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Cindy Parker

Swimming pools are a wonderful luxury, but they’re always hungry for attention. Whether it is cleaning, chemical control, water level or temperature conditioning – there is always something that needs to be done. Indoor, outdoor, above ground or built in – pools can provide fun, exercise and relaxation. One thing all pools have in common is that they can be “energy hogs” to operate.

The single largest factor for energy consumption in indoor and outdoor swimming pools is evaporation. Studies reported by the U.S. Department of Energy indicate that up to 70 percent of the total energy cost for operating swimming pools is due to evaporation.

Pool covers reduce heat loss, reduce the amount of “make-up” water required, reduce chemical consumption and for outdoor pools, reduce cleaning time by keeping leaves and dirt out of the water.

The evaporation rate for a pool varies depending on the pool water temperature, the surrounding air temperature and relative humidity, and the wind speed in the area. For outdoor pools, a light breeze of 7 miles per hour can triple the evaporation rate. For indoor pools, the moisture evaporating from the water surface is trapped inside the room. Pool room ventilation, temperature and humidity control must be maintained prevent mold and rot.

Granted, there may be a little effort involved in putting the pool cover on and taking it off – but it really shouldn’t preclude undertaking the task. In addition to folding covers (usually for small pools) there are manual roll-up covers, semi-automatic (motorized roll-up) covers and push-button automatic pool covers available.

For outdoor pools, it is important to use covers that are transparent. Although a transparent cover may reduce the solar absorption by an average of 10 percent, a completely opaque pool cover will reduce the solar gain by up to 40 percent.

Programmable temperature control and pump timing are also key factors for energy savings in pool operation. For large school, club and municipal swimming pools, lowering the temperature by just 3 or 4 degrees will result in noticeable savings. (No – it doesn’t take more energy to heat it back up!) For any pool that is not covered, the higher the water temperature and the cooler the room – the rate of evaporation is further increased. If it seems as though there’s a warm “fog” above the surface of the pool – it’s the money you’re burning.

Saving water, saving chemicals, saving energy costs – these are great reasons for sizing up your pool for a cover. The “icing on the cake” that should get this project moving now? How about a rebate from Consumer’s Energy for 50 cents per square foot on the size of your pool cover?

If you don’t have a cover for your pool, get one.

If you do have a pool cover, use it. If it takes an extra half hour of labor a day to cover and uncover, it will be well worth the cost of the labor.

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Janet Leslie

I’ve used this quote in columns before, but it often comes to mind when seeing so many of us in Holly fumbling jointly and separately toward more prosperous days. President Ronald Reagan said, “There is no limit to what a man can do or where he can go if he doesn’t mind who gets the credit.”

Recently, I’ve talked to a number of people who are concerned that there are too many organizations in Holly that are working toward a goal of economic development, and yet there is too little work being done. 

There’s nothing wrong with looking at our local organizations and saying, “This one should do this,” and “This one should do that.” We all have our visions of a perfect world, and we’re entitled to express them. We’ve all also seen examples of how things have been done differently in different times or in different places, and there’s nothing wrong with pointing out that there is another way. In fact, that can be very helpful. But one person’s help is another person’s criticism. Some of us have never known life without criticism, and so we are inured to it and simply use it to learn and to grow. Some of us take it personally and that’s okay too. It’s just the way some folks process the information. And they are entitled to speak up if they don’t like what has been said. We can talk endlessly about who should do what, when and how.

But none of this should ever get in the way of “what a man can do or where he can go.” 

There are many organizations in this community whose intent is to inspire economic development. We have the Village of Holly Downtown Development Authority, the Holly Area Chamber of Commerce, the Downtown Holly Merchants, and the Holly Area Economic Development Task Force. Each of them has a different approach, and each of them can work together or separately, as the various projects demand. Some of them are restricted by state law, some have by-laws, and some are ad hoc. Each method of organization provides different advantages, which lend themselves to different projects. 

That does not mean that these organizations are in competition. Each one does what it can do to help Holly. I find economic development to be a little like feeding the hungry. If the Catholic Church and the Baptist Church both have food pantries, they don’t get mad at one another for duplicating efforts. They each just try to feed as many people as possible. It doesn’t matter that they are both working on the same problem. It just matters that results are realized.

All that is needed to ensure that the various groups working towards economic development are working together, and not at cross purposes, is mutual respect and a shared vision. 

The Economic Development Task Force, being a joint effort between the village and the township, has made its mission the creation of a community vision statement. This statement is being developed by first gathering information from the community at large in the form of the market research survey developed for us by Great Lakes Creative. The development of the survey questions included submitting the survey to the Chamber of Commerce, the DDA, the Village Council, and the Holly Township Board of Trustees for input. The Chamber of Commerce volunteered to contribute resources to the survey project, and the EDTF has also asked the DDA to contribute. And of course, should the survey be funded, while the EDTF would oversee the process of collecting and reporting the data, the results will be shared with all of the participating agencies and with the public at large. Once the EDTF begins writing a community vision statement, that process too will make the rounds of the same community agencies, and possibly others, for input. 

I expect that any one of the groups working towards economic development in Holly would answer the call of another agency that requested their help. This is the kind of collaboration that allows multiple agencies to work towards mutual goals, while still retaining their independence and unique projects. And this is the kind of collaboration that allows our community to succeed without limit, not minding who gets the credit.

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Shirley Bouck

OK. I confess – I’m a very high maintenance person. My mom was, too, and while it’s not congenital, the perfect picture she presented every day no doubt influenced me greatly. I sort of remind myself of the postal workers motto: “Neither snow nor sleet nor wind nor rain shall keep me from my appointed rounds.” This, by the way, is an inaccurate quote as I couldn’t fathom how “nor gloom of night,” figures into it. Anyway, you get my gist, and for the last 45 years, none of the above has kept me from my appointed rounds, either.

Every Thursday, I travel to my “home away from home” and get my hair shampooed and styled. Every other Thursday, I get my nails manicured. It’s a little embarrassing, but my level of maintenance is so high, every three months I get my toenails “overhauled” and polished. Hmm. That would be vanity, I suspect, but I soothe my conscience by remembering that I neither smoke nor drink, except for an occasional glass of wine, so the money that I would be spent on a precursor to lung cancer or perhaps cirrhosis of the liver, I spend on making this old broad as acceptable looking as possible.

My “home away from home” is a very warm, friendly beauty salon with eight stylists and one manicurist. When I arrive for my 9:30 a.m. appointment, I’m greeted with multiple, cheery “Hi Shirleys” and even better, a hot cup of coffee ready and waiting. The owner of the shop seems to go out of her way to keep us all happy and comfortable during the time we are there, and then sends us back out into the world looking very, very good.

I know most everyone who is there on Thursdays, including the other clients. There is one who uses a different stylist than I, but has the appointment just ahead of mine when she gets her nails done. We are on the same schedules, so every other week, I see and talk (actually listen) to her. Her hair is beautifully white and styled in a chic short “do.” I have often thought she needs to work a little on her communication skills. To put it bluntly, she truly is a cranky old bat. She’s a year older than I am, and maybe if I were on a walker and plugged into an oxygen tank, I’d be cranky, too. But as Forrest Gump said, “Life is like a box of chocolates; you never know what you’re going to get.” In her case, apparently she didn’t get what she liked or wanted, but that’s no excuse for taking her frustrations out on the very people who are doing their best to please her – it doesn’t seem very fair. But what amazes me most about her is that after criticizing and crucifying everything about the nail artist from what she’s wearing to how she’s raising her son, she finishes up by demanding a hug before she leaves. Once, after listening to her tirade, I innocently asked how many children she had. Her answer – none. Ah, no wonder she’s such an expert. I can only think she is a very unhappy lady and wants to create unhappiness for everyone around her. Difficult for me to understand – I just know I don’t want to behave that way. Nor, in fairness, should I. I’m lucky to have reasonably good health, and to be able to enjoy the amenities of life like getting my hair and nails done by experts.

I said to my operator, “C’mon – I know you can do it. Just make me the best looking octogenarian around.” She stopped what she was doing, looked me in the eye and said, “Shirley, I’m a beautician, not a magician.” Ouch! That hurt, but I still like her.

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Jesse Lambert, Holly Township ...

HOLLY TOWNSHIP, Michigan -- Holly has been bursting at the seams with activity since early 2008. I can’t tell you how happy I am to see our community improving on so many different levels despite our not-so-optimistic economic backdrop.  

About a dozen downtown building owners have renovated their storefronts or dwellings in preparation for a positive future. This will help to keep our town looking fresh and upbeat as we continually prepare our community for what lies ahead.

A few community events have taken flight in the past few years as well. The Sights, Sounds and Tastes of Holly are sure to be an enlightening night out. The Reunion with a Cause is always a large and successful fundraiser and the planning of this years Dickens and Carry Nation festivals is right on schedule.

Please help to encourage as many people as possible to volunteer for community organizations. It won’t be easy to sustain the level support our community has experienced in these fields unless we are able to continually provide volunteers.

Having been a volunteer within the community for well over a decade I can attest to the fun, learning and memories that have been created. Even within the course of a few hours of volunteer help you, too, can make a difference.