run side by side. Both are owned by Harold Mistele, a former St. Clair resident who now lives in Grosse Pointe. mmm iimmmmiimm -Jm wmmmwam 14 Jl Grand Trunk plans upgrade of rail lines By MARY LOU CREAMER Times Herald The name Miss America recalls not just a beauty pageant in New Jersey, but sleek powerboats cutting wakes through the St.

Clair River. Bernard Nugent, 78, of Al-gonac remembers the Miss America speedboats and Gur Wood, their builder and pilot. "I used to rush to the shore to see him go by," said Mr. Nugent, who was just a youngster when the "Silver Fox" built and raced his boats in the 1920s and 30s. 'You always knew when he was coming," he said.

"You heard him long before you saw him. "And when you finally did see him, it was a pretty sight to see. The boat would push the water aside like a parting of the sea. "You'll never see days like those again," said Mr. Nugent, who later worked for Mr.

Wood and helped build two of his boats. Only three of the speedboat king's famed Miss America series still remain. One of them Miss America IX came to Port Huron last week. The boat is at Diamond Boatworks where it is getting a face lift. Mark Edmondson, vice president of the boat restoration company, said the work includes applying new gold leaf lettering on the sides of the boat as well as some general maintenance work.

"We're giving it a mop and glow," he said. "In addition to the lettering, we will be re-varnishing the sides and bottom. "She's still a beautiful boat, but it really isn't in useable condition." The boat has drawn speedboat fans to a shop that normally bustles only with the activity of craftsmen. "This place has been like a revolving door since this boat got here," he said. "People have been stopping by left and right to see it." The boat is owned by Harold Mistele, a former St.

Clair resident who today divides his time between homes in Grosse Pointe and Naples, Fla. "This was one of the most popular boats in our part of the country in its day," he said. "It could stand right along side (Charles) Lind- two Packard engines that turned a three-bladed propeller at 3,000 rpm. Seven months after setting the world record, Miss America IX bowed to a new beauty, Miss America X. "If you think No.

9 is big, you should see No. 10," said Mr. Mistele, who also owns Miss America X. "Side by side, Miss America IX looks like the baby sister." Miss America is 10 feet longer and 2 feet wider than its predecessor. Mr.

Wood also more than doubled its engine power. He took four 12-cylinder Packard motors, placed them in tandem, coupled them with gear boxes and applied two to each of the propellers. On Sept. 20, 1932, Mr. Wood piloted Miss America to a record speed of 124.86 miles per hour on the St.

Clair River. FOR YEARS, Miss America IX sat abandoned, tucked away in a corner of a weath-erbeatcn factory in Algonac, collecting dust. In 1963, Mr. Wood gave the boat to the Algonac Lions Club. The club displayed the boat for a number of years during the town's annual Pickerel Festival.

Harold Timmins, former club president, said he had hoped Algonac would establish a museum and hall of, fame to preserve the history of unlimited class power boat racing. Unfortunately, that dream fizzled and the club sold the boat to its current owner. It was a move that still bothers Mr. Timmins. "Miss America IX was very special to this area," he TODAY'S FOCUS OUR HERITAGE bergh's plane." MISS AMERICA IX is one of 10 Miss America racing boats Mr.

Wood built in Al-gonac in the 1920s and early '30s. Mr. Wood and Chris Smith, a boat builder who later founded Chris-Craft pleasure boats, built the first Miss America in 1920. Their creation brought the Harm-sworth Trophy, indicative of speed supremacy on the water, to the United States for the first time. Mr.

Wood would successfully defend the Harmsworth Trophy nine more times with other Miss America boats. Mr. Wood and his personal mechanic, Orlin Johnson, captured both the 1930 and 1931 Harmsworth Trophy in Miss America IX. "It also was the first boat to go more than 100 mph," Mr. Mistele said.

On March 20, 1931, Mr. Wood first pushed the boat to 102 mph in Indian Creek, Fla. A year later, on Feb. 5, 1932, he returned to Indian Creek to set the world speedboat record at 111.71 mph. "We don't build boats like this anymore," Mr.

Mistele said. "This was built in the days when boats were boats, and they rode in the water. "Today, fiberglass boats are half in and half out of the water. It's just not the same." Built in 1930, the sleek 30-foot boat is made of red mahogany wood with a blonde oak top deck. It is eight feet wide and weighs 10 tons.

Originally the boat boasted spokewoman Gloria Combe said. Traffic will be affected only when crossings are under construction, she said. Local communities will be notified before work begins on any crossing, and detours and delays should last no longer than two weeks. The company does not plan to add any workers to construction crews already on the project, Combe said. The construction and railroad improvements should, however, help the local economy indirectly, she said.

"We're doing this because of an increase in business," she said. "The railroad indirectly affects other businesses. The overall economy of an area is always By ROBERTA STEVENSON Times Herald The company that owns Grand Trunk Western Railroad plans to spend $18 million to upgrade railroad lines between Port Huron and Detroit. Canadian National North America said Monday the upgrade would be part of a five-year improvement plan already under way. The preliminary work on the area known as the Mount Clemens Subdivision is expected to be completed this fall.

The plan calls for installing welded rail throughout the corridor, with the first 10 miles of track to be completed by 1999. Installation of welded track in the Port Huron area is expected to begin in 1996, CN Mark Edmondson said. "That boat belongs here. "But at the time we had members who were interested in hockey and wanted to build an ice rink. We never got the hockey rink, and we haven't got the Miss America either." MR.

MISTELE bought the boat in 1970 and had it restored for use as a pleasure boat. Today, Mr. Mistele stores Miss Amciica IX and Miss America in a building near Oxford. He said the boats belong in a museum, but doubts it will happen during his lifetime. "These are collector's items," he said.

"But I'm leaving that decision to my sons. "They grew up around boats and love them like I do. If they decide to give them away, that's their Park takeover rumor is false, native leader says MICHIGAN A.B. Copley, son of Michigan pioneers, recalled the typical frontier home of the 1820s: "The houses were invariably log cabins, the logs notched on the under side with the saddle on top. The chimneys were built on the outside, the jambs were made of clay pounded hard and the upper part of the chimney made of sticks daubed with clay." Source: Stale Archives of Michigan Marysville pushes cleanup of Wilkie site the site of an ancient burial ground.

One protester was shot and killed during a confrontation with provincial police. Meanwhile, residents of nearby Bosanquct met Monday with Member of Purliamcnl Art Hanger, the Reform party's critic of the Solicitor General's Ministry. Mr. Hanger said they fear for their lives and 'property, believe policing in the area is inadequate and that the Canadian government is deserting them. Many residents have said they don't want to speak out because they fear reprisals by the natives.

Mr. Hanger said he was in Bosanquct to "get a proper handle on this situation." He wants the Canadian government to "clean the out of the park with "whatever it takes." The Associated Press KETTLE POINT, Ont. A rumor that aboriginal protesters plan to take over a second provincial park in sduthwestern Ontario is "ridiculous," a native leader says. "I don't know why people do this," said Bob Bressette, acting chief of the Kettle and Stony Point First Nation. "Why pump this up into something?" But the rumor was a prime concern of about 400 local residents who met Sunday with provincial police.

An officer told them police have a contingency plan in case Pinery Provincial Park is occupied but wouldn't provide details. A group of disaffected Chippcwas took over Ip-perwash Provincial Park, just southwest of Pinery park, earlier this month. They say it is CORRECTIONS By MARY LOU CREAMER Times Herald MARYSVILLE City officials want a local businessman to clean up his act. On Monday, council members authorized the city's lawyer to take action against Wilkie Bros. Conveyors to force the company to clean up its contaminated property.

"As far as we can tell, nothing has been done to improve this property," city attorney Gary Fletcher said. "The city has had complaints from residents about the condition of would cost about $19 million. Mr. Wilkie was not available for comment. Calls to the company were not returned.

Mr. Fletcher said the suit also seeks to remove the city from an agreement it made with the company in 1989. Under the agreement, the city would have sold the company 600 feet of property on the east side of River Road for $25,000. The sale was approved by voters in a special election in August 1989. Because the project did not progress, the transaction never took place.

for the cleanup. Howell sold the property to Wilkie Bros, in the 1980s. Mr. Fletcher said the cleanup could cost about $200,000. "That is small in comparison to other projects that have been undertaken in the area," he said.

"When you're dealing with a multi-million dollar project such as they were proposing, that cost is nothing. "We just don't see why they couldn't go in there, get it done, and sort out who is paying for it later." At one time, Mr. Wilkie had estimated that the project the site, and we just think it is time to fish or cut bait." The company owns 23 acres at 1880 River Road. The company once proposed a ISO-unit condominium project that included a 185-sIip marina. Mr.

Fletcher said about a month ago city officials asked Donald Wilkie for a timetable for the cleanup. "So far we have heard nothing, and to us that indicates that they do not plan to do anything," he said. Wilkie Bros, and Howell Industries are involved in litigation concerning who will pay AMPLIFICATIONS 'fiJIie Times Herald strives for fair and accurate reporting, and we regret it any time an error is made. It is the policy of this newspaper to correct errors of fact that appear in its columns. I'lcase bring errors to ilie attention of Judith McLean or Bob "Gross at 989-6257..