Hayes Hears of Community Needs, Support Efforts

By DIANNE ALWARD-BIERY

Cleaver Senior Staff Writer

HARRISON – At its March 11 meeting, the Hayes Township Board heard from representatives of Harrison Area Community Schools and the Northern Michigan Alliance for Children regarding the scheduled March 18 Community Fun Night at Harrison High School. It was explained that the Developmental Assets Survey of students done last fall dealt with 40 developmental assets and showed a profound correlation between various supports received by students and positive/negative behaviors/success.

“The study basically talked about parts of a child’s life that are assets that are foundational for them to become functioning adults,” Wilde explained. “The survey collected some harsh results for the kids in our area, like essential assets within their lives and communities, so they know they have that foundation. Our kids are struggling is basically what the survey reflected.”

“The biggest drop in those assets was neighborhood boundaries, religious community, their external safety, self-esteem, self of purpose, and a positive view of the future,” Cooper said. “So, our kids struggle with those things.”

It was further explained that with those decreased assets comes increased behaviors. That was broken down as 40% of youth with 0-10 assets experience symptoms of depression and 33% have attempted suicide. Conversely, kids with 20 or more assets have 0% of attempted suicide and depression. The standard of 20-22 assets denotes a student who is supported well enough to be successful, although it was noted that students in Clare and Gladwin counties need 25 of those 40 assets to meet the wellness/success standard.

Thus, the goal is to help kids build their assets. Cooper said that could range from such simple things as saying hello to them in the hallway, helping them form a relationship in the community.

“The greater the assets, the less mental health struggles, less suicides, and less negative behaviors,” Cooper said. “In a nutshell; these are things that have very long presentations.”

Wilde noted the survey taken last year included students in grades six to 12, thus it’s the entire group of middle school and high school who are reflecting some really hard behaviors and really hard results.

“We’re trying to help fill some gaps for them,” Wilde said. “And maybe develop some assets for them and build a stronger community so they know someone has their back – so that our youth aren’t struggling so bad.”

Cooper explained that, as a social worker, looking at the survey results led her to conclude a way to build the needed stronger community would include providing community fun nights. Thus, she and Joe Ashcroft, HHS principal, wrote a grant which was approved through Harrison Community Schools, and led to the scheduled March 18 Community Fun Night. The event was to include a taco bar and games, and enable students to meet the business owners and agencies who would host the various games – all in an effort to build a community supportive of its children.

Cooper explained that there was nothing expected of attending community members other than to show up, enjoy some food and form relationships that will help kids build their much-needed assets. She said just being present accomplishes that.

It was also noted that businesses have reached out offering to participate in future Community Fun Nights

Also attending was Joe Ashcroft, who described the study data provided and how simple it could be to effect changes.

“It is mind-blowing to think that if we provide more opportunities for our students, our kids, our young adults in Harrison, how much more they thrive,” he said. “The number that sticks out for me that comes up in every conversation: If we allow them to spend more than three hours on their phone an evening which is becoming more of a babysitting tool as students get older – with social media, TikTok videos, YouTube, etc. – their assets decline dramatically. It is a huge shift as soon as that three-hour mark hits.”

Ashcroft also commented on the positive comments from students regarding the Hayes Township facility being open on Saturdays. “The more opportunities we can give students to be out with their parents or with a positive adult, the better.” He also emphasized that it was not just a high school event, but was for the community as a whole.

Also addressing the Board was Commissioner Gabe Ambrozaitis, who provided an update on the recent Committee of the Whole meeting, as well as goings on at the Clare County Airport. He noted the May 17 Fly-In and Dawn Patrol event, for which he had put in a request for an Army National Guard helicopter and a Coast Guard helicopter, plus a visit by Civil Air Patrol. He also provided an improvements report, including work done to the 1980s paved runway; tree cutting to meet MDOT state approach plan clearance requirements; the elimination of the 23/5 runway; installation of gates that could accommodate large machinery and ambulance access to the Medivac helicopter landing area; tetrahedron repair; establishment of first-ever Airport 80D operating rules; new lease agreement that will protect both the tenant and the county; re-established lease with the restaurant, which had expired in 2014; and organization of the Harrison Area Pilots Association.

Ambrozaitis then informed of the Economic Benefits Analysis by MDOT, saying he had multiple meetings in the week prior with the people who actually do that analysis.

“So, we have an initial number which is as is,” he said. “And when I say as is – eight tenants, no manager, and the restaurant – that provides about $1.1 million in economic benefit to the Hayes Township/Harrison area. So, to run a scenario, to add businesses, add the manager, add contractors to do maintenance, etc., bumps it up significantly.”

He then moved into the airport manager’s status, noting that a bill was received Feb. 27 from MDOT Aeronautic: an invoice for crack sealing for a contract signed in 2022 for work done in 2023. Ambrozaitis noted that while the work was deemed to have been done, meaning the contractor is believed to have showed up although no one was notified of their presence (airport manager was unaware) and left.

“We don’t know if it got done or not, but the contractor said he did it, and they billed the state,” Ambrozaitis said. “The state paid the entire bill. Our portion somehow never got invoiced: $8,741 and that came in the mail Feb. 27, 2025.”

He reminded that last fall the airport was defunded by the Board of Commissioners, declining to appropriate the requested $20,000 to the Airport Fund. With the $10,000 remaining in the Airport Fund, paying that MDOT invoice, combined with a repair for the airport tractor, has left no funds to pay for the airport manager.

“We have to pay the invoice, because – good news – we received the $250,000 grant to put new airport lighting in,” he said. “You cannot receive a grant if you’re in arrears with the state. And if you don’t have an airport manager, you technically cannot be licensed – you can’t get grants for unlicensed airports. We’re in a Catch-22.”

Ambrozaitis noted that as of the previous Friday, the airport manager was laid off. Also noted was that as of the end of November, the county had a reported $800,000 surplus. “Yet, we laid off the airport manager because we don’t have enough money.” He also noted the airport manager earns a bit more than $6,800.

“So, this is the dilemma we face as we go into the meeting next Wednesday,” Ambrozaitis said. “How do we solve this Catch-22? Because I do not want to lose the $254,806 grant.”

He informed that there is money in the Contingency Fund, but that he did not believe the BOC would use that fund to pay the invoice and maintain the airport manager/bring him back on.

Ambrozaitis also spoke of the intent to re-energize the former agreement between the township, city and county for funding the airport with the intent to first save the airport, then to develop it.

“The numbers I’ve seen for the scenarios for the Economic Development Analysis are off the charts,” Ambrozaitis said. “If we can develop this.”

Under New Business, the Board moved to:

-Authorize submission of a cancellation letter to TextMyGov.

-Approve Clerk Hoyt to attend Michigan Association of Municipal Clerks training day April 9 in Mount Pleasant, with registration fee of $50 and Travel expense of $45.

-Approve the Township host Community Support Nights and appoint Treasurer Cavanaugh as the contact person.

Discussion Items included the upcoming shift from not-so-user-friendly Point and Pay program over to BS&A which will enable payment via a card reader at Hayes Township. The current program charges Hayes residents 3% to pay their taxes

The advantages include real-time payment posting, acceptance of a credit card for zoning permits, parcel combinations and splits, burials, plots, gym memberships, etc. The only cost to the township would be a one-time cost of $350 for purchase of a card reader terminal which would enable in-person bill payments using Apple Pay, Google Pay, Tap Pay, EMV, etc. BS& A would also include a better website ACH payment capacity. The residents’ credit card transaction fee would be 2.8% and payments transacted as ACH would incur a $3 fee per $0-$1,000 or $6 fee per $1,001-$5,000 rather than the current Point and Pay system which is charged as a percentage fee (2.8% or 3.3%). It was noted that using the Point and Pay at tax time, one person had to pay $40 just to pay their taxes.

 “It’s a huge savings for residents,” Cavanagh said. She will gather more information, with the motion to switch possibly on the next agenda.