By Pat Maurer
Correspondent
Gateway Village resident Eugene Wentworth is always ready to help when his neighbors need a hand whether it’s something around their apartment, running errands, or even a trip to the store to pick up something they need.
On February 5th he took that neighborliness a whole lot farther when he rescued a third-floor resident whose apartment was on fire.
Before the Fire Department even arrived, Wentworth, who noticed the smoke in the building, ignored his own safety and entered the smoke-filled hall and then the apartment where the fire was to rescue the occupant from the flames and bring her downstairs to safety. Although she was injured, after hospital treatment, she is expected to make a full recovery, City Manager Jeremy Howard’s agenda report said.
Eugene was honored at the Clare City meeting Monday evening for his “heroic, selfless, compassionate, and life-saving actions,” …that “attest to an earned title of ‘good Samaritan’, and by every conceivable measure and standard, Eugene Wentworth personifies the principles of this Excellence Award,” the report added.
Mayor Pat Humphrey presented Eugene with a Certificate and a Key of Excellence, but that wasn’t all he was presented with at the meeting, when Jason Badelt from Gateway Village Apartments surprised him with a brand new three-wheel bicycle to “make it easier when he runs errands and helps others,” Badelt said.
Another presentation highlighted the City meeting when another Wentworth, Jarred this time, was honored for “ten years of faithful, dedicated service to the City of Clare as a member of the City’s Fire Department.” When asked if he was related to Eugene, Jarred said, “We might be, I’ll have to ask my Dad.” He was presented with a framed resolution approved by the Commission, and a stipend from the City by Mayor Pat Humphrey.
Clare Fire Chief Jim Chapman, who was also at the City meeting, brought two pieces of equipment purchased with the excess funds from the bonds for the new fire engine to the Commission meeting. He demonstrated a powerful portable fan to remove smoke from a building and a portable light on a stand, both of which will make the firefighters work easier when on a fire scene. Chapman said the equipment will be stored on the new engine.
Another action item at the brief meeting Monday was the approval of a Public Participation Plan, which will “serve as a guide for the City to effectively foster citizen feedback.”
Howard said, “It is also designed to provide direction to city staff, current boards, and future board members, to effectuate [to accomplish or achieve]
public communication and collaboration throughout the City of Clare.” He asked the Commission to approve the plan so it can be “formally submitted as part of the City’s process to become a ‘Redevelopment Ready Community’ and for future use.”
Goals for the Public Participation Plan include:
*involving community stakeholders in planning, land use and development decisions;
*ensure participation by low- and moderate-income persons in planning and development initiatives;
*using a variety of public engagement strategies to broaden community participation;
*making information available in a timely manner to allow involvement in decisions;
*using comments and information community members to make decisions on planning, land use and future developments; and,
*to track and analyze the results of all public participation and provide summaries to the general public.
In his City Manager’s Report, Howard reported ongoing work by Planning Commission to update the City Master Plan, working with McKenna an Associates; the continuation of the “Let Run” water notice, adding that frost levels are currently more than 40 inches deep; noting that residents and Lake Shamrock property owners have held a clean-up day on Barnes Island; that union negotiations are continuing; that a tour of the new MTW Facility (formerly ShopKo) has been postponed; and that Clare is an Arbor Day Foundation designated “Tree City,” complete with a proclamation to be signed by the Mayor.
Other business at the meeting included:
The reappointment for another three years of Elaine Demasi and Brett Moser to the Clare Planning Commission;
The reappointment of Clare Zoning Board of Appeals member Dr. Kurt Keppner for another three-year term on the board;
Approval of the payment of bills totaling $184,968.05.
