ECOLOGY CENTER: In the water wheel building at Coan Lake, it offers plenty of fun

Welcome to a unique little corner of our world!

It’s called the Fish n’ Fun Ecology Center.

As we introduce the center to you, it is our wish to provide information that will help improve your own little corner of your world. Many of you reading this are aware of the Coan Lake, the water wheel and grist mill at Heritage Park. What you may not be aware of is that a new attraction has been opened inside of that eye-catching building.

Originally built and opened by volunteers in 1994, it has been used primarily as a storage facility by the City of Taylor. After a fresh coat of paint on the outside and extensive electrical, carpentry and more paint on the inside, The Fish n’ Fun Ecology Center found a home. We wish to thank the carpenters, electricians and painters for their exceptional gifts of materials and labor, without which the inside work on the grist mill would not have been possible

The Fish n’ Fun Ecology Center has been has been involved in helping youth and families learn about issues related to protecting and preserving our environment in many different ways since 2005. Most of our events were single-day activities held annually, like Fish n’ Fun Day (cancelled this year).

The opening in June 2013 at the Water Wheel Grist Mill gave all of our education events a home. It also offered us an opportunity to expand the number and the quality of our partners and events.

The Ecology Center features exhibits from nine different organizations including U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary, Huron Valley Sport Fishing Club and even the Chippewa Indian tribe from Mount Pleasant.

The exhibits are professional and represent the latest scientific knowledge available – but in a fun and easy going manner which has become our trademark. We believe in education sprinkled with fun.

We invite you and your family to come and see what we are about. We promise you’ll leave with a pleasant surprise.

Hours at the center are 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturdays and Sundays. The center is also available for group tours of 15 or more by appointment only, Monday through Fridays. Call (734) 306-5235 for more information.

(Dennis O’Connell is a Taylor resident who spends a lot of his time in central Michigan these days. He taught fishing to children and teens for nine years through the Wayne County Community College District’s Downriver Campus and the City of Taylor.)

ENROLL IN TAYLOR SCHOOLS and get a new iPad!

 If you reside in the Taylor School District boundaries but attend another school (parochial, charter, etc.), here's a way to get a new iPad!

Enroll in the TSD by Sept. 3, 2014 ... and you're in!

Think about it ... 

FREE PRESCHOOL: Just call the Taylor School District

The Taylor School District is offering free preschool!

Families who reside in The Taylor School District attendance area and have a child who is or will be 4 years old by December 1, 2014 should call 313-295-8362 to set up an appointment.

The program offers certified teachers, reading readiness, learning through play, field trips, music and movement, writing, math exploration, art and creativity.

ALERT: Special trash pick up scheduled for flood-related items on Saturday, August 16

The City of Taylor has scheduled a FREE special trash pickup for flood-related items on Saturday, August 16, Mayor Rick Sollars announced Tuesday afternoon.

This is for flood-related trash only. 

Residents interested in this special pick-up MUST register through the City Hall Customer Service Center by noon on Friday. Only residents who register before noon on Friday, August 15, will be able to participate in this pick up. Residents who encountered flooding problems should register by calling (734) 287-6550, or they can register in person at the Customer Service desk in City Hall.

So far, the City has received between 50 and 100 calls from residents whose homes were hit by flooding on Monday, August 11. 

Midwest Sanitation will begin its special pick-ups at 8 a.m. and will likely be done by noon. Residents should have their items placed at the curb by that time, if not before. All pick-ups will be assigned based on the registered calls and walk-ins to City Hall only.

Executive Robert Ficano has declared a state of emergency in Wayne County due to the unusually heavy rainfall.

Given the continuing storms that are due to hit the area through about 9 p.m. tonight (Tuesday, August 12), take heed of the following:

• Residents should stay away from under passes in general
• Monroe Street underpass at I-94 remains flooded
• Eureka Road underpass at I-75 remains flooded
• Tonight's scheduled "Park It!" free family fun night at Heritage Park has been postponed. 

 Reviewing Monday's storm, take note of the following:

• Total event rainfall - 4.4 inches over approximately 10 hours
• High 4 Hours (4 to 8 p.m.)- 3.77 inches (which is over the 100-year storm event threshold)
• High 2 Hours (6-8 p.m.) - 2.19 inches (over the 10-year storm event threshold)
• High Hour (6-7 p.m.) - 1.24 inches (under the 10-year threshold)
• High 30 minutes (6:23-6:53 p.m.)- 0.79 inches (just under a 10-year event threshold)

TAYLOR VIRTUAL LEARNING ACADEMY: Where every student has a front row seat!

The goal of TVLA is to provide students with a solid education through an alternative delivery method. Time and place take on a new meaning when students have the flexibility to complete assignments at any time of the day and from any location. While our delivery method may be flexible, our curriculum is solidly aligned with the rigorous Michigan Merit Curriculum and is facilitated by highly qualified, certified instructors.

Students take classes online 24 hours a day, seven days a week, to earn their high school diploma while gaining valuable technology skills. Students who attend TVLA enroll as full-time students. Full-time students take all of the classes at TVLA and can earn a diploma from the Taylor School District when they complete all Michigan Merit Curriculum high school graduation requirements.

Instruction is delivered at no cost to the student through a blended program of online courses and the classroom. The online courses are research based, pedagogically robust, engaging,

media rich and highly interactive.

If you have questions, call (313) 295-5757 ext.12815

• Mentor/Online Facilitator Face-to-Face Consultations
• No Cost to Student
• Taylor School District diploma
• Guidance Counseling Advanced Placement (AP) Courses Available
• School Social Work Services Available

DISTRICT-WIDE: Register before school begins

New residents, relocating residents, kindergarteners, parochial students or public school academy students returning to the Taylor School District must register for the 2014-15 school year.

New or returning students to the Taylor School District must pre-register at the Pupil Accounting Office at 9551 Westlake (in the board annex) between 7 a.m. and 3 p.m. throughout the summer.

The following items are needed to complete registration:

• TWO current documents in your name of the 12 listed here to prove residency: Mortgage, rental receipt, lease (must have landlord’s name, address and phone number), bill of sale for place of residence, auto registration, driver’s license or voter registration, water, phone, gas or electric bill (or deposit receipt), or social services papers with address.
• Court placed documents, if applicable. Birth certificate.
• Immunization record. Copy of most recent physical.
• If you have questions, call Pupil Accounting Office at (313) 295-5742
• Please note: The Pupil Accounting Office will be open Wednesday, August 27th, Thursday, August 28 from 7 a.m. to 4 p.m. and Tuesday, September 2, Wednesday, September 3 from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m.

TAYLOR TEEN CENTER: Wraps up 18th annual academy

The Taylor Teen Center wrapped up its 18th annual Taylor Summer Arts & Prevention Academy on August 1.

The program for grades 6th-9th was held at the Sixth Grade Academy, where participants learned about the areas of drama, dance, music and art.

The six-week program led to a final Showcase held at Truman’s Little Theater. At the Showcase, participants showed off the skills they learned by performing drama skits, dance performances, and displaying their art for family and friends.

This year each grade group performed a ballet and hip-hop dance, and performed skits from “Alice in Wonderland,” “The Lion, the Witch & the Wardrobe” and “The Hobbit”.

In art, the participants made paper mache animals and characters, as well as foil squares.

On the field trip to the Detroit Institute of Arts, each participant made a clay pinch pot. Other field trips included the Village Theater in Canton, Heritage Park in Canton, and MJR Theatres to see “Earth to Echo.”

Watch for Summer Arts flyers next year to join in on the fun.