I was born in Ohio, Soon after was moved to Michigan. Spent most of my life Living in Eaton Rapids, then a little after I married my husband we moved to Ovid. He was raised in the Elsie area but after his parents divorced, he moved into the downtown area of Ovid in his mid- teen years and had been there still when I met him. After we met, he left Ovid for me, but we felt as if we never REALLY left. We would come back to see friends, family, go to a party every now and then, religiously attended the fireman’s ball and felt like home. We agreed and decided to move back to Ovid (actually living in Ovid Township) in January of 2006. We wanted to live in Ovid because of the friends, the family and the fire department. Those three things make it home for us. Now that we lived here for a short while we have seen the area, lived the Ovid life, and have came to many conclusions about the area.
I do not mean to be mean about what I might write. I just make observations backed up by the photography. I know I will get many arguments about this and everyone is free to post their feelings and arguments about this. but I will make a list of things you will say to me first so that I answer your questions before you read on. If you ask any of these questions or make any of these statements then I will not post your comment because you did not read my answers that I have pre-written.
I AM WRITING THIS NOW SO THAT I AM SURE THERE IS A GREATER CHANCE YOU WILL NOT READ IT IF I HAD PLACED IT AT THE END OF THIS ARTICLE.
Q: Why are you complaining about Ovid?
A: I am making true statements about the cities faults. Everything I say about the town has pictures, and written facts to back it up. I also think of it like a restaurant in a way. If you go somewhere to eat, have lousy food, and lousy service, would it ever change if you and every other customer were too nice to complain. The town is chalk full of nice people who are not willing to say “I am not happy” and then say “this is how I will be happy”
Q: If you do not like it, then why don’t you do something about it yourself?
A: I would love to! but my hands are tied. I am rather new to town, I do not have the big family name or ties that would get me an elected position. Plus I do not live in village limits. I do not have time. I have 2 boys, own a business, my husband has his activities on the Fire department which I either attend or stay home with the kids for, and so many other responsibilities that my life revolve around. Yes I might be free for a council meeting or two only if I shell out money for a sitter (which is not in our tight budget) or maybe council meetings could revolve around my husband’s overtime schedule (not possible in ANY REALITY) ..
Right now the only thing I can do about it is make my opinion known. Many people have opinions and it is the job of elected people to hear opinions and suggestions and based on common ground, they are supposed to act in EVERY WAY POSSIBLE to get the job done.
As for my other plan of action, The city has tied my hands. I wanted to be one who leads by example in a big way (which I will get to in a bit) I do not know who to talk to, and when I get to talk to anyone there is a LOT of red tape, money to be spent (which I do not have) and so on. So if you are reading this and have any information to help me out with my plan then I would love to hear from you directly krista.kusnier@gmail.com
Q: Why are you attacking the local businesses when you are a local business yourself? Are you afraid of the backlash?
A: For one, if you feel like your being attacked then you are making it too personal. You cannot stand on a stage in front of people and not expect to get bashed because you are the center of attention. If you are on Main Street in OVID you will be noticed. If you do not want to be noticed then do not be on Main Street, or change what you are doing. As for my business , I am not afraid I will lose business. I do not have business to lose because the city does not supply assistance. and in this economy, unless you are rich already, you have no funds to do what the city wants you to do. (more on that later)
Also, my opinion does not affect what I do. Just because I have an opinion that might produce some friction does not mean that my prices are poor or my photography is bad. If you want to have a small town mind and not go to me because of what I say, then that is your choice, but then you are going to be another part in the problem machine that spins in in the Village of Ovid.
Q:What do you want out of this?
A: PROGRESSION, PRIDE, RESPECT, A FUTURE OVID THAT OUR CHILDREN WOULD BE PROUD TO SAY THAT THEIR PARENTS BUILT.
One thing I have learned from a wise pastor. “if we do not show our children that we respect something, how are they going to come to respect it themselves”
Now, To my Ovid. What have we done to you?
I wax poetic about the first time i came to the town. It is a lovelier vision in my mind’s eye then what it actually was. In 1998 when I started dating my husband I remember the summer we would sit on his mother’s front porch. She kept her house real nice. Void of eyesores. she had a garden she tended to with great toil, not much, but tidy. Her lawn stayed mowed and looked nice. I, myself was used to my house in Eaton rapids. A 2 acre lot with forest behind us and a main road in front, making it loud and uninviting on the front to just sit out there. We had few neighbors, no one walking or driving by. When I came to Ovid and we spent time on the porch it was very foreign to me but I enjoyed it. People out here wave, yes , WAVE! this made me excited. Perplexed at how my boyfriend knew so many people to have them waving as they passed or say a big “good morning”. He said ” I do not know half of those people that just waved”. This made me smile even more. A town where people are that nice??! How wonderful! As the time passed that month, i would visit Ovid from Eaton Rapids 2 times a week after work and college classes. We sat on the same porch or walked through the town holding hands. It was September then. I remember talking to friends of his walking by, stopping in to say hello to people, and oh my! the WAVES from people were endless. From the firefighters, the police officers, and even the average Joe walking or driving by. I felt like this was the town I would love to live in. The time of the year made it even more of a romance. The leaves had just changed on the trees, it was still warm but we had crisp nights. You felt safe in the town walking after dark. But once again I must interrupt this vision through my mind’s eye. I was in love, and young, wearing rose colored glasses I guess. When you see something through those conditions you do not see the other things that are going on. When you are younger you do not take notice to some things because it does not concern you, but when you get involved in things head first then faults are prominent. I guess in reality I would like to have the whole village to walk downtown right now and be able to have the same feeling I had then, but there are some things that are hindering that to happen. Now unless everyone is young, and drunk on romance then they will see what I had seen with the Trees changing colors, the stately appearance of buildings like the 5/3 bank, and small town charm, but now we are all adults, and we have to mold it to be what it can be for everyone, every time, just as beautiful as what I had seen it.
I must take you back further. To when the city was found and built.
Small beginnings, big ideas, fast growth. Such a short story ending in the 80’s and going downhill ever so fast.
I had seen the mural in Boyer park, where I take many senior and couple’s pictures at. Boyer park is where I center my entire outlook on the old, current, and new Ovid.
Look, long and hard at the mural and then imagine walking through that town that is on that picture. Then next time you are downtown, stand on the sidewalks of Main street. Do you feel the same walking down the street now as you would if you had walked down the street then?
I would love to walk through the old town with the many businesses. You do not have to leave the area, every need is met, It looks clean, But this mural of a clean Ovid is painted on a wall in an area where one of those buildings stood many years back and now the park is only a former building (that was taken by fire as many of the other buildings in the town). It used to be a part of grandeur of the town. now it displays a reminder of what it used to be. It is also a display of what it is now. The Mural is patched up, to only fail and crumble again. It will soon fall apart as it has done in the past, and it will always be a hole in between two building of what used to be Ovid.
Our view of the mural is even distracted by the simple little things that should not be. A wire for a speaker or a light that is not of function to anyone and could be eliminated for the sake of beauty.
This space, which could be a beautiful park or building is now turning out to be unkempt and only tidied up by appearance only.
This is a common view in the park. on all the walls.
If you would take a moment and see a great collection of what Ovid was, then you have to visit the gallery at ovidmichigan.com
Mr. Willett did a great job with Ovid History, Historical Pictures and so on. (on a side note. You must read his blogs. These are very good. Some made me chuckle with his day to day observations)
Please keep up the goodness of your site Mr. Willett.
But now back to the city. That HAD uniform, complimentary buildings. Now has a mixture of old, new, mismatched, cobbled, poorly taken care of buildings that seem to display the whole mood of the town on it’s facade.
Walk along the sidewalk and look at the storefronts. I will start with the worst of the worst. If you know the controversy that is related to this vacant building then you will be just as enraged as I am to even see this building remaining in this state for so long. A person like me, or most other businesses could move in here and just clean it up on the inside making it functional and beautiful. If you want to know what is going on currently with this building. All you have to do is look in the window (even from your car on the street) and then get up close to see what is really going on.
Here is the letter on the door. (i took a picture of the top of it and the bottom of it so you could read it more clearly)
Bottom of the letter Picture
And who is to blame? If it is the person who has their name still on the front window then all you have to do is some googling.
Name: Dunchock Arnold D Attorney
Street: 223 North Shiawassee Street
Corunna, mi 48817-1437
Phone: (989) 743-5621
Steven J. Reina
There is another vacant building across the street that could be put to use before it falls apart
I pointed out the buildings and will work my way from left to right.
The left arrow has a vacant lot. I would love to build on this lot. I found an economical building iIwould love to have in there but the city has a “plan” and there are certain building restrictions. If you buy the lot you have a year or so to build on it or it goes back to the city. I do not have money within the next year to build and then i cannot guarantee that my contractor would be able to build. Then when you build you have to have it match flush with the other storefronts. I guess i understand why, but that does not work for what kind of building I want and then it must have the brick facade.. WHY? why does it have to be a brick facade. Its too expensive for people wanting businesses to build in the perpetual vacant lot. Are they going to make the people like arrow 3 change their wood facade to a brick? and if you are going for a uniform look, wouldn’t you have the same kind of brick for every facade so it does not look cobbled or maybe make them paint it all the same color? Looks like there had been too many different rules and ideas. Why cant a business come in with a plan, get a general vote from the board that it looks “not tacky” and then build it?
If I ever was able to buy that lot I would add something unique, beautiful and complimentary to it. I would build it back on the lot and have a garden in the front. This would make the lot more inviting and unique. I would then be able to use the front of that lot for my business on a smaller budget but adding great beauty to the city.
Or if they would like a historical look I would not mind building a stick or steel building that has a facade of an old general store. This could be a nice thing to have come carriage days. We need to get over the fact that this city will never look the same. there is no money to do so, and now we must progress forward.
But I must interrupt myself again.. I will have to go back t the fact that i do not have the money. I own a photography business and do not want to create debt, do not want to pass high cost to customers with a big startup cost of a loan. I fund my business 100% from my personal fund. I am in a position now that I will either have to hope my business grows on its own through word of mouth, or I could spend lots of money on advertising every month to get very little return that does not cover expenses, or I could rent a building on Main Street, have a studio, a place to advertise, a place to start. Renting a place would be cheaper than buying right now. It will at least be a place i could advertise and have a studio. But where can I rent (for an AFFORDABLE PRICE)? There are three vacant buildings two of which are in the pictures above and another is in a prime location across from the fire station for whom I do most of my work on charity. Ovidfire.com
But none of these owners will sell, rent, or even fix up their buildings. What is this city to do.
Now I have heard FROM RUMOR ONLY
that the city has no money for this, they do not apply for enough grants to help fix this up, and that there are more politics than action. How do we resolve this?
Who do we contact?
I would even just like to know how I can even start my business so that I could invest back into the beautifying of the town.
Just take a look at some more photos I have to share with you and please help me, help Ovid.
