Welcome -
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The Forum is co-moderated by Karl Fink and John Hansen.
If you wish to be added to the Forum mailing list just send a request to RepHansen@aol.com. or KarlVFink@gmail.com You will get meeting reminders, meeting notes and nothing else. -Meeting Dates- The next meeting of the Dexter Forum will be on Saturday, March 16, at 8:30 AM at the Dexter Wellness Center. The group meets on the first and third Saturdays of the month. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- <<< The "Stump" >>> Expect more Stump activity as we approach 2020 elections. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ***. Karl and I have recorded an interview about the Forum for the local component of All Things Considered on WEMU 89.1 radio that will be broadcast on Monday, December 3 during both the 4:00 and 6:00 versions of the show. Many of the questions were about why you keep coming and why you don't yell and argue. You can also hear the segment by getting on the WEMU website and clicking on the podcast after Monday. **** https://www.wemu.org/.../public-interest-focus-community-forum-dexter- where-participants-listen-and-learn |
....About "The Dexter Forum" from other Sources:
http://annarborobserver.com/articles/_we_can_help_dexter__full_article.html
http://annarborobserver.com/articles/_we_can_help_dexter__full_article.html
Who We Are |
The Dexter Forum is supported by the Dexter Wellness Coalition as part of the 5 Healthy Towns initiative to "help connect with others in healthy ways". The purpose of the Forum is to create an opportunity for interested women and men to gather to discuss important issues facing our community. All are welcome on a drop-in basis. The group meets on the first and third Saturdays of the month.
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The Forum in action-
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"We make the agenda at the meeting so you never know what's on peoples' minds until you ask."
========================================================= Sat. Mar 2, 2019 The Dairy Queen is open. This annual rite of spring is proof positive that we can survive the winter and survive the election season and just about any other adversity. There is still a lot of curiosity about the fate of the old Country Market space. We all have lots of great suggestions but they don't necessarily line up with market realities. The best we know is that it takes time to decommission all of the refrigeration units in the place. We talked a bit about all of the trail construction going on around us and how the routes are determined. Like everything else, there are all sorts of factors. There are regulations involved when crossing rivers, crossing roads, crossing wetlands, crossing rails along with staying barrier free. The whole trail system is a modern miracle in my opinion and a tremendous asset to our community. Webster Township is trying to do the right thing by saving up to build a new fire station with cash. The problem is that their savings rate is not able to keep up with the cost increases in a new facility. They are trying to address the issue of response time for emergencies - most of which are medical. We are always fortunate to have some of our elected representatives present to provide first hand information on current issues. Lana Theis, our new state senator (replacing term limited Joe Hune), described her committee responsibilities which include the chairpersonship (is that a real word?) of the education committee. During her time in the house Lana was strongly identified with the effort to lower our car insurance rates, which are the highest in the country, and she remains committed to that effort. ======================================================= Dexter Forum Notes 2-16-19 Jim Davis sat in for Karl Fink who was on grandpa duty watching his grandson Jasper wrestle in a big tournament. School Board President Michael Wendorf reported that everyone is on the same page regarding pedestrian safety and that needed improvements are mostly subject to time and budgets. As the Dexter area develops some of the decisions are made by the city government and some are made by township bodies. The question arose as to does one body care about the other and can a voice from one body influence the other. The general answer seemed to be yes. Each body is accountable to its voters but the elected people present indicated that they were all good listeners. So let your voice be heard. Progress seems slow on the condo project on Jeffords (as opposed to on Grand street where they seem unfazed by the weather) but delays are systemic and the project will be moving ahead as time goes on. We continue to wonder about the future of the old Country Market site but even rumors are hard to come by. And then we talked about our drinking water. Some found an off taste at a local restaurant. (Perhaps wine would be a better alternative but that didn't come up.) All Dexter city water comes from wells - none from the river. The water is treated but some still find it necessary to install softeners. The old timers remember when there was a big problem with iron in the water turning it and your sheets brown but that was solved years ago. As usual we heard about a number of upcoming events in our busy little town. Folks are encouraged to place infomercial flyers on the table out side of our meeting room so people can take the exact information home with them. The next meeting of the Dexter Forum will be on Saturday, March 2, 2019 at 8:30 AM at the Dexter Wellness Center. Back issues of the Forum notes are available on our web site DexterForum.com ============================================= Forum Notes Feb 02, 2019 Flowers and cookies and little oranges appeared on the back table in celebration of groundhog day and the beginning of our fifth year. Fresh from our discussion about pedestrian safety regarding kids walking and riding their bikes to school we noted the danger adults face when they cross through traffic to get to the post office which turned into a discussion about future uses for the old Country Market space which we decided would make a great spot for a new post office since they basically did the same thing in Chelsea. No one is aware that there are any plans to do this but sometimes it is our priviledge to get the conversation started. We have spent a lot of time over the years talking about the condo corridor that runs along Grand Street to the back of the downtown. Well, the first residents (including our own webmaster Richard Weaver) have moved in and construction continues even in the dead of winter. Further down the street the Broad Street project remains in the planning phase and the pesky electrical substation may go away by fall. If nothing else I think we are coming to understand the complexity of re-developing old industrial sites. School board president Michael Wendorf issued a personal invitation to each of us to attend the ribbon cutting for Beacon Elementary School on Monday. February 11 at 5:00 PM. We also heard enthusiastic support for upcoming events sponsored by St. James Episcopal Church, The Encore Theater, The Dexter Community Players, The Senior Citizen Center and the Rotary Club of Dexter. You just don't need to go to New York anymore to have a good time. What happens at the Forum doesn't stay at the Forum. We get talked about and written about. A reporter from the Sun Times News and We Love Dexter.com are usually present and, of course, I write these notes. We want folks to feel free to express their feelings on any subject but there is some concern about having a person's name publicly attached to their comments. Our elected officials know that they are always 'on the record' but some regular folks may not want a random comment tied to their name. Let's just say that awareness has been raised on this issue. -------------------------- Back issues of the Forum notes are available on our web site DexterForum.com Just let John or Karl know if you would like to be added to our e-mail list which will get you meeting reminders and your own personal copy of the meeting notes. --------------- |
