11.20.20

Maple Grove Elementary School PTO President Trish Barnes stands in a portion of the school library that contains hundreds of old and worn out books that have been removed from library shelves. The PTO wants to replace the books with new ones. The library is undergoing an upgrade, sparked by the PTO, that will include new furnishings and books. So far the PTO has raised $12,000 toward its $17,000 goal.

Reading matters to this group of parents

Maple Grove PTO raises funds to purchase new books, renovate elementary school library

By BECKY KARK

Editor and general manager

Books matter to Trish Barnes, and so do school libraries.

When Barnes, who is the president of Maple Grove Elementary School’s PTO, looked around at the school library last spring, she didn’t like what she saw.

“It has really old tables and books,” she said. “The book shelves are not user friendly for kids.”

Rather than complain, Barnes and Heather Vanlandingham, also a member of the PTO, decided to act.

They came up with an ambitious plan to raise money to purchase new furnishings and books in an effort to update the library, but more importantly, to make it more inviting and user-friendly for kids.

“We want kids to enjoy reading forever,” Barnes said.

Yet, like most projects this year, the COVID-19 pandemic curtailed the PTO’s efforts, but not their fundraising.

With help from the school’s library committee, the group canvassed organizations, foundations and businesses for donations.

“We wanted to see if we could get the financial resources first to see if this (updating the library) was relevant,” Barnes said.

The PTO and library committee were pleasantly surprised to find that many were willing to contribute to the $17,000 fundraising goal.

“We received grants from the South Haven Community Foundation, South Haven Public Schools Foundation, Albemarle’s foundation,” Barnes said.

Businesses, such as Filbrandt Family Funeral Home, and organizations, such as the South Haven Rotary Club, also contributed funding. Lakeshore Paint also agreed to donate paint for a mural that will be painted on one of the walls in the library.

To date the PTO has received more than $12,000, which allowed it to begin renovations and order new furnishings.

In the meantime, both Barnes, Vanlandingham and other volunteers have been spending hours in the library sorting through hundreds of books to determine which ones need to be replaced.

As of Wednesday, dozens of boxes of old books sat on the floor in one section of the library to be donated to the American Association of University Women for its annual book sale.

The PTO doesn’t anticipate that the library will be completely renovated until the start of the second semester in January.

At a time when school districts throughout the country have cut back on library budgets, the PTO and Maple Grove library committee think it’s important to stress the reading of books, especially for students who struggle with reading.

“We don’t want struggling readers to think choosing a library book is so difficult,” Barnes said. “We want to be very careful to pick out books and book sets to engage struggling readers.”

Maple Grove School, like many other schools, hasn’t had funding to provide for the purchase of new books in a number of years.

“We haven’t gotten new books in 12 years,” said Heather Chalupa, a junior kindergarten teacher at Maple Grove, who also is on the library committee and engaged in fundraising efforts.

Now that the PTO has raised most of the funding for the new furnishings and other renovations, they are turning their attention to raising an additional $4,500 for the purchase of even more new books.

They’ve developed a wish list of new books written for children, while others will be purchased to replace old book series that have become worn out.

Individuals, businesses or groups who are interested in purchasing and donating books to the library can visit the Maple Grove PTO Facebook page.

South Haven council approves more restrictions for golf carts

By BECKY KARK

Editor and general manager

When people dust off their golf carts next spring to ride on South Haven streets, they’ll have to adhere to stricter guidelines.

City Council members on Monday inked a new ordinance that, among other things, will require golf carts to be equipped with seat belts, mirrors, brakes, lights and turn signals. The ordinance also stipulates that golf cart owners insure their vehicles, register them with the South Haven Police Department, obtain city-issued vehicle plates and limit the number of people in carts to the numbers of seats contained in each vehicle.

For the past four years, city officials have allowed golf carts to be driven on city streets. Those who did so followed state guidelines, which include driving on streets with speed limits of 30 miles per hour or less, using hand signals when turning and be at least 16 years old with a valid driver’s license.

But since the ordinance was enacted in 2016, city officials have received complaints and concerns from citizens who observed underage drivers operating the carts, people driving while intoxicated, carts being driven after dark, carts with too many passengers and carts on roadways where speed limits are more than 30 miles per hour.

As a result, the city’s planning commission in November 2019 began to study ways to ensure safer operation of golf carts.

“This (the new ordinance) is the culmination of work by the Planning Commission to better address concerns with golf cart use in the city,” City Manager Kate Hosier said.

Rosalie Plechaty, who serves on the Planning Commission, attended Monday’s City Council meeting to thank members for approving the new safety guidelines.

“Everybody’s worked on this hard,” Plechaty said. “These aren’t easy decisions to make.”



LMC adapts to new state order

Lake Michigan College is increasing safety precautions in response to new state directives to slow the spread of COVID-19.

Non-essential employees are working remotely and additional in-person classes were moved to remote learning Wednesday, Nov. 18.

“We’ve been preparing for this possibility for many months,” said LMC President, Dr. Trevor Kubatzke. “Most of our classes this semester are already remote. Professors who teach on-campus designed their courses knowing this could happen. We’ve ordered extra laptops for students who need them. We’re ready to keep students on track safely and successfully.”

Some classes will remain in-person following strict safety protocols, including those that train critically needed law enforcement, correctional, medical or first responder personnel. All services for current and prospective students including financial aid and advising are available remotely. Registration for the Spring 2021 semester is now open and classes starting in January will be offered in a variety of flexible online, remote and in-person formats.

The campuses including the Mendel Center will be closed to the general public through Dec. 8 or until whenever the order is lifted.

Lake Michigan Vintners will be closed for tastings but will remain open for carryout and curbside delivery.

South Haven officials address beach safety

After 3 drownings this year, some residents want to bring back lifeguards

Three drownings in Lake Michigan this past summer along with more than a dozen water rescues has prompted City Council members to form a committee to examine whether changes need to be made to the current beach and water safety plan.

Members voted unanimously Monday to form the committee following ongoing requests by citizens for the city hire lifeguards, once again, to man North and South beaches, the two largest of the city’s seven beaches.

“South Haven (police and fire department personnel) has excellent response time for getting to the beach,” Dave Benjamin, executive director of public relations and project management for The Great Lakes Surf Rescue Project, told council members Monday. “But if a 911 call is not made in time, a person can easily drown.”

Carol Sandy of Troy, whose son, Jacob, drowned in 2019 while kayaking in Lake Michigan near Indiana Dunes National Park, also urged the city council to bring back lifeguards to South Haven beaches.

“I strongly support having lifeguards on public beaches,” she said. “Red flags and signs are not meant to be a substitute for lifeguards.”

South Haven ended up disbanding the lifeguard program in the 1990s. However, approximately 10 years following several drownings in Lake Michigan, city officials took steps to improve beach and water safety by establishing a flag system to warn beach-goers to stay out of the water when wave conditions are dangerous. Signs were also posted at beaches explaining how deadly rip currents can be for swimmers. In addition, water rescue equipment and training has been provided to first responders from the South Haven Police Department and South Haven Area Emergency Services.

“Compared to other communities I think you have a good program,” said Terry VanDoren, a member of the Michigan Municipal Risk Management Authority’s Parks & Recreation Risk Control Advisory Committee. City officials had asked VanDoren prior to Monday’s meeting to read through the current water and beach safety plan.

Officials then invited VanDoren to Monday night’s meeting to query him about the pros and cons and liability risks of increased measures to address beach and water safety at South Haven’s beaches.

Council members asked him whether bigger and better signage would work, whether gates or chains could be placed across the piers during inclement weather and if instituting a lifeguard program again is feasible.

“Any form of communication would drastically help,” VanDoren said regarding questions of what methods the city should undertake to communicate more effectively to people about swimming in Lake Michigan when weather conditions are dangerous.

But when it comes to trying to gate off the pier or institute a lifeguard program, VanDoren urged caution.

As it turns out, the piers in South Haven area are owned by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.

“If you put a gate on the pier and open and close it, there’s a perception you are in control of access to the pier,” VanDoren said.

The city can try to work out an agreement with the corps to be able to install more signage or a gate, but, according to City Manager Kate Hosier, the process of gaining the corps’ approval takes time.

“It won’t be overnight,” she said.

In regard to lifeguards, it has been stated in the past that lifeguards could prove to be a liability for the city in the event of a drowning.

But VanDoren disagreed as long as they receive the proper training and water-rescue equipment.

“They need be rough-water trained, not trained in a pool,” he said. “If you can properly train and provide the right equipment, any person they save is a good thing. But, if they’re unable to perform the task, that worries me. You also have to spend the money for it (lifeguard program).”

Lifeguards also don’t have enforcement capability that law enforcement officials possess, according to VanDoren, Lifeguards, for example cannot force people from Lake Michigan. Some municipalities have devised a system where lifeguards will call police if there’s a safety issue at the beach, however, VanDoren cautioned the system can be cumbersome, time-consuming and not very effective.

“We wouldn’t want them (lifeguards) forcing people to get out of the water unless they have enforcement to back them up,” he said. “It sounds great in theory, but it’s hard to get them all out of the water. There are a handful of people who won’t leave. Lifeguards are not designed for that kind of enforcement.”

The city’s beach and water safety committee plans to meet over the next several months to study and gather more information. City staff has already begun canvassing other lakeshore towns to see what works best for them.

“There’s a variety of things we can do to enhance safety,” Hosier said.







11.2.20

A participant is shown flinging a fish during the Fish Fling contest at the 2019 Ice Breaker Festival. (File photo by Tom Renner)

COVID-19 restrictions forces cancellation of Ice Breaker Festival

By BECKY KARK

Editor and general manager

For the past year, South Haven Area Chamber of Commerce officials have watched most of their summertime and fall events canceled, one by one, due to COVID-19 restrictions.

It looks like that trend will continue this winter with the organization’s announcement that its popular wintertime festival, Ice Breaker, will be a no-go.

The festival, scheduled for Jan. 29-31, would have been entering its 28th year, but after examining data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and meeting with officials from Van Buren/Cass County Health Department, the city of South Haven and South Haven Area Emergency Services, the chamber made the decision to cancel the three-day event.

“We know this will come as an enormous disappointment, not only to local businesses, but to our area non-profit organizations, vendors and attendees,” said the chamber’s Executive Director Kathy Wagaman. “We have truly appreciated the generous support and participation we have received from local businesses for this event over the past 27 years and assure we are strongly committed to carrying on the tradition in the future as the effects of COVID-19 dissipate.”

Over the years under the chamber’s guidance, Ice Breaker has grown considerably in terms of events and attendance.

It’s debatable which Ice Breaker event draws the largest crowds – the chili cookoff, cardboard sled races, fish fling or ice sculpture – but one thing is for sure, locals and visitors view it as one of the town’s most popular festivals.

In the Best of South Haven 2019 contest, Ice Breaker earned runner-up honors as the most popular festival in South Haven.

The festival offers events found at most winter festivals, such as the chili cookoff, which last year attracted 27 eateries and organizations, and the ice sculpture competition, which features upwards of 60 carvings throughout the downtown. But it’s the more non-traditional events of recent years that have fueled the festival’s popularity.

Those include the cardboard sled race and frozen fish fling. Last year, there were about 80 cardboard sled entries, while 200 people came to Riverfront Park to take turns seeing how far they could throw frozen fish.

Those events, along with the ice skating rink activities and the popular pub crawl and food specials offered at local restaurants, bring an estimated 10,000 people to the downtown at a time when few visitors come to the area.

It’s a disappointment not lost on the chamber.

But, chamber officials also want to do their part to reduce the spread of COVID-19, especially at a time when cases are starting to go up. That is a trend that is expected to continue through the winter months.

“Our primary concern is always the responsibility we feel to protect our community, and those who would visit from the region and neighboring states,” Wagaman said. “We could never have predicted having to make such a decision as this one and we clearly understand this will impact the ability of local businesses to bring in critical revenue during an otherwise challenging month.”

SW Michigan economy fares better than state

By TONY WITTKOWSKI

HP Staff Writer

BENTON HARBOR — Job growth has rebounded faster in Southwest Michigan than what was forecasted over the summer.

During a media roundtable session Thursday, Kinexus Group representatives broke down some of the job sectors and unemployment numbers the region has seen, six months into the COVID-19 pandemic.

Jake Gustafson, Kinexus chief operating officer, said Michigan as a whole has been performing very well, compared to what was anticipated. He said Berrien, Cass and Van Buren counties have also done well in rebounding from an astronomical unemployment rate.

“We went from mid-13 percent unemployment to a high 9 percent unemployment,” Gustafson said in reference to Berrien County. Berrien posted a 9.9 percent unemployment rate in July, compared to a 5 percent rate in July 2019. However, this was a big rebound from when the county posted a 13.8 percent jobless rate in June.

Cass County had a 10 percent unemployment rate in July, a 3 percent drop from June, and Van Buren County posted a 8.8 percent jobless rate, a 3.8 percent reduction from June.

The Southwest Michigan region as a whole – combining all three counties – dipped below double-digits by posting a 9.6 percent unemployment rate.

Gustafson said this turnaround occurred sooner than expected.

“We thought we would be riding out double-digit unemployment through at least the end of 2020,” he said.

“If we were to put our crystal ball cap on, we believe we’ll have at least one more month of incremental growth or positive gains, and maybe sneak down to 8 percent (unemployment).”

Al Pscholka, Kinexus vice president of public relations and government affairs, said another positive to take away heading into the final leg of 2020 is that the local workforce hasn’t declined.

He said it can be harder on a region to climb out of an economic downturn if its workforce leaves. However, Kinexus has yet to see any of these indicators.

After October, Gustafson said there are still a few red flags to consider.

With the weather getting colder, he said Southwest Michigan is expected to see the usual job losses as seasonal jobs fade with the tourism season.

“This region had a great summer and a great end to Q3,” Gustafson said. “But there is still plenty of progress to go.”

Manufacturing and consumers

Strangely enough, Gustafson said there’s probably no better time to be entering the work force – especially if it’s in the manufacturing or hospitality sectors.

“The numbers are unusual there,” he said. “Manufacturing took a 10 percent hit on the labor force after COVID, and they’re still building back. But we think manufacturing is a really resilient field. What we have seen is manufacturers are starting to hire again.”

According to the Michigan Department of Technology, Management and Budget, manufacturing has been the second-hardest hit sector in Southwest Michigan in terms of total job declines – only behind leisure and hospitality.

Gustafson said consumer- spending trends were particularly eye-opening this summer, as the region saw a 20 percent growth in consumer spending across the leisure and hospitality sector.

“That’s great news. When we last spoke, we were concerned that if you looked at overall trends in previous years, we were down by about a third,” Gustafson said. “By the end of summer, that started to even out.”

Bumpy road ahead

Southwest Michigan didn’t experience a normal year of economic growth.

For this reason, Gustafson said when the slow part of the year, coming up, hits for most businesses, the lack of revenue from this past spring and early part of the summer will create a boomerang effect.

This effect will be felt hardest during the first quarter of 2021.

“Our suspicion is there will be a lot of small businesses in the retail and hospitality sector that are going to need (financial) assistance again,” he said. “This recent spike of activity is great and has helped keep them afloat as a viable business. But you can’t undo almost two quarters of no economic activity. For these folks that built up a cushion to take them through lean times, we’re going to see a second period of difficult operating times for small businesses.”





10.20.20

Ruben De Leon Torres traveled from Texas to South Haven earlier this month to recreate the photographic image of where his grandfather once stood on the South Pier during the 1950s to have his photo taken while working as a migrant laborer in Michigan. 

A photo is worth a thousand memories

Grandson travels travels to South Haven to recreate a moment lost in time

By BECKY KARK

Editor and general manager

While visiting his grandmother Rosa in Mexico, several months ago, Ruben De Leon Torres came upon a small sepia-toned photograph.

It showed his grandfather, the late Nicanor Torres Bernal, standing on a pier with a lighthouse in the back ground.

Intrigued, Torres asked his grandmother where the photo had been taken.

He got a one-word response – “Michigan.”

But where in Michigan?

After going through old family photos and talking with several Michigan lighthouse organizations, Torres finally got his answer – South Haven. A town he had never heard of nor had visited.

But, earlier this month, Torres and his family traveled from Texas to South Haven to pay tribute, if just in a small way, the grandfather, who during the 1950s worked as a migrant laborer so he could send money home to his wife and young child who lived more than one thousand miles away in Mexico.

Torres did so by having his photo taken in roughly the same spot on the South Pier as his grandfather had done many decades ago.

“To me, there is a little of him up there where he walked, slept, ate, lived or just worked away from his family to provide,” Torres said, referring to the time his grandfather was in South Haven.

Torres’ grandfather worked in Michigan on a seasonal basis during the 1950s.

“At the time, my grandmother was living almost 1,700 miles away in northern Mexico with my mom being just a child,” Torres said.

Torres’ grandfather returned to Mexico, full-time, to work in the construction business, building homes.

“He built my mother’s house in Monterrey, Mexico with his own hands,” Torres said. “Life was normal for us and all was well.”

But “life” is full of changes.

“One day my parents decided to move to Texas for a better life and our family moved to Humble, Texas,” Torres recalled. “One day, when I was at my first job as an 18 year old, my cousin came to my work to tell me my grandfather had been killed by a car in the small village where he is from while walking his horse. The untimely death of his grandfather occurred in 1994.

“At the time I was so young and immature to understand the situation. He passed and we moved on with our lives.”

But over the years, especially as his grandmother becomes older, Torres has thought often of his grandparents.

“He loved the L.A. Dodgers – strange, Cowboy stories, smoked cigarettes with no filters and loved bull fights. I loved my grandfather and it breaks me not being there when he died.”

Torres’ grandmother Rosa, however, is still alive and he wants to make the most of it.

“My grandma is still alive in her 80s and lives with family in Mexico,” he said. “I talk to her often and I know she is getting older. She has been like a mother to me and I love her dearly. I wanted to recreate the same picture that my grandfather took as a gift to her before it is too late.”



10.5.20

South Haven City Council names Hosier as city manager

By BECKY KARK

Editor and general manager

After serving as interim city manager, here, for the past four months, Kate Hosier will now be moving into the manager's position on a more permanent basis.

City Council members, last Monday, voted unanimously to hire Hosier to replace Brian Dissette, who left in July to become Berrien County administrator. Over the next week or so, Hosier will meet with South Haven Mayor Scott Smith and Human Resources Director Kim Wise to negotiate a contract.

“I've worked with Kate in different roles,” Smith said, shortly before the council voted to hire Hosier. “She's always an outstanding communicator, willing to go out and pound the pavement. She stepped into a role (interim manager) at a remarkably tough time. She did not run,” Smith went on to say regarding the COVID-19 pandemic and record-high water levels on Lake Michigan and the Black River. There's a lot going on right now. I think she passed our test.”

Originally, council members had intended, Monday, to interview Hosier and the other finalist, Timothy Wolff, manager of the Village of Lake Isabella, near Mt. Pleasant.

However, Monday morning, Wolff withdraw as a finalist, according to the city Human Resources Director Kim Wise, who oversaw the city manager search process.

“We've had a change,” Wise informed the city council Monday evening. “This weekend I heard from candidate Tim Wolff. He was unable to interview in person due to personal issues he was dealing with. I suggested an online interview, but this morning he said he was not able to and asked to withdraw from consideration due to personal issues.”

Council members interviewed Hosier for more than an hour before deciding whether to proceed with making a decision on whether to offer her the job.

After excusing Hosier from the council chamber, members discussed the dilemma of only having one finalist to interview. However, they thought Hosier was the right person for the job.

“I know Kim (Wise) did a good job getting the word out,” council member Jeff Arnold said regarding the search process. “Twenty-one applied. This group and others helped us weed the list down to seven who were vetted and then there were two finalists. Even though the one withdrew, we had two quality people.”

“In a perfect world, I'd like to interview different people,” council member Joe Reeser said. “I sat and listened to Kate. I think she's extremely smart, especially in complicated issues...I think we'd have a hard time finding anyone who is better.”

“There's a reason why Kate rose to the top,” council member George Sleeper said, regarding the search process. “I can see from this interview why that happened.”

Hosier has served as interim manager since June, in addition to serving as assistant city manager and harbor master, duties she's been tasked with since February of 2016. Prior to that she served as deputy city clerk for a year and the city's marina office manager for two years. A licensed attorney, Hosier holds a law degree from Thomas M. Cooley Law School and ran her own law firm in Lansing from 2009-2012 where she served a criminal defense attorney representing indigent clients, before returning to South Haven, where she grew up and graduated from high school. She also holds a bachelor of arts degree in history from Western Michigan University.

“I think public service is a calling,” Hosier told council members when asked, among other things, why she chose public administration as a career after serving as an attorney in Lansing. “Working with clients helped prepare me for this job. I come from a long line of family involved in public service. My father was fire marshal here for many years...I'm very honored to come back and live in my hometown. Serving the city is a very worthwhile venture. Everyday is different.”

South Haven police officers recognized for keeping the community safe

During a year when police departments throughout the country have been receiving backlash for their handling of arrests involving blacks that has resulted in a surge in the Black Lives Matter movement, the South Haven Police Department took time this week to honor several officers for going above and beyond to uphold the safety of individuals and the community.

South Haven Police Chief Natalie Thompson presented awards, Monday, at the South Haven City Council meeting to five employees who, over the past year, saved lives and helped solve crimes related to a drive-by shooting, drug trafficking and a criminal sexual assault of two young girls.

The following employees of the police department received awards:

Sgt. Patrick Carlotto – Life-saving Ribbon and Uniform Bar. Carlotto saved the life of a driver of a vehicle involved in an accident on Aug. 27 at the intersection of 73rd Street and Phoenix Road. “Upon his arrival he found a vehicle off the roadway surrounded by a group of people,” Police Chief Natalie Thompson said. Carlotto observed the driver was unresponsive and that all the doors of the vehicle, locked. He broke the window with his baton and after finding no pulse, pulled the driver from the car and began administering life-saving measures. After doing so he obtained a pulse. “He saved the life of an individual who received a second chance,” Thompson said.

Sgt. Adam DeBoer – Distinguished Service Medal with Neck Ribbon and Uniform Bar. On June 27, DeBoer responded to a 911 call of a drive-by shooting at a residence on M-140 Highway in South Haven Township. No one was hit in the incident but the family was very frightened. “Inside were family members including children,” Thompson said. “It was found several rounds were fired at the residence.” DeBoer observed a vehicle leaving the scene and pursued the vehicle. After stopping the driver he found two firearms that were determined to be used in the shooting. “Sgt. DeBoer’s quick actions led to the apprehension of a dangerous individual,” Thompson said.

Officer Kevin Wildey – Distinguished Service Medal with Neck Ribbon and Uniform Bar. Wildey received the awards for his involvement in helping to process the crime scene in the June 27th drive-by shooting.

Det. Ryan Myers – Distinguished Service Medal with Neck Ribbon and Uniform Bar. In July 2019, Meyers received a complaint regarding a criminal sexual conduct complaint involving two girls, ages 7 and 9. Through the course of the investigation, it was determined the suspect, the girls’ biological grandfather, had left Michigan to escape being arrested. He was later found in Virginia and extradited to Michigan where he was sentenced to “a lengthy prison sentence,” according to Thompson. “His (Myers) work prevent a predator from preying on other victims.”

Det. Lucas Keene – recognition for professional excellence. Keene, who is a member of the Van Buren County Narcotics Team, spent four months investigating a local drug dealer who had been selling heroin and fentanyl in the South Haven area. The suspect has since been arrested.



9.28.20

SH city manager search narrowed to two finalists

By BECKY KARK

Editor and general manager

If all goes well, South Haven city council members will be hiring a new city manager next month.

An interview panel conducted public interviews with seven candidates earlier this month and narrowed the list to two finalists — South Haven's Interim City Manager Kate Hosier and Timothy Wolff, village manager for Village of Lake Isabella, a municipality located near Mt. Pleasant.

The council will interview the two finalists beginning at 5:30 p.m., Monday, Sept. 28, during a special meeting, that will be online. The meeting can be accessed on the city's website.

“We had a great set of candidates, they all interviewed very well,” said South Haven Mayor Scott Smith, who was a member of the interview panel, along with Eddie Polk, senior technical instructor at Entergy; Stephanie Timmer, vice president of the Western Market for Sturgis Bank & Trust Co.; Ross Stein, South Haven Township supervisor; Claudia Maddox, former South Haven Board of Education member; and Bob Strait, retired administrator and director for the W.E. Upjohn Institute in Kalamazoo.

City council members plan within two weeks to interview the two finalists and then make a decision on which one to hire to replace Brian Dissette, who left the city at the end of June to become Berrien County's new administrator.

“We are hoping by the Oct. 19^th meeting to have council approve an agreement with a new city manager,” Kim Wise, South Haven's human resource director, told council members Monday.

Hosier has served as interim manager since June, in addition to serving as assistant city manager and harbor master, duties she's been undertaking since February of 2016. Prior to that she served as deputy city clerk for a year and the city's marina office manager for two years. A licensed attorney, Hosier holds a law degree from Thomas M. Cooley Law School and ran her own law firm in Lansing from 2009-2012 before returning to South Haven, where she grew up. She also holds a bachelor of arts degree in history from Western Michigan University.

Wolff has served as village manager of Lake Isabella since 2004. His other duties include that of deputy clerk, zoning administrator, streets administrator and chief code enforcement officer. Before that he was a village council member for the Village of Breckenridge for four years, while working as general manager for The Ridge Golf Course in Breckenridge and as sales manager for Rent-a-Center in Saginaw.

He obtained a bachelor of arts degree in political science and a master of science degree in administration from Central Michigan University.

Although city residents will not be able to see the finalists interviewed in-person, due to social distancing restrictions, Wise said people can contact her with questions, which can be reviewed and then asked of finalists during their interviews.

“In the past we've had members of the community come in and do a meet-and-greet with finalists. With COVID that's not really a reality,” she explained.

Former SH finance director sentenced for embezzlement

PAW PAW — A former finance director for the city of South Haven has been sentenced to a minimum of nine months in jail after pleading guilty in 36th Circuit Court to embezzlement of $100,00 or more from the city.

Circuit Judge Kathleen Brickley on Monday. Sept. 21, sentenced Wendy Hochstedler, 60, and Daniel Beck, 30, a member of her household at the time.

As part of her sentencing, Hochstedler was also ordered to serve three years probation concurrently with her jail sentence, while Beck was sentenced to a minimum of 30 days in jail and three years probation concurrently with his jail sentence. Both are ordered to pay a total of $155,754 in restitution to the city of South Haven, according to a circuit court clerk. The sentencing follows guilty pleas reached with Hochstedler and Beck in July.

The sentencing ends a year-long investigation conducted by Michigan State Police. After investigating the allegations, police forwarded the findings to the Van Buren County Prosecutor’s Office, which authorized arrest warrants in February.

Police first received word of the alleged embezzlement in November 2018 when South Haven city officials fired Hochstedler after city staff noticed a suspicious purchase on Hochstedler’s assigned credit card. City officials then paid to have a forensic audit completed. The audit showed other credit card accounts had also been improperly maintained and used by Hochstedler and Beck.

The forensic audit, which was handed over to state police, showed five credit cards assigned to former city of South Haven employees were kept active and used by Hochstedler and Beck to make more than $130,000 in fraudulent purchased, according to Special Lt. DuWayne Robinson, spokesperson for the state police’s Fifth District.

“The purchases began in July of 2015 and continued until she was suspended in November of 2018. The two purchased many items over the four years,” Robinson said in the previous release.

The 10-count lawsuit alleged that between August 2015 and November 2018, Hochstedler and Beck racked up $138,216 in personal purchases using the credit cards.



South Haven Police Officers honored

By BECKY KARK

Editor and general manager

During a year when police departments throughout the country have been receiving backlash for their handling of arrests involving blacks that has resulted in a surge in the Black Lives Matter movement, the South Haven Police Department took time this week to honor several officers for going above and beyond to uphold the safety of individuals and the community.

South Haven Police Chief Natalie Thompson presented awards, Monday, at the South Haven City Council meeting to five employees who, over the past year, saved lives and helped solve crimes related to a drive-by shooting, drug trafficking and a criminal sexual assault of two young girls.

The following employees of the police department received awards:

• Sgt. Patrick Carlotto - Life-saving Ribbon and Uniform Bar. Carlotto saved the life of a driver of a vehicle involved in an accident on Aug. 27 at the intersection of 73rd Street and Phoenix Road. “Upon his arrival he found a vehicle off the roadway surrounded by a group of people,” Police Chief Natalie Thompson said. Carlotto observed the driver was unresponsive and that all the doors of the vehicle, locked. He broke the window with his baton and after finding no pulse, pulled the driver from the car and began administering life-saving measures. After doing so he obtained a pulse. “He saved the life of an individual who received a second chance,” Thompson said.
• Sgt. Adam DeBoer - Distinguished Service Medal with Neck Ribbon and Uniform Bar. On June 27, DeBoer responded to a 911 call of a drive-by shooting at a residence on M-140 Highway in South Haven Township. No one was hit in the incident but the family was very frightened. “Inside were family members including children,” Thompson said. “It was found several rounds were fired at the residence.” DeBoer observed a vehicle leaving the scene and pursued the vehicle. After stopping the driver he found two firearms that were determined to be used in the shooting. “Sgt. DeBoer's quick actions led to the apprehension of a dangerous individual,” Thompson said.
• Officer Kevin Wildey - Distinguished Service Medal with Neck Ribbon and Uniform Bar. Wildey received the awards for his involvement in helping to process the crime scene in the June 27th drive-by shooting.
• Det. Ryan Myers - Distinguished Service Medal with Neck Ribbon and Uniform Bar. In July 2019, Meyers received a complaint regarding a criminal sexual conduct complaint involving two girls, ages 7 and 9. Through the course of the investigation, it was determined the suspect, the girls' biological grandfather, had left Michigan to escape being arrested. He was later found in Virginia and extradited to Michigan where he was sentenced to “a lengthy prison sentence,” according to Thompson. “His (Myers) work prevent a predator from preying on other victims.”
• Det. Lucas Keene - recognition for professional excellence. Keene, who is a member of the Van Buren County Narcotics Team, spent four months investigating a local drug dealer who had been selling heroin and fentanyl in the South Haven area. The suspect has since been arrested.



8.31.20

Former SH finance director pleads guilty to embezzlement

By BECKY KARK

Editor and general manager

PAW PAW — A former finance director for the City of South Haven has pleaded guilty in 36th Circuit Court to embezzlement of $100,000 or more.

Wendy Hochstedler, 60, and Daniel Beck, 30, a member of her household at the time, are expected to be sentenced Sept. 21, according to a news release issued today by Michigan State Police's Paw Paw post.

The plea deal follows a year-long investigation conducted by the state police. After investigating the allegations, police forwarded their findings to the Van Buren County Prosecutor's office which authorized arrest warrants in February. The plea deals were reached at the end of July.

When sentenced, Hochstedler could be facing up to a $50,000 fine, or three times the amount embezzled (whichever is greater) and up to 20 years in prison, or both; while Beck, who pleaded guilty to one count of illegal possession of a financial transaction device, could be facing up to four years in prison and or a fine up to $10,000 or three times the amount of funds withdrawn or transferred, whichever is greater.

Police first received word of the alleged embezzlement in November 2018 when South Haven city officials fired Hochstedler after city staff noticed a suspicious purchase on Hochstedler's assigned city credit card, City officials then paid to have a forensic audit completed. The audit, conducted by Vredeveld Haefner LLC of Grand Rapids, showed other accounts had also been improperly maintained and used by Hochstedler and Beck.

The forensic audit, which was handed over to Michigan State Police, showed five credit cards assigned to former city of South Haven employees were kept active and fraudulently utilized by Hochstedler and Beck to make more than $130,000 in fraudulent purchases, according to Special Lt. DuWayne Robinson, spokesperson for the state police's Fifth District.

“The purchases began in July of 2015 and continued until she was suspended in November of 2018. The two purchased many items over the four years,” Robinson said in a news release.

After investigating the allegations brought forward by the city and its auditing firm,  police forwarded their findings to the Van Buren County Prosecutor's office which authorized arrest warrants in February. Hochstedler and Beck then reached a plea agreement in circuit court in late July, according to the Michigan State Police news release.

In addition to the criminal charges Hochstedler and Beck face, the City of South Haven filed a civil lawsuit against the two individuals in February 2019.

The 10-count lawsuit alleges that between August 2015 and November 2018, Hochstedler and Beck racked up $138,216 in personal purchases using city credit cards that had been issued to former employees but which remained open for use. Some of the common purchases made were for gasoline, restaurants, Paypal, and supplies from Menards, in addition to a washer and dryer and an engagement ring that Beck was going to give to his former girlfriend, who was related to Hochstedler. Other purchases included furniture from Art Van, a Surface Pro 4 computer and repair of a four-wheeler.

According to the lawsuit, Beck made most of the purchases, as indicated in receipts that were reviewed by the city's auditing firm.

The lawsuit was settled in July with prejudice, according to Hosier, which means the court has made a final determination in the case and that t he city cannot re-file the suit based on the same grounds.

8.24.20

A salute to 'citizen heroes'

South Haven Area Emergency Services firefighters salute while the Hooligan Flight Team conducts a flyover by the American Legion in South Haven as part of the Salute to Citizen Heroes, Saturday, Aug. 15. Normally, the flight formation team comes to South Haven in August for the annual Salute to Veterans event, however, this year's event theme was change to salute first responders, health care workers and other frontline workers as well as all citizens who have respected others by following safety protocols to prevent the spread of COVID-19. As part of this years event, the South Haven Area Emergency Services aerial truck displayed a large American flag at the Legion post to greet the flight team. Honor guards from the American Legion and SHAES were present for a 21-gun salute and the playing of taps honored of fallen veterans during this COVID pandemic. (Photo by Tom Renner)

Rotary raises $11,000 during fundraiser

While the COVID-19 pandemic has kept organizations from their normal activities in recent months, it hasn’t deterred South Haven Rotarians from remaining active in the community, as evidenced by a successful virtual fundraiser on Aug 9.

For nearly 50 years, the Rotarians had sponsored a pancake breakfast at South Haven Area Regional Airport in conjunction with the National Blueberry Festival. That wasn’t possible this year because of COVID-19 and the absence of a traditional festival schedule.

So the Rotarians decided to go it alone, safely, according to a news release.

The Rotarians sponsored a virtual pancake breakfast fundraiser.

The event from the downtown pavilion was livestreamed on Facebook with a goal of raising $9,000 in 90 minutes.

Hundreds of donations, mostly online, totaled $11,000, according to the release Those who came to the pavilion to watch the production and make a donation received safely packaged Jiffy pancake mix and freshly picked blueberries from DeGrandchamp Farms in South Haven.

Co-chairs Rosalie Plechaty and Dan Thompson hosted the production that featured many of the organizations benefiting from Rotary contributions.

Over the last year, South Haven Rotarians have contributed $51,000 to local, regional and international nonprofits

South Haven teachers' contract approved

By BECKY KARK

Editor and general manager

After several months of negotiations, South Haven Public Schools administrators and the teachers union have hammered out a new contract.

Board of Education members approved the pact Tuesday at a special meeting after members of the South Haven Education Association ratified it Monday. The contract replaces the previous three-year pact, which expired June 30.

“Our negotiating team was pleased with the outcome of negotiations, and while it was a unique experience to negotiate virtually, we found the process to be a fair and positive experience,” said Andrea Jegier, president of the South Haven teachers union.

Board of Education President Laura Bos was also pleased with the outcome of the pact negotiations.

“The contract was approved unanimously by the board, as well as unanimously by the teachers. I’m glad we were able to reach an agreement everyone is pleased with.

The three-year contract calls for an increase in salaries for the first year, according to Bos. Level 1 teachers (those with the least seniority) will receive a 2 percent increase in salary; level 2 teachers, a 1.5 percent increase; and Level 3, a 1.25 percent increase.

“This is a one-year agreement on salary, but a three-year agreement on all other areas of the contract,” Bos said.

District Superintendent Kevin Schooley explained the reasoning behind the two-tiered pact.

“We have a wage agreement for 2020-2021 with a wage reopener in the spring and a 3-year agreement on language. This is not uncommon in difficult financial times,” he said.

The union was particularly pleased with the 1.25 percent increase for Level 3 instructors, according to Jegier.

“We were able to agree upon a .25 percent increase to the percentage applied to Level 3, making the multiplier 1.25 percent. This increase helps to encourage longevity within our district,” she said.

The contract calls for other incentives for teachers.

“We added language that states that teachers will be reimbursed up to $325 for any personal items broken should they experience a physical assault while at work,” Jegier said. “We also added a stipulation that teachers who develop and present professional development will be compensated for their time spent planning and presenting the professional development material.”

Other changes include modifications to the compensation for other positions.

“Our two negotiating teams (SHEA and administration) worked together at the 'virtual table' to build equity in pay among the coaching and arts positions,” Jegier said.



8.17.20

Virtual learning for now

SH Schools unveils plan for gradual transition to in-person instruction

By BECKY KARK

Editor and general manager

While some public school districts throughout Southwest Michigan plan to begin the school year with students and teachers returning to the classroom, South Haven Public Schools has made the decision to initially begin the 2020-21 year with online instruction.

District leaders announced the back-to-school plan Tuesday after conducting a survey last week of parents who were asked if they wanted their child to participate in in-person instruction and if their child would be using bus transportation.

After analyzing the responses and considering the Van Buren/Cass District Health Department's guidelines for safely having stuff and students return to the classroom, school officials decided it would be best to start the school year in a virtual setting and then gradually progress to in-person instruction.

“The safest way for students to engage in learning at this time is to begin the school year with a gradual transition to in-person instruction,” District Superintendent Kevin Schooley stated in a letter to parents. “This means we will start the school year in a 100-percent virtual setting with the intention to wisely and purposefully re-engage in-person instruction.”

School will resume for students Aug. 31 with virtual instructions lasting until at least Oct. 2.

“The District will make a decision by Sept. 21 about increasing our in-person instruction for students,” Schooley explained. “If feasible, increased in-person education would begin Oct. 5.”

If it isn't feasible, the online instruction will continue with a second assessment on Oct. 19 of whether to increase in-person instruction by Nov. 2. As the first semester progresses, further assessments for in-person instruction may occur, as well, depending on whether the number of COVID-19 cases and deaths increases or decreases. Parents who don't feel comfortable letting their child return to school will have the option of continuing online instruction throughout the year.

“While this isn’t the 'normal' we all had hoped for, it is the first step in transitioning back to our traditional school model,” Schooley said. “It will take patience and perseverance from our students, families and staff as we all adjust and learn how to navigate this unique year.”

When the school district announced its plans to initially start the school year online, most of the people who commented on the district's Facebook page approved of the decision, with such comments as

Fifty-five of 63 respondents “liked” the district's plan.

The South Haven Tribune also queried parents online to see how many favored sending their children back to school or keeping them home for online instruction. Of those who responded, the majority said they favored online learning, at least for now.

School systems throughout Michigan have until Friday to announce state-approved plans for re-opening their doors to students. Plans have to be based on the State of Michigan's mandated “roadmap” for curbing the spread of COVID-19.

The “roadmap” for reopening the state for normal in-person classroom instruction is based on five phases, depending on the severity of coronavirus cases and deaths.

Most of Michigan is now in phase 4 which allows for in-person education, but only under strict guidelines. Some of those guidelines include students and staff wearing face masks throughout the day, limitations of students in each classroom, continual cleaning of rooms, and lunch eaten only in classrooms. Phase 5 has fewer guidelines for in-person instruction, but just when that will occur remains an unknown, according to Schooley.

“The fact that Van Buren County is currently in phase 4 with no indication of being graduated to phase 5 by legislators in the foreseeable future, the discussion became how many students planned to attend in-person schooling and whether or not we could safely house those students in the building while adhering to all guidelines to keep students and staff safe,” Schooley said.

8.10.20

The photo above depicts what the Project Pathway mural on the exterior wall of Michigan Theater will look like when it is finished. The goal is to finish by mural by the end of November so that when students from the South Haven High School Class of 2020 return home from college, they can see it.

A tribute to the

Class of 2020

Mural/sculpture to honor South Haven's graduating class

By BECKY KARK

Editor and general manager

South Haven's Class of 2020 may consider their final year of high school as a lost one due to efforts to stop the spread of the coronavirus pandemic, but a group of other students is ensuring this year's senior class will not be forgotten.

The high school's Project Pathway organization is raising $20,000 to commission a combination mural/sculpture outdoor piece of art that pays tribute to not only South Haven High Schoo students in general, but mainly the Class of 2020.

The mural, to be painted by South Haven artist Kayla Wyszyinski and the sculpture pieces by South Haven artist Kathy Kreager, will be affixed to the exterior side of the Michigan Theater, facing Quaker Street.

When completed later this year it will depict the sun setting over South Haven's historic lighthouse and the city's harbor. Wyszyinski also plans to paint a large tree on the right-hand side of the mural. The sculpture portion of the commissioned piece will consist of 125 metals birds flying around the sunset, the large tree and lighthouse.

“It (the tree) will illustrate the tree of life that represents the family, schools and community from which we grew from into adults who will take flight and continue that spirit on our own paths,” said Taleah Lowe, an incoming senior and marketing chair of Project Pathway. “The 125 birds signify the 125 students in the class of 2020 taking off into their own paths as they grow up and leave the nest. The tree illustrates the roots that the class of 2020 has in this community and reminds them of where they come from. Finally, the light house is an homage to what South Haven is known for and the sunset will be in the colors purple and gold which represents the school colors.

“The 125 birds will not only be on the mural, but some will be around town to allow for an interactive aspect for the community,” Lowe continued to say.

Project Pathway students have raised half the money needed for the creation of the mural/sculpture.

'We need $10,000 more in order to make it a grand total of $20,000, Lowe said. “We are trying to accomplish this goal in the next 6 weeks.”

To help reach their goal, the group has established a fundraising drive and is now seeking donors. Businesses or groups that donate $150 will receive a bird sculpted by Kreager that they can display. Those who donate $300 will receive two birds, while ones who contribute $500 will receive a cluster of three birds.

“We also have a similar reward system with parents of the class of 2020,” Lowe said. “If they donate $100  they will receive a certificate with a picture of one of the birds on the mural that will have their child's name on it. If they donate $300 or more, Ms. Kreager will sculpt a bird for the graduate to keep as their own.”

This isn't the first time Project Pathway has conducted a philanthropic fundraising campaign.

The group's primary mission is to connect students to businesses throughout the community through a series of career expos while also helping students to polish up on resume writing and job interview skills.

But the group is also dedicated to giving back to the South Haven community.

“Each year Project Pathway has a philanthropy project that we decide on,” Lowe explained. “This project can be anything we members choose that assists the students coming up behind us in their understanding of how important philanthropy is when being a good business professional.”

For its most recent philanthropic project, students worked in collaboration with Lawn Boys Inc. to create a decorative outdoor landscaped area in front of the high school for placement of a large bronze ram statue, to signify the school's mascot. Project Pathway raised money to purchase the statue, while Lawn Boys provided landscaping services.

For more information about the mural/sculpture or to donate, contact Project Pathway Advisor Marla Bruemmer by email at marla@designevolutions.org, or by calling 269-639-1617.

Candidates file for November school board elections

By BECKY KARK

Editor and general manager

Expect some new faces on area school boards for the upcoming year.

Candidate filings compiled by the Van Buren County Clerk's office show that several current school board members in the South Haven, Bangor and Covert public schools districts have chosen not to seek-re-election in November, paving the way for new ones to take their place as well as the possibility for a few write-in elections.

South Haven

South Haven Public Schools has three four-year positions available, however, only one of the three incumbents has filed for re-election — Vice-president Doug Ransom. The other two board members, long-time Treasurer Joe DeGrandchamp and Trustee John Frost, chose not to re-file for their seats. Also on the ballot is newcomer, S. Grassflower, which could lead toward a write-in candidate for the third position that will be open.

Covert

Covert Public School's slate of board of education candidates also contains several newcomers.

There will be a handful of four-year and two-year positions available.

For several months, the board has had two openings after trustees Elizabeth DeRosa and Cheryl Edrington resigned at the end of March.

As a result, that has created more open seats for the November election because neither Secretary Shirley Kener nor Trustee Flozene King chose to file for re-election.

“As it stands right now, there are four 4-year terms on the ballot for this November 2020 election,” said Anthonette Cox, administrative assistant to Covert Public Schools Superintendent Yolanda Brunt..

Candidates who are seeking office are former school board member Cheryl McCray, incumbent Ella Rae Harrington and newcomer Geoffrey Rose.

That will leave one 4-year term open.

“The fourth candidate will have to be a write-in candidate at this juncture,” Cox said.

Only one candidate, Kayla Perry, filed for the partial two-year term position.

Bangor

Like Covert, Bangor will not have a full slate of candidates seeking to fill board positions.

The terms of four board members will expire at the end of this year. However, only three candidates have filed to run for election in November.

The board members whose terms are expiring are Vice-President Betsy Finch, Secretary Sarah Gray, Treasurer Jen Zordan and Trustee Joyce Adams, according to Melissa Quinn, administrative assistant to Superintendent Lynn Johnson.

However, only Zordan and Adams have filed to run for re-election. They will be joined on the ballot by Joyce Adams, leaving one four-year term available to write-in candidates.



8.3.20

Mask's on for a South Haven Tradition

Scaled-down National Blueberry Festival set to begin Friday

By BECKY KARK

Editor and general manager

Memorial Day parade — canceled.

Riverfront Concert Series — canceled

Festival of Cars — canceled.

Fourth of July parade — canceled.

Light up the Lake fireworks display — canceled

Summer Art Fair — canceled

Summer Performance Series — canceled

South Haven Theater Series — canceled

Van Buren Youth Fair — canceled

Michigan Flywheelers Antique Engine and Tractor Show — canceled

It seems every summer event that draw people to South Haven has been nixed this year due to fears of spreading the coronavirus.

So it shouldn't come as a surprise that a festival that draws upwards of 40,000 people to town would fall prey to the cancellation buzzer.

Not the National Blueberry Festival. South Haven's largest summertime event is still a go — just smaller.

“It's 92 percent less, but 100 percent delicious,” Festival Director Megan Cairns quipped.

So don't expect to cheer kids on during the blueberry pie eating contest, or listen to live outdoor concerts, or enjoy perusing the many booths of the craft fair or eating at the festival's many fundraising dinners and breakfasts.

Instead, you'll have to take part in some of the festival events virtually, while social distancing at “live” events.

“We worked long and hard to find a way to still have a festival this year,” said John Deschaine, chair of the Blueberry Festival board of directors. “And while this year's festival will be greatly reduced it did allow us to focus on what is important — blueberries and our community.”

To underscore the town's blueberry heritage, the festival will open Friday, Aug. 7 with Farm Day, where families can visit local growers for various blueberry products and U-Pick opportunities. A list of participating farms can be found on the festival's website. People who tour three farms will be able to get a free slice of blueberry pie, Saturday, Aug. 8, from the festival booth at the Huron Street pavilion, downtown, while supplies last.

The focus will continue on blueberry farmers on Saturday, Aug. 8 when they set up their booths at Blueberry Central Market at the Huron Street pavilion. From 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., people can purchase a variety of blueberry-related products.

Another outdoor “live” event will be the Kid's Scavenger's Hunt. From 10 a.m.-2 p.m., Saturday, Aug. 8, families can obtain a Scavenger Hunt page at the Blueberry Festival booth at the Huron Street pavilion to answer clues that can be found within a four-block radius of South Haven. The kids who solve the most clues will receive a prize.

“This is something fun that families can do at their own pace and be socially distanced,” Cairns said.

The remainder of the festival events, most of which will be virtual, follow:

• Youth Pageant: Due to restrictions to prevent the spread of coronavirus, this year's pageant will not take place on stage. Instead, contestants will be interviewed separately on Aug. 8, and then winners announced afterwards. “It's difficult this year, but we want to make it fun,” Cairns said.

• Blueberry 5K run/walk: This event normally attracts about 1,000 runners who run together through downtown streets and along the lakeshore. This year's race will be done in a manner that encourages great social distancing, however. Runners and walkers interested in participating can register online, choose from a variety of routes and then complete the race on their own. There is a fee for the event, which is a fundraiser for the festival. Participants will receive a free T-shirt.

• Kids 1K Fun Run: Similar to the 5K run/walk, kids can enter online and then complete a 0.6-mile route that begins at Kids Corner playground. Each child who completes the fun run will receive a bag of prizes.

• Postcard Perfect Photo Contest: Participants have from Aug. 1-31 to capture their favorite photos focused either on blueberries or the festival. Photos can be loaded through Instagram, by tagging 2nbf_south_haven. The winner, who will be chosen Sept. 14^th, will receive 50 postcards of their photographic image to give to family and friends, as well as merchandise gift certificates for the 2021 Blueberry Festival.

• Fun blueberry-related videos for kids and adults: People can view several videos on the festival's Facebook site geared to both children and adults. One of the videos shows adults how to make various beverages that include blueberries. The children's video shows local Blossomtime queens, including Miss South Haven and Miss Bangor, reading children's books that feature blueberries.

3 Covert Twp. board positions contested

By BECKY KARK

Editor and general manager

COVERT TOWNSHIP — Three out of four of the township board's positions will be contested in the upcoming Aug. 4 primary.

Incumbent Supervisor Dennis Palgen is being challenged by incumbent Clerk Daywi Cook on the Democratic ticket with the winner facing Republican Tom DeRosa in the November general election.

In the other two contested races, incumbent treasurer Wednesday Pritchard will be challenged by Barbara Rose on the Democratic ticket, while in the trustee race, Democrat incumbent trustees Kenneth Harrington Sr. and Lonzey Taylor will square off against Democrat challenger Dawn Alspaugh.

The only position that remains uncontested in the Aug. 4 primary election is the clerk's position. Current deputy clerk Naomi Barnes, a Republican, is seeking that seat. All of the township board seats are for four-year terms.

This year's township board election could prove to be a pivotal one for Covert, which is inching closer and closer to the closure of the Palisades Nuclear Power Plant – the municipality's largest taxpayer — in May of 2022.

All of the candidates pointed out that the plant's closure is by far the biggest issue facing the township over the next several years.

Candidate information for the contested primary races follows (names for each position are in alphabetical order):

Supervisor's race

Cook, 35, has served as clerk since 2016. Prior to that she was deputy treasurer of the township for three years.

“Although my current role as clerk has been rewarding, I believe my time and resources would better serve the community of Covert in the role of supervisor,” she said. “We've accomplished so much since 2016, and yet there is so much more we can do. Our beautiful, vibrant community is being underserved and too many opportunities are being lost.”

The next four years will be tough for Covert, according to Cook.

“The closure of our biggest taxpayer in the spring of 2022 means we need to make some tough decisions now and still find a way to continue improving the services we provide to our residents. We can also take steps to qualify for state programs available to townships who are seeking funds for development, such as the “Redevelopment Ready Communities” Program offered by the MEDC, to help grow our tax base at a pace that makes sense for Covert. Seeking alternative funding for programs will need to be common practice to keep economic stability in our township.”

Outside of her job, Cook is a member of Market Van Buren economic development group, Safe Kids Coalition of Greater South Haven and Diversity Coalition 2.0.

Palgen, 78, has served as township supervisor since 2016. Prior to that he was clerk for 16 years.

“I am running for re-election to continue my 20 years of experience serving the residents of Covert Township with experience, individualized attention and resources in hopes of meeting the needs, concerns and expectations for our community,” Palgen said.

He echoed Cook's concerns about the township's economic future.

“The biggest challenge facing Covert Township is the up-and-coming closure of Entergy/Palisades in the Spring 2022 and the continued tax revenue losses from the township's largest taxpayer over the past two years and the upcoming years,” Palgen said. “However, the current Township Board proudly met that challenge head on and has approved a balanced budget for fiscal year 2020-2021. I plan to continue working with the Township Board to prepare for the future of Covert Township, the same way…head on.”

In addition to serving as supervisor, Palgen is a member of the We Care In the Name of Christ's Covert Advisory Board, Covert Veterans Memorial Committee, Covert Senior Advisory Committee, Covert Township Lions Club and he is chairperson of the South Haven-Bronson Advisory Committee.

Treasurer's race

Pritchard, 48, has been serving as treasurer for the past year after the township board appointed her to the position when long-time Treasurer Marilyn Rendell retired. Before that, she served as deputy treasurer for 2-1/2 years.

“Since taking office, I have gained a wealth of knowledge, and learn more with each passing week,” Pritchard said. “I truly enjoy the position and duties of being treasurer, and have many ideas for growth and financial planning I hope to present to the board in the near future...I enjoy the challenge of spearheading the creation of the annual budget,  considering the large cuts to our future tax revenues.”

Although Palisades isn't closing until 2022 the township, Pritchard, said the township board is already taking steps to deal with the economic impact.

“By working with the department heads and township board, monitoring our budget, and encouraging responsible and thoughtful spending of taxpayer dollars, we as a township can and will adjust to the reduced tax revenue in the future,” Pritchard said. “We have been exploring other, more lucrative options for the township investments as well.”

Rose, 72, who previously served as township supervisor from 2008-2016, is running for treasurer “to serve and utilize the experiences that I have acquired.”

As supervisor she oversaw the township's dispute with the Michigan Tax Tribunal over the reduction in property taxes sought by Covert Generating plant.

“Covert has two power plants, with one closing in a year,” she said. “Our community will be facing critical issues that must be identified and planned for our survival...The biggest challenge will be to critically identify the needs of our community while developing an accurate budget and capital outlay plan that addresses the township's future.

“The community will be facing cuts from Entergy's closure, and potential reductions in property taxes from Covert Generating that must be addressed effectively for our community's growth.”

Rose, who is retired, is a member of the Van Buren County Planning Commission, We Care human service ministry's outreach program for Covert residents, Senior Services of Van Buren County, The Governor's Sustainable Development Commission and  MSU Extension and AgBioResearch State Advisory Council member.

Trustees race

Alspaugh, 55, is seeking a first term as township trustee.

“I am running for the position to bring more positive thinking and look forward to making our community great, a place people want to live and raise their kids and to attract more business,” she said.

Alspaugh, who is office manager for Jack's Excavating & Trucking LLC, said the closing of Palisades power plant poses the biggest challenge for the township.

“I believe our biggest challenge as a township is the closing of Palisades, but if I win the seat, I look forward to working with the board to try to attract business and residents to come to our community to live and raise a family. I will strive hard to make Covert great and help it grow.”

In addition to her job as office manager, Alspaugh is a member of the township's Board of Review and the Covert Housing Commission. She also is active with the Van Buren Youth Fair.

Harrington, 57, has served as a township board trustee for the past 12 years.

“I am running for re-election because  we have much more to accomplish,” he said. “As a  12-year board member,  I am well-equipped to help the board make informed decisions to help the township continue to grow and become a better place to live and do business. I am committed to serving the tax payers through transparency and the proper use of our tax dollars.”

Like other candidates, Harrington said the township will need to come up with new ways to generate revenue that will be lost when Palisades closes.

“The CR 378 corridor from Interstate 196 remain underutilized,” he said. “The potential for commercial/industrial development in the 378 corridor is waiting to happen. We may provide tax incentives for current and future business owners, and seek out potential grant enhancement opportunities. We must remain fiscally conservative ensuring that the decisions we make are in the best interest of our tax payers. We must maintain a balanced budget and continue to identify opportunities that capitalize on our resources while maintaining high quality services for our residence.”

Harrington, who is employed full-time as an investigator for the Michigan Department of Corrections, is a member of the Michigan Corrections Organization and the Michigan Township Association.

Taylor, 62, hopes to win a second four-year term as township trustee.

He said he wants to continue to “be a voice for the township residents.”

He, too, thinks the township will face tough economic times over the next several years.

“The biggest challenge will be the reduction in our tax base due to Palisades plant closing,” he said.

Taylor, who has worked at Palisades for the past 44 years, is currently a lead repairman there. He also has served as a volunteer for the Covert Township Fire Department and has an EMT license. However, he is currently on a leave of absence due to serving as a township board member.



7.28.20

South Haven High School's graduating class of 2020 gets ready to turn their tassels from the right side of their cap to the left to signify that they are now high school graduates. The commencement  took place Saturday, July 19, outdoors  at South Haven High School. Students wore face masks during most of the ceremony until the time they walked across the stage to receive their diploma and have their photo taken without their mask on. As a result, most students at the conclusion of the ceremony were not wearing a mask. However, they were socially distanced. (Photo courtesy of TPC Technologies Ind.)

SH seniors finally get to graduate

After a nearly two-month delay, students take part in in-person, outdoor ceremony

By BECKY KARK

Editor and general manager

The coronavirus pandemic stopped many high school seniors from playing spring sports, singing in their annual spring musical, taking a date to the prom or just hanging out together at school.

But the virus didn't prevent South Haven High School from holding an in-person graduation ceremony.

Albeit different from ceremonies of the past, the graduation took place, outdoors, Sunday, July, 19 at the high school parking lot.

Originally, school officials had planned to hold the ceremony at Ratcliffe Field, the traditional site for commencement. Students would sit together, but six feet apart. Parents and other loved ones would be able to watch the ceremony but would have to also sit apart and the number of all participants would be limited to 500 or less. But when coronavirus cases began to go up in the state earlier this month, school officials were forced to change plans because outdoor spectator viewing would be limited to 100 per Gov. Gretchen Whitmer's latest executive order.

As a result, the venue changed to the high school where graduating seniors were still able to sit together as a class, but they had to wear face masks and sit six feet apart. Parents watched the ceremony on big video screens while sitting in their vehicles where they heard the ceremony via radio.

Students who spoke during the ceremony, admitted the cancellation of indoor classes, extracurricular activities and sports in March, April, May and June made for a difficult senior year. Yet, they remained upbeat.

“Who would have thought we'd have our graduation in July with face masks on, sitting six feet apart, our parents watching from afar in their vehicles,” said senior class president Holli Dannenberg. But, she went on to say, “Although this is not the senior year we expected, we made it...All these experiences we have faced have made us stronger.”

Class Valedictorian Elise Postma voiced similar comments.

“We can look back and think how COVID ruined our senior year, or that we had a graduation like no other...If COVID taught me anything, it is live in the moment. Tomorrow isn't guaranteed so live your life in the present. The world is yours to explore.”

“I think we've proven to be a pretty resilient group,” class Salutatorian Opal Eddy said. “Never let anyone tell you you can't, because you can.”

District Superintendent Kevin Schooley admitted to students they endured a senior year much different from graduating senior classes of the past.

“It's been unique,” he told the students, yet he also felt the class of 2020 to be unique from previous graduating classes.

“You're going to have a unique bond,” Schooley said. “Graduates (of 2020) around the world share what you've gone through. You might have a unique perspective on loss. At some point your son or daughter will come home from school and say, 'mom, my trip got canceled.' I think you're going to be the person to sit down and share your story of the spring of 2020. That's just part of your story. Let's not forget the goals and accomplishments you've achieved this year.

“Our world needs your optimism, your desire to succeed, your understanding, strength and flexibility.”

Van Buren Latinos hit hard by coronavirus

By ALEXANDRA NEWMAN
HP Staff Writer

HARTFORD — The Hispanic/ Latino communities of Van Buren County have been hit disproportionately by COVID-19.
Although Hispanics make up only 11 percent of the population in Van Buren County, as of July 14, they account for more than half (56 percent) of all positive COVID-19 cases, the Van Buren Cass District Health Department (VBCDHD) reported in a news release.
The percentage of overall cases identified as Hispanic/ Latino ethnicity in the state is 8 percent.
“In response to the exposed disparity, VBCDHD is employing additional focused strategies to increase prevention awareness, testing availability and accessibility, and connect communities of color to other resources that support basic needs like food and housing,” the news release stated.
Public health research has long proven that the conditions in which people live, learn, work and play contribute to their health, according to the release. These conditions, over time, lead to different levels of health risks, needs, and outcomes among some people in racial and ethnic minority groups. Factors such as living conditions, work circumstances, underlying health conditions and lower access to care can impact health outcomes and are often exacerbated during public health emergencies.
The VBCDHD noted that even though nearly 40 percent of COVID-19 positive cases are occurring among primarily white, non-Hispanic individuals, it’s important that all community members take the necessary precautions to help prevent transmission of COVID-19 to themselves and others.
“This is truly a prevention effort that requires the collective effort of all,” the release said. The VBCHD recommends physical distancing, whenever possible, wearing a face covering when in public, washing your hands regularly with soap, sanitizing high touch surfaces and if you’re sick, stay home.
As of last Wednesday, there were 279 confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Van Buren County and 8 deaths. More than 10,000 COVID-19 tests have been conducted in the county so far.  Over the past several months, Currently there are no patients at Bronson South Haven being treated as in-patients. Allegan County has recorded 392 cases and 7 deaths as of last Wednesday, with more than 13,000 tests being conducted. More hygiene tips for families and workplaces are available on the health department’s website, www. vbcassdhd.org/covid-19/.



7.20.20

Comet NEOWISE pays a visit

A very rare occurrence happened over the skies of Southwest Michigan last week in the form of Comet NEOWISE. The comet was discovered in March by the Neowise spacecraft, hence its name. Southwest Michigan residents who looked up to the northwest portion of the sky at approximately 11 p.m. on Sunday, Monday and Tuesday of last week were able to get a glimpse of the comet. South Haven photographer Kelly Weber was one of the lucky ones. She took the photo, above, on Tuesday as the comet streaked across the sky over Lake Michigan and South Haven's piers. Those who weren't able to see the comet will have to wait a very long time to do so. NEOWISE, which measures three miles across, according to space.com, isn't expected to return for another 6,800 years. (Photo by Kelly Weber)

Blueberry crop looks promising this year

By BECKY KARK

Editor and general manager

Despite a hard freeze in May and a week's worth of hot, humid 90-degree weather earlier this month, Michigan's blueberry harvest is expected to be a good one, according to a Southwest Michigan fruit production educator.

“It's looking like a good crop,” said Mark Longstroth, small fruit educator for Michigan State University Extension in Paw Paw. “We expect a crop of 85 million pounds.

If the prediction proves true, this year's harvest yield will be nearly identical to last year's, which was 84.9 million pounds.

“Annual production varies quite a bit because both spring freezes and extreme winter cold can reduce the crop,” Longstroth said. “In the last 10 years the crop has ranged from 70 to 110 million pounds. The 10-year average is 93 million pounds.”

Two weather-related events – the hard freeze in May and the hotter-than-average 90-degree days in early July had some impact on this year's blueberry crop in Southwest Michigan.

“We had a freeze on May 8 which damaged much of the fruit in Southwest Michigan, but damage to blueberries was spotty,” Longstroth said. “Some fields were hurt hard and others not much.”

The damage also affected some some blueberry varieties more than others.

“There was no real pattern, but in general, fields closer to Lake Michigan were not damaged as much,” Longstroth said. “Michigan's blueberry area is quite large, from the Indiana border to north of muskegon. A freeze in one area which causes damage may not affect other areas to the north and south. This freeze seemed to affect inland fields more than those within a few miles of Lake Michigan.”

Hot steamy temperatures around the July 4^th holiday also stressed blueberries somewhat.

“Blueberries do not like it really hot so the heat slowed their growth down,” Longstroth noted.

To deal with the extreme temperatures and high humidity, many farmers in Southwest Michigan resorted to irrigating their crop.

“In that heat the plants use about 4.5 gallons of water a day, and a field of blueberries uses a fifth to a quarter-on-an-inch of water a day, almost an inch and a half of water a week,” Longstroth said.

Southwest Michigan farmers grow a variety of blueberries, mainly Rubel, Jersey, Bluecrop, Elliott and Duke.

“Growers are also planting many new varieties to see which ones do best on their farms,” Longstroth said. “Michigan State University released Calypso, Draper, Liberty and Aurora. Other new varieties include Legacy, Sensation, Last Call, Keepsake and Cargo.”

During the harvest season, which begins in early July and can last into September, each variety is picked several times because the fruit does not ripen all at once.

“There are usually 3 to 5 pickings and harvest lasts 2 to 3 weeks for each variety and the varieties overlap,” Longstroth explained. “Duke, Bluetta, Bluejay, Blueray and Draper are popular early varieties in early July. By mid-July Bluecrop dominates the market. Bluecrop produces a lot of big firm berries. Jersey starts in late July and goes deep into August. It is an old variety, so the fruit is small but many people like the flavor and wait for that season to get their berries. Elliott is the last variety to harvest in late August into September.”

Which variety of berry is most desirable to consumers depends on their palate.

“There are real differences in taste between different varieties,” Longstroth said. “Some are sweeter and some more tart. Generally the first fruits picked at the beginning of harvest for a variety are tarter than you would expect, and during mid harvest you get the full flavor of berries that have ripened on the bush.”

Popular antique tractor show canceled due to COVID-19 pandemic

By TRIBUNE STAFF

Every September close to a thousand collectors gather at the Michigan Flywheelers Museum for its annual Antique Engine and Tractor Show.

This year, organizers expect only a hundred or so. Like so many other event cancelations this year, the coronavirus pandemic is to blame.

After much discussion and deliberation, the members of the Michigan Flywheelers Museum voted unanimously on Sunday to cancel the popular four-day show.

Citing the state’s executive order that prohibits large gatherings due to the pandemic, there were many other factors that entered into the decision, according to the museum.

“Even if the order was rescinded in a couple of weeks, there was just no way we could make all the arrangements that it takes to host a event of this magnitude,” explained Patrick Ingalls, museum president.

Instead, the museum plans to hold a scaled down version - a one-day “Can’t stop us COVID 19”  Drive-Thru Antique Engine & Tractor Show.

“We know that some people are not going to be happy about us canceling the four-day show, but we are not going to put our organization at risk by defying an executive order so we came up with this idea,” said Ingalls who consulted with the Van Buren/Cass District Health Department and the Van Buren County Office of Emergency Preparedness about the drive-thru show.

Similar to the popular drive-thru food fair events occurring at county fairgrounds throughout Southwest Michigan, visitors will travel a route through museum property where collectors will be stationed with their machinery. The route winds through the museum's Old Towne, by the shingle and saw mills, past the tractor-pulling track and then spectators will exit along the museum grounds' southern road. Many of the engines and equipment on display will be turned on for people to view.

“There will be no admission to this event,” said Ingalls. “We just wanted to do something nice for the community.”

Ingalls said that visitors must stay in their vehicles while on the property. Bathrooms will not be available. 

But, there will be food. Bangor Boy Scout Troop 194 will be offering lunch.. A fundraiser for the troop, the lunch will be served to guests in their vehicles.

COVID-19 Drive Thru Antique Engine & Tractor Show will be from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Anyone interested in bringing a display must pre-register before Aug. 13. The Michigan Flywheelers Museum is located at 06285 68th street, east of South Haven, in Geneva Township. For updated information, check the museum’s web site or Facebook page.



7.10.20

Sculptor John Sauve of Brighton unveils his sculpture, "Faust," named after  the mythical German  astrologer. The sculpture is located near Johnny's Jewelry Store. (Photo by Tom Renner)

Sculpting downtown South Haven

By BECKY KARK

Editor and general manager

Five years ago, former South Haven Center for the Arts Director Thea Grigsby envisioned a downtown with a dozen or so outdoor sculptures that people could enjoy viewing.

Her dream is now being realized, with the addition of three more sculptures on Phoenix Street, downtown. The additional sculptures will increase the number of downtown Art on the Town sculptures to seven, a fete that pleases Kerry Hagy, the current art center director.

“I picked up the Art on the Town project when I became the director,” she said. “It is a much longer process to get sculptures proposed, selected and installed than was expected by many at the beginning of the project. We are extremely excited to be getting momentum in the project, and feel it is such a perfect year to be getting sculptures installed on Phoenix.”

The newest outdoor art pieces have been created by artists Lou Rodriguez of Bangor, Patrick McKearnan of South Haven and John Suave of Brighton.

Rodriguez has created a number of outdoor murals in town, while McKearnan's works have been displayed at the South Haven Center for the Arts, where he also has taught classes over the years, according to Hagy. The art center staff became acquainted with Suave's works through the Krasl Art Center in St. Joseph. He also has several sculptures on display in both St. Joseph and Benton Harbor.

The latest Art on the Town sculptures will be placed in front of Urban Found, Johnny's Jewelry and the gathering area in front of Clementine's.

The trio of new artwork will join existing ones that include“Life's Garden,” located in front of Chemical Bank and created by artist Kathy Kreager of South Haven; “Summer Breeze,” also created by Kreager which stands in front of the courtyard by Taste restaurant; “Dune Anchor” by Mark Toncray of Riverside, now in front of Black River Tavern; and “Surround Me with Sun, Wind and Water,” by Carolyn Robinson Fink of Portage, which is in front of Urban Studio Salon and Spa. Suave's sculpture also has been completed and is now by Johnny's Jewelry.

The process of choosing artists and finding sponsors for the artists' works, can be time-consuming Hagy admitted.

The Art on the Town Committee annually reviews artist's works. Once a work or two is chosen, the committee tries to find businesses or individuals interested in paying for the artwork. Those businesses or individuals then agree to donate the sculpture to the city, which then mounts the sculptures on plinths or other concrete platforms for permanent display.

Despite the lengthy process involving different groups and individuals, Hagy said all the effort is worth it.

“I think Art on the Town is getting to the stage were we can celebrate all of our work, and see how the work of the Art on the Town committee is crucial to the mission of the Center to enrich our community through the arts,” Hagy said. “Like a lot of the work we do at the art center, I am constantly amazed what we can accomplish with volunteers on a small budget to support and promote artists and enjoyment of art in South Haven.” 

Man charged in house shooting incident

By BECKY KARK

Editor and general manager

A 21-year-old Covert man accused of shooting at a home occupied by a family faces seven felony charges, including assault with intent to murder.

The other six charges for Raul Vaquero-Cerra include discharging a firearm in or at a building; carrying a dangerous weapon with unlawful intent, carrying a concealed weapon and three counts of felony firearm. His bond was set at $1 million, according to a district court clerk.

Even though Cerra faces a number of charges, the family whose home was shot at isn't pleased.

“There were nine people in that home,” said Blanca Arellano, who lives in the home with her husband and seven children, ages ranging from 6-20.

“There's only one count of assault with intent to murder. There should have been nine,” Arellano went on to say..

The shooting incident occurred at 2 a.m., June 23 at the Arellano's home in the 21000 block of M-140 Hwy., in South Haven Township.

All of the family members were in the home at the time of the incident.

“I was in my room with two of our kids,” Arellano said, when she heard the rapid fire of gunshots.

“Everything went so fast,” she said, estimating the shooting lasted 10 seconds. Family members scurried out of the home but did not see anyone.

“One of my sons was laying on the couch. There was shots in the sofa right over him. It was good that he was laying down because he would have been shot,” Arellano said.

When police arrived to the home, Sgt. Adam DeBoer of the South Haven Police Department saw a vehicle leaving the scene at a high rate of speed. He stopped the vehicle a short distance away, conducted a search of the vehicle and found firearms and ammunition consistent with the spent ammunition recovered at the scene, according to the news release.

Arellano said the family knows the suspect.

“He was dating my son's baby momma,” Arellano said.

The Arellano family, however, thinks Cerra wasn't the only person shooting at their home.

“There were 23 shots into the house and a couple of times to the truck,” she claimed.

“It all happened in 10 seconds,” Arellano said. “It was impossible for him to reload that quick.”

Because the family thinks there may have been more than one suspect involved, they are afraid something may happen again.

“We are still very nervous and afraid,” she said.

Police are continuing to investigate the incident, according to South Haven Police Chief Natalie Thompson.

“We arrested one suspect that night and the investigation is ongoing,” she said. “We are aware of additional suspects and are working on that.  We have also been in touch with the family since the incident and will be keeping them up to date.”





6.25.20

Michelle Blackmon of South Haven is shown with a large outdoor mural she designed and helped paint for the South Haven Community Garden, one of 30 gardens that will be part of the outdoor “Frida's Garden” exhibition, honoring the late famous Mexican artist Frida Kahlo.  “It's an interpretation of her (Kahlo's) door leading to her garden,” Blackmon said.

Frida would be proud

With Frida Kahlo art show canceled, people  get creative and moves it 'all over South Haven'

By BECKY KARK

Editor and general manager

When the coronavirus pandemic forced the South Haven Center for the Arts to postpone the national touring exhibition, “Frida Kahlo's Garden,” earlier this month it saddened the arts center staff and board of directors, who spent many months planning for its arrival.

Yet the disappointment is now turning into enthusiasm. Instead of having an indoor exhibition focusing on the life of the famous Mexican artist, who often drew inspiration for her works from her garden, the art center is transforming Kahlo's exhibition from one held indoors to an outdoor display throughout the community.

“We are bringing 'Frida's Garden' to all over South Haven,” Art Center Executive Director Kerry Hagy said.

The art center has collaborated with local homeowners and businesses to plant and display container gardens that feature the types of plants, flowers and art that Kahlo had in her container gardens.

“The gardens are in blue pots and other containers, similar to Frida's own container garden,” Hagy said. “In 20 of the businesses there will be posters and panels that tell part of the story of Frida's life. Visitor's should be able to walk or ride their bike around town and learn all about Frida Kahlo's life and garden.. We also have 10 homes in the community who have planted extravagant Frida Kahlo gardens and those will also be listed on the tour.” In addition, Liberty Hyde Bailey Museum, Scott Club and the art center will display gardens.

The self-guided tour opened last week and will continue through Aug. 11. Maps and a list of businesses and homes is available by visiting  https://www.google.com/maps/d/viewer?mid=1jhWHc9ecXoq1lnbl5NfLaMYQmTrZMkJ8&hl=en&usp=sharing

The idea to celebrate the late artist's famous garden and her art came from Frida Kahlo exhibit committee member Michelle Blackmon.

“I'm a pretty good organizer,” said Blackmon, who put together the art center's community wide “Art Bikes” exhibit last year.

The closure of businesses downtown due to the governor's stay-at-home order in April and May hampered some of Blackmon's efforts to organize the container garden displays, but she said she kept at it.

“They finally opened up,” she said, laughing.

Blackmon wasn't content however, to just organize the garden exhibit. She also has played a key role in creating a Frida Kahlo garden at the South Haven Community Garden that she helped launch last year in the 400 block of Huron Street next to the Asylum Inn.

As part of the outdoor Frida Kahlo exhibit, the South Haven Community Garden contains 15 different varieties of plants, herbs and flowers that could be found in Kahlo's garden, a garden that can still be toured at the Frida Kahlo Museum in Mexico City.

“We've got sunflowers, dahlias, Calla lilies,” Blackmon said. Many of the plants and flowers for the container gardens around town were donated by North Shore Gardens, while Ace Hardware supplied the blue containers.

The community garden also sports a new outdoor mural depicting a colorful archway. Blackmon designed the archway panel and let people throughout the community paint it.

“It's an interpretation of her (Kahlo's) door leading to her garden,” Blackmon said.

Kahlo, who died in 1954, is considered one of the most significant artists of the 20^th century, according to the National Endowment for the Humanities, which put together the “Frida Kahlo's Garden” indoor exhibition that the art center had hoped to display.

The self-guided garden tour isn't all the art center is doing to celebrate the life and works of Kahlo.

Panels have been created, featuring Kahlo's works and information about her life, and are on display at various businesses in town. For its part, the art center is putting together an installation that includes a painting of the pyramid in Kahlo's garden. The installation can be viewed by looking into the window on the west side of the museum, 600 Phoenix St.

“Additionally, we are celebrating Friday's birthday with a look-a-like online celebration July 7,” Hagy said. A list of other events related to Frida Kahlo can be found on the art center's website, southhavenarts.org.

Even though the indoor exhibition has been postponed, Blackmon thinks promoting the artist's garden and works throughout the community through events such as the garden tour might be even better.

“We missed out on the big exhibition but more people in the community are getting involved. It might draw more interest than the indoor exhibit would have,” she said.

Amtrak's Pere Marquette line resumes service

By TRIBUNE STAFF

Beginning Tuesday, June 30, Amtrak and the Michigan Department of Transportation are restoring the daily Pere Marquette round-trip trains between Grand Rapids and Chicago. The service, which has several stops in Southwestern Michigan, including Benton Harbor/St. Joseph and Bangor, was temporarily suspended March 21 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

When the service resumes, however, customers will be required to wear masks and bookings will be less than half the capacity of the trains to ensure social distancing.

"We are dedicated to doing everything possible to return service safely. We want everyone to feel comfortable as they navigate this new normal," said Amtrak President and CEO Bill Flynn in a news release on Wednesday.

Both trains 370 and 371 will operate starting June 30. Train 370 departs Chicago at 6:30 p.m., St. Joseph/Benton Harbor at 9:14 p.m., Bangor at 9:50 p.m., Holland at 10:33 p.m. and arrives in Grand Rapids at 11:34 p.m.

Train 371 departs Grand Rapids daily at 6 a.m., Holland at 6:49 a.m., Bangor at 7:32 a.m., St. Joseph/Benton Harbor at 8:10 a.m., arriving in Chicago at 9:08 a.m. All times are Eastern Standard Time, except Chicago, which is in the Central Time Zone. Business Class and café service will also be available.

Reservations are required for Amtrak trains on this route, excluding holders of Multi-Ride Tickets. Ticketing is now available on Amtrak.com, our mobile apps or by calling 800-USA-RAIL.

In addition to measures to disinfect stations and trains, additional Amtrak safety measures follow:

• Cashless service: As an added measure to ensure the health and safety of customers and employees, Amtrak is temporarily accepting only cashless payments in stations and on trains.

• Physical distancing: Signage has been displayed at the busiest stations to indicate safe distances in high customer traffic areas such as waiting rooms, ticket offices, base/top of escalators, lounge entrances, etc. In addition, clear protective barriers have been installed at stations where there were no barriers.



6.15.20

Spring spruce-up

Clementine's Restaurant kitchen staff used some of their time off earlier this month to help beautify the grounds of the Historical Association of South Haven museum. Like many museums throughout the South Haven area, the Historical Association's museum has been closed due to efforts to stop the spread of the coronavirus. The soonest the museum will re-open is August 1st. The museum is located in the historic Hartman School building at 355 Hubbard St. (Contributed photo)

VB District libraries begin to re-open

Van Buren District Library is slowly beginning to re-open as restriction for curbing the spread of CCOVID-19 are lifted.

The library system began offering curbside service at all of its seven locations last week.

According to Library Director Dan Hutchins, patrons may arrange to pick-up library materials Thursdays between 2-6 p.m. and Tuesdays and Saturdays, between 10 a.m.-2 p.m.

Library staff will be available to take phone requests and answer questions between 10 a.m.-2 p.m., Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays, after June 11. Requests may be made online anytime at VBDL.org.

VBDL requests that patrons return any library materials to the outside dropbox. Staff working curbside will not be accepting returned items, since all materials that are returned must be quarantined for 24 to 72 hours. VBDL also requests that patrons do not bring used book donations to any location.

The library also says that since returned items must be quarantined, staff may not be able to fill requests as quickly as they have in the past. MeL, the statewide interlibrary loan service, continues to be unavailable.

VBDL staff have been trained to conduct Curbside Service according to the library’s Pandemic Policy & Reopening Procedure (available online at https://bit.ly/3dD9ImC). When delivering materials to the curbside, staff will wear masks and practice social distancing. Library officials say the district's goal is to provide patrons with library service in the safest manner possible.

For more information about the library’s reopening procedures or general questions, email: info@vbdl.org.

Van Buren District Library is headquartered in Decatur with branches in Bangor, Bloomingdale, Covert, Gobles, Lawrence and Mattawan.



6.8.20

Outgoing South Haven Area Emergency Services Fire Chief Ron Wise (right) shakes hands with new Fire Chief and Administrator Brandon Hinz during a changing of the guard ceremony last week. (Photo by Tom Renner)

'Hands on' fire chief eyes retirement

New chief Bandon Hinz begins his duties this month

By BECKY KARK

Editor and general manager

Ron Wise has been putting out fires, responding to ambulance calls and leading one of Van Buren County's largest fire departments for most of his adult life. But after 31 years of being part of South Haven Area Emergency Services Wise will be putting away his gear in exchange for retirement.

Earlier this week in a changing-of-the-guard ceremony of sorts, Wise welcomed Brandon Hinz as the new fire chief and director of SHAES. Hinz has been with SHAES since 1999, starting as a paid on-call responder. He became a full-time firefighter in 2005 and later served as an interim captain. He will now oversee 16 fulltime employees in addition to 30 paid-on-call firefighters, a communication staff and seasonal beach safety interns, while Wise will serve in an advisory role until his retirement officially begins at the end of September. Then, he and his wife, Kim, plan to take a vacation.

“I'm going to Hawaii with my wife to celebrate our 24-year marriage anniversary and my retirement,” Wise said.

Wise comes from a long line of firefighters and first responders.

“My grandfather was fire chief for Niles Township and my father was a firefighter for Niles Townshiop along with my twin brother who is a fire  captain with Niles city and older brother a police officer in Indiana,” Wise said.

Wise first began his career with SHAES as a firefighter 31 years ago when the department was much smaller, and simply known as the South Haven fire department. He moved up the ranks to become captain and 12 years ago was chosen to lead the department, which by then had become known as SHAES – an entity funded by and serving the city and townships of South Haven, Geneva and Casco.

The department operates out of three stations, utilizing nearly 20 different types of rolling stock, ranging from ambulances to a fire boat to a 93-foot ladder tower. In 2019 the department responded to over 2,000 calls for assistance.

SHAES has come to be looked upon as a model for other communities to follow.

“I have traveled throughout the State of Michigan talking to other communities explaining how SHAES is funded and how costs are shared,” Wise said. “The biggest hurdle that I see for those communities is trusting one another and the willingness to work together.  I am very proud to tell other communities how great our communities work together on so many levels.”

When Wise isn't wearing his administrative hat for SHAES, he can often be found working alongside firefighters and paramedics during emergency situations.

“He gets involved in actual fire-fighting when appropriate,” said Tom Renner, a former longtime on-call firefighter who now serves as the publicist for SHAES. “He has retained his certifications to be able to be part of the medical response team when needed. He’ll even drive a fire truck to a scene if the situation warrants.”

This past summer, Wise was credited with playing a key role in saving the life of a swimmer who had become caught in high waves in Lake Michigan and had become exhausted. Wise jumped into the water with a rope and wrapped it around the man, who then was pulled to safety by two other firefighters who were on the South Pier.

“Doing the job to the best of my ability has always been the goal,” said Wise in response to why he thinks it's important to stay directly involved with his staff. “Both of my parents stressed the importance of serving our communities and helping others...My mother taught 4- H, Sunday school, Cub Scouts and was Berrien County Youth Fair volunteer for many years. My father taught lifeguarding, firefighter training and still is active on the Niles Township fire department at the age of 84. He is still a volunteer at Berrien County youth fair each year along with myself and twin brother.”

Firefighting has changed quite a bit over the past three decades, according to Wise.

“The  amount of training hours that is needed to get the initial training to become a firefighter or EMT has increased greatly,” he said. “Our fires burn so much hotter and faster in homes today as compared to older days.”

Some aspects of the job haven't changed much, such as dealing with tragic situations.

“Any call that deals with children is the hardest to deal with,” he said.

But helping people is what keeps firefighters and paramedics motivated.

“The ability to help someone in their deepest of times is very rewarding,” he said.

SH city council appoints interim city manager

By BECKY KARK

Editor and general manager

South Haven City Council members have taken their first step in finding a replacement for City Manager Brian Dissette, who leave at the end of this month to become administrator for Berrien County.

The Council voted Monday to appoint Assistant City Manager Kate Hosier to serve as interim city manager.

She will serve in that capacity until the council determines its next steps for choosing a new city manager, according to South Haven Mayor Scott Smith.

“She's the logical choice for interim city manager,” Smith said.

Council members chose Hosier as interim manager based in part on a very favorable recommendation from Dissette.

“She has more training and education that I did when I started as city manager,” Dissette said.

Hosier has been assistant city manager and harbormaster since 2016. Prior to that she served as deputy city clerk.

“She's the logical choice for interim city manager,” Smith said.

Over the years working for the city, Hosier has served as liaison for several authorities, boards, and commissions including the Brownfield Redevelopment Authority, Harbor Commission, Local Development Finance Authority, Planning Commission, and Zoning Board of Appeals. She also has been involved with a variety of projects including partnerships with JHUDS, LLC and Housing Next to focus on economic development and affordable housing. Outside of her job, Hosier is a board member for the South Haven Area Chamber of Commerce and Our Town Players.

She is a 1996 South Haven High School graduate who earned a law degree from the Thomas M. Cooley Law School. Prior to working at city hall, she was employed with the South Haven Police Department as a dispatcher, and worked for the city marinas.



5.26.20

Liz Woods, co-owner of Sweet Haven candy shop in downtown South Haven, stocks several shelves with confections. Woods is one of the few retailers downtown considered "essential." that  have been allowed to remain open under the governor's stay-at-home order. (Photo by Becky Kark)

We're open

Some downtown shops in South Haven re-open Memorial Day weekend despite governor's order

By BECKY KARK

Editor and general manager

Memorial Day weekend is one of the biggest revenue boosters of the year for downtown merchants, here.

That's why a number of retailers openedup their doors this past weekend for “business as usual” rather than wait until Tuesday, May 26, the day Gov. Gretchen Whitmer's latest executive order allows them to re-open for inside sales.

Denise Pigozzi-Nordby is one of those retailers that re-opened. She owns Rambling Rose, a shop that offers a variety of decorative home and food products.

“It (Memorial Day weekend) is one of the top two weekends for us,” Nordby said. “It's essential to be open.”

Carla Kolesar, owner of Bells 'n Whistles home and fashion accessory shop, agrees.

“It (Memorial Day weekend sales) is extremely important,” she said. “We've already missed spring break. We lost a pretty big chunk (of business) when we lost April.”

South Haven City Council members voted 6-1, Monday, May 18, to allow downtown merchants to conduct sidewalk sales Memorial Day weekend provided they are considered as “essential” businesses that provide food and safety products as part of Whitmer's original executive made in an effort to curb the spread of COVID-19.

Most retailers, under the governor's order, are considered “non-essential” under the stay-at-home order, and therefore are not allowed to let people inside to purchase products; Instead they can only offer curbside or delivery service.

But South Haven's downtown merchants say the governor's restrictions have severely impacted their livelihoods. So on Wednesday, May 20, approximately 20 members of the Downtown Association of South Haven conducted an online Zoom conference with South Haven Police Chief Natalie Thompson to clarify the governor's order.

“What would be a way we could open?” asked Chris Campbell, owner of two downtown shops. “How do we define curbside? What would it take for us to be essential?”

Thompson told merchants that according to the governor's original stay-at-home order, individuals can leave their homes to purchase groceries, takeout food, gasoline, needed medical supplies, and any other products necessary to maintain safety, sanitation and operation of their residence or motor vehicles.”

The order seems simple enough, but as with most laws, there is a loophole and Thompson said she discovered that recently when a “non-essential” business was ordered to close after allowing customers inside to shop.

“If you only have small percentage of sales I don't think you're following order,” Thompson told the group of merchants. But she went on to say that one local business was allowed to remain open, even though very few of its products would be considered as ones to maintain safety, sanitation and operation of homes and vehicles.

“The order makes no reference to any required percentage of essential products or services offered by a business,” Thompson said. “We can't say 'you have to close based on the percentage of essential items you sell.'”

A number of downtown retailers do sell soap products, mainly ones that are decorative or scented. Others sell gourmet food products, or candy.

Thompson told merchants she wasn't trying to encourage businesses to utilize the apparent loophole in the executive order and re-open their doors to allow customers to shop inside.

In an interview Thursday, May 21, she reiterated that.

“The police department will continue to respond to any complaints of businesses operating in violation of the current executive order,” she said. “These are handled on a case-by-case basis.  I have not advocated for any businesses to operate around 'loopholes.'

“The police department is not receiving reports of any businesses ignoring the order but we have responded to many that have requested specific language in the order,” she went on to say. “The city is continuing efforts to educate and share information as it pertains to the executive order to ensure all have accurate information to comply with.”

Not every downtown business is re-opening for interior customer traffic. Some, like Emma's clothing shop and Shooting Star gift shop, remained closed. Others, such as SoHa Surf Shop, were only allowing curbside service.

Some downtown retailers just aren't all that keen about violating the governor's latest order to remain closed until May 26^th.

Tom McCreery, owner of N&R Department Store, said he'd rather wait until Tuesday instead of trying to ratchet up sales Memorial Day weekend.

“I don't think it's (foot and vehicle traffic) going to be that busy” he said, explaining that restaurants – a draw for downtown shopping — are not yet open for indoor dining.

McCreery said he also wants to have more time to safely allow customers inside his store.

According to the governor's order, when retail shops do re-open, they will need to ensure their employees have masks and access to hand sanitizers and/or soap. They can also only allow shoppers in by appointment only. Stores will also be limited to only 10 customers at a time, and must adhere to social distancing standards.



Bangor proceeds with graduation this Friday

By BECKY KARK

Editor and general manager

BANGOR — While high schools throughout Southwest Michigan have become resigned to the fact that “in-person” graduation ceremonies most likely won't take place at the end of this month of beginning of June like they normally do, at least one high school is planning to do so.

Bangor High School is scheduling its commencement for 7:30 p.m., Friday, May 29th. And yes, it will be “in-person” but with restrictions to protect people from contracting COVID-19, according to Principal Mike Dandron.

To ensure social distancing and to prevent a large gathering of people in the high school auditorium where graduation ceremonies normally take place, school officials will hold the ceremony in the school's parking lot.

“Our plan is to carry this on just like a drive-in theater would,” Dandron explained. “All graduates and guests will remain in their vehicles at all times, with the exception of the graduate walking across the stage to receive their diploma.”

The high school is renting a four-foot tall stage with a surround-sound system that will echo across the parking lot. Only a limited number of people will be allowed on the state, such as officials and students making speeches and school officials handing out diplomas. To ensure people can adequately hear the ceremony a local radio station plans to broadcast the ceremony live so that people within their cars can tune in.

Prior to going ahead with an in-person graduation, of sorts, Dandron discussed the idea of doing so with Bangor Police Chief Tommy Simpson.

“His largest concern was social distancing guidelines,” Dandron said. “As long as we maintain our six-foot guideline (on stage) he stated that he could support the ceremony.

While Bangor is going ahead with graduation ceremonies as normally scheduled, South Haven High School is waiting to hold its ceremony.

In a letter to parents, Principal Ryan Williamson wrote, “South Haven Public Schools is committed to formally recognizing our Senior Class of 2020, while balancing local, state and federal directives and guidelines. We have been committed to hosting the graduation ceremony from the beginning of the crisis and we will do everything in our power to hold a live graduation ceremony.”

The soonest the high school plans to host a ceremony would be June 21. A decision to go ahead with the ceremony on that date will be made this Thursday, in consultation with local, state and federal health agencies, according to Williamson. Alternate graduation dates would be July 19 or Aug. 16.

“Graduation is planned to take place at Ratcliffe Field and may be a ticketed event, depending on crowd restrictions and social distancing guidelines in place,” Williamson wrote in his letter. “The district is working on capabilities of live streaming the graduation ceremony. Also, the graduation ceremony may need to be divided into two groups based on guidance from state and local government.”

Covert plans to have its graduation ceremony Sunday, June 7, according to the district's website. However, details of how the ceremony will be conducted were not available as of last week.



5.11.20

Jan Weren slows her vehicle down to hand Ben Johnson a gift in honor of his 90th birthday. (Photo by Tom Renner)

Celebrating at a distance

Friends help Ben Johnson celebrate his 90th birthday amid coronavirus pandemic

By BECKY KARK

Editor and general manager

In this time of social distancing due to the Coronavirus pandemic, it's hard to celebrate birthdays together. But that didn't stop Ben Johnson's friends and former co-workers from doing so. They decorated their vehicles this past Monday morning and drove by Johnson's home in South Haven wishing him a happy 90th birthday. While a surprised Johnson stood in his front yard, the well-wishers honked their car horns, waved, and presented Johnson with cards and several gifts.

Marietta Kozlik, a long-time friend of Johnson's, was one of the main organizers of the birthday parade.

“We recently gave another of 90-year-old a surprise party and we had started

planning his party when the virus hit. All our plans went down the tube,” Kozlik said. “Then I saw a birthday car parade on TV  and a light bulb went off.”

Kozlik said she sent out approximately 100 emails, phone called personal friends and fellow church members, and invited city, police and fire staff to take part in the parade, due to Johnson spending most of his career working for the city in various capacities.

For many years, Johnson served as engineer for South Haven's Department of Public Works and was a member of the fire department. In later years he worked as a bridge tender for the Dyckman Avenue Drawbridge in South Haven.

Kozlik said she wasn't sure what kind of response she would get and was shocked by the turnout. Approximately 70 people showed up to wish Johnson a happy birthday.

“I never asked any one to RSVP  so you can imagine my joy and surprise when the

cars started coming. They came and came and came,” she said. “It was a wonderful surprise for Ben and a happy day for all of us friends.”

High water takes a bite out of South Haven budget

By BECKY KARK

Editor and general manager

High-water issues on Lake Michigan and the Black River aren't only impacting lakeshore and riverfront properties, but the city's budget, as well.

Flooding issues at the city's wastewater treatment plant and infrastructure damage to lake and riverfront streets and beaches is prompting the city to set aside $2.5 million in its upcoming fiscal year budget to confront high water-related damages.

Setting aside the $1.5 million means that some capital improvements projects that were scheduled to be completed this year will be delayed until a future date, according to City Manager Brian Dissette.

“Several projects are being postponed so dollars are available to deal with the high-water issues when necessary,” he said.

Of the $2.5 million that is being allocated to deal with flooding and erosion damage caused by record-high water levels on Lake Michigan and the Black River, $1 million will be earmarked for a new pumping station and other upgrades at the wastewater treatment plant to eliminate flooding of property and parking lots surrounding the plant. The high water levels have also made it more difficult to remove treated water from the plant and into the Black River.

An additional $1 million will be spent to raise the intake pipe at the water filtration plant. The pipe is critical to bringing water into the plant from Lake Michigan for distribution to residences and businesses served by the South Haven Area Water and Sewer Authority.

The remaining $500,000 will be reserved in a contingency fund to deal with any other erosion and flooding-related issues.

City residents will get a chance to hear more about the proposed 2020-21 fiscal year budget during a public hearing at the May 18^th city council meeting.

The proposed $46 million budget, which will go into effect July 1, is nearly the same in dollar amount to the current fiscal year budget of $46 million.

The proposed $46 million budget is allocated for a variety of city functions, including the Department of Public Works, city hall services, the police department, Lakeview Cemetery, street and sidewalk improvements, city beaches and parks, and electric, water and sewer services.

With the exception of the general fund and department of public works budget, the bulk of the overall budget expenditures — $37,000 — is paid for through user fees . Those funds are referred to as “enterprise” funds and include electric, water, sewer, Black River Park, marinas and beach maintenance. The electric fund, for instance, is $19 million, while sewer and water funds account for $10,000.

Money for the general fund comes from property taxes, and pays for general operations of the city, including police, fire, and Department of Public Works services. The proposed general fund budget calls for $8,413,757 in revenues and $8,719,171 in expenditures for a deficit of $484,015. The proposed deficit will reduce the general fund balance to $1,726,820.

Several highlights of the proposed budget follow:

• The city employs 87 people. Thirty-seven non-union employees will receive a 2.5 percent wage increase; the 32 members of the Technical, Professional and Office Workers Association of Michigan union will receive a 2.75 percent in pay, while police officer wages will increase by 3.5 percent.

• A number of streets will be repaved this year, including Hubbard Street from Superior to Phoenix streets; Phoenix Street from 73rd to 71-1/2 streets; Prospect Street from Michigan to Huron streets; and Michigan Street between Prospect and Hubbard streets for an overall cost of $485,000. An additional $176,400 is also being targeted for other minor street projects.

• Repairs and replacement of facilities, due to high-water issues, will begin at Northside Marina. The marina will be closed this season in order to begin making the repairs, which include reconstruction of the marine electrical and water utility systems; raising the existing docks and reinforcing the marina's eastside armor stone revetment. The projects are expected to cost up to $1.5 million. The city is in the process of seeking funding from the State of Michigan to help offset costs.



5.4.20

A youngster passes out treats during the 2019 Fourth of July parade in downtown South Haven. The parade attracts several thousand onlookers and approximately 75 parade entries each year.

4th of July events canceled in South Haven

Concerns over social distancing amid Covid-19 pandemic cited for latest cancellations

By BECKY KARK

Editor and general manager

Each year, thousands of visitors come to South Haven during the July 4th holiday to enjoy a trio of crowd-pleasing, outdoor events — an art fair, parade and fireworks display.

But for the first time in many years, those events won't be taking place this summer. Like many outdoor events, the popular 4th of July outdoor activities have fallen victim to the coronavirus pandemic, and in the case of the fireworks – Lake Michigan's record-high water level.

Organizers of both the art fair and independence day parade announced Monday the cancellation of the two events. That news comes on the heels of a decision city officials made six weeks ago go to nix the Light up the Night fireworks display because Lake Michigan's waves are now continually crashing over the North Pier where the pyrotechnics are ignited.

This year would have marked the 62nd anniversary of the Art Fair, which take place each year at Stanley Johnston Park and is sponsored and organized by the South Haven Center for the Arts.

“In light of the global health crisis and social distancing guidelines that remain in place in the State of Michigan and many states throughout the U.S., safeguarding artists, members, volunteers, staff, sponsors and the public is first priority,” Art Center Executive Director Kerry Hagy said.

Art center staff indicated they are working to put the art fair online to showcase the artist's works but details haven't been finalized as of yet.

Fourth of July parade organizers voiced similar sentiments about the need to continue social distancing in the wake of the pandemic. The parade is jointly sponsored by the South Haven Tribune, South Haven Kiwanis Club and South Haven Rotary Club.

“It's a very popular parade and attracts several thousand people who line the downtown streets each 4th of July, so it hurts to have to make this decision,” said Becky Kark, Editor of the South Haven Tribune. “But the several thousand people who watch our parade is nothing compared to the 55,550 people in the United States, so far, who have died from this pandemic. It's important to do everything possible to stop the spread of it.”

“Hope things get back to normal next year, “ said Daniel Thompson, vice-president of the Rotarians.

News of the latest summer outdoor event cancellations didn't come as much of a surprise to Scott Reinert, executive director of the South Haven/Van Buren County Convention and Visitors Bureau.

“This is the debate we've had even with events further out into the fall – even if they were held, will people feel safe attending?” Reinert said.

Just how much of an adverse effect cancellation of the three 4th of July events will have on South Haven's summer tourism is debatable, according to Reinert. Although events, such as the fireworks display, can attract upwards of 50,000 people, most visitors tend to be “day-trippers,” or people from out of town who come for one event and leave, spending little if any money at downtown shops and restaurants.

“I think some visitors plan their stays around the events - but we also know we get a lot of day-trippers in, especially around the July 4th activities,” Reinert said. “So in this unprecedented year, I don't think it (scrapping outdoor events) will have a big impact.”

He's keeping his fingers crossed that despite the downturn in tourism so far this spring in South Haven — bookings at lodging establishments for April and May are estimated to drop 90 percent — summer months will shine brighter on South Haven's tourism industry.

“I think we are well positioned for a rebound in summer travel as traveler sentiment research indicates many visitors will feel comfortable driving initially, and that our small-town environment, beaches and attractions are top on the list for urban dwellers,” Reinert said.

New four-story Holiday Inn proposed in South Haven Township

By BECKY KARK

Editor and general manager

Sometime this year, a new four-story hotel is expected to join the ranks of four existing hotels all located on Phoenix Road near Interstate 196 in South Haven Township.

South Haven Township Planners this month put their stamp of approval on a site plan for a four-story, 76-room hotel to be built on 3.5 acres of property next to Honor Credit Union. Developer Amish Patel, who also owns Great Lakes Inn & Suites in South Haven Township and the Econolodge in Paw Paw, plans to brand the new hotel as a Holiday Inn Express and Suites.

The four-story hotel will be the first of its kind in the township, according to Township Planning Commission Chair Mark Odland.

“There are no four-story hotels here,” he said. “It's going to be a big hotel.”

But before even considering whether to approve a site plan for the lodging facility, township planners had to amend a portion of the zoning ordinance that prohibits hotels higher than 35 feet tall.

“In order to allow for construction we had to change the zoning to allow for hotels up to 50 feet in height,” Odland said.

Planners held a public hearing in February to consider amending the zoning ordinance, and after receiving little comment, approved the change unanimously allow hotels to be built up to 50 feet high, with a stipulation that a 26-foot setback be in place for fire department access, if necessary. The amendment to the zoning was then sent to the township board for its approval, which occurred earlier this month.

Township officials weren't very much surprised when faced with the question of whether to allow a four-story hotel.

“We had known it was coming,” South Haven Township Zoning Administrator Patrick Hudson said. “Hotel industry trade information has been saying that due to land costs and parking requirements they had to be able to go up in order to get enough parking without having to buy too much land.”

Even though the site plan has been approved for construction of the hotel, it is uncertain what the timetable will be for construction.

“At this point we have no idea when construction will be allowed to begin,” Hudson said. “Building permits have not been applied for as of yet.”

According to Patel, work was expected to begin this spring, but with the Covid-19 pandemic unfolding and ongoing efforts to curb its spread, plans to proceed with the project were interrupted.

“We're delayed by two to three months,” he said.

Another unknown is what will happen with the existing Holiday Inn Express & Suites that is located on Phoenix Road, across the street from Patel's proposed hotel of the same name. Township Supervisor Ross Stein speculated that maybe the current Holiday Inn will change its brand name, but wasn't really sure if that will be the case.

Ed Vandenack of Edge Hospitality, which manages the current Holiday Inn, said he's waiting to see if the new hotel will actually be built in these difficult covid-19-related times.

“Whether they will have the ability to build, I really don't know,” he said. “If it happens, it happens.”



4.27.20

As construction continues on Bronson Healthcare Group's $22 million new hospital in South Haven, Bronson officials announced several hundred layoffs of non-clinical workers due to the reduction in revenues caused by the Covid-19 pandemic. To deal with patients affected with the virus, Bronson, like many hospitals has had to cut back on elective surgeries and procedures.

Covid-19 leads to budget cuts at Bronson

Several hundred non-clinical workers furloughed temporarily;
Work on new SH hospital continues

By BECKY KARK

Editor and general manager

While Bronson Healthcare System moves forward on construction of its new $22 million hospital in South Haven, the regional healthcare group has announced it will need to make a number of temporary budget cuts to recover from the financial downturn brought about by the Covid-19 pandemic.

In a news release, Bronson officials stated that “like other health systems across the nation, Bronson has seen its expenses rise significantly due to preparations and purchases related to COVID-19.  At the same time, the health system is experiencing losses in revenue due to the suspension of elective surgeries and procedures, temporary closings of some services, as well as reduced diagnostic tests, office visits and emergency department visits as patients remain at home.”

In an interview with WWMT-TV Tuesday evening, Bronson President and CEO Bill Manns said the hospital's monthly revenue was down 50 percent, which has forced them to set up a recovery plan to help recoup financial losses.

To deal with the downturn in revenue amid the pandemic, Bronson is making the following cutbacks:

• Due to the work slowdown, furloughs will be implemented over the next few weeks for several hundred mostly non-clinical employees. The furloughs are expected to be for 16 weeks, however, some employees may be called back sooner.

“The furloughs will be happening at sites across the system,” said Bronson spokesperson Carolyn Wyllie. “We haven’t specified locations.  The furloughs are temporary. As services reopen and ramp back up, employees will be called back to work.

Other cutbacks follow:

• Manns will take a 25-percent reduction in salary through Aug. 15. Bronson executives and leaders will also see salary reductions for the same time period. Bronson Medical Group providers will also see their pay reduced.

• Contributions to employee retirement accounts and 403b/401k matches are being suspended for the remainder of the year. Employees can still make personal contributions, however.

“We are working to adapt to continuing COVID-19 care while still safely serving all of our patients,” Manns said in the news release. “We are starting to ramp up surgeries and other procedures within the scope of the Governor’s order with a goal of having our hospitals back to 100 percent by September and our practices, many of which have been doing video visits, at 100 percent by August.  If we can do it sooner, we will. However, the availability of enough PPE to ensure the safety of our staff and patients in all settings continues to be a limiting factor.”

Bronson is pursuing opportunities for financial reimbursement and grants, including FEMA reimbursement, CARES Act relief grants and other state and federal relief opportunities, however, the timing of these is unpredictable, company officials indicated.

In the meantime, Bronson is preparing for an uptick in Covid cases, while tightening its financial belt.

Predictive models now indicate Southwest Michigan may experience ongoing community spread of COVID-19 into the fall rather than an overwhelming surge this spring, assuming responsible social distancing continues after the Governor’s order expires.

“While we have seen the number of cases of COVID-19 gradually increase in Southwest Michigan, it appears that social distancing and stay-at-home measures are helping to flatten the curve, and therefore we haven’t seen dramatic increases that many larger cities saw before safety measures were fully in place,” Wyllie said. “We continue to plan and prepare should there be a surge in patients.”

Right now, Bronson Healthcare has 79 ventilators and 10 more are scheduled for delivery.

“We also continue to secure personal protective equipment (PPE) and testing supplies to fulfill our current and future needs,” Wyllie said.

Bronson officials say they are prepared for a surge, but are hoping for the best. They said they appreciate how people are providing financial and supply donations and doing their part to social distance and flatten of the curve.

“The efforts have contributed to Bronson having a manageable number of patients hospitalized with COVID-19 along with adequate staffing and supply levels to meet their needs at this time,” the Bronson news release stated.

But because of the revenue that has been lost to the reduction in services normally offered, Bronson had to make some cutbacks.

Despite the temporary furloughs and reductions in salaries, Bronson officials say the healthcare group will continue to proceed with major projects, including seven offices for Bronson Primary Care Partners which will open on July 1, the new lab at Bronson Methodist Hospital opening in late July, and the Bronson Cancer Pavilion in Kalamazoo and the new Bronson South Haven Hospital, which are both slated to open in early 2021.

Griffin, Whiteford, Upton, Peters file for re-election; All face challengers

Beth Griffin, R-Mattawan, will be seeking her third term as state representative for the 66th District, and is being challenged for her seat by Abigail Wheeler, a democrat, also from Mattawan.
The 66th District encompasses Van Buren County and the city of Parchment, Cooper Township and Alamo Township in Kalamazoo County.
Griffin was first elected to the state House in 2016. Currently, she serves on the House Ways and Means Committee. Prior to being elected to the House of Representatives, she served two terms as a Van Buren county commissioner, from 2013-2016. Before seeking public office, Griffin served as a sixth-grade special education teacher and an eighth-grade English teacher from 1999-2005 at Parchment Middle School. Later, she was a guest teacher at Mattawan Consolidated Schools from 2010 until her election to the state House.
Her challenger, Wheeler, has lived in the Mattawan area her entire life and is a graduate of Mattawan Schools. She's been a firefighter for three years and on the Mattawan Village Council for one term. She was elected to the village council in November of 2018 and her current terms runs through 2022.
Filings for other state and federal seats follow:

6th District U.S. House of Representatives
• Incumbent Republican Fred Upton of St. Joseph will face Republican challenger Olena Alexander Oelke of St. Joseph in the August primary, while Democratic challengers John Hoadley of Kalamazoo and Jen Richardson, also of Kalamazoo, will be competing in the primary. The winners of those two primaries will square off in the November election.

U.S. Senate
• Republicans John James of Livonia and Bob Carr of Mackinac Island will be squaring off in the August Primary. The winner will face Democratic incumbent Gary Peters of Bloomfield Township in November.

80th District Michigan House of Representatives
• Republican incumbent Mary Whiteford of South Haven will be challenged by Republican candidate Nevin Cooper-Keel of Allegan in the August primary. The winner will face Democrat challenger Erik Almquist of Fennville in November.

4.20.20

Contractors are scheduled this week to begin raising the cabinets that house motors that operate the Dyckman Avenue drawbridge's hydraulic system. (Photo by Tom Renner)

City addresses high water level under Dyckman drawbridge 

By BECKY KARK

Editor and general manager

Since late fall of 2019 city officials here have nervously kept their eye on the Dyckman Avenue drawbridge's hydraulic system, wondering if it will continue to function properly as water continues to rise on Lake Michigan and the Black River.

Now, with the end of the winter season city officials can finally address the potential failure of the structure that allows motorists access to the city's north side and for boaters, access to Lake Michigan.

Council members, Monday, made the decision to pay Grand Rapids-based Strain Electric $19,380 to raise two metal cabinets that house motors that operate the bridge's hydraulic system. The cabinets are located underneath the bridge's deck, close to the water. If the motors are damaged by the water, the bridge's two spans will not be able to be lifted for boat traffic or lowered for vehicles.

Work on the bridge is expected to begin April 20^th and will take a week to complete.

“We're proceeding with making improvements to the bridge to ensure that service will continue during the upcoming summer season,” City Manager Brian Dissette said.

City officials became quite concerned about the bridge following fall and winter storms in 2019 that caused significant flooding along the lakeshore and the Black River where the bridge is situated.

One particular flooding incident occurred in late November.

“On this occasion we had a combination of high winds and rain and the river experienced a back-up or surge for a period of time. This surge caused the river to rise above the bottom of the HPU cabinet doors, City Engineer Mike Dopp said in a memo to the city council. “The cabinets are sealed and stayed water tight during this surge event, but staff would not advise relying on the seals for any prolonged period of time. Since this event occurred, staff has not witnessed the water rise this high again, but it may at some point during this next summer or fall.”

LMC extends closure of its three campuses

Lake Michigan College  has announced it will extend the date for its campuses to re-open in response to Michigan’s updated stay-at-home order.  

 Lake Michigan College campuses in Benton Harbor, Niles and South Haven first closed to the public on March 20. They were originally scheduled to re-open to the public on Tuesday, April 14. The new scheduled public opening date is Monday, May 11. 

This latest measure follows a decision to extend remote learning for students through the rest of the spring semester. The college originally transitioned its in-person, face-to-face classes to be delivered remotely beginning on March 23 with a plan for students to return to campus on April 14. Now students will participate in remote learning through the duration of the semester, which ends Friday, May 1.   

The college has also adjusted its summer term schedule. Originally summer classes were scheduled to begin on May 11. Now the summer term will begin on Monday, June 8 and end on Thursday, August 20.  

For the first time, all summer classes will be delivered through remote learning.   

LMC continues to accept new applicants for the summer and fall semesters. Course registration dates for the summer and fall semesters open on Monday, April 27 for veterans and to all other students on Tuesday, April 28.  

The college continues to offer most of its services to current and prospective students remotely during regular business hours, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Thursday. The re-opening dates for LMC’s indoor exercise and childcare facilities is yet to be determined.  

For more information, visit the LMC COVID-19 response webpage at www.lakemichigancollege.edu/covid19.  





4.13.20

Bangor Lions Club couldn't hold its annual Easter egg hunt this year due to the coronavirus pandemic, but that didn't stop the group from making the spring holiday happy for kids. On Saturday, the club's Easter Bunny stopped at approximately 50 homes and passed out treats to about 150 youngsters, while maintaining a safe distance from them.

Celebrating Easter, Covid 19 style

By KIM INGALLS

For the Tribune

In normal times, Easter Sunday is a holiday where millions around the country attend church services, host large family gatherings and go to community-sponsored Easter egg hunts.

Not this year.

With more than half the country under stay-at-home orders, the COVID-19 pandemic is forcing even the Easter bunny to do things a little differently this year.

Like many organizations, the Bangor Lions, which has hosted a community egg hunt for 24 years, had to cancel Saturday's event. But the big fluffy rabbit didn’t let that stop him.

“Our Easter Bunny will be riding in a car to wave to children,” explained Lions President Amy Thackston, prior to the event. “We will have a treat drop off crew behind us in a different vehicle to drop a basket for each family with goodies for each child inside.”

A new WalletHub survey of more than 400 people across the nation gave a window into what many Americans are doing to commemorate Easter Sunday this year. Last year, only 25 percent of Americans celebrated Easter in their homes, the survey found. This year, 70 percent of Americans plan to celebrate the holiday strictly at home.

“No Easter egg hunt this year,” posted Marie Mielke on Facebook’s South Haven Community Chatline page. “My mom, dad and I usually go to Kalamazoo and have dinner with my brother and his family. The kids have to find their baskets hidden somewhere in the house. Then we go outside to hunt for their eggs. Lots of laughter. Easter will be much quieter this year.”

Even though people can't be with extended families this year, that didn’t stop some for sending care packages.

“Sent my adult kids the most ridiculous 'Easter’ packages ever,” wrote Heidi Jaeck Campbell. “One included four rolls of TP. Not as a joke - he has none! The other one got socks.”

Downsizing is another impact the pandemic is having on the holiday.

“Making our regular food, just smaller since we are not going to my parents,” posted Samantha Corzine. “Instead of going to three to four Easter egg hunts in the community, we will just do a small one for our son Easter Sunday in the backyard.”

Corzine is not alone. Almost half of Easter-celebrating Americans are skipping out on candy, new outfits and Easter foods this year, in contrast with prior years, WalletHub found. 

“The Easter candy industry will take a big hit, as over 42 percent of Easter celebrants who normally purchase candy say they will not do so this year,” said Jill Gonzalez, WalletHub analyst. “Americans will also forego buying new outfits and Easter food at nearly the same percentages.”

While many plan to partake in at least some of their regular Easter traditions, others haven’t forgotten what the holiday is also about — being with and caring about family.

“We are making a big dinner - ham, turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes and gravy, green bean casserole, broccoli casserole and rolls for our family of three,” said Lisa Wilson Bartlett who plans to FaceTime with family instead of gathering for her annual family dinner and egg hunt. “We will be taking a plate to a few older friends who are in the high-risk category and are alone.”



4.7.20

Bronson South Haven employees are shown with face masks donated by the American Legion Post 49 Auxiliary and Sons of the American Legion. (Contributed photo)

Volunteers band together to sew face masks for Bronson

By BECKY KARK

Editor and general manager

Prior to the coronavirus outbreak, South Haven resident Janet Lynam spent some of her retirement time sewing custom-made handbags. But when the pandemic took hold in Michigan, Lynam put her handbags aside and began sewing something the medical profession needs – fact masks.

“I've made around 3 dozen so far,” Lynam said. “I have materials to make about 20 more at this point. I sew often and felt that making masks would be my way of helping out during this time.”

She's not the only one helping the medical community.

Members of St. Basil Catholic Church Women's Service Guild are also making masks. Kathy Craig and Char Maternowski-Paul have been spending their spare time at home sewing masks for area nursing homes and Bronson South Haven Hospital.

Members of South Haven American Legion Ladies Auxiliary have also rallied together to make masks to donate to Bronson.

“This is the time we can be of service,” said Auxiliary member Linda Teeter. “One of the missions of the American Legion Ladies Auxiliary is to help in our communities. Members have donated fabric and elastic. These materials have been given to other members who have sewing machines and will sew the masks.”

As of last week, Auxiliary members produced more than 50 masks to donate to Bronson, and according to Teeter, the task continues.

It turns out elastic is one item in short supply, however. Guidelines call for elastic to be either 1/8- or ¼ -inch wide. St. Basil Women's Auxiliary members and Legion Auxiliary members hope area residents can help fill the need, as well as Lynam, who posted on Facebook, “If anyone is not making these (face masks) but has 1/8-inch or ¼-inch elastic laying around and could donate it to me I could make quite a few more.”

People who had some in their sewing kits responded.

“Thank you for helping,” Suzie Fitzgibbon of South Haven posted. “I have 38 inches of ¼ inch elastic, and I have some left over material if that helps.”

Another respondent, Shirley Wagoner, said, “I have quite a bit of elastic you have have.”

Another respondent, Pat Gildea of South Haven, gave a heartfelt response to the sewers' efforts. “Our daughter is a pediatric dietitian at Bronson Kalamazoo and they really need these.”



11.20.20

Retired mail carrier Nila Dubas is shown in her kitchen gearing up to respond to letters to Santa from South Haven-area youngsters. She said the first letter arrived earlier this week.

Santa's little helper delivers

Retired mail carrier still makes sure Santa's letters are answered

By BECKY KARK

Editor and general manager

For the past 35 years Nila Dubas worked at the South Haven Post  Office as a mail carrier.

She decided to retire last October but vows to continue one task that she performed at the post office for two decades — answering children's letters to Santa.

About 10 years or so into her job at the post office, she said she noticed an employee answering the letters.

"I said, 'I'd like to help' and she handed me the stack."

Dubas has been responding to the letters ever since.

At first, she only dealt with a handful or so of letters to Santa, but over the years, the number has grown significantly.

"Last year I had 400 letters," she said. The letters were sent either to the post office or came from local elementary school teachers who collected them from their students.

Clementine's restaurant has even gotten involved by setting up a box for people to drop off their children's and grandchildren's letters.

But along with the larger influx of letters to Santa comes an increased cost to Dubas for doing so.

"The postage alone is over $300 a year," she said. Dubas also spends her own money making sure each letter contains decorative holiday stickers and other little trinkets for children to enjoy.

"I probably spend about $1,000," she estimated. "As soon as Christmas is over, I take advantage of the 50 percent off sales."

Some may wonder why Dubas spends her own money to answer Santa letters.

"I just like making the kids happy," she said. "That's what makes me happy."

Over the years, she's received some memorable letters.

One came several years ago from an older woman living in Casco Township.

"There was a letter from an 84-year-old lady who wrote that she knew it was dumb for asking, but she was really lonely and would like him to bring her a Chihuahua or small dog for Christmas," Dubas said during an interview by the Tribune in 2015. "It just broke my heart."

After a number of phone calls plus some help from a relative, Dubas made sure Ann Upton got her wish when Santa arrived at her house with a 7-year old Chihuahua named Ladybug.

Another memorable letter came from an adult handicap man who wrote to say he had accidentally broken his mother's Christmas CD and wondered whether Santa could replace it.

"I found an identical one at the store and sent it to him," Dubas said. "I don't normally buy gifts, but there's certain things that tug at my heart."

Because she is now retired from the post office, Dubas said she'll have to gather her letters differently this year. Like many post offices throughout the country, South Haven's post office now sends Santa letters to a facility in New York which handles them.

"They receive thousands of letters, but there's kids who don't get a letter back," Dubas said. "If they send a letter to me at least they'll get a letter back."

This year she thinks is especially important for children who want to send letters to Santa.

"With this pandemic they need something in their lives that's normal," Dubas said.

People who want to send letters to Santa or monetary contributions to help offset the yearly costs Dubas incurs for stamps and little holiday novelties can send them to the following address:

Santa, C/O 73100 County Road 388, Lot 95, South Haven, MI 49090

Letters can also be dropped off at Clementine's at the corner of Center and Phoenix streets, downtown South Haven.

People are shown enjoying South Haven's ice rink during the winter of 2018. This year, due to the coronvirus pandemic, the rink will not be allowed to open until after Dec. 8. (File photo by Tom Renner)

South Haven ice rink's opening delayed

For nearly 20 decades it has been a tradition for the South Haven Ice Rink to open in time for Thanksgiving break.

That won't be the case this year, however.

To prevent the further spread of the coronavirus pandemic, the Michigan Department of Human Health and Safety has ordered ice rinks, and other venues that attract crowds, be closed until after Dec. 8 to slow the spread of the virus.

When and if the rink re-opens at all this year, a familiar face will be no longer there.

Longtime ice rink manager Spencer Hodgman has decided to sit this year out.

"With the shutdown and the threat of the virus, for my family, staff, other businesses and the community, I have decided not to be a part of the ice rink this season," Hodgman posted on the ice rink's Facebook site. " I felt this was the best decision for us. We love the rink and all of the people that attend or have attended over the years.

Because Hodgman will not be managing the rink this year, city staff will do so, according to City Manager Kate Hosier.

"If the restrictions do allow for ice rinks to open after that date (Dec.8 ), the city will have staff to oversee use of the rink this winter," Hosier said.

However, there will be some changes at the rink.

"We will not be renting out skates or selling any other concessions," Hosier said, due to coronavirus restrictions.



11.2.20

Man, accused to killing wife, bound over to circuit court

By BECKY KARK

Editor and general manager

A South Haven man accused of killing his wife in August will now be headed to 36th Circuit Court next month.

eventh District Court Judge Art Clarke ruled during a preliminary exam Thursday that there is enough probable cause to send 36-year-old Randy Halstead Jr. to the higher court for the felony charge of open murder in the death of Halstead’s wife, Kimberly Halstead. Randy Halstead will appear in circuit court, Nov. 16th, for the arraignment.

Clarke stated he made his decision to bind over Randy Halstead to the higher court based on an autopsy indicating 48-year-old Kimberly Halstead had sustained numerous injuries. The autopsy also indicated she had suffered from blunt force trauma, asphyxiation and strangulation. Clarke went on to say he also was basing his decision on the testimony of two witnesses who told the court Thursday that Randy Halstead had come to their home the evening of Kimberly Healstead’s death to say he thought he had killed his wife.

The incidents leading up to Randy Halstead’s arrest Aug. 20, began at approximately 11 p.m., Aug. 19 when he called 911 to report that his wife was unconscious.

During Wednesday’s preliminary exam, South Haven Police Sgt. Zachary Hathaway testified that when he got to the Halstead’s upstairs apartment on Pearl Street, he found Kimberly Halstead laying at the bottom of steps that led from the back bedroom to a laundry room below.

“I immediately observed dark bruising around her neck and body. She was bleeding from her nose and ear and not breathing,” Hathaway told the court.

He also testified that paramedics from South Haven Area Emergency Services estimated that Kimberly Halstead had died a couple of hours prior to Randy Halstead’s 911 call at 11 p.m.

“I was told by paramedics the patient had been deceased for a couple of hours,” Hathaway said.

When asked by Van Buren County Assistant Prosecutor Jay Blair what Randy Halstead’s demeanor was like when first responders arrived to the apartment, Hathaway stated, “he appeared to be somewhat frantic.” Yet, when Randy Halstead was informed his wife was deceased, Hathaway told the court, “he didn’t have any concern.”

Two other witnesses, John Fagler and Mallory Zink, testified that Randy Halstead, whom they had only met once before, had come over to their home earlier that evening at approximately 7:30 p.m.

“He came in really stressed out. He was shaking and emotional and said, ‘I think I just killed my wife,” Fagler said. Fagler’s girlfriend, Zink, said she heard Randy Halstead say that as well.

She testified the couple didn’t immediately call 911 or police because they didn’t think Randy Halstead was serious.

“It was like some little fight you have with your spouse,” Zink said. “He (Randy Halstead) said she stopped breathing but after 20 minutes she started talking. We were quiet afterwards. We didn’t know what to say. Who would just walk in and say, “I think I killed my wife’ after you’ve only met him twice.”

Attorney Caleb Grimes, who was representing Randy Halstead, argued that much of the evidence presented at the preliminary exam was circumstantial. He questioned whether there was DNA evidence from the crime scene to directly link Randy Halstead to his wife’s death.

“There are only two witnesses saying he thought he did it,” Grimes stated. “I don’t know with the scant testimony what links Mr. Halstead to killing his wife.”

Water, sewer rates expected to increase in South Haven area

By BECKY KARK

Editor and general manager

Water and sewer rates are expected to go up for South Haven area residents following a decision Tuesday by the South Haven Area Water and Sewer Authority (SHAWSA) to do so.

The authority voted to increase water rates by 6.5 percent starting in January of 2021 and sewer rates by 9.9 percent beginning in July of 2021.

The authority did so after hiring an independent firm, Utility Financial Solutions LLC, to study the rates being currently charged compared to operating expenses and the capital improvement projects that need to be undertaken to adequately serve users of the water and sewer system that serves residents in the City of South Haven and townships of Casco, Covert and South Haven townships.

“The longer we wait the more expensive things will cost,” SHAWSA board member Al Dubuisson said.

The rate increases are necessary to deal with paying operating expenses, paying off bond issues and for financing future capital improvement projects. In addition, the city will have to spend an estimated $650,000 a year to replace old lead service pipes per new state requirements resulting from the Flint water crisis.

Since the late 1970s, the city has stopped installing lead fixtures when it connects water services, but plenty of galvanized pipes with lead gooseneck connectors were installed prior to that and are still in use.

“There are 2,000 galvanized services within the system,” Department of Public Works Director Bill Hunter said in a previous interview. “All of the galvanized services installed during that period have a lead gooseneck, which by Michigan Department of Environment Great Lakes and Energy definition are now lead services.”

Getting rid of the older pipes carries a hefty price tag.

“We’re estimating the cost will be $24 million,” Hunter said.

One of the biggest capital improvement projects facing the authority is the replacement of the aging standpipe in South Haven.

“The standpipe was built in 1927. It is in poor condition and needs to be replaced,” Hunter said.

The standpipe, along with two other water towers, supplies water to SHAWSA’s customers who reside in the City of South Haven, and surrounding townships of South Haven, Covert and Casco.

The standpipe stores most of SHAWSA’s water supply at 1.5 million gallons, while the elevated water tower in the I-196 Business Park holds 500,000 gallons and the one on Kalamazoo Street, 1 million.

The condition of the standpipe has been a concern for SHAWSA for a number of years. Although it has been maintained, its outer concrete structure is developing serious cracks.

Replacement of the standpipe, located on Blue Star Highway near Phoenix Road, is estimated to cost nearly $6.9 million. Although SHAWSA plans to apply for federal grant funding through the Department of Commerce Economic Development Administration, it most likely will have to apply for a loan from the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s rural development division to finance the project as part of a 40-year loan at 1.5 percent.

The process of replacing the standpipe will take approximately 7 years. It will be replaced by a new, steel elevated water tower that will be located near the Department of Public Works building on Blue Star Highway. SHAWSA also plans to install a pumping station near Wells Street to ensure good water pressure for that area of the city.

More capital improvement projects were projected to occur over the next several years, but were scaled back, according to Hunter. But replacement of the aging standpipe remains a priority to help ensure an adequate water source for the city and surrounding areas.

The study by Utility Financial Solutions determined that if SHAWSA doesn’t increase water rates, it will face a $775,900 operating cash deficit by 2023. It sewer rates aren’t increased, the budget’s cash balance would decrease to a negative $1.4 million by 2025.

This isn’t the first time that rate increases have been sought for the water and sewer system that serves the South Haven area. SHAWSA member Bill Roberts pointed out at Wednesday’s meeting that in 2017 the previous board that oversaw the water and sewer system passed a resolution to increase sewer rates by 9 percent each year for a period of five years.

“I just want it to be known we’ve been increasing the rates,” he said.

Opting to bond for improvements isn’t the best solution versus raising rates, according to Hunter.

“I’m more to the point where we don’t want to keep bonding for improvements,” Hunter said. “So we’re going to have rate increases. It’s not going to end for a few years.”

The new rates will go into effect as follows:

The 6.5 water rate increase will occur in January of 2021. It will then continue once the 2021-22 fiscal year starts in July of 2021. The sewer rates will increase starting in July of 2021 and will be renewed in July of 2022.

SHAWSA plans to re-visit the rate structures over the next several years to determine if changes need to be made.



10.20.20

Hartford Twp. caretaker charged in man's death

SOUTH HAVEN — A Hartford Township woman faces felony murder charges in the investigation of a Hartford man’s death dating back to Feb. 16, 2019.

Frances Collins, 71, was arraigned Wednesday in Seventh District Court on felony murder charges, related to vulnerable adult abuse, in the death of Donald Collins, according to a news release issued by Detective Lt. Greg Pentland of the Van Buren County Sheriff’s Department.

Her arrest and arraignment follows a lengthy criminal investigation, according to Pentland.

Donald Collins died at an assisted living facility after being transferred from the caretaker’s home to a local hospital. He had been previously in the care of the suspect, Frances Collins.

“The suspect was a caretaker in her home, with no relation to the victim,” Pentland said. “They share a last name but are not related through any circumstance.

“The investigation was related to vulnerable adult abuse due to the care he received from the suspect, Frances Collins, which in turn resulted in his death days after being transferred to the hospital and assisted living facility,” Pentland went on to say. “The cause of death was listed sepsis as a result of his care while in the suspect’s home.”

Frances Collins was issued a $25,000 cash/surety bond. She will be due next in court on Oct. 28 for a probable cause conference.

Home sales continue to soar in South Haven area

While some industries have been suffering economically during the coronavirus pandemic, the housing market in South Haven continues to surge, according to latest statistics from the Southwestern Michigan Association of Realtors.

The single-family market increased 52 percent over September 2019 (47 vs. 31), and condo sales were up 100 percent (8 vs. 4).

Year-to-date, single-family house sales were up 10 percent (202 vs. 184). In August, year-to-date single-family home sales were up just 1 percent (155 vs. 153).

Condo sales continued to skyrocket to 8 condos from 4 condos in September 2019. Year-to-date, condo sales have increased by 33 percent (36 vs. 27).

The average selling price for single-family houses in September 2020 at $459,462 was 37 percent higher than a year ago when the selling price was $ 336,127.

The average selling price for condos increased 3 percent to $225,813 from $220,000 in September 2019.

For the seventh straight month of 2020, in September there were no bank-owned or foreclosed single-family houses or condos included as a part of closed transactions in South Haven 49090. There have been only two single-family houses included this year. No condos have been included this year.

Regional sales

Overall the September 2020 Southwestern Michigan housing market results were history-making, according to the Southwestern Michigan Association of Realtors. First and foremost, 518 houses were sold and closed, which was the highest number in local history in any month going back to January 2005. Previously in peak years, the number of sales reached the low 400 sales range. This year July (479), August (455), and September sales were off the charts, bringing year-to-date sales back to within 1 percent of 2019 after three months of shutdown earlier in the year.

The number of houses sold in September was 49 percent higher than in September 2019 (518 vs. 48). Year-to-date, the number of houses sold was down to 2721 from 2731 sold in September 2019.

Average, median, and year-to-date selling prices powered escalated to new record prices in the region’s year-over-year comparison for September prices.

The average selling price at $316,525 was 31 percent higher than the $241,620 average selling price in September 2019. The year-to-date, average selling price increased 21 percent ($287,218 vs. $237,390).

With the record-setting number of sales and selling prices, the total dollar volume sky-rocketed 95 percent in September ($163,960,120 vs. $84,083,825). The year-to-date total dollar volume increased 21 percent ($781,521,082 vs. $648,313,723).

The inventory of houses for sale, however, took a big hit, dropping 31 percent or 664 houses from a year ago (1,156 vs. 1,820). The market at the end of September had a 5-months supply of houses for sale. For comparison, in September 2010, there were 3,574 houses for sale. The number of listings for sale includes homes for sale across Allegan, Berrien, Cass, and the western two-thirds of Van Buren counties.



10.5.20

Michigan State Police Trooper J.D. Olney hands a donation to Kamden Johnson, during a bake sale organized by a handful of students from Baseline Middle School and St. Basil School. Also shown in the photo from left are Keaton Durden, Kaya Durden and Kaelan Johnson. Proceeds from the bake sale were later donated to South Haven Area Emergency Services. 

'K Kids' baking efforts pay off

By BECKY KARK

Editor and general manager

At a time when fundraising for worthy causes seems so difficult, a group of middle school students from South Haven recently came up with a way to raise money for a worthy group.

They did something tried and true – they held a bake sale. And, thanks to their efforts and the generosity of customers, South Haven Area Emergency Services is the recipient of the $1,450 donation.

The students, who attend Baseline Middle School and St. Basil Catholic School, along with their parents, organized the bake sale late last month at the home of Adam and Lisa Johnson.

Kaelan Johnson, 11, came up with the idea.

“I did it (a bake sale) when I was with my mom and we raised $2,000 for the Nationwide Children’s Hospital,” she said.

Impressed with her efforts, her friends and family members decided to try it again, and chose SHAES as the recipient.

“We wanted to help the community,” Keaton Durden said.

To get ready for the bake sale, the students spent three evenings baking products along with their parents.

On Saturday, Sept. 19, they displayed all of their baked products on tables set up in front of the lawn of Lisa and Adam Johnson’s home. With face masks on and all of the products individually wrapped, due to coronavirus restrictions they waited.

It didn’t take long for people to stop by.

One of the customers was J.D. Olney, a Michigan State Police trooper, who was conducting his rounds.

“I just wanted to stop by and support everybody,” he said.

With restrictions regarding the coronavirus pandemic, the young teens and their parents weren’t sure how successful their fundraiser would be.

“We hope to raise at least $100,” said Kamden Johnson. When several parents prompted him to raise the bar, he said, “we hope to raise $1,000.”

This past Monday, the students presented their proceeds – $1,450 – to a very grateful SHAES staff.

From left, the 2020 Miss Blossomtime Court, First Runner Up, Katherine Schooley, Queen Faith Kittleson, and Second Runner Up, Jada Willis, pose for pictures, Saturday, Seot, 26m at the Golf Club at Harbor Shores. (Photo by Don Campbell of the Herald-Palladium)

Keeping the faith

Faith Kittleson crowned Miss Blossomtime, Katie Schooley of South Haven named runner-up

By LOUISE WREGE

HP Staff Writer

BENTON HARBOR — It was a Blossomtime pageant like no other Saturday, Sept. 26th, when Miss Berrien Springs Faith Kittleson was crowned as 2020 Miss Blossomtime.

“It feels amazing to have closure,” Kittleson said when she was announced as one of the six finalists.

She said that if she was named Miss Blossomtime, she wanted to inspire children.

“I think reaching them is the most important,” she said. “They’re the ones that look up to us.”

After she was crowned Miss Blossomtime, Kittleson thanked all of her supporters.

Kittleson, from Berrien Springs High School, is the daughter of Eden Partlo and Cary Kittleson.

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the pageant was delayed six months and held outdoors under a tent at the Golf Club at Harbor Shores in Benton Harbor.

Joining her were first runner-up Miss South Haven Katherine Schooley and second runner-up Miss Benton Harbor Jada Willis.

Schooley, from South Haven High School, is the daughter of Lori and Kevin Schooley. Willis, who attends Berrien Springs High School, is the daughter of Alberlena Adams and Jermaine Willis.

It was unknown until about three weeks ago if there would even be a pageant, said Blossomtime President Anna Abdelnour. The pageant was initially called off due to the pandemic in March three days before it was to be held at Lake Michigan College.

But when the contestants said they wanted one during a recent charm bracelet ceremony, she said her team decided to make it happen.

The Miss Congeniality title, which is usually voted on by the contestants, was not given out this year because the contestants didn’t spend enough time together.

Even though many things were shortened, Abdelnour said it was still the Greatest Show on Earth, in keeping with the year’s theme.

The Mr. Blossomtime contest was held a few hours before the Miss Blossomtime Pageant, rather than on the day before, which is the normal tradition.

One notable absence from the pageant was 2019 Miss Blossomtime Olivia Grace Ellis of South Haven. Abdelnour said Ellis, who is now attending Grand Valley State University, was quarantined Friday, Sept. 25th.

Host Roxie Elliott, Miss Blossomtime from 2014 and a journalist at ABC57, read a letter from Ellis, in which she said she was doing her part to slow down the spread of the virus by staying in her “cozy apartment in Allendale.”



9.28.20

Fundraising for the mural honoring South Haven High School's Class of 2020 kicked off this past week. The mural, created by artist Kayla Wyszynski, is expected to be completed later this month. It will be enhanced by sculptures of birds, created by artist Kathy Kreager, representing the 125 graduating seniors in the Class of 2020. From left are Marla Bruemmer of Project Pathway; Taleah Lowe, high school senior and member of Project Pathway; South Haven Public Schools Superintendent Kevin Schooley; Michael Teekamp, Project Pathway advisor; Daisy Solis, high school senior and member of Project Pathway; Interim City Manager Kate Hosier;  Kreager and Wyszynski.

Mural honoring Class of 2020 nears completion

By BECKY KARK

Editor and general manager

A large mural on the south wall of the Michigan Theater, dedicated to South Haven High School's Class of 2020, is beginning to take shape.

“We are very excited to see this mural begin,” said Martha Bruemmer, co-advisor for the high school's Project Pathway, which is undertaking the project.

“We would like to encourage everyone to see the artist, Kayla Wyszynski Ridley, in action over the next few weeks as she creates this beautiful piece.

When completed the sculpture will depict the sun setting over South Haven's historic lighthouse and the city's harbor. Wyszynski is also painting a large tree on the right-hand side of the mural. After completing the mural, artist Kathy Kreager will install 125 metal bird sculptures around the sunset, large tree and lighthouse to represent the 125 graduates of the Class of 2020, whose final year of high school was disrupted due to efforts to curb the spread of coronavirus.

“The girls (Project Pathway members Taleah Lowe, Daisy Solis and Sophia Cochran) came up with the idea for the mural,” Bruemmer said.

Project Pathway members and advisors, along with representatives from the City of South Haven and South Haven Public Schools, kicked off fundraising for the mural last week.

This isn't the first time Project Pathway has conducted a philanthropic fundraising campaign.

The group's primary mission is to connect students to businesses throughout the community through a series of career expos while also helping students to polish up on resume writing and job interview skills.

But the group is also dedicated to giving back to the South Haven community.

The fundraising goal is $20,000. The group has already raised $12,000.

As part of fundraising efforts, businesses, organizations or individuals can purchase metal bird sculptures created by Kreager to display in their windows or on shelves.

The sculptures will be installed by Kreager and Beyer Construction.

People who donate $150 will receive a bird sculpted by Kreager that they can display. Those who donate $300 will receive two birds, while ones who contribute $500 will receive a cluster of three birds.

Glik's apparel shop downtown is also helping with fundraising efforts by donating 10 percent of its sales on Oct. 6.

To make a donation or purchase a bird sculpture, contact Marla Bruemmer at marla.projectpathway.org or use paypal on the website projectpathway.org for a direct deposit. 

Committee formed to address number of booths, products allowed at Farm Market

By BECKY KARK

Editor and general manager

How much is too much?

That's an issue a new committee will be grappling over the next few months in regard to the number of vendors at South Haven's Farmers Market.

City Council members, Monday, voted to create the Farmers Market Stakeholder committee, a group consisting of downtown merchants, farm market vendors and local government and community leaders.

“We've got to look into how we're running our farm market,” Mayor Scott Smith said.

Over the years, South Haven's Farmers Market has grown considerably, so much so, that when it opens each Wednesday and Saturday it ends up being a focal point for shoppers who peruse dozens of stands showcasing anything from fresh asparagus to women's apparel.

But some people — downtown merchants in particular — eye the opening of the market each summer warily. They say farm market shoppers take up too many parking spaces, cause congestion downtown and take business away from brick-and-mortar shops.

“We've had concerns that the farmers market is growing larger than it was originally anticipated to be,” Interim City Manager Kate Hosier said.

Located downtown at the Huron Street Pavilion, the market runs from 8 a.m.-2 p.m. Saturdays from May to October and Wednesdays June to August.

It first began operating in 2003 at the Huron Street Pavilion with just a couple of booths; however, it has exponentially grown from a few vendors to an “outdoor social event” of many vendors, according to Hosier.

“In 2019, the market had 61 vendors utilizing the entire Huron Street Pavilion area with an overflow into Dyckman Park,” she said. “With the expanded growth came increasing concerns regarding vendor space, parking, potential competition to the downtown merchants, and eventually the coronavirus epidemic.” The heavy foot traffic in the park also ended up damaging its lawn.

Due to social distancing restrictions to curb the spread of the virus, this year's farmers market limited its number of booths and catered only to agricultural vendors.

“During the onslaught of COVID-19 pandemic, the South Haven Farmers Market followed Gov. Whitmer’s executive order restrictions and advice from the local health department,” Hosier said. “Ultimately, the Farmers Market modified its operations by drastically scaling down the number of vendors in order to ensure shoppers have access to healthy, and locally grown food while being committed to the safety of all shoppers and the products they purchase.”

The farmers who had booths at the market noticed a significant slowdown in customers.

“I hope we have a better farm market next year than we had this year,” said Anna Super, who has been a market vendor for the past three years.

But if and when the COVID-19 pandemic restrictions are lifted and market operations can resume at full capacity, city leaders think now is a good time to address concerns and set up a committee.

“I think it's real important we protect merchants,” said City Council member Jeff Arnold. “I don't like to see a lot of out-of-town vendors competing with brick-and-mortar shopkeepers.”

On the other-hand, Arnold said he does favor allowing some non-agricultural vendors sell their wares at the market if they have the intention to eventually open a business downtown.

“I'd certainly like to see the market work as an incubator in addition to supporting farmers,” he said.

Vendors at the market, who gave public comment during the city council meeting, expressed mixed viewpoints about its possible negative impact on downtown businesses, including agricultural-related businesses.

“I'm an agricultural grower,” Cheryl Overholser said. “It is primarily a farm market.”

Super though thinks the market, with its variety of items, attracts people to downtown shops. She said she sees farm market customers holding bags of merchandise they purchased from downtown shops.

“We are not infringing on people in business in downtown South Haven,” Super said. “We bring people in who spend money at other stores.”





8.31.20

South Haven man accused of killing his wife

By TRIBUNE STAFF

A 36-year-old South Haven man is facing homicide charges in the death of his wife.

Randy Halstead Jr. was arraigned Friday, Aug. 21, in Seventh District Court for homicide and for being a habitual offender. He remains in jail with no bond, according to a news release issued by the South Haven Police Department. A preliminary hearing is scheduled for Wednesday, Sept. 2, according to court records.

Police say they responded at 11 p.m. Wednesday, Aug. 19, to a residence on Pearl Street regarding an unconscious female. Officers determined the woman, Halstead's 48-year-old wife, Kimberly Halstead, was deceased and that foul play was involved. On Thursday, Aug. 20, they arrested Halstead.

Police are not yet saying how Kimberly Halstead died and have released very little else about the investigation, which is also being coordinated with Van Buren County Sheriff's Department.

Family and friends who knew Randy and Kimberly Halstead expressed shock at news of the alleged homicide.

Randy Halstead's sister, Melissa, posted on Facebook that the couple, who lived in Muncie, Ind., before moving to South Haven several years ago, had been married for 19 years.

8.24.20

BLM mural proposed for South Haven

City leaders receptive to idea; Details need to be worked on

By BECKY KARK

Editor and general manager

While brightly painted yellow Black Lives Matter murals are now being painted in such towns as Benton Harbor, one being proposed for South Haven probably won't become a reality until sometime next year.

“We know a mural is being planned for South Haven, but we don't yet know where or when,” said Monique Crowley, a local resident who is spearheading the project.

Crowley planted the seeds for the project, this past Monday, by introducing a proposal to South Haven City Council members to allow for the painting of a Black Lives Matter mural, downtown, in the westbound lane of Phoenix Street, in front of city hall.

“The design will not cover more than the width of the northern lane of westbound traffic, and will not span pass the length of City Hall,” Crowley wrote in her proposal to the council. “Our dedicated team will need approximately 72 hours to complete the entire project. We will be seeking funding from other organizers and supporters. No funds will be needed directly from the City of South Haven or its affiliates.”

Council members and city staff were receptive to the concept for a Black Lives Matter mural, however, concern was expressed about the downtown location in an area that is highly trafficked with vehicles, bicycles and pedestrians.

“There's a number of concerns about painting travel lanes,” Interim City Manager Kate Hosier said.

Department of Public Works Director Bill Hunter explained those concerns.

“You can't have murals painted over crosswalks or center lanes,” he said, referring to the two crosswalks on Phoenix where the mural is being proposed.

Hunter also said the mural itself may detract from signs and street markings that are in place to keep motorists and pedestrians safe.

The issue of painting the street also was brought up by staff and council members.

“The life of paint on a street is generally one year,” Hunter said. “I've got five-ton dump trucks plowing down the street every winter. It (the mural wording) will be gone by the end of winter.”

Yet, council members emphasized interest in having some type of mural or artwork to signify their desire for equality and justice for the black community.

“I clearly support Black Lives Matter as well as all minorities,” said Council member Joe Reeser. “It should be noted that Black Lives Matter is a social movement not a political one. But I feel we need more input from the community. Then we can vote on it.”

“We're just not ready to vote on it tonight,” Mayor Pro Tem Jeff Arnold said.

The council's response hasn't deterred Crowley.

“We were simply submitting a proposal for the mural,” she said, Tuesday, following the meeting.

“We're waiting for further input from the city and businesses.”

There is support in the South Haven area for a Black Lives Matter mural, according to Crowley, who in May organized a peaceful Black Lives Matter protest and march following the death of Minneapolis resident George Floyd, after a white police officer had his knee on the man's neck for nearly 8 minutes. “People have stepped up. The amount of support is strong,” she said.

Several local residents took time to show their support during the city council meeting on Monday.

“I think it (a mural) would be a great welcoming gesture for the community to send,” said David Veenstra.

Wendi Onuki commented that if a mural isn't agreed upon the city should show support for the black community in some way.

Crowley said she is already incorporating some of the council's concerns and suggestions into her proposal. For one, she said, the mural will not resemble ones that people have become familiar with seeing on city streets throughout America.

“It will not just be 'Black Lives Matter' painted in yellow,” she said. “It's going to be a piece of art.”

To that end, the mural may not even be painted on a street.

“We don't want it trafficked over,” she said. As a result, there exists the possibility of having the mural painted on a billboard leading to the city or the side of a building, downtown.

“We may spend the rest of the year just planning it,” Crowley said. “We want it to look nice when it's finished.”

Bangor, Covert school districts plan to offer in-person learning when school starts Aug. 31

By BECKY KARK

Editor and general manager

COVERT — Two of Van Buren County's smaller school districts will begin the school year Aug 31 by offering both in-person and online instruction.

Covert and Bangor public school district officials said they made the decision to do so after surveying parents and determining the best way to teach students while controlling the spread of coronavirus.

Unlike a number of larger school districts in Michigan which are opting for virtual instruction for the fall during the coronavirus pandemic, Covert, which is a Class D school district, plans to open its school doors for in-person classes for younger grades while older students will learn online, at home.

“Students in grades Pre-K through 9 will return for in-person learning,” District Superintendent Yolanda Brunt explained. “Grades 10, 11, and 12 will be virtual.”

Parents who worry about a possible uptick in coronavirus cases when their children return to school will be accommodated, Brunt assured.

“Although we are bringing students back Pre-K through 9th grade, parents of those students do have the option to do virtual learning instead,” she said.

Bangor is also offering a variety of learning plans for students and parents.

The Class C school district plans to offer two enrollment options.

The first one is being referred to as a “hybrid model” where students will attend school two days per week and three days online.

In an effort to limit the number of students in school buildings, the district is separating students into two groups, designated as “red” and “white,” according to the district's return-to-school plan.

At South Walnut Elementary School for instance, students in the red group will attend class on Monday and Tuesday, while the white group will be in class on Thursday and Friday. Middle and high school students in the red and white groups will follow the same schedule.

As the fall months unfold, district leaders will monitor how the combination in-person/remote learning plan is working.

“The hybrid model will be re-evaluated at the end of the first marking period,” the return-to-learning plan stated.

For parents who feel uneasy about their children being in the classroom, the district is offering a second option —100-percent online virtual learning. However, families who choose that option will have to do so for at least one semester.

SH superintendent forgoes pay raise

By BECKY KARK

Editor and general manager

South Haven Board of Education members have given thumbs up to Superintendent Kevin Schooley's job performance by extending his contract three years, but they stopped short of giving him a raise.

“The board and Mr. Schooley decided jointly that a raise at this time, with funding uncertainty, wouldn’t be a good idea,” school board President Laura Bos said, referring to anticipated reductions in the state's School Aid fund for the 2020-21 school year.

As a result of the board decision, Schooley's annual salary will remain at $135,000, a figure the board settled on when hiring him in 2018.

School board members voted to extend Schooley's contract earlier this month after evaluating his performance over the past year.

“The board performed an evaluation earlier in the summer and has been pleased with Mr. Schooley’s performance,” Bos said.

Schooley, like school superintendents throughout the country, has been saddled with determining the best way to begin the school year amid the coronavirus pandemic.

“We're still in the midst of a serious health crisis,” Schooley told members of the South Haven Kiwanis Club, where he was invited Monday to give an update on the district's back-to-school plans. “There's no playbook for dealing with this pandemic...It's a new normal for kids, parents, teachers, bus drivers, everyone.”

South Haven district officials announced last week school will begin online this year starting Aug. 31, based on feedback they have received from staff and parents.

“We will begin our transition to in-person learning gradually,” Schooley said. “We've consistently surveyed parents and teachers throughout the summer...The No. 1 topic for everyone is safety. That pointed to us that a balanced approach to doing this (re-opening school) is what's prudent. I'd love to come back, but we have to be prudent.”

Panel to interview city manager candidates

By BECKY KARK

Editor and general manager

With applications starting to trickle in to fill the city manager position, officials are taking the next step in the hiring process by selecting a committee to interview candidates.

The search for a manager to replace Brian Dissette, who left his position to become Berrien County administrator, began in July. With the application deadline approaching, the city council approved the selection of an interview panel, consisting of community leaders and the mayor to sift through applications and select candidates to be interviewed.

“We've posted the position with regional publications, the Michigan Municipal League and 30 different colleges,” said city Human Resources Director Kim Wise, who is overseeing the search process. “We expect to see a sizable number of applicants. Currently we have nine.”

City council members voted Monday to select Eddie Polk, a senior technical instructor for Entergy Nuclear Operations Inc., who lives in South Haven; Stephanie Timmer, South Haven resident who is vice president of the Western Market at Sturgis Bank & Trust Co. in South Haven; Bob Straits, a South Haven resident, who retired as the administrator and director of the W.E. Upton Institute for Employment Research; Ross Stein, South Haven Township supervisor and chair of the South Haven Area Recreational Authority; and Mayor Scott Smith. Other nominees included Claudia Maddox, former longtime South Haven Board of Education member and Joe Aleman of South Haven who is retired from General Telephone Co.;

The interview panel members were chosen from a list of nominees provided by the search committee, according to Wise. Other nominees included Claudia Maddox, former longtime South Haven Board of Education member and Joe Aleman of South Haven who is retired from General Telephone Co.

Council member Steve Schlack questioned why the search committee wanted to limit the interview panel to five people.

“If you have more than five, it can be too cumbersome,” Wise said.

Now that the panel has been appointed it will sift through applications, select candidates and then conduct the first round of interviews in September. A second round of interviews will take place late September with the goal of selecting finalists who will be interviewed by the city council.

“Both rounds of interviews will be in a public setting,” Wise said. The finalists interviews will also be conducted in public.

The search committee hopes that a new city manager will be hired by the end of October.

One person who has expressed interest in the job is interim city manager Kate Hosier, according to Mayor Smith.







8.17.20

South Haven library re-opens; reduces hours, days of operation

South Haven Memorial Library is once again allowing patrons to enter the building – however, it will be on a limited basis.

“We will allow people in the library for reduced hours twice a week,” said Library Director Jim France.

Hours and days will be 10 a.m.-2 p.m., Tuesdays, and 2 p.m.-6 p.m., Thursdays.

Patrons will be required to wear facial coverings to enter the library. Computers will be allowed to be used, however, the number of devices will be limited and patrons can use computers for only 30-minute sessions. Copy and fax services will also be available, however the community room will not be open for use.

People will enter the library from the east side doors facing Broadway Avenue, while the west side doors facing the pavilion will be designated as an exit.

“We are asking that patrons limit their time in the building to 45 minutes,” France said. “Overall conditions will dictate the addition of more hours as we slowly head toward normal operations.”

The library will continue to offer curbside service and has been doing so since June 22. Curbside hours follow:

Requests for materials can be made Mondays, Wednesday and Fridays from 10 a.m.-2 p.m. either by email at shml@shmlibrary.org, or by calling 637-2403. Requests will be limited to five items or less. Items than can be picked up from 10 a.m.-2 p.m., Tuesdays, 2 p.m.-6 p.m., Thursdays or 10 a.m.-2 p.m., Saturdays.

Pullman man charged with homicide

PULLMAN — A 62-year-old man from Lee Township faces homicide charges in the alleged shooting death of a 50-year-old South Haven area man.

Robert Williams Eakins Jr. was arraigned Tuesday on two felony charges — homicide and felony firearm, according to a Allegan County Sheriff's Department news release.

The criminal charges stem from the Aug. 8 death of Daniel Lee Banaszak at a residence in the 500 block of 55th Street in Lee Township.

Deputies responded at 6:15 p.m., to a shooting that was reported at the residence. When they arrived they found the shooting victim. Eakins was still at the residence and was taken into custody.



8.10.20

South Haven Rotary Club president Dan Thompson (center) and treasurer Bop Straits are pictured presenting a donation to Erika Morrison, executive director of We Care.

We Care gets $17,750 boost in funding

The coronavirus pandemic has negatively impacted a number of non-profits that rely on financial contributions to continue offering services to help the public.

But one South Haven service organization is making sure a local human service ministry can continue helping people.

Members of the Rotary Club of South Haven has provided $17,750 over the last several months to We Care in the Name of Christ.

The contributions have been made possible through donations from individual Rotarians, the club through its local fundraising initiatives, Rotary District 6360 Foundation and Rotary International Foundation.

The most recent contribution of $3,750 has been designated for the We Care personal care pantry.

Earlier this year, the Rotary's financial donations we re designated for We Care's utility assistance program and food pantries. The Rotarians were also the leading organization in donating laundry detergent during the South Haven Diversity Coalition's Martin Luther King Jr. Day community service event in January.

During the Rotary fiscal year ending June 30, the club's donations to more than 40 local, regional and international non-profit organizations surpassed $51,000.

Rose defeats incumbent for treasurer's seat in Covert Twp.

By BECKY KARK

Editor and general manager

COVERT — It looks like former Covert Township Supervisor Barbara Rose will be seated once again on the township board but in a different capacity.

Rose defeated incumbent treasurer Wednesday Pritchard, 180-143, in Tuesday's Democratic primary race for treasurer. There were no Republican candidates for the treasurer's position, which means that Rose will be running unopposed in November's general election, unless challenged by a write-in candidate, and will most likely begin her new duties as treasurer in January.

Rose, 72, served two terms as township supervisor from 2008-2016.

As supervisor she oversaw the township's dispute with the Michigan Tax Tribunal over the reduction in property taxes sought by Covert Generating plant.

In another key Covert Township board race, incumbent Supervisor Dennis Palgen held off a challenge from incumbent Clerk Daywi Cook, 185-134, in the Democratic primary. He will now go on to face former township trustee Tom DeRosa in November. DeRosa, who was running unopposed in Tuesday's Republican primary, garnered 85 votes.

In the other contested township race, incumbent trustees Kenneth Harrington and Lonzey Taylor defeated newcomer Dawn Alspaugh. All were running on the Democratic ticket. Taylor received 193 votes, Harrington, 190, and Alspaugh 115.

Only the clerk's position remained uncontested in Tuesday's primary. Democrat Naomi Barnes, who currently serves as deputy clerk, received 274 votes.

Millage renewal passes

Voters in the Covert Public School District approved a six-year renewal of 18 mils on non-homestead residences and businesses.

The proposal passed by a margin of 239-179.

The funds generated through the millage represent an estimated $7 million for the district, or about 80 percent of the district's total operating budget, according to District Superintendent Yolanda Brunt.
The non-homestead millage does not affect homeowners who use their homes as primary residences.

911 service charge approved by voters

PAW PAW — Van Buren County's emergency dispatch center will be getting some badly needed upgrades thanks to voter approval of a proposal to raise the monthly 911 surcharge from $1.92 to $3.

The ballot issue easily passed 9,517-4,316 in Tuesday's primary election, which drew approximately 32 percent of registered voters.

The current 911 system has reliability, transmission and reception problems, according to 911 Director Tim McGee. To build a modern system would run up to $2.25 million, he said in an earlier interview, and would include upgrading central dispatch equipment and replacing three or four towers. The field equipment would not need to be replaced.

Voter approval for the increased surcharge will bring in about $750,000 more than now, totaling $2.1 million when pooled with state money.

SH Twp. voters approve millage proposals

Voters in South Haven Township put their stamp of approval, Tuesday, on two ballot proposals.

The 0.25 recreational millage renewal passed 492-327, while a new 1.0 millage to help fund South Haven Memorial Library won, 467-354. Both proposals will last for four years.

The recreational millage will generate $40,000 annually to help pay for maintenance and improvement of township parks, nature preserves and for possibly purchasing property for future recreational purposes.

The library millage will boost the township's annual allocation to the library to $164,000 and will replace the township's current .4297 millage levy.

Nearly 32 percent of the township's registered voters cast ballots in Tuesday's primary.







8.3.20

Yvette Solomon-Hamilton has been hired as the new librarian for the Bangor Branch of the Van Buren District Library system. (Contributed photo)

New librarian chosen for Bangor Branch

BANGOR — A woman who grew up as a migrant with dreams of one day becoming a librarian, has reached her goal.

Yvette Salomon-Hamilton has been named new librarian of Van Buren District Library's Bangor Branch. She succeeds Bobbi Martindale, who retired recently after 32 years with the district library system.

Assuming the leadership role in Bangor is a dream fulfilled for Salomon-Hamilton, who previously was the assistant library at the Bangor branch. “When I was eight years old, I visited the old Bangor Library. They were playing ‘The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe’ on a TV. I checked out the book, read it and was hooked on libraries from then on.”

Salomon-Hamilton comes from a strong family of migrant workers, who settled in Bangor more than 40 years ago. 

“When I went to Decatur (where the district library system is headquarters) to interview for this position, I drove past the migrant camp where I stayed as a little girl. And now, through hard work and patience, I reached my goal of being the Bangor Branch librarian.”

Salomon-Hamilton, who brings a background in business management and retail to the branch, believes that close collaboration with the schools and local businesses will help build the role of the library as the heart of the community.

“I know we’re kind of on pause right now,” Salomon-Hamilton says, “but great things are coming. We just know it.”

South Haven Memorial Library gets ready for renovations

By BECKY KARK

Editor and general manager

After nearly two years of negotiations to secure a piece of property to make way for $2.3 million worth of improvements to South Haven Memorial Library, officials are ready to proceed.

“A call for bids is out right now for interested contractors, and those will be due in August, with the winning bid to be awarded Sept. 15,” Library Director Jim France said, estimating construction will begin in October and be completed in June of 2021. depending on and construction to begin at the beginning of October.

“Final completion is set for June 1, but like so many things, that could change,” France said in regard to the changes brought about worldwide by the impact of the coronavirus pandemic.

The renovations include making the entrance to the library handicap accessible, upgrading the heating and cooling system, updating the electrical system, insulating exterior walls, installing energy efficient lighting, updating public restrooms, installing new carpeting and furniture, expanding the space for community events and library programs, expanding the space for book collections and computer usage, expanding storage space and making better use of office space for library staff.

Once the renovations get underway, the library will move to temporary quarters in the lower level of South Haven City Hall, and its staff could be there for up to a year until all of the upgrades are complete.

Library officials had hoped to begin the expansion project in the spring of 2019, however, they were told the U.S. Postal Service, which operates a post office next to the library, owned a small portion of the property that the library had utilized for years. The property sits to the rear of the library at 314 Broadway Ave., and is home to the library's outdoor reading garden and approximately 4-5 feet of the library's interior space.

Nearly two years ago, when library officials were told the the post office owned the property, they had to begin negotiations to purchase it – something that took a long time due to the fact that the library was dealing with two federal agencies — the U.S. Postal Service and the United States Department of Agriculture, the agency that planned to loan the library the funds needed for renovations.

The dilemma left the library board exasperated.

“One chunk of the library sits on post office property and has since the library was built in 1958,” France said during an interview in November of 2018. “Nobody knows how it ended up that way. Our entire project hinges on that piece of property.”

But as it turns out, the library has owned the parcel all along.

“Two days before closing, the title insurance company found an unregistered deed from 1957 that showed that the library already owned the property, plus some,” France said in an interview on Monday. “Nobody else had a record of it. It is now registered and we are ready to go.”

The USDA loan will be paid back from a 40-year, quarter-mill tax levy that South Haven city and township voters approved in May of 2017. Because the library does not have borrowing power, city and township officials set up a joint building authority to oversee the collection of the millage and administration of the loan.

Covert Schools seeks renewal of non-homestead operating millage

COVERT — Covert Public Schools will be seeking a six-year renewal of the 18 mils it levies for non-homestead residences and businesses during Tuesday's primary election.

“The funds generated through this millage represent an estimated $7 millin for the district, or about 80 percent of the district's total operating budget,” said District Superintendent Yolanda Brunt. “So it is imperative that t he people vote on Aug. 4.”
The non-homestead millage does not affect homeowners who use their homes as primary residences. Polls will be open from 7 a.m.-8 p.m. or registered voters can vote by absentee ballot.

“The main two taxpayers that generate a large portion of this amount are Entergy Nuclear Palisades and New Covert Generating Company,” Brunt went on to say. “Failure to pass the millage renewal would result in a significant loss in operating revenue for the school district beginning in 2021.”

911 service charge proposal on Tuesday's ballot in VB County

BY TRIBUNE STAFF

PAW PAW — Van Buren County voters will see only one issue on the Aug. 4 primary election ballot — a proposal to raise the monthly 911 surcharge from $1.92 to $3.

Tim McGee, 911 director for the county, told county board of commissioners at a meeting two months ago the money is needed to upgrade the emergency cal system's 1970s technology and to provide a backup in case the current dispatch center needs to be evacuated.

"We do not have a true backup center," McGee stated at a Van Buren County Board of Commission meeting in April, or a backup plan in case of a shutdown, as was illustrated by the COVID-19 outbreak

The current monthly surcharge is $1.92, which comprises the $1.17 state surcharge and a local, voter-approved, 75 cent surcharge.

"Any device that can access 911 is assessed the local surcharge per month," McGee said.

If voters approve the $3 fee, the new local surcharge would be $1.83 per device, up from 75 cents, with the state surcharge remaining the same. The $3 fee is the maximum allowed under state law. McGee said some places operate their 911 systems with a millage or a combination of millage and surcharge. Van Buren County only charges the surcharge.

The increase would bring in about $750,000 more than now, totaling $2.1 million when pooled with state money.

The current 911 system has reliability, transmission and reception problems. To build a modern system would run up to $2.25 million, according to McGee, and would include upgrading central dispatch equipment and replacing three or four towers. The field equipment would not need to be replaced.

County board of commission races

There are no contested races for the county board districts or for county officials.



7.28.20

Bangor city manager steps down

By BECKY KARK

Editor and general manager

BANGOR — After serving as city manager here for the past five years, Regina Hoover has stepped down to spend more time caring for her family.

“She resigned because of her husband's illness,” Mayor Darren Williams said.

Hoover spent her last day on the job Friday, July 17. In the meantime, city council members voted to hire Bangor Police Chief Tommy Simpson to serve as interim manager for the next 90 days.

“He might just stay on as manager if the job is suitable for him,” Williams said.

However, if that is not the case, the council will begin accepting applications to fill the city manager vacancy.

Simpson will be getting help in running both the police department and city management, according to Williams. “A sergeant will be handling the day-to-day operations at the police department,” he said.

Hoover, who was known for her calm demeanor, oversaw the restructuring of the police department and re-opening of the department's headquarters on Division Avenue after the building underwent extensive renovations. She also streamlined city services, oversaw improvements to city parks and, most recently, the renovation and expansion of the city hall council chambers to accommodate a larger audience.

Bangor, under her leadership, also became on of the few municipalities in Van Buren County two years ago to safely allow medical and recreational marijuana-related establishments locate in town. There are now several grow and processing facilities in the city's industrial park and two retail establishments downtown. The city council's decision to allow cannabis businesses operate in the city limits has led to a resurgence of the town's economy. When Hoover started as manager five years ago, there were a number of vacant downtown storefronts. Now there are only a handful. The industrial park had a similar issue, but is now down to just one vacant parcel, according to a podcast interview that Hoover conducted with Rob Byrd on 103.5 FM a year ago.

Prior to her job as city manager, Hoover served as Bangor Township supervisor for nearly 11 years. She also was employed as office manager for 18 years at State Farm insurance in Bangor.

Group hopes to legalize medical pot retail outlets in South Haven

By BECKY KARK

Editor and general manager

For more than a year, a group of South Haven residents has advocated for the establishment of medical marijuana retail stores within the city limits.

Now, instead of just talking they're taking action.

The small group is in the process of gathering signatures for a ballot proposal, that if approved by voters in November, would allow for the sale of medical cannabis at retail shops.

“We think it's important for the citizens of South Haven to have access to medical cannabis,” said Pam Chappell, who along with her husband Pete Wehle, are two members of the group that is circulating the petition. “We have both benefited from moderate use of medical cannabis,” Chappell went on to say. “Pete for chronic back pain and (me) for difficulty sleeping.”

In order to submit the petition, the group must have 100 valid signatures from residents of the City of South Haven who are at least 18 years old.

The deadline to gather signatures, however, is fast approaching.

“It's July 28,” Chappell said.

The wording of the petition follows:

“The City of South Haven shall approve valid license applications for retail sales of medical cannabis (marijuana) to people 21 years old and older in compliance with the laws of the State of Michigan. Businesses engaging in such sales must be located east of Blue Star Highway.”

When asked why retail shops would be limited only to east of Blue Star Highway, Wehle responded that city council members have previously said such marijuana-related establishments should be located east of Blue Star Highway, away from the central business district, schools and churches.

Council members do have an ordinance to regulate medical marijuana-related businesses, including the growing and processing plants, but only considers proposals on a case-by-case basis.

In addition voters in November 2019 approved a referendum banning recreational medical marijuana facilities from locating within the city limits for a year.

“Recreational marijuana is off the table until November,” Interim City Manager Kate Hosier told Wehle and Matt Brazys at the July 6^th council meeting when they approached council members about opening a medical marijuana retail shop in the Phoenix Road Plaza east of Blue Star Highway.

“The city's medical marijuana ordinance has created an overlay district, however those (proposed businesses) are available only as they're opted into,” Hosier told the two men.

So far, the only medical cannabis facility the council has opted to allow within the city limits is New Age Laboratories, located in the Interstate-196 Business Park, east of Blue Star Highway. The council voted to do so last November.

SH Twp. voters to decide millage proposals

By BECKY KARK

Editor and general manager

South Haven Township voters will be voting on two local ballot issues in the Tuesday, Aug. 4 primary.

The first proposal involves renewal of the .25 recreational millage for the next four years. If approved the millage would generate $40,000 annually to help pay for maintenance and improvement of township parks, nature preserves and for possibly purchasing property for future recreational purposes.

“At this time the millage is used for improvements,” said Township Clerk Brenda Bertorell. “No acquisitions as of yet.”

Over the past couple of years some of the millage funds has gone for improvements to Pilgrim Haven natural area that overlooks Lake Michigan.

If voters approve the renewal, the owner of a home valued at $150,000 would pay $18.75 a year.

The second ballot proposal has to do with the township's library millage. The township is asking voters to approve a new millage of 1.0 mil for four years. If approved, the homeowner of a house valued at $150,000 would pay $75 a year to pay for the millage.

Currently, the township levies .4297 mills to disburse annually to South Haven Memorial Library. The City of South Haven also provides millage funds to the library, however the city levies more money.

“We have an agreement with the library and the city,” Bertorelli said. “It is years old and says that we will match funds.”

The problem is that the millage amounts between the two municipalities have changed over the years and don't always coincide with each other due to different times that millages are voted upon by electors in the city and township.

The township board has spent a considerable amount of time over the past year considering how to resolve the issue.

“We just want to match the City of South Haven which is currently just over .5, so at .4297 we are unable to meet our obligation of matching funds,” Bertorelli said.

If township voters wonder why the proposed ballot issue seeks 1 mill rather than .6 or .7, Bertorelli explained: “When we have a fixed rate. we end up being stuck at that rate until the millage runs out.  This way we can have some flexibility but yet promise our voters we will never go above 1 mil.”

If the library millage proposal passes, the current .4297 levy will be rescinded.

The new millage rate, if approved, would generate $164,000 annually for the library, which serves residents in the City of South Haven and South Haven Township.

According to Bertorelli the library is utilized quite a bit by township residents.

“We also have township members who are very active on the library board,” she said.



7.20.20

Brandon Hinz (left), fire chief for South Haven Area Emergency Services and Dr. Matthew Dommer of Bronson South Haven Hospital display one of the beach safety place mats. (Photo courtesy of South Haven Area Emergency Services)

Spreading the word about safety

Place mats with water safety tips available

By TRIBUNE STAFF

Visitors to lakeshore communities like South Haven are often unaware of the dangers posed by the inviting water of Lake Michigan.

First responders, last week, dealt with a drowning death last week when a 20-year-old Lansing man went into the big lake at North Beach Sunday evening, July 12, and never returned to shore. The same evening a man was rescued by Good Samaritans after he was swept off the North Pier and into the Black River Channel. Two days later on Tuesday a first responder from South Haven Area Emergency Services rescued a couple and their 3-year-old boy from the Black River channel after the canoe they were in capsized.

"Drownings in the Great Lakes, including in the South Haven area, are a grave concern," said Fire Chief Brandon Hinz "As we examined ways to prevent future tragedies it became apparent that there is a lack of awareness by the public, especially guests in the community, to the inherent dangers posed by the lake."

To educate the public of these dangers, SHAES, in cooperation with Safe Kids Greater South Haven-led by Bronson South Haven Hospital and The Great Lakes Water Safety Consortium, has designed a custom-made beach safety place mat for distribution to local businesses, particularly restaurants. Owners of short-term rentals are being encouraged to post it in their rental.

Illustrator Jessica Byers of South Haven created a colorful array of graphics highlighting topics such as beach flag warnings, tips for escaping rip currents, advice about walking on the pier, when to use life jackets and even digging in the sand. On the back of the placemat are water-safety related kids activities. The project was initiated by former SHAES Chief Ron Wise.

"Making sure our children are safe is the top priority of the Safe Kids Coalition in Greater South Haven," said Dr. Matthew Dommer, chief operating officer and vice president for medical affairs at Bronson Lakeview and South Haven Hospitals. "Because of our commitment to help families and communities prevent childhood injuries this is the perfect public education project for South Haven."

Copies of the place mats are available at the South Haven/Van Buren County Convention and Visitors Bureau, 546 Phoenix St., and South Haven Area Chamber of Commerce, 606 Phillips St.

South Haven Schools seeks input on re-opening

By BECKY KARK

Editor and general manager

With the uptick in COVID-19 cases throughout Michigan, just how school instruction will be delivered this fall to students in the South Haven Public School district is looking somewhat uncertain.

As a result, school district officials are planning for a trio of scenarios — in-person instruction; a mix of face-to-face and online instruction; or curriculum taught entirely online.

“We do hope to be face to face but if we can't be we are making plans,” Superintendent Kevin Schooley stated.

The district has posted the three different types of instruction delivery on its website, and is now seeking input from parents as to which scenario they feel most comfortable with, before district officials make a final decision how to open schools this fall.

“As we make plans for the 2020-21 school year, we are continually receiving new information that may be impactful to how we facilitate learning in the fall,” Schooley said. “Some of the most important considerations are the comfort level and preferences of our school families.”

The three different teaching scenarios follow:

• Face-to-face instruction in school while following guidelines from the Michigan Department of Education and Centers for Disease Control utilizing strict disinfecting measures. The curriculum will be taught by South Haven teachers with a focus on grade-level content and student needs

• A combination of face-to-face and online curriculum with an ability for teachers to toggle back and forth quickly between in-person and online delivery of instruction. Classes will be taught by South Haven teachers with a focus on grade level content and student needs

• Online instruction with real-time feedback from teachers and specialists. Content will be highly interaction and be taught by South Haven teachers or third-party online education platforms with a focus on grade level content and student needs

All three scenarios include social and emotional support services for students.

The online survey, which can be accessed on the school district's Facebook site, asks parents a variety of questions including which teaching scenario they feel most comfortable with and why; whether parents would be interested in receiving training on some of the online platforms utilized in hybrid or online instruction; whether parents would send their child to school on a school bus if health and safety measures are in place; whether parents would send their children to school wearing face masks; if parents are worried about providing child care for their family if school is not offered in-house everyday; and whether parents have internet connectivity issues at their home.

As the school year draws closer, the school district plans to survey parents again about the best and safest ways to teach students.

“We are also aware that the circumstances around the coronavirus is actively changing and plan to reissue this survey as we grow closer to the start of the school year,” school officials posted on the district's website.



7.10 20

Daniel Jackson, a 2007 graduate of South Haven High School who is now a professional soccer player, is shown above. (Photo courtesy of United Soccer League One)

Black lives matter more than ever for South Haven grad

'George Floyd's murder was just the spark,' says pro soccer player Daniel Jackson

By BECKY KARK

Editor and general manager

Daniel Jackson spends much of his time focusing on soccer. The 2007 South Haven High School graduate earned all-state honors his senior year and now plays professionally for the United Soccer League's South Georgia Tormenta team in Statesboro, Ga.

But the death of George Floyd prompted Jackson to focus on something different – systemic racism toward blacks. Floyd died May 25th after a white Minneapolis police officer held his knee on the man's neck for approximately 8 minutes while three other officers looked on.

The incident angered Jackson who put aside his soccer ball and sat down at his computer to type an opinion piece for United Soccer League One's Online Network. It can be viewed on the network's “From the Pitch: The Player's Voice” page.

Titled “No More Thoughts and Prayers” the column relates emotions Jackson felt after hearing word of Floyd's death.

“How, in 2020 are we still witnessing the murder of innocent black men and women at the hands of police?” Jackson wrote. “Why is this something that continues to happen to black people with no change in sight? I’m sick of the 'thoughts and prayers' being said time after time as we witness people like George Floyd killed in cold blood.”

The column ends with “In my personal belief, God made us all in different colors and ethnicities for a reason, but regardless of what you believe in we were all created on this earth to coexist together; We are the same, we bleed the same color blood. Together as Americans, we have the power to effect change in this country so let’s stop dividing ourselves and use it.”

In an interview after the column was published, Jackson said he felt compelled to put his thoughts into words.

“I decided to write this article because mainly as a black man, this issue is close to home for me and affects not only the community of Minneapolis, but black communities all over the country,” he said. “I also wanted to use my platform to be able to express my opinion and spread awareness of the continued social injustices that plague this country to this day.”

When asked if he was surprised to find out that a Black Lives Matter march and protest in the small town of South Haven on June 6 drew an estimated 800-1,000 peaceful marchers, Jackson said he wasn't.

“I believe the black community in South Haven is very strong and being that this issue has been so prominent in society in recent years, I am not surprised by the protest/march that attracted that many people,” Jackson said. “Social injustice has been around long before many of us have been around, and black communities not only in South Haven, but all around the country have felt the repercussion of this injustices. George Floyd's murder was just the spark many people needed to truly realize this issue, how broken the system is and has given people the courage to step up and demand change.”

Jackson has played soccer professionally for seven years. He has played forward for both international and American teams.

“I chose to pursue a soccer career because it's my passion and what I dreamt of being since I was a high school soccer player,” he said.

While at South Haven, Jackson not only lettered in soccer, but basketball, track and cross country. He ended up kicking in a total of 92 goals while playing for the Rams to become the fourth highest goal scorer.

After graduating from South Haven High School Jackson first played for the Kalamazoo Outrage, but in 2011 moved on to Cumberland University in Lebanon, Tenn. where he played soccer for two years.. He then transferred to Coker College in Hartsville, SC and spent the next three years playing an integral role on the Cobras' soccer team while majoring in computer science.

While at Coker he earned the distinction of becoming the first soccer player from the university to be drafted professionally.

Being a professional athlete entails a lot hard work, but Jackson said the effort is worth it.

“Soccer has shaped me into the man I am today and I couldn't be more thankful for the amount of lifelong friendships and experiences along with lessons it has taught me,” he said.

Allegan County Fair canceled due to concerns about pandemic

By BECKY KARK

Editor and general manager

ALLEGAN — It's one of the last fairs of the summer season, but even though the Allegan County Fair doesn't occur until September, officials announced last Tuesday this year's event won't happen, due to fears of spreading the coronavirus that continues to plague much of the world.

“After many months of deliberation and sad hearts, the Allegan County Fair Board of Directors has decided to cancel the 2020 Allegan County Fair,” Harry Chestnut, fair board president stated in a news release. “The fair has been canceled only once in its proud history, at the commencement of World War II.”

Like many county fairs across Michigan, the Allegan County Fair has been a mainstay for more than a century. This year would have marked its 167th anniversary.

But the COVID-19 pandemic continues to concern health officials in Michigan. In May, it appeared that the number of new cases had flattened out. But within the past several weeks, the number of new cases is beginning to grow.

At the beginning of June, Allegan County health officials reported 230 cases of COVID-19 and 6 deaths. By June 29, according to latest figures, the number of cases had increased to 269 cases, but the death toll still remained at 6. Across the state, the number of probable and confirmed COVID-19 cases has climbed to 70,223 as of June 29 with 6,161 deaths.

“The health and welfare of our visitors, vendors, carnival and employees is our priority,” Chestnut said. “The coronavirus pandemic and the resulting mandates of the State of Michigan made this difficult decision necessary. This was one of the toughest decisions we have ever faced.”

Although the fair has been canceled, officials are working out details regarding the showing of 4-H livestock and the 4-H livestock sales for this year.

The popular entertainment shows the fair has come to be known for, however, will be rescheduled for 2021, according to Saree Miller, executive director for the Allegan County Fair.

Comedian Jeff Dunham's show, for instance, is now rescheduled for Sept. 10, 2021. If people have purchased tickets for the show this year, they can request a refund from July 8-20 through either the Allegan County Fair office or Etix. People can also keep their tickets which will be honored for the concert in 2021.

Concession, vendor and trailer deposits can also be transferred to next year or refunded upon request starting July 8.





6.25.20

Since April, Dunkley Avenue has remained closed at the intersection of E. Wells Street and Dyckman Avenue due to ongoing flooding. City officials last year spent $19,000 to install two pumps as a temporary measure. They intend to spend an additional $85,000 this summer to remedy the situation until a long-term solution can be found to deal with the flooding.

Plan of action set in motion for soggy street

By BECKY KARK

Editor and general manager

It's not a long-term fix, but South Haven city officials are willing to spend $85,000 in an attempt to prevent the continued flooding on Dunkley Avenue that has forced closure of the road and difficulty in boat access to Black River Park.

In return, a condominium association, whose homes line a section of the roadway, plans to chip in $15,000 to help offset some of the costs the city will bear.

City council voted Monday to contract with Compton Inc. of South Haven to place a series of dams, sandbags and pumps to prevent water from flooding the road, which is located right next to the Black River.

“The proposed plan was developed to prevent water from entering the Dunkley Avenue area up to

the elevation of the river water as seen in late April,” said City Engineer Mike Dopp in a memo to the city council.

The new flood control measures are in addition to the $19,000 the city spent last fall to install two pumps to curb flooding that was just starting to occur due to near record-high water levels on Lake Michigan and the Black River.

“That seemed to work,” Department of Public Works Director Bill Hunter said. “There were times when it did flood. We knew that was going to happen, but eventually it did work. As of today it is not working.”

The reason has to do with the continued high water levels on Lake Michigan and the Black River. Each month of this year, the water levels have broken the previous record-high levels set in 1986, according to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.

“The pumps can't maintain. So we came up with another option,” Hunter explained. “Put in a tiger dam system. In addition, put larger flat sand bags across the road. Utilize the two existing pumps and have an additional one. Once implemented that should keep everything dry.”

City officials admit, however, that a long-term solution will have to be sought if the water level on Lake Michigan and the Black River continue to remain high.

A month ago, council members voted to spend $19,000 to have the engineering firm of Prein & Newhoff analyze the flooded area and determine the best way to address the problem.

Some neighbors who live along Dunkley think the best long-term solution would be to raise the roadway.

“Dunkley has been dug up twice in the last several years (for infrastructure improvements),” said Alan Silverman, one of the local residents who is part of the condominium association. “Each time the street was lowered somewhat.”

Hunter, however, stated that when the roadway was replaced the elevation did not change. “It was not lowered,” he said, adding that even if the decision were made to raise the roadway, doing so would cause issues for the homes themselves.

“You can only raise that elevation so high,” Hunter said. “You don't want storm water to go on private property.”

Another long-term solution could involve installation of a storm sewer lift station. But that could prove to be quite expensive.

You're going to have to send someone out there to run it once a month,” Hunter said. “It's going to be a complicated design and costly.”

Another issue the city faces with the Dunkley Avenue situation is whether home and business owners in other low-lying areas of the city will request public funds to be used to alleviate flooding issues they deal with.

Council member Steve Schlack pointed out that residents and a marina on N. Bailey Avenue near the Black River are contending with similar flooding issues.

“Just down the street there's a boat club with over 250 members dealing with high water over the road. I worry about setting a precedent,” Shlack said.

City staff pointed out, however, that the $15,000 the residents along Dunkley are giving to the city, and the $25,000 that neighbors on the northside agreed agreed to chip in to deal with flooding at Ellen Avery Park are examples of how the city can deal with flooding situations, or other ones that involve maintenance of infrastructure, such as roadways. The money they're giving the city is viewed as something similar to a special assessment.

“For the last 15-20 years special assessment districts have generally focused on sanitary sewer and drinking water,” City Manager Brian Dissette told council members. “You are able to assess whatever you think is fair. The amount charged varies.”

Even though the Avery Park neighbors offered to split the cost 50/50 for a $50,000 project to control flooding at the park and its parking lot, Dissette reasoned it would be feasible for the council to only accept $15,000 from the Dunkley neighbors because they realize a long-term solution will involve establishment of a formal special assessment district for an undoubtedly more expensive fix.

Foundation awards $20,000 to non-profits

Eleven non-profit organizations will receive more than $20,000 from the Greater South Haven Area Community Foundation as part of its spring grant cycle.

This year’s grant recipients are South Haven Center for the Arts, Liberty Hyde Bailey Museum, South Haven Scott Club, People Helping People, Maple Grove Elementary School, Youth Development Company/Police Activities League, Benton Harbor First Tee, South Haven Project CURB, Girl Scouts Heart of Michigan and Southwest Michigan Land Conservancy.

The funding will support the Center for the Arts' Frida Kahlo art events and technology upgrades, Liberty Hyde Bailey Museum's annual conference, Scott Club Piano Series, computers for after-school programs, library upgrades at Maple Grove Elementary, field trips for summer campers, youth golf scholarships for South Haven students, landscaping and art display at South Haven High School, two additional area Girl Scout programs and land acquisition of Porter Legacy Dunes in South Haven Township.

“Although we are disheartened that some organizations had to withdraw their applications due to COVID-19 impacts, we are still very excited to see the outcome of these efforts,” said Andy Barnes, the Community Foundation's president. “The Foundation is looking forward to the 2021 grant cycle being in more normalized times, providing more grant opportunities.”

In all for 2020, the Foundation has contributed $50,000 to community initiatives and non-profits. In addition to the spring grants, The Foundation recently launched the Emergency Response Fund and donated $25,000 to the fund, which will grant money to local food, personal care and infant care pantries and provide meals to those in need, economically impacted by the coronavirus pandemic.

“We are so grateful for our donors who allowed us to step up our contributions at a time when the community needed it most,” said Roger Beglin, a member of the Foundation's grant committee. “We will continue to raise funds strategically so that we can provide support during these uncertain times.”

In addition, the Foundation’s Splash Pad Matching Fund is also still underway. The Foundation will match each donation, dollar for dollar, up to $25,000 towards the city project for a $50,000 total contribution. 



6.15.20

First responders are shown getting two kayakers safely to the North Pier. (Photo courtesy of South Haven Area Emergency Services)

Kayakers rescued

Two kayakers in distress on the rough waters of Lake Michigan were rescued Tuesday afternoon, June 9, in a coordinated effort that involved South Haven Area Emergency Services staff and the U.S. Coast Guard. First responders were dispatched at 2:05 p.m. when SHAES personnel spotted a kayak north of North Beach being driven further out into the lake by the steady south-southeast winds. A first responder commandeered a jet ski and headed out approximately a mile to assist the two kayakers, according to a news release from SHAES. One kayaker was in the water. Both were wearing life jackets. The SHAES fireboat was dispatched and brought the kayakers safely back to shore. The Coast Guard helicopter arrived on scene as the rescue culminated. Neither kayaker was injured. The incident came on the heels, Sunday, of first responders rescuing a 10-year-old child who got caught up in rip currents off of North Beach.

Blueberry Festival still on for August

By BECKY KARK

Editor and general manager

Over the past several months, a succession of spring and summer festivals have been canceled in South Haven due to efforts to curb the coronavirus pandemic. But one of the largest, and most popular one — The National Blueberry Festival — is still on.

But don't expect the same festival known for its free outdoor concerts, 5K run, fish boil and blueberry pancake breakfasts.

“We have not canceled the festival,” said Megan Cairns, director of the National Blueberry Festival. “But, nor will it look like the huge, four-day crowd pleaser it has been known to be.”

Knowing the positive economic impact the festival has on a town that relies on tourism during summer months, the festival board has been spending the past several months determining what types of events can be held in a safe manner.

“Like our town, the festival is resilient,” said John Deschaine, chair of the festival's board of directors, in a written statement. “We are searching for ways to provide the festival that our community deserves while keeping safety in the forefront of our minds. Though the exact shape of the festival is still evolving, our commitment is crystal clear: we are more determined than ever to continue the 57-year tradition of celebrating our agriculture industry and everything blueberry. To that end, we will rededicate the 2020 National Blueberry Festival to celebrating the strength of our community and agricultural heritage, and to encourage safe celebrations.”

Because of ongoing social distancing guidelines and continued fears of spreading COVID-19, this year's festival will have less events.

“At this time, we do know this year’s festival will be smaller than past festivals with a focus on engaging, supporting and promoting the local community, incorporating virtual, online events, and hopefully culminating with carefully planned in-person activities around the Huron Street Pavilion in downtown South Haven on Saturday, Aug. 8,” Deschaine said.

The in-person activities will revolve around blueberry pie, kids and a small concert at the Huron Street pavilion, according to Cairns. None of the event will be at Riverfront Park, a location where many of the festival's events, including its free outdoor entertainment traditionally take place.

Both Cairns and Deschaine cautioned however, that in-person events may be canceled at this year's festival, due to ongoing concerns about stopping the spread of the pandemic that has claimed more than 110,000 deaths throughout the United States.

“A lot still has to be determined and may be affected by events outside of our control,” Deschaine said. “We are not taking this decision to continue to move forward with our festival lightly. We understand that it will be a balancing act. Ultimately, the safety of our community and volunteers is first and foremost in the eyes of our organization.”

Cancellation of festivals and other summertime events in South Haven has negatively impacted the community, which relies on tourism as one of its main industries.

In April and May, bookings at lodging establishments were down 90 percent, according to the South Haven Visitors Bureau.

Downtown stores were forced to close in March due to stay-at-home restrictions. Restaurants were forced to close their doors to indoor diners. Stores and restaurants re-opened this month, but with restrictions to encourage social distancing.

Non-profits and organizations have also been adversely impacted by cancelled events. Many of them host fundraisers during summer holiday weekends and festivals. The South Haven Kiwanis Club and South Haven Rotary Club, for instance, organize pancake breakfasts as part of the Blueberry Festival. Those breakfasts raise more than $10,000 for the organizations, which use the funds to provide donations to school programs and community organizations and scholarships to students.

“This event is our primary fundraiser, so that will have a huge impact on our revenue this year,” said Ron Seiler, organizer of South Haven Kiwanis Club's blueberry pancake breakfast.



6.8.20

The photo above, taken in the fall of 2019, shows the flooding that has been occurring for the past year at Ellen Avery Park and parking lot in South Haven. The flooding is undermining the parking lot and sidewalks, and damaging plants and flowers that grow in the park.

Ongoing flooding at Ellen Avery Park concerns residents

Neighbors offer to split the cost of flood control measures with city

By BECKY KARK

Editor and general manager

For the past decade, several neighbors whose homes are located next to Ellen Avery Park have taken great pride in helping the City of South Haven maintain it. They event help pay for the maintenance. The park contains a variety of plantings and a clock tower, paid for by SHOUT for South Haven, a non-profit group that seeks to beautify the town.

So when the Ellen Avery Park neighbors looked out of their windows this past year to see the park continually flood due to the record-high water levels on Lake Michigan and the Black River channel, they became increasingly concerned.

“The waves come over and wash out the sidewalk,” said Ron Wiser, who lives several homes away from the park, which is located at the southern end of North Shore Drive, right next to the channel. “We have a constant maintenance problem west of the sidewalk where it washes out. It's caused a lot of damage to the park. Now there's holes there (in the sidewalk). I think there's a couple of major liability issues.”

But rather than complain about the problem, Wiser and several others neighbors are doing something about it.

They've offered to pay half the cost for installation of a 160-foot-long steel retaining wall along the Black River, two feet higher than the existing one located near the park, and placing steel sheeting along an existing 40-foot-long hand-rail on the pier, nearby.

“As property owners of 27 North Shore Drive for over 20 years, we have seen the end of North Shore

Drive go from a wasteland to a premier garden and city park,” Patrick Allkins and Jan Frizzo wrote in a letter to city council members. “Ron Wiser and we paid for the completion of Ellen Avery Park, and we pay 100 percent of the yearly maintenance of the park. We want to ensure that Ellen Avery Park is preserved for future generations.”

City engineer Mike Dopp explained in a memo to city officials how the $45,000 project can prevent the ongoing flooding of the park and its parking lot.

“The plan is intended to prevent the river water from being able to rise above the existing steel sheeting wall and thus prevent the accumulation of water in the park and parking lot due to the wave action,” he wrote.

Originally, city officials were eying installation of a 185-foot-long Tiger dam, estimated to cost $30,000. But the neighbors who live near the park and who helped build it to begin with, think the steel retaining wall may be more effective.

“This would help protect against excessive flooding in Ellen Avery Park, and the entire end of North Shore Drive, including public and handicap parking spaces,” Allkins and Frizzo wrote in a letter to the city council. “In addition, it would help to prevent closure of public sidewalks and walkways, as well as city walkway lights that have been undermined due to erosion. This includes sidewalks in the city’s pier to the pier walk.”

Although city staff agree the steel sheeting will stop flooding from occurring in the park and parking lot, it won't stop some high-water issues, especially when there are storms that cause waves to surge from Lake Michigan into the channel.

“The system would not prevent the rising of water in the park and parking lot due to the high river water rising through existing catch basins in the parking lot,” Dopp stated.

After discussing the neighbor's proposal two weeks ago, city council members Monday, gave the green light for the project to proceed and to split the cost with the homeowners, but the planning commission and harbor commission will also have to review and approve the plan as well before it can proceed.

Overton housing project moves forward

By BECKY KARK

Editor and general manager

If all goes well, more affordable housing could be available in South Haven within the next year or two.

City council members, Monday, gave the green lights for consultant Ryan Kilpatrick of Housing Next to proceed with accepting proposals from developers to partner with the city in building a variety of housing stock on the former Overton factory site.

“The process we're proposing is to reach out to developers and make sure they have the right qualifications that the city would like to see,” Kilpatrick said. Those qualifications would include developers who have a proven track record of building townhomes and multi-unit housing for a middle class demographic at attainable prices and developers who possess sound financial backing to do so.

Developers have until the end of July to submit proposals. Housing Next and city officials will then evaluate the proposals, announce a handful of finalists and then select a developer in the fall

“Our goal by November is to select a developer,” Kilpatrick said. “They then can begin working on a site plan, and hopefully we'll have a spring 2021 construction groundbreaking.”

City council members indicated they were pleased with the timeframe for developing the Overton site for residential homes.

“We have heard it over and over again: 'We need housing,'” Mayor Scott Smith remarked. “This is not going to fix all of our housing needs but it is a step closer to getting those housing needs addressed.”

The city-owned Overton site, at 229 Elkenburg St., consists of four acres of land, located several blocks from Lake Michigan, near the Van Buren recreational trail, in what is considered a transitional area from the older industrial section of town to residential neighborhoods nearby.

The city demolished the former Overton factory several years ago in the hope of providing more affordable homes for area residents, many of whom can't afford to live within the city limits because of the high price of homes. Homes, on average, in April in the South Haven 49090 zip code sold for $220,000, according to the Southwestern Michigan Association of Realtors. Dwellings in the city of South Haven often sell for much higher prices.

“Because of the flourishing local economy, the housing market near downtown and the lakeshore has seen significant competition from second homeowners hailing from Chicago, Kalamazoo and Grand Rapids,” Kilpatrick explained in a brochure he is sending to developers interested in the site. “More housing for the local workforce is sorely needed and the city intends to make the site at 229 Elkenburg available to ensure more housing for local residents can be produced...A mixture of townhomes, stacked flats and multi-unit apartments or condominiums are desired for the site.”

To help entice prospective developers, the city can offer incentives. Kilpatrick gave several examples of what those incentives might be, including tax credits, brownfield redevelopment financing, or even selling the city-owned property for $1.

But will developers be interested in developing the Overton site? According to City Manager Brian Dissette, the answer is “yes.”

“We've already had at least a half-dozen developers that Kate and I have talked to who have expressed interest,” Dissette said, referring to Assistant City Manager Kate Hosier.



5.26.20

Nursing home residents get to see their families, friends

For the past two months families and friends of nursing home patients in Michigan haven't been able to visit their loved ones due to the stay-at-home order that was put into effect to slow the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic. To help remedy that situation a bit, staff at South Haven Nursing and Rehabilitation organized a parade, May 20, to allow residents and patients to see family members at a safe distance. On Wednesday, while nursing home residents and staff watched outside, family and friends paraded by in vehicles decorated with signs showing love and support. A total of 77 entries were part of the parade, including two Michigan State trooper vehicles, two fire trucks from South Haven Area Emergency Services, 15 walkers, 1 golf cart, 37 cars and 20 motorcycles.

Appeals court upholds South Haven police officer's actions

Higher court rules officer had reason to believe girl was suicidal and needed a mental evaluation

By BECKY KARK

Editor and general manager

GRAND RAPIDS — A federal appeals court has ruled that a South Haven police officer made the right decision when she took a student to a hospital for a mental evaluation, rather than wait for her father to do so.

The U.S. Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals decision, rendered May 14^th, reverses a 2017 district court decision that Officer Shawn Olney violated the father and daughter's constitutional rights when she brought the seventh grader to South Haven Hospital in 2016 to be evaluated after expressing thoughts of suicide.

In making its decision, the appellate court stated that Olney did not violate the Fourth Amendment in taking the girl to the hospital for a mental evaluation nor when she authorized hospital staff to perform a blood draw to see if the girl had ingested any drugs or alcohol.

Citing a previous ruling made in 1997, the higher court stated, “The Fourth Amendment requires an official seizing and detaining a person for a psychiatric evaluation to have probable cause to believe that the person is dangerous to himself or others.”

The father of the girl said in a phone interview Wednesday that he “did not agree” with the appeals court ruling, but he did not want to discuss the issue further, because he had just received the court ruling in the mail on Tuesday. The Tribune is not publishing the father's name to protect the daughter's identity.

The lawsuit brought against Olney unfolded in October of 2016 when the girl, who was then a student at Baseline Middle School, wanted to see a school counselor with whom she had met with in the past. According to the court documents, the counselor was not available at the time, so the girl instead talked with Principal Latonya Gill. She told the principal that she had been thinking about suicide for the past month and that “she sees things at home like guns and knives that makes her want to hurt herself.”

Gill contacted Olney, who at the time was the school liaison officer, and told her what the girl had stated. Olney called the girl's father who was at work about 90 minutes away and told him the student “was being suicidal” and that Olney planned to take her to the hospital to be evaluated. However, the father objected and told Olney to keep the girl at school until he got there.

The officer, however, made the decision to take the girl to the hospital anyway. There, an emergency room nurse conducted an assessment and concluded the girl needed treatment. Although the student did not appear intoxicated or disoriented, the attending physician ordered a blood draw as part of the hospital's standard procedure for a mental evaluation. Although the girl tested negative for drugs, she did resist the blood draw, according to court documents. When the father got to the hospital, he objected to his daughter being there. After talking with the father, the staff released the girl on condition that he take her to a nearby mental health center for further evaluation, The father agreed to do so, and after 45 minutes at the health center the two went home, according to court documents.

Although the father successfully argued in the original lawsuit that his rights, along with his daughter's, were violated when Olney made the decision to take the girl to the hospital, the appeals court ruled that Olney legally had grounds to do so.

“Olney heard that (the girl) herself came to Gill to say she had been thinking about suicide, that she had been having suicidal thoughts for about a month, and that she worried about hurting herself with guns and kitchen knives in her home,” the court wrote in its decision. “Those facts provided Olney with ample grounds to think (the girl) posed a danger to herself and thus provided probable cause for Olney to take (her) into protective custody for a mental evaluation.”

Furthermore, the appeals court ruled, “Where the person is suicidal, the mental evaluation can reasonably include a determination whether the person has already acted upon her suicidal thoughts; which means the officer can authorize a blood draw as part of that evaluation.”



5.11.20

Roxanne Leder, owner of Decadent Dogs, cleans up debris from a gutter on South Haven Street. Leder was one of about 50-60 volunteers who took part in the South Haven Sweep 2020, May 1, to clean up litter on city streets and beaches. (Photo by Becky Kark)

Pandemic fails to stop volunteers

Dozens of South Haven merchants, resident clean up streets, donate and collect personal hygiene items for We Care INC

By BECKY KARK
Editor and general manager

How do you chase away the corona blues? By getting outside and picking up trash.
At least that's what several dozen South Haven merchants and other volunteers think.
The group decided to take part in the “South Haven Sweep” on May 1 and spent the better part of the day clearing streets and beaches of litter.
Tom Feeney, owner of Harborlight Brewing, and his friend, Trent Bulat of Phoenix Street Cafem came up with the idea as a way of helping the community.
They then presented their idea to the Downtown Association of South Haven, which threw their support behind the project.
“We wanted to put the spotlight on South Haven in a positive light,” said Roxanne Leder, a member of DASH and owner of Decadent Dogs. “Between the reports of high water and COVID-19 it seems that all news has been negative.”
Many downtown business owners have been adversely affected economically by the stay-at-home order to halt the spread of the virus. A number of businesses have been forced to close until the governor's order ends May 28. Worse, many summer events and festivals, which attract local residents and visitors downtown, have been canceled.
Yet, downtown business owners still want to be pro-active.
“The downtown is very much a part of why this town is perceived as 'cute, quaint and friendly,'” Leder said. “We thought we could focus on that while highlighting our give-back mentality.  Also, we could give our customers an opportunity to join in an outdoor project, where we could all stay distanced while being social.”
To get ready for the South Haven Sweep, Feeney sectioned off areas of town for each volunteer to focus on.
“I created a map and made sections and then people signed up for sections,” Feeney said. “We ended up with 18 sections.”
Volunteers were then given trash bags, gloves, reflective vests  and a map of their particular clean-up area.
“We had about 50 to 60 volunteers,” Feeney said.
The city donated the trash bags and vests, while Harborlight Brewing supplied the gloves.
While the South Haven Sweep was going on, another group of volunteers spent part of May 1 collecting donated personal hygiene items for We Care INC. human service ministry.
The collection was organized by Rosalie Plechaty of South Haven. City residents were asked to place donated items on their front porch during the morning on May 1. Volunteers then drove throughout town in the afternoon picking up the items
“It was a huge success. It took three rooms to hold all of the donations,” We Care staff posted on the non-profit's Facebook site. “Thank you for blessing our community.”

COVID-19 nixes summer concert series

By BECKY KARK

Editor and general manager

The COVID-19 pandemic has claimed yet another popular summer entertainment program, here — The Riverfront Concert Series.

The weekly summer-long series of free outdoor concerts at Riverfront Park normally begins at the end of May and continues until Labor Day, but not this year, due to concerns of spreading the Coronavirus.

“This is a great disappointment,” said Lotte Resek of Foundry Hall, a South Haven-based cultural arts group that organizes the series each year. “But cooperation with social distancing as a way to protect the safety of our community is imperative.”

For more than a decade, the Riverfront Concert Series has brought musical artists from throughout Michigan to perform a variety of music, including jazz, folk, Latin, pop and Broadway showtunes. Groups have included the South Shore Concert Band, Jackson French Quarter Dixieland Band, Three Rivers German Band, Girls Night Out theatrical musical revue and the Blue Water Ramblers.

Cancellation of the Riverfront Concert Series is the latest blow Foundry Hall has deal with during the Covid-19 crisis and the Governor's stay-at-home order to stall the spread of the deadly virus.

“Foundry Hall has had to cancel about 10 concerts and events and 19 community programs during this stay-at-home order,” Resek said.

Some of the programs, such as Open Mic Night and the weekly preschool music exploration program Tune Bugs, are now being offered online.

Kids invited to 'Color the Town' during stay-at-home time

By BECKY KARK

Editor and general manager

Approximately 750 South Haven area students will receive something extra on Friday with their lunches; something that may give them a chance to have fun at home while waiting out the state's coronavirus-related stay-at-home order.

It's a small coloring book, but not just any coloring book. “Color the Town” consists of nine black and white drawings of South Haven landmarks and is part of a collaborative effort to encourage youngsters to use their creative talents while learning about their hometown.

“The idea started with Deb Davidson, our city Downtown Development Authority director,” said Scott Reinert, executive director of the South Haven Visitors Bureau. “She reached out to me with the concept and thought it would be a fun idea for our local children when the school year was canceled and kids would be home for the rest of the school year.”

Reinert discussed the idea with his staff, who all gave the go-ahead to proceed.

“Our designer Jen Sistrunk did all the artwork,” Reinert said. “We talked through several local attractions that we thought would make sense to feature, then Jen used actual photos from our photo library to create the line drawings.”

But how to get the coloring pages to the children during the state-at-home order?

“I reached out to Carey Frost, South Haven Public Schools' curriculum director, about the idea and maybe using the school lunch bus distribution system to deliver to students,” Reinert said.

Frost, who was already planning to distribute crayons, paper, pencils, and other school supplies to students in grades K-8, via the lunch bus distribution system, liked the idea.

“We were excited to hear from the Visitors Bureau because I was looking for something fun to include with the bags of school supplies," Frost said.  "Their timing was perfect!  It's nice to be able to give them something fun to work on in addition to their regular school work.”

Youngsters will recognize most of the landmarks in the book, including the historic South Haven Center for the Arts building, the historic former bank building that now houses Clementine's restaurant, South Haven's lighthouse and catwalk, Friends Good Will tall ship and Michigan Theater's Marquee.

Kerry Hagy, executive director of the South Haven Center for the Arts, was impressed with the drawings.

“Jen Sistrunk did an amazing job creating the coloring pages,” Hagy said. “The coloring sheets are minimalist and open to fun interpretations.”

To provide an extra incentive for students to color in the drawings, the art center plans to exhibit some of the works in an upcoming exhibition, either online or in the art center's actual gallery.

“We hope to be able to display at least one of the drawings from all of the students that submit entries,” Reinert said.

Plans for the exhibit at the art center are still being firmed up.

“We do not yet know when we will display the work at the art center,” Hagy explained. “We are currently in the process of rearranging our exhibition schedule for the year, (due to the stay-at-home order) but will wait to announce anything new on the schedule until we know we will be open.”

In addition to having the possibility of having their artwork on display at the art center, each student who takes part in the Color the Town project will have the chance to win a gift card to Rocket Arcade in South Haven.

“We will randomly be selecting 25 entries to receive a $20 gift card,” Reinert said.

Youngsters have until May 26 to submit their entries and can do by mailing them to South Haven Center for the Arts, 600 Phoenix St., South Haven, MI 49090, or by dropping their finished artwork in a box on the bus that drops off their meals, or they can email them to relax@southhaven.org.





5.4.20

Patty Meyer points to the deepest section of Dunkley Avenue where flood waters rose to 15 inches by noon on Thursday. Her husband Fred, is standing next to her. The couple resides in an  condominium at South haven Marina Townhomes on Dunkley Avenue and have dealt with flooding issues on their street for the past year. (Photo by Becky Kark)

Dunkley Avenue residents deal with flooding again

By BECKY KARK

Editor and general manager

People will get used to seeing the Dyckman Avenue bridge being raised year summer for not only sailboats but motor boats.

Wednesday's rainfall and high winds coupled with Lake Michigan record-high water level caused waves to surge into the city's harbor during the evening and Thursday, causing extensive flooding along the lakeshore and Black River.

The water level underneath the bridge was so high that the “danger” sign near the bridge's electrical hydraulic system was completely covered. The incident came on the heels of the city investing

$19,380 two weeks ago to raise two metal cabinets that house motors that operate the bridge's hydraulic system. The project was finished just in the nick of time.

Nearby, however, residents who live along Dunkley Avenue, weren't faring quite so well on Thursday.

Flood water from the Black River once again turned the street into a pond, forcing city officials to close it.

“It's about 15 inches high,” said Fred Meyer, who was getting around in wading boots to avoid getting wet. “It was a little higher the day before Thanksgiving (in November 2019 when South Haven experienced a similar flooding situation), but at 3 p.m. today (Thursday) that's when we're supposed to get high winds and that causes the water to surge.”

Meyer and his wife Patty have lived in the South Haven Marina Townhomes on Dunkley Avenue since 1999.

For the past year, their street has repeatedly flooded due to high water levels on Lake Michigan and the Black River. When the flood waters are high, condo owners on Dunkley who own SUVs and pickup trucks are the only ones who can get from their homes to go shopping or elsewhere.

“It (flood waters) hasn't gotten into our condo but it has in our garage and our storage garage across the street where is has caused some damage,” Fred Meyer said.

Alan Silverman also lives in the South Haven Marina Townhomes.

“Flooding of Dunkley in front of our condos has been sporadic over the past month,” he said. “Beginning late yesterday (Wednesday) and continuing today (Thursday) the river is higher than is has been for a while...Dunkley has now risen enough to flood the commercial building across from our units as well as our garage building diagonally across from our units.  Fortunately, our condo units are two steps up from the garage floor and we have not seen water beyond the garage.”

A year ago, city officials tried to address the flooding issue on Dunkley Avenue by spending $20,000 for sand bags and a pumping system, as a temporary measure to control the flooding. Neighbors aren't real impressed with it, however.

“The temporary pump system placed by the City in the fall does nothing to remove that water as long as the river is high,” Silverman said. “However, once the river declines, the pumps usually remove the standing water...The city must take action to correct this problem permanently.”

City officials are examining what options can be taken to control the flooding on Dunkley. Those options will be more expensive, however, said Department of Public Works Director Bill Hunter in a previous interview. Estimates compiled earlier this year by Edgewater Resources of St. Joseph indicate it could cost anywhere from $700,000 to $1 million to address the flooding issues along Dunkley Avenue and at Ellen Avery Park on North Shore Drive, which is experiencing similar flooding problems. The city also is looking at shelling out $1 million this year to prevent flooding that is occurring at the wastewater treatment plant.

Intercare expands number of drive-through testing sites

New sites added in Bangor and Pullman

By BECKY KARK

Editor and general manager

BANGOR — Intercare Community Health Network has expanded the number of locations where it offers drive-through testing for Covid-19 virus.

The health network launched new sites this week at their health clinics in Bangor and Pullman, to add to their drive-through test site in Benton Harbor.

The Bangor clinic will conduct drive-through tests from 1-4 p.m., Mondays and Wednesdays. Drive-through testing is scheduled from 1-4 p.m. Tuesdays and Thursdays at the Pullman clinic.

People do not have to obtain a lab order from their physician before coming to be tested, according Judy Rayman, chief operating officer for Intercare.

“We are encouraging everyone to contact their primary care provider to get a lab order so their provider is aware of their health concerns, however, it is not required,” she said.

If people can't get a lab order or don't have a regular medical provider, Intercare staff will assess them and test them for Covid-19 if they meet testing criteria. People who don't have insurance will not be charged for testing.

The following people qualify to be tested:

• Individuals with mild symptoms (known or unknown exposure

• Critical infrastructure workers with symptoms

• Critical infrastructure workers without symptoms, but with known exposure to the virus

• First responders with symptoms

• Individuals living in long-term care facilities with mild symptoms

• Individuals living in communal living arrangements with mild symptoms

• Individuals over age 65 with symptoms

• Patients with underlying health conditions with symptoms

The following people would not be tested:

• Individuals without symptoms who are not reporting to work in-person

• Asymptomatic family members of health care workers with exposure to the virus

• Family members of a Covid-19 individual without symptoms

With Intercare opening a drive-through Covid-19 testing site in Van Buren County, Van Buren/Cass District Health Department officials anticipate the number of Covid-19 cases will rise.

“As we have seen across the state, when testing increases so do the number of positive cases.  With this in mind, we anticipate the same,” said Danielle Persky, director of health promotion for the health department. “However, until we understand what volume is coming through the Intercare drive-through testing site in Bangor, it's hard to say for certain.”

As of today (Monday), the health department reported 61 cases of the virus and 2 deaths in Van Buren County.

Allegan County, where Pullman is located, reported 113 cases and 2 deaths from the virus as of this morning.

Access to fabric face coverings increases in Van Buren and Cass counties

By TRIBUNE STAFF

HARTFORD — Organizations in Van Buren and Cass County are working together to increase access to homemade fabric face coverings for local residents, organizations and businesses to use during the Covid-19 pandemic.

In response to guidelines from the Centers for Disease Control and Gov. Gretchen Whitmer's stay-at-home order, organizations and community leaders in Van Buren and Cass counties have developed “Donate and Locate” lists to be shared with the community-at-large.

“County lists provide information about where residents can donate their homemade face coverings or locate masks for themselves, their loved ones, and/or employees,” said Danielle Persky, director of health promotion for the Van Buren/Cass District Health Department.

Locations will accept all pattern varieties of homemade fabric face coverings. 

“Face coverings should fit snugly but comfortably against the side of the face; be secured with ties or ear loops; include multiple layers of fabric; allow for breathing without restriction; and be able to be laundered and machine dried without damage or change to shape,” Persky said.

Whitmer's extended stay-at-home order, which lasts until at least May 15, stipulates that all Michigan residents must wear a face mask over their nose and mouth when in any enclosed public space. People can wear homemade masks, a scarf, bandana or handkerchief. All businesses and operations whose employees perform in-person work must provide at a minimum, non-medical-grade face coverings to their workers. Supplies of N95 masks and surgical masks should be reserved, for now, for health care professionals, first responders and other critical workers who interact with the public.

Homemade face coverings can be donated or found at the following locations in Van Buren and Cass counties:

Cass County

Cassopolis

• United Presbyterian Church, 209 E. State St. Masks can be dropped off from 9 a.m.-1 p.m., Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays. People are requested to call before arriving.

Van Buren County

Bangor

• Simpson United Methodist Church, 507 Joy St. Masks can be donated and picked up by the sign in front of the building.

Covert

• Van Buren United Civic Organization, 73292 34^th Ave. Masks can be donated and picked up from 9 a.m.-11 a.m., Tuesdays and Thursdays

• Covert Township Hall, 73943 Lake St. Masks can be donated and picked up from 9 a.m.-11 a.m., Mondays and Wednesdays

Paw Paw

• United Christian Services, 600 E. Michigan Avenue Annex, Suite 1. Masks can be donated and picked up from 9 a.m.-2 p.m., Mondays and Thursdays and from 12:30 p.m.-1 p.m., Saturdays.

South Haven

• First Congregational Church, 651 Phoenix St. Masks are available in a marked container by the main entrance on the east side of the building. Masks can also be donated.

For more information about the fabric face mask program, visit https://vbcassdhd.org. Volunteer sewists and businesses who want to request masks can visit the Michigan/Indiana Sew You Care Facebook site.







4.27.20

Michigan Department of Natural Resources forest health expert Heidi Frei shows Southwest Michigan Land Conservancy volunteers at Wau-Ke-Na Preserve, near Glenn, how to examine Eastern hemlock branches for Hemlock Woolly Adelgid, an invasive species that can destroy Hemlock trees.

Conservancy lands $375,000 national grant

Funds will be used to improve damaged forests in Southwest Michigan

By TRIBUNE STAFF

Southwest Michigan Land Conservancy, along with four regional groups have been selected to receive a $375,000 national grant to help improve damaged forests in Southwest Michigan.

The conservancy and other partners' project was one of 13 selected nationwide to receive funding from the Wildlife Conservation Society's Climate Adaptation Fund, which is supported by the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation.

The grant will enable the five Southwest Michigan groups to work together to improve the health of some of the region’s damaged forests, and employ a proactive approach to keeping them healthy into the future amidst the many challenges local forests face, including climate change, according to the conservancy's Stewardship Director Mitch Lettow.

The conservancy, Ottawa County Parks, The Nature Conservancy-Michigan, Chikaming Open Lands, and Shirley Heinze Land Trust are undertaking the $375,000 project to keep existing forests healthy and to plant new, resilient forests.

One of the forests the groups intend to address is at the conservancy's Wau-Ke-Na William Erby Smith Preserve, north of South Haven.

“Between the Emerald ash borer and heavy spring rains, this habitat has really taken a hit over the last decade or so,” Lettow said.

Over the course of two years the group plans to plant more than 40,000 trees at preserves and parks throughout West and Southwest Michigan and northern Indiana, using species and creating forest habitats that can better adapt to climate change and invasive species.

Over the next two years these partners intend to improve forest health and plant new forests across nature preserves and county parks spanning over 70 miles of latitude from northwest Indiana to the Grand River in West Michigan.

Across 14 different forested areas throughout this region, the group will take action to impact nearly 500 acres of forest by treating for invasive species, planting new forests and diversifying existing forests.

One of the invasive species that will be addressed is the Emerald ash borer that killed mature ash trees 60 feet or more in height at Wau-Ke-Na and throughout the state.

As a dominant tree in the preserve’s hardwood forests, losing ash trees dealt a devastating blow to over 50 acres at the site. Sunlight now floods to the ground in a previously shady understory.

“With the canopy dying back and more sunlight coming in, invasive plants are having a field day out there,” conservancy Stewardship Specialist Dave Brown said.

Emerald ash borer and invasive plants aren’t the only thorns in the sides of land managers throughout the region who are trying to keep our local forests healthy.

“In the past 200 years these forests have seen major impacts that have re-shuffled the ecosystem again and again, and each time some species can adapt to the changes, some have to move elsewhere, and others we lose,” Lettow said. With climate change as another challenge thrown in the mix, Lettow and Brown are also seeing intense spring rains nearly every year impacting many of the conservancy's preserves. Gradually changing hydrology is quietly affecting what tree species can thrive in Michigan’s forests with heavier spring rains.

“The key to creating healthy forests with climate change and forest pests will be selecting a diversity of the right species for the right place,” Lettow said.

The partners’ project area spans what ecologists call the “tension zone,” a region where northern tree species meet southern tree species and they blend together.

Any Michigander who has driven “up north” from the southern part of the state has experienced the tension zone as oaks and hickories start to give way to birches and pines. As summer temperatures become warmer and winters become milder, historically southern species like shagbark hickory are likely to do better here, while northern species like paper birch are likely to struggle and their range is likely to move further north.

At the Wau-Ke-Na Preserve, the conservancy is determining which species of planted trees may do best after invasive plants are treated in the struggling ash forests. Black gum and sycamore for example, are two tree species that like the wet conditions found at the preserve, and if planted could help to refill the open canopy over time

“I’ve seen these species a lot more in southern Michigan and northern Indiana, but at this point they’re pretty uncommon this far north,” Brown said. “If we plant them here now, not only could they handle the warmer summer temps here, but they may even thrive over time, and help keep invasives from taking over again.”

Ho-hum filings

Few surprises expected on the November ballot for VB county officials

By TRIBUNE STAFF

Most Van Buren County incumbent elected officials will face few if any challengers in the primary or general election.
None of the incumbent county officials face challenges. The only newcomer who has filed is Republican Susan Zuiderveen, who is seeking the prosecuting attorney’s seat, which will be vacated at the end of this year by Michael Bedford, who announced in 2019 he would not seek re-election.
All positions are four-year terms.
Sheriff: Daniel Abbott, R-Bangor (incumbent)
Clerk: Suzie Roehm, R-Decatur (incumbent)
Treasurer: Trisha Nesbitt, R-Lawton (incumbent)
Prosecutor: Susan Zuiderveen, R
Register of Deeds: Paul DeYoung, R-Paw Paw (incumbent)
Drain Commissioner: Joe Parman, R-Paw Paw (incumbent)
Surveyor: Donald Gilchrist, R-Gobles (incumbent)

All seven county commissioners are seeking re-election, and none faces a primary challenge. Three Republican incumbents are being challenged by Democrats in the general election.
District 1: Gail Patterson Gladney, D-South Haven (incumbent)
District 2: Kurt Doroh, R-Bangor (incumbent)
District 3
¦ Richard Godfrey, R-Bloomingdale (incumbent)
¦ John Wagner, D-Almena
Township
District 4
¦ Mike Chappell, R-Hartford (incumbent)
District 5
¦ Randall Peat, R-Paw Paw (incumbent)
¦ Edward R. Hellwege, D-Paw Paw
District 6
¦ Donald Hanson, R-Decatur (incumbent)
District 7
¦ Paul Schincariol, R-Mattawan (incumbent)
¦ David Goldenberg, D-Mattawan

4.20.20

As the coronavirus pandemic continues, Geneva Township resident Jon DeBruyn has been spending his stay-at-home time outside picking up trash alongside township roads. He’s on a mission to rid the area of trash, especially plastics. (Photo by Kim Ingalls)

Man on a mission

Geneva Township resident cleans up road sides, ditches, one bag at a time

By KIM INGALLS

For the Tribune

GENEVA TWP. — Jon DeBruyn may be staying at home these days like the rest of us during the coronavirus pandemic, but he’s not staying inside.

Most days, you can find DeBruyn walking along township roads, traipsing through muddy ditches to fill bag after bag of trash.

“With everything shut down, it’s a good way to get out and go for a walk,” he said. “I get about four trash bags every mile,” he said.

His goal is to keep the environment free of litter - especially plastics.

“I have been doing beaches and rivers for the past few years and because of the stay home order I've decided to go more local,” he explained. “My goal is to encourage people to do the same and encourage people in power to consider what is happening to the product after it's consumed; how and what does it break down into.”

Plastic pollution is a world-wide problem. More than 22 million pounds of plastic pollution end up in the Great Lakes every year, according to the Rochester Institute of Technology. And, it never really goes away. Instead, it just breaks down into smaller and smaller pieces known as “microplastics.” 

Across the Great Lakes region, plastic travels through local watersheds and from beaches into the lakes before flowing with currents downstream. Eventually, those tiny pieces of litter flow out to the ocean, and the Great Lakes plastic pollution adds to the global ocean plastic problem.  

Too help combat that, volunteers with the Alliance’s Adopt-a-Beach program participate in hundreds of beach cleanups across all five Great Lakes every year. The 15,000 volunteers hit the beach and remove about 18 tons of trash. More than 85 percent of the of the debris they pick up is made up of plastic.

DeBruyn said he gets upset about the dilemma, but rather than complain he decided to be proactive.

“It's something that I am capable of doing and I can make my own little difference. I’m going to go as long as the earth permits me too.”

DeBruyn spends about four hours a day, weather permitting, collecting the litter.

“It is enlightening to see someone take the initiative to keep busy,” said Geneva Township Supervisor Nancy Whaley. “I am positive that the people of Geneva thank him and are glad to see this.“

More importantly, DeBruyn hopes it will spark others to do the same.

“I would like to bring to light there are positive actions that can be taken to make a change and that plastics are breaking down and ending up in our water and food chain, he said.

South Haven teacher: History matters

Julie Sheppard honored for dedication to school district's history club students

Over the past decade, North Shore Elementary teacher Julie Sheppard has led students each year to the National History Day finals in Maryland. In March, she was recognized for her efforts by being nominated for a national award that recognizes educators who make a strong commitment to encouraging students to learn about history.
The National History Club organization nominated Sheppard for its highest honor — the Hannah E. MacGregor Teacher of the Year award.
Each of the 58 National History Day affiliates throughout the United States recommend one high school teacher for the award. Sheppard will represent the Michigan affiliate in the senior division. All nominees will receive a $500 cash award, while the two teachers chosen in June as Teacher of the Year in the junior and senior divisions will each be given $5,000.
“Teachers are among the greatest resources students have to develop the skills necessary to become critical thinkers,” said National History Day Executive Director Dr. Cathy Gorn in a news release. “The nominees for the MacGregor Award have shown a dedication to teaching that goes beyond the classroom. I congratulate Mrs. Sheppard on her well-deserved nomination.”
Sheppard has served as the History Club coach for the past 14 years. During that time period, club members have qualified for the state and national competitions  for 10 consecutive years.
When asked how she felt when hearing news of her nomination, Sheppard said, “I do a lot of volunteer work and other things without ever expecting recognition, so this really means a lot to me.”
Over the years, Sheppard has encouraged History Club members to not only conduct research online but to actually interview or visit the people and places showcased in the students' History Day entries.
This year, for instance, Sheppard accompanied South Haven High School student Tabitha Newberry to Detroit so she could learn more about her entry, "Motown: The Tempo Behind the Change.”
While there, Newberry visited the Motown Museum, Charles H. Wright Museum of African American History and Berry Gordy Jr. Boulevard. Gaining a personal perspective about Motown helped Newberry advance to the Michigan History Day competition after she earned first place at the regional level for senior individual documentary and an award for Best Use of Primary Sources.
Sheppard said she spends extra time with students and their projects because she thinks the study of history is important.
“I believe that, especially under current circumstances, the study of social studies and history is paramount. To better shape and lead the future we need to understand how things happened, learn to look at things non-judgmentally and from all perspectives, and understand how to look at sources of information.”
Students learn more than just history by being a part of the History Club, she went on to say.
“The students become informed citizens and better decision makers. They learn interview and writing skills, speaking skills in order to advocate for themselves and others, and especially, tolerance. We need to be culturally educated and globally connected. We learn from the past to better the future.”




4.13.20

Signs of support are pictured Thursday in the windows of Phoenix Street Cafe in downtown South Haven. The cafe is one of many restaurants closed to dining as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. (Herald-Palladium photo by Don Campbell)

South Haven's spring tourism season at a near standstill

By BECKY KARK

Editor and general manager

As the coronavirus pandemic continues to unfold, so does its economic toll on tourism towns like South Haven.

“I think we're going to be in for trying times,” said Jay Marcoux.

Marcoux and members of his family own three downtown restaurants — Phoenix Street Cafe, Julia's at the Pavilion and Kitchen 527; each catering to different palettes, and each one full, especially during the busy summer season.

Marcoux fears that may not be the case this summer, even if Michigan's stay-at-home order is lifted this month.

“Say we can open May 1. People will be gun shy for a month or two. And then you only have a month left to the season,” Marcoux said. “I'm worried.”

Marcoux may be optimistic about downtown returning to “business as usual” in May, but that may not be the case.

The annual South Haven Festival of Cars had been planned for June 13, but several weeks ago, organizers decided to cancel it, citing concerns about crowds of people being unable to retain social distancing.

South Haven Center for the Arts Members Show, scheduled to last through May 16^th remains a “virtual” online show at this point, while a bigger draw for visitors — marinas — are being impacted not by the pandemic necessarily, but by record-high water levels on Lake Michigan.

Latest figures compiled by the the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers show that for the first quarter of 2020, the lake level surpassed records set during the same time period in 1986.

This year's high water levels forced the City of South Haven to close its Northside Marina for the boating season in order to make upgrades to its dockside electrical system, which if left as is, could cause electrocution to boaters coming in contact with the water.

“Electric repairs were not scheduled for the Northside Municipal Marina this year,” Harbor Master Kate Hosier said in March when the city decided to close the marina. “However, due to the high water and severe storms this winter, staff had concerns regarding the electric system.”

Whether boaters will return to South Haven's other marinas for the summer season remains to be seen. Last year's near-record-high water levels on Lake Michigan and the city's harbor proved difficult enough for them, according to a survey the Harbor Commission took of Northside Marina boaters last fall.

“The surges and the high water levels coming in off the lake are a real challenge,” one boater commented. “I know you can’t control Mother Nature, but this is the hardest thing to manage within the marina.”

Another aspect of South Haven's tourism industry – lodging - is also being impacted by the coronavirus outbreak.

Bookings for vacation rentals, hotels and bed and breakfasts pick up significantly in March and April, according to Scott Reinert, executive director of the South Haven/Van Buren County Convention and Visitors Bureau.

Not this year, though.

“As you would expect due to the virus and the governor's executive order related to lodging, bookings for April and May have dropped dramatically,” Reinert said. “I'm anticipating a 90 percent drop in revenues for those two months.”

Reservations for the rest of the summer tourism season are also off.

“At this point, reservations for the summer are well behind previous years as I think more people are in a 'wait and see' mode,” Reinert continued to say.

Yet he remains optimistic for an uptick once the pandemic subsides.

“Being primarily a summer tourism destination, we are hopeful that we can recover in time for the major season — June through September,” Reinert said. “Almost 75 percent of tourism-related revenues are generated in those 4 months.  Recent research on traveler sentiment indicates that folks will be eager to travel again once we come through this crisis, and that many will opt to drive versus fly.  So our hope is that there will be pent-up demand in time to support the summer season.”