Dart Container gives Mason a global presence and economic boost

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The Dart family business that started close to 100 years ago continues to grow in the city of Mason and all over the world. Dart Bank and Dart Container Corporation are related to one another through the same family but from different lines of the family, said Mayor of Mason Russell Whipple. Dart Container Corporation was developed in Mason and has continued to grow as they start to expand internationally. Mason City Administrator Deborah Stuart said, “They’re an international corporation with businesses all around the world … with their headquarters being located here, they’re very active with volunteer work and many employees live here in Mason.”

Whipple said, “Dart Container started out as more of a general machinery kind of company and they worked their way into Styrofoam cups … obviously they hit it really well, they’re probably the biggest Styrofoam cup maker in the world, you can go anywhere in the world and tip a (Styrofoam) cup over and it says Mason, Michigan on it because they’re Dart cups and they make almost all of them here.”

Executive Vice President-Finance and Chief Financial Officer at Dart Container Corporation, Christine Waltz said “There are over 40 locations in six countries, in Mason alone there’s 1,800 people employed.” Having a company as big as Dart Container Corporation is a big stepping stone to growing a city such as Mason.

Recycling in Mason continues to help the environment

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Mason has been doing its part in protecting the environment for quite some time and as the city keeps growing that doesn’t seem to change with companies like Granger and Cleanlites Recycling. Mason resident Kevin McCoy said, “The waste pickup runs through end of April through October, put those up front and that comes on Fridays … They’ve always picked up the waste, right now they just got into recycling.” Granger provides the Greater Lansing area with waste hauling, disposal and recycling services for commercial, residential and industrial customers, according to the Granger website. Breina Pugh, community relations coordinator at Granger said, “In Mason we provide residential waste and recycle pickup as well as other cleanups throughout the community.”

Downtown Mason continues to grow. Parking spaces? Not so much

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Parking in downtown Mason can be a struggle at times, especially in the summer with festivals the city holds. But mayor of Mason Russell Whipple said, “The best problem you can have is not enough parking.” The downtown square has been a top attraction for Mason residents and as the city continues to grow, more people will be making their way downtown. Mason resident Roger Arend said, “It’s busier than it was 50 years ago … more houses, more people, the streets are the same length, parks the same amount of cars with twice as many people so what’re you gonna do.”

In wake of school shootings elsewhere, Mason schools working to keep everyone safe

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What seems like an increase in school violence attacks may not be the case due to the media but that still hasn’t stopped schools in Mason from protecting the students. While Mason has had a few instances where precautionary measures were needed to be taken, the six schools have never had to deal with anything serious like what happened in Florida, said Superintendent of Mason Public Schools Ronald Drzewicki. Parents are always going to show concern for their children, especially at school when there are so many other students. With the schools protected, the staff is talking with the students on what to do in any situation instead of spending more money for protection. Mason Police Officer Jeremiah Budd, the school’s contact officer said, “It would be a long process to redue the security …

Special Olympics brings new opportunity to students in Mason

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Students with disabilities in and around Mason are getting the chance to showcase their skills and interact with other students reaching for the same goal thanks to one of Michigan’s largest Special Olympics program. Over 3,200 athletes have joined Special Olympics Michigan Area 8, competing in 21 different sports through out the Ingham and Eaton county area which includes Mason and is one of the largest groups in Michigan with one-tenth of the 27,000 athletes, according to Anne Goudie, Special Olympics Michigan Area 8 director. Getting a chance to work with others who may possess similar disabilities and develop skills they haven’t yet discovered in themselves is a big part of the reason to why this program has been so successful. Expert in special education, Dr. Steve Imber said, “In many ways I think students with disabilities want to be accepted. Playing sports can help build self esteem …

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Elevated levels of copper found in water at Ingham County government facilities in Mason

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After recent tests, a few Ingham County government facilities have found elevated levels of copper in the water. All of the buildings are located in Mason. The Hilliard Building, Ingham County Courthouse and Ingham County Jail all tested for elevated levels of copper in their water. But in the jail’s case, depending on the test, some were high and some were low, said Mason City Administrator Deborah Stuart. The buildings weren’t forced to test the water, but acted wisely to make sure the quality was up to par.

Remodeling bringing downtown Mason back to life

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There’s a lot of historical buildings in the city of Mason, many which have been around for a long time. The city is encouraging businesses to remodel and look more presentable. As one of the older cities in the state of Michigan, Mason has done a nice job in keeping the city a place where people can go and hang out regularly. The downtown area is a major focal point that brings in a lot of traffic and the city tries to get businesses to take pride in their building. “What we’ve tried to do in the city, and this started 20-ish years ago, is encourage the building owners to take pride in the way their buildings look and to take some ownership on their part in creating the downtown square that we want to have,” said Mason Mayor Russ Whipple.

Mason war statues put history on display

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As you drive through downtown Mason there’s a good chance you’ll notice the war statues that are located right outside city hall and how they only add to the historical city. The statues represent citizens of the Mason community that have served their time in past United States wars. The idea was thought of by the former post commander of the American Legion four to five years ago and took roughly a year to create, said current post commander of  Cavender Post 148 American Legion Leon Clark, who was on the Mason City Council at the time of the idea. Clark said, “I think the Legion did an excellent job with their choice. It offers inside history and is very educational …