6.19.17

And they're off

Youngsters take the lead during the opening lap of Van Buren West Relay for Life at Bangor High School, June 10. Approximately 280 people participated in the two-day event and raised $33,000 for the American Cancer Society. (Photo by Kelly Weber)

6.12.17

From left: Van Buren County Commissioner Gail Patterson, Honor Credit Union staff Chris Jacobs, Courtney Waechter, Dustin Nehls and Dave Martin, contractor Craig Moore and South Haven Mayor Bob Burr take part in a ceremonial ground breaking for the new Honor Credit Union in South Haven.

New Honor Credit Union will give members perks they've wanted for years

By BECKY KARK

Editor and general manager

By the end of the year, South Haven Honor Credit Union members will get two things they've wanted for a long time — a branch office that offers drive-through service and a drive-up ATM.

Those two amenities are part of the credit union's new facility at 72113 Phoenix Road (across from Sherman Dairy Bar).

Company officials broke ground for the new 2,500-square-foot building Thursday. The branch office will be situated on five ares of land that was once home to the former Church of the Nazarene.

“This will give us a whole new opportunity to serve our members and the community,” said Courtney Waechter, South Haven branch manager. “We'll be excited to be in by the end of the year.”

The new facility, to be constructed by contractor E.C. Moore of Berrien County, will have an “open, homey feel,” said Chris Jacobs, vice president of retail delivery for Honor Credit Union. And best of all, he went on to say, it will have drive-thru lanes, a drive-up ATM lane and a night deposit box — amenities customers haven't been able to access at the current South Haven location at 749 Phillips St.

Honor has conducted business at the Phillips Street office for 26 years, but the building and site isn't large enough to allow for drive-through service.

“It wasn't originally designed as a bank,” said Megan Hendrix, vice president of retail operations. “I believe it was a doctor or dentist's office at first, and it's in the middle of a residential neighborhood.”

By contrast, the new office on Phoenix Street is along a commercial strip and will be more accessible for members and in a better location.

“The visibility is great,” Hendrix said.

Honor Credit Union officials plan to open the new South Haven branch sometime in December.

The current facility is being sold and will be redeveloped as a residential home.

“It's a good way to keep it (the neighborhood) residential,” Hendrix said, “a win-win for everyone.”

6.5.17

Marcella Merriman of Bangor is shown with several of the many quilts she has created over the year for family and friends. (Photo by Kelly Weber)

Piece by piece

Bangor woman's love for her family wrapped up in quilts

By KIM INGALLS

For the Tribune

BANGOR — When Marcella Merriman retired about 25 years ago and moved to Florida, she had two goals - learn to quilt and have a 90th birthday party.

She did learn to quilt and, this month she achieved her second goal when family and friends gathered to celebrate her 90th birthday with a special theme - quilts.

“She’s been planning this party for 25 some years,” laughs her daughter Mary Stocchiero. “Every time she gave a quilt away, she would tell the person, ‘Here’s your ticket to my 90th birthday party.'”

The Bangor Elevator, where her party was held, was brimming from top to bottom with her colorful baby quilts and table toppers, symbols of Merriman's love and friendship for others. Her projects hung from rafters, were on tables, displayed on quilt racks and strung across temporary clotheslines. 

“There were about 70 to 75 pieces there,” said Mary. “Not all were full-size quilts. We had 12 tables that had things like table runners and Christmas skirts on them. I think she’s made about 100 pieces total.”

Throughout Merriman's golden years, she’s created quilts for her four children, seven grandchildren, 25 great-grandchildren, and other family members and friends.

“I found a thank you card from her mailman in Florida,” said Stocchiero. “I wish I had a clue who he was. I would have liked him to know that we followed through with her 90th birthday party.”

Sewing has always been something Merriman has done all her life. Growing up, Stocchiero remembers her mom was never far from a needle.

“She’s always been a seamstress,” Stocchiero said. 

Just about any occasion resulted in a handmade piece from Merriman. Weddings, milestone birthdays, births and special occasions were all highlighted by a gift.

“When my husband turned 50, she made him an apple quilt,” said Stocchiero, who is part of Stocchiero Farms, east of Bangor. 

Luckily, at 90, the birthday gal’s eyesight and health are still good enough to continue making her gifts. After her husband, Les, passed away, Merriman moved back to Bangor and has no plans to quit what she loves doing.

“She is still ambulatory, takes no medication and only has one doctor appointment once a year” said her daughter, “and that’s only because I want her to have a doctor.”

Two arrested for taking computer devices from home

BREEDSVILLE — A 17-year-old Bangor area man and a juvenile face criminal charges after they were caught stealing items from a residence in the village.

Robert Dellin Taylor was arraigned last week in Seventh District Court for 2^nd Degree Home Invasion, according to a news release from Van Buren County Sheriff's Department. The juvenile's name is not being released.

The incident began shortly after noon on May 25 when deputies received a 911 call about a home invasion in progress on E. Main Street.

As deputies got to the scene, the caller told them two suspects had fled into a heavily wooded area.

Deputies established a perimeter and Van Buren County K9 was called to the scene. A K9 track was started where the suspects were last seen entering the woods. After a short track, both suspects were located and taken into custody. They had taken a PlayStation and computer games, as well as some other items from the home. All the stolen property was found and returned to its owners.



5.30.17

This architectural rendering shows a proposed mixed-use commerccial development to bebuilt on the site of the former Save-a-Lot store, 237 Broadway, South Haven.

Development pitched for Save-a-Lot property

By BECKY KARK

Editor and general manager

A proposed three-story retail-apartment complex in South Haven could be inching closer to reality after South Haven Planning Commission voted Thursday to recommend rezoning of a two-block stretch of Broadway.

After a public hearing, Thursday, planners voted 6-3 in favor of rezoning seven commercial properties from B2 – General Business to Central Business District. Their recommendation will now go to the city council for its consideration.

The two blocks are on the east side of Broadway, between Phoenix and Conger streets, according to city documents. Currently, the two blocks are home to such businesses as Vineyard restaurant, Lakeshore Paint, Fifth-Third Bank and Shoppes on Broadway.

The impetus for changing the rezoning revolves somewhat on the difficulties the city has had in attracting a business owner to redevelop the former Save-a-Lot property at 237 Broadway. The store has been closed for three years and two previous development proposals fell through, partially due to the restrictions of the B2 zoning.

The city now has a proposal from South Haven developer Randy Lokker and 616 Properties of Grand Rapids to redevelop the former Save-a-Lot property into an 11,000-square-foot, three-story complex that will contain retail space on the first floor and 30 apartment units on the second and third floors.

But city staff said they have been considering changing the zoning of the two blocks of Broadway for several years.

“There are benefits to the rezoning of this area,” City Planner and Zoning Administrator Jenna Levin wrote in a memo to the planning commission.

For one thing, the zoning on the west side of Broadway is already zoned CBD.

“This (rezoning) will benefit the city by allowing redevelopment of properties which my become vacant as well as allowing flexibility to current business owners by making it easier for them to expand their businesses. It also provides space for more downtown dwelling units,” Levin said.

Right now, developers who want to build commercial ventures in B2 zoning are limited to two-story building heights. They have to provide building setbacks and ensure onsite parking for retail businesses.

The CBD zoning allows for buildings up to 3.5 stories; and does not require front building setbacks, nor onsite parking for retail establishments. It also has less stringent parking space requirements for dwelling units.

During Thursday's public hearing, several people spoke for and against the rezoning.

Ben Stegman, who owns an office building next to Shoppes on Broadway, is in favor of the rezoning. “Central Business District zoning would be much better for us. It opens up a broader use of the property we own.”

Fred Taylor, an attorney representing Shoppes on Broadway, however, said his client is concerned that the proposed development won't have enough parking spaces and its apartment residents and retail customers will end up using the Shoppes on Broadway parking spots.

Kent Johnson, who lives at 627 Church St., said the B2 zoning is fine the way it is and that the B2 zoning allows for a buffer between commercial and residential buildings due to setback and parking requirements.

“Keep B2 in place,” he said. “There are many other commercial properties for sale in the current CBD district.”

Paul VandenBosch, who is running for mayor, echoed Johnson's sentiments. “The B2 district is designed as a buffer between heavy commercial and residential,” he said.

Several planning commissioners also expressed concerns about retaining a buffer between commercial and residential uses and making sure that commercial developments provide adequate parking.

“No setbacks is a concern to me,” said Janice Varney. “If there's no buffer zone, I would like to see this zoning have setbacks.”

Clark Gruber and Bill Fries, however, stated that rezoning the two blocks of Broadway could pave the way for economic development for the city.

“I see this as a positive expansion to bring more opportunities in,” said Gruber, though he admitted the parking issue needs further examination.

If the city council chooses to approve the rezoning of two blocks of Broadway, the proposed three-story mixed-use development of the former Save-A-Lot property will still have to jump through several other hoops. Planners will have to approve a site plan and will also have to approve a special land-use permit because apartments are being proposed as part of the development.

Leave it to beaver

Drain commission worries about beavers moving into Black River watershed

By KIM INGALLS

For the Tribune

When Bangor Township resident Julee Sallaz saw the wet and exhausted man walking up her driveway, she didn’t know what to expect.

Had he been in an accident? Was he intending to do something illegal?

To her surprise, he came to tell her about a beaver dam.

“ The dogs were going crazy, ” she remembers. “He had his arms up in the air like he was surrendering. I just wanted to help him. He had boots on and a safety jacket on. I knew he worked for someone.”

He did.  

”His card stated that he was an engineer and chief deputy from the Van Buren County Drain Office,” recalls Sallaz. “He said he had followed a two-track to the house and was asking if I was the property owner.”

Peter Van Dop had just walked a mile up the county drain that runs from School Section Lake to Merriman Lake. He came to tell her some bad news.

“He told me that we had a beaver dam in the drain which we call the creek and that 36th Avenue was underwater,” she said. “He said it was the first beaver dam that he had found on the Black River Watershed and now he had a big problem.”

Once in high demand for their fur, the U.S. beaver population has gone through periods of boom and bust, being wiped out in many regions of the country in the 1700s and 1800s, but surging back since the 1940s.

There are no precise figures on the number of beavers in the state. The Department of Natural Resources (DNR) reported from survey data that trappers captured 12,179 beavers in 2013.

The largest gnawing rodents in North America, beavers are powerful swimmers that can swim underwater for up to 15 minutes. As the beaver dips underwater, the nose and ears shut to keep water out. Transparent inner eyelids also close over each eye to help the beaver see.

Known for their engineering skills, they create massive log, branch and mud structures that block steams and turn fields and forests into large ponds practically overnight.

“Their dam had flooded about 10 acres,” said Sallaz. “Peter opened up the dam and let some of the water through. When I went back to check it the next day, they had rebuilt it.”

Beavers are getting to be pretty common throughout the state. Van Buren County’s population has been on the rise according to Maria Albright, Wildlife Technician at the Allegan State Game Area.

“The population has been on the upswing the last couple of years,” she said. “We don’t really have a sure method to count them, but they are fairly common and are all over southwest Michigan.”

The number of calls her office receives about the industrious, determined rodents is one way they know there’s plenty of activity.

“We get regular calls from people complaining about them damaging trees in their yard, making lake levels high and docks underwater,” she said.

Van Buren County Drain Commissioner Joe Parman says the rodents are becoming more and more of a problem for his office.

“Last year was actually the first time they moved into the Black River Watershed,” he explained. “We had 49 trapped last year in the Paw Paw River. The largest one was a 70-pound male, and the largest dam was about four foot by 150 foot.”

Not only is the population growing and causing more problems, the cost for trapping beavers is increasing, according to Parman. Pelts used to be worth more, but because the market for them has declined, they are not worth trapping any more.

Michigan does have a November to March trapping season. Albright said the department will issue a permit to destroy the animal out of season if it is causing structural or road damage, but they don’t really like to do that.

“We are hesitant to give out weasel control permits,” she admits. “Killing them is only a temporary reprieve. If there is a vacant habitat, others will move right back in. We’d rather work with people to control them.”

Unfortunately, Sallaz’s beavers might have to be destroyed.

“Peter said beavers had been on the Paw Paw River for some time, but he was concerned because now they were on the Black River and a risk to every drain,” she said. “A trapper was supposed to come out and trap the beavers and unfortunately, destroy them because they are considered a nuisance.”

Sallaz doesn’t know if the trapper has made it out there yet, but one thing is for sure - she knows a lot more about beavers.

“I thought this was an interesting experience because I had no idea that there were beavers this far south needless to say in my backyard,” she said.”Now we know what to look for on our property to keep the watershed open and flowing.”



5.22.17

Spectators line up along Huron Street in 2016 to watch the South Haven Fourth of July Parade. This year, the downtown portion of the parade route will return to Phoenix Street.

Back on main street

South Haven's 4th of July parade route returns to Phoenix Street

By TRIBUNE STAFF

The ayes have it.

South Haven's Fourth of July Parade will once again be seen on downtown's main street.

After a one-year hiatus, South Haven City Council members voted, Monday, to reroute the popular parade to Phoenix Street, in the heart of the city's central business district.

The request to do so came from the parade committee, which asked the city council to reconsider Phoenix Street due to merchant concerns after the 2016 parade.

“In August of 2016 downtown merchants submitted a petition to the city requesting the parade return to Phoenix Street,” said Becky Kark, editor of the South Haven Tribune, which is sponsoring the parade along with the Herald-Palladium, and South Haven Rotary and Kiwanis clubs. “We surveyed merchants again in March of this year and the vast majority still want the route to include Phoenix Street.”

Council members apparently agreed. They voted unanimously, Monday, to have the parade roll along main street.

The rerouting of city parades began in 2015, due to safety concerns over the narrowness of Phoenix Street. The street contains several flower islands at intersections as well as a traffic island in the middle of the road, which divides traffic in a fashion similar to a roundabout.

The first parade to be diverted to Huron Street, two blocks away from Phoenix, was the National Blueberry Festival parade in August of 2015.

“It is a wider street and there are less concerns about pedestrian problems,” City Manager Brian Dissette said, referring to concerns that arise when parade entrants throw candy and children run into the roadway to pick it up.

Due to few complaints voiced about the change in the Blueberry Festival parade route, it was decided to reroute the Fourth of July Parade in 2016, as well. But the merchants didn't like it.

Within a month they submitted their petition to the city. And they reiterated their sentiments in March.

“It makes the holiday so much more fun,” said Roxanne Leder, owner of Decadent Dogs. “I think the public likes being downtown for the parade. It jut fits small-town America.”

Another downtown merchant, Jan Haglund, owner of Janny's Beach House, also wanted the parade to return to Phoenix Street, but said she understands concerns about public safety.

“The security of the entire festival is a huge concern regardless of location.,” she said.

The Fourth of July committee is addressing concerns about pedestrian and crowd safety by telling entrants on the application sheets that they cannot throw candy, but need to pass it out to children. The committee also plans to have its volunteers ensure that parade watchers stay on sidewalks and not venture into the roadway.

State suspends SH doctor's license

By BECKY KARK

Editor and general manager

A South Haven physician, who came under fire in April for conducting liposuction in an unlicensed medical facility, now faces more problems.

State officials announced Tuesday Dr. Bradley Bastow's osteopathic physician's license has been suspended. An investigation conducted by State Attorney General Bill Schuette's office and the Michigan Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs revealed a number of health violations that occurred at Bastow's Body Laser Sculpting Medical Spa in Glenn, including:

• Bastow performed liposuction procedures in unsanitary conditions in an unfinished pole barn

• Medical waste was improperly stored and disposed

• Improper comingling of human and animal drugs occurred;

• Controlled substances were not properly dispensed by a licensed physician

• Bastow took the controlled substance, Tramadol, from the facility for personal use

“Our investigation found that Dr. Bastow’s conduct was negligent, incompetent and lacked good moral character,” said state Licensing and Regulatory Affairs Director Shelly Edgerton. “Our top priority is the health and safety of Michiganders, and the dangerous and deplorable conditions of Dr. Bastow’s facility warranted an immediate suspension of his medical license.”

The investigation unfolded in April after paramedics were called to the clinic in response to a patient experiencing medical problems during a liposuction procedure.

The patient, whose name is not being released by state officials, went to Body Laser Sculpting Medical Spa on April 20 for liposuction. The procedure to remove the patient's unwanted fat began at 11 a.m. and lasted until about 9 p.m., according to the state Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs complaint.

During the procedure, one of Bastow's staff members, who is not a licensed health provider, assisted Bastow and began administering shots of the pain killer Demorol to the patient.

As the procedure continued, the patient and her mother, who was allowed to be present during the procedure, said Bastow poured the human fat down a sink drain rather than properly disposing of it in a biohazard storage container or through a sterile sewage system. They also claimed he stored some of the fat in baggies that were then put in a clear plastic container without a lid and with no biohazard markings.

As the liposuction continued, the patient's family members became concerned because she appeared to be drowsy and going in and out of consciousness. So they called for an ambulance.

 Bastow's problems with local and state licensing officials began well before April 20.

For nearly two years, Bastow has operated his medical clinic in an unfinished pole barn on 114^th Avenue near the the heart of downtown Glenn. Township zoning and code enforcement officials repeatedly asked him to properly upgrade the building to meet code as a medical facility, and not conduct medical procedures until receiving a building occupancy license.

Township board members ended up filing a complaint in 37^th Circuit Court and in June of 2016, the court ordered Bastow to bring his Glenn facility up to code within 30 days.

But, local and state officials say Bastow kept running his medical practice even though it did not meet code requirements.

On May 10, two days before Bastow's license was suspended, he admitted to a health department inspector that he had been taking Tramadol from the facility for personal use.



5.15.17

Dorothy Holmes (left) and Dorothy Karaus of the Cozy Quilters Club work on a quilt that will be donated to Beacon Specialized Living Services.

Making life cozy for others

Meijer recognizes quilt club's contributions to the mental health community

By BECKY KARK

Editor and general manager

When Dayla McMullen shopped around for an organization to donate her club's handmade quilts to she didn't want to settle on just any group.

“I called a few groups but I didn't get the right vibes,” she recalled. She then called several agencies, including Beacon Specialized Living Services, that provide foster care homes for mentally challenged adults.

“They said, 'nobody does anything for us,' and I thought 'Bingo,'” McMullen said.

But she only had one stipulation. “They (the agencies) asked if we wanted them to keep the quilt if a resident left, and I said, 'No. Those quilts belong to them personally,” McMullen said.

To date, the Cozy Quilters Club at Peace Lutheran Church in South Haven, has made and donated more than 600 quilts to adult foster care agencies in Van Buren and Berrien counties, since first forming in 2009. The club focuses mainly on providing quilts for Beacon Specialized Living Services, which has homes throughout Van Buren County.

Every Monday, the group of eight women meet at Peace Church to make their patchwork quilts.

“Everybody in this group has a job and they know exactly what they need to do,” McMullen said.

The material for the colorful quilts comes mainly from donations, however, the group has to purchase supplies from time to time.

That's why a $200 gift card the quilters received recently from Meijer will come in handy. Jacqueline Churchill, director of the Meijer store in South Haven, visited the group this past Monday to formally give them the money.

“We were happy to oblige,” Churchill told McMullen, who applied for the grant. “Your group does a very beautiful job.”

Members of the Cozy Quilters include McMullen, Norma Calhoun, Dorothy Holmes, Belle Polmanteer, Sara Goss, Diana Johnson, Dorothy Karaus and Nadine Stacks.



5.7.17

Wally Dow reads one of the 100 or so cards and letters honoring him for serving in the Korean War. Dow and other veterans received the letters while flying aboard the Talons Out Honor Flight, April 28. Each veteran's family was asked to gather letters from friends and family to give to the veterans as a reminder of the "mail calls" they experienced while in the service. Dow's daughter, Sandy Haga, gathered letters and cards for her dad.

Honored and humbled

Korean War veteran joins others vets in Talons Out Honor Filght

By BECKY KARK

Editor and general manager

The Korean War is often referred to as America's “Forgotten War.”

South Haven Army veteran Wally Dow has spent years trying to forget the bloody conflict, himself.

“I never talk about it,” said Dow, a retired builder and plasterer who now is 86.

He kept his memories suppressed until his daughter Sandy Haga, encouraged him to travel to Washington D.C. in April as part of the Southwest Michigan Talons Out Honor Flight, which transports World War II and Korean War veterans to the nation's capital to visit war memorials and other landmarks.

There, along with 85 other veterans from Michigan, Dow and his daughter toured Washington D.C., where they stopped at the World War II monument, the Washington monument, the Korean War memorial and finally, Arlington Cemetery and the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier.

“There's 400,000 graves there,” Dow said. ”Of that number, there's 128,000 Korean War vets buried there. That got to me.”

Dow was 20 years old and living in Decatur when he got his draft notice in the mail.

“There was only two out of our graduating class that went to Korea,” he recalled. “I was ready to go.”

Dow went into the U.S. Army and landed in Korea in 1951, where he encountered bloody warfare. After several months he ended up wounded several times and was transported to Okinawa, Japan to recover.

“I got my leg broke in combat,” he said. Dow didn't recall the name of the battle he took part in but said it was near the Changjin (Chosin) Reservoir. “That's where I got clobbered,” Dow went on to say looking down at notes he had written to help him recollect his year serving in Korea.

“There's a lot of stuff I didn't write down,” he admitted, In fact, he never even told his wife, Joan, about being injured in the war.

“I've never heard him talk about that,” said Joan, who married Dow several years after he was honorably discharged from the Army.

Dow said he doesn't like to talk about his service in the Korean War because of the shooting encounters that soldiers dealt with each day.

“It's hard to shoot someone. You're taught as a Christian not to kill,” he said. “You think, 'I'm probably going to hell now.' (But) war is war.”

When Dow was selected for the Talons Out Honor Flight he was quite humbled, while his daughter, Sandy Haga, was amazed at the honorary treatment the veterans received.

“He was given the royal treatment,” Haga said. Veterans received a cap, jacket and other souvenirs, meals and free tours of Washington D.C. and war monuments. And everywhere they went, they were saluted by other members of the military.

The biggest surprise, though, awaited Dow when he and his daughter returned to the Kalamazoo-Battle Creek airport after their whirlwind, one-day trip.

“When we landed in Kalamazoo he thought it was over,” Haga said. “We had been up 20-some hours and he wanted to go home.”

But she wanted her dad to make one more stop — this one at Kalamazoo Christian Middle School, where the Talons Out organization arranged for a welcoming ceremony for the veterans.

“Military people were there to greet us,” Haga said. “The fire department did a water canon salute. It seemed like there were hundreds of people there to shake our hands.”

Dow enjoyed shaking hands with youngsters.

“The little kids would give me a high-five,” he said, laughing.

But after he got home from his trip to D.C., all the pomp and circumstance left Dow thoughtful, even sad.

“We sent all those soldiers to Korea. We have to remember those that died,” he said.

5.1.17

Voters to decide millage proposals, Tuesday

By TRIBUNE STAFF

Voters in South Haven and South Haven Township will head to the polls, Tuesday, May 2, to decide whether to pay for a $2.3 million renovation of South Haven Memorial Library, while Bangor voters will be asked to OK a parks millage and elect city council members.

South Haven Memorial Library proposal

The library board is seeking a 40-year, .25 millage request to proceed with a $2.3 million project to expand and modernize the library, 314 Broadway St.

The library's district includes the City of South Haven and South Haven Township. If the proposal passes, it would generate approximately $143,000 the first year. People with homes valued at $150,000 would pay $18.75 annually, while people with homes valued at $100,000 would pay $12.50 a year.

“The current library facilities have served the community faithfully for going on 60 years, with the last major renovation project taking place in 1989,” said Library Director Jim France.

Improvements would include making the entrance to the library handicap accessible, upgrading the heating and cooling systems, 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.

Bangor parks proposal

When Bangor city voters head to the polls, May 2, they'll be asked to vote on whether to approve a 5-year, .35-millage proposal to upgrade the city's parks.

If approved, the average homeowner in Bangor would pay $20 annually in taxes.

“Since we no longer pay the small millage to the South Haven Hospital Authority, we're asking the public to continue to pay that amount as a dedicated park millage,” City Manager Regina Hoover said. “We know that it's hard to pay increased taxes, so this will hopefully be no hardship since we are asking for pretty much the same amount they were used to paying.”

If the millage proposal is OK'd by voters, it would raise about $9,000, annually, for the parks system.

“It isn't a fortune, but would certainly help,” Hoover said. “All of the parks need improvement.”

One of the city's biggest park priorities is the placement of security cameras at Lions Park and Donald S. Mora Ballpark.

Bangor City Council candidates

Three incumbent city council candidates are running uncontested in the May 2 election. Geno Aleman, who was appointed last year to replace Jim Tanner, who died, will be seeking a partial-term that ends in May of 2020, while Dan Fry and Harold Bator will be seeking the two three-year term seats.

County leaders make the case for jail, court upgrades

By ROD SMITH

For the Tribune

PAW PAW — Van Buren County's 1901 courthouse doesn't meet the needs of the 21st Century. Plus it has bats.

"It's a beautiful museum but it doesn't function well as a courthouse," county commission Chair Richard Godfrey said. “It is unsafe. For our visitors, for our employees because prisoners travel through the public hallways and stairways."

On Tuesday, May 2, the county is asking voters to approve 0.7-mill for 20 years to build a jail addition, construct a building to consolidate the Paw Paw-based courts, and renovate both the Annex Building and the Administration and Land Services Building across the street from the courthouse. The proposed project is expected to run $32 million.

A mill is one dollar of tax per $1,000 of taxable valuation of a property. The tax on a property with a taxable valuation of $50,000 would run $35, annually. If passed, the levy is expected to raise $2,030,000 in 2017.

The decision to renovate the jail and county courthouse began five years ago, according to Godfrey, when employees were asked what concerns they had with county government. "The Number One issue was facilities," Godfrey said.

The historic courthouse needs work done on the heating, air conditioning and the lighting systems. The roof has had temporary repairs to prevent leaks and from the tiles coming off and possibly hitting someone. "We still have bats," Godfrey said. They live in the attic. They can sometimes be seen swarming over the building.

And new state requirements for a public defenders office have prompted the need for more court space. Because of that law, Berrien County had to hire and house 12 to 14 attorneys. "We have to have a whole new office complex," Godfrey said.

Putting all the Paw Paw-based courts in one 60,000-square-foot building will save money in security, according to Godfrey. The South Haven courthouse will remain where it is.

The new court facility in Paw Paw will be southwest of the historic courthouse in the courthouse square. Building it necessitates tearing down the old sheriff's residence and jail.

Another security concern is that jail inmates being taken to court have to be moved through the current courthouse's hallways. Commissioner Richard Freestone commented at a recent commission meeting, "Nobody can deny there isn't a safety issue."

Inmates waiting for court hearings would be separated from the public with the new jail addition.

The Administration and Land Services building periodically has water coming in through the basement floor, according to Godfrey. County Administrator Douglas Cultra said water comes up the elevator shaft, which is right now being handled by a sump pump.

There'll also be new windows and replacement of some of the HVAC units. "They want to address some ADA (Americans with Disabilities Act) deficiencies," Cultra said.

The Annex Building will be renovated under the plan and there will be a "modest renovation of the courthouse," Cultra said.

The historic courthouse will still be used for ceremonial purposes and for county courthouse staff.

Godfrey said the new jail addition will help the county comply with state inmate intake laws, reconfiguring things to make it easier for corrections officers to keep tabs on them and requiring fewer officers.

It will also provide more bed space, according to Cultra. "We are going to remove inmates from the old sheriffs quarters," Cultra said. That's the building that decades ago sheriffs and their families lived in.

The jail renovations will be the first phase of the project. In February the county building authority awarded a $5.317 million bid from Miller-Davis Company of Kalamazoo as the contractor.

That plan includes 10,000 square feet of new construction and 8,800 square feet of renovations, including site work, roof replacement and fixtures.

One jail addition would go on the north end of the jail for booking, housing, a day room, medical, offices and storage. An east addition would be for a jail receiving building and kitchen.

The sheriff's office and jail complex is west of the main courthouse and fronts South Kalamazoo Street (M-40) in Paw Paw. The former sheriff's residence is at the south end. The buildings take up the entire 200-block of the east side of the street.



4.25.17

John Trudell (right) shakes hands with Covert Township firefighters and police during the April 18 township board meeting.

Lifesavers honored

Covert firefighters, police credited for saving woman's life

By TRIBUNE STAFF

COVERT TWP. — Firefighters and police officers often do their jobs with little fanfare or recognition.

On Tuesday, that protocol changed briefly for a group of seven first responders received public recognition for saving a Covert Township woman's life.

During the Covert Township Board meeting, Fire Chief Doug Myers presented Life Safety Pins to captains Vince Virsik and Lonzey Taylor, paramedic Jed Wild, firefighters Jacqui Zurwalski and Miguel Llerena, Covert Police Officer Felix Torres, and central dispatch officer Alvin Miles.

While Myers handed out the pins, John Trudell — the husband of the woman who almost died — shook the police and firefighters' hands.

It was early morning, Dec. 30, 2016 that firefighters were dispatched to the home of John and Tana Trudell. Tana had gone into cardiac arrest.

When the first responders arrived they found Tana laying on the floor of her home, not breathing and without a distinguishable heartbeat.

“Thanks to the quick response, heroic efforts and grace of God, (they) were able to revive Mrs Trudell through a combination of CPR, defibrillation and the proper administration of life-saving drugs,” Myers said. After transport to the hospital for further medical treatment, Tana was released a short time later to be with her husband.

“This is not only a testament to a high level of training and professionalism, but also to the type of people that make up Covert Township Fire and Police departments, along with Van Buren County Dispatch, who complete the team,” Myers said.

This architectural drawing shows what the South Haven Memorial Library would look like when it is expanded and renovated.

Library renovation plan on May ballot

By BECKY KARK

Editor and general manager

South Haven Memorial Library staff and board members are keeping their fingers crossed hoping voters will approve a .25 millage request, Tuesday, May 2.

If voters do so, the library will be able to proceed with a $2.3 million project to expand and modernize the library at 314 Broadway St.

The library's district includes the City of South Haven and South Haven Township. If the 40-year millage proposal passes, it would generate approximately $143,000 in the first year. People with homes valued at $150,000 would pay $18.75 annually, while people with homes valued at $100,000 would pay $12.50, a year.

“The current library facilities have served the community faithfully for going on 60 years, with the last major renovation project taking place in 1989,” Library Director Jim France said. “As time has passed deficiencies in the current building have become apparent, and in seeking to continue to serve the community to the best of our ability we are requesting help in making needed improvements and updates.”

Improvements would include making the entrance to the library handicap accessible, upgrading the heating and cooling systems, 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 by library staff.

Library officials have spent the past several months conducting meetings to inform the public about the proposed renovation and expansion project. The next meeting is scheduled at 6:30 p.m., Thursday, April 27 in the library's community room.

Library officials are hopeful the millage will pass.

“From feedback, I do know that there is support for the millage, as well as from the yard signs people have displayed in their yards,” France said.

 

4.17.17

Bangor Easter Egg hunt

Youngsters and their families took part in the annual Bangor Lions Club Easter Egg Hunt, Saturday, at Bangor High School football field. The weather cooperated for the event, with sunny skies and temperatures in the 70s.

City OKs raises for

South Haven police

By BECKY KARK

Editor and general manager

South Haven police officers will soon receive a pay increase, but they'll also contribute more money into their pension funds.

City council members, Monday, approved a new four-year contract with the police department's 13 patrol officers and four sergeants.

The employees, who are unionized through the Police Officer's Labor Council, ratified the contract last month. Now that the council has OK'd it, the pact will go into effect July 1, replacing the current agreement, which expires June 30.

During the first and second year of the contract, wages for union officers will go up by 3.25 percent and increase to 3.5 percent during the third and fourth year. This fiscal year, the city plans to spend $995,914 for police union wages. During 2020, the final year of the four-year contract, that amount will increase to $1,135,036.

The boost in pay is higher, percentage wise, than what the city has negotiated with other employee unions, City Manager Brian Dissette admitted, but at first glance the figures can be misleading.

“The wage increase they'll be receiving is higher than other (city) employee contracts, however, those increases will be offset by the pension agreement,” Dissette said.

Currently, police officer and sergeants pay 5.5 percent into their pension fund – a lower percentage than other employee groups.

That will change for police over the course of the four-year contract. This year, they'll contribute 5.5 percent to their pensions. In 2018 contributions will go up to 6 percent; 7 percent in 2019 and finally 8 percent in 2020.

“We wanted to get similar contributions for similar (employee) groups,” Dissette said.

Other provisions of the contract follow:

• Full-time employees will be eligible for vision insurance starting July 1. Employees will pay 20 percent of the annual premium.

• Martin Luther King Jr. Day is now a recognized holiday for police union members, bringing the number of annual paid holidays to 11.

• The city will provide cell phones for use during business hours.

County board to whittle down list of administrator applicants

By ROD SMITH

For the Tribune

PAW PAW — Van Buren County commissioners are proceeding with their search for a new county administrator to take the place of Douglas Cultra, who will retire at the end of this month.

Commissioners have set a special meeting to begin sifting through the applications they have received and assessing the candidates.

That meeting is set for 4 p.m. Tuesday, April 18.

"We have received 14 applications," Commissioner Don Hanson told fellow commissioners during Tuesday's meeting. He and Commissioner Gail Patterson-Gladney and Vice-chair Michael Toth have devised six questions that they will ask the applicants to answer by the April 18 meeting.

All of the questions revolve around candidates' experience as a county administrator or deputy administrator, along with their involvement with labor negotiations, arbitration and budgeting with elected officials.

"These are things that county administrators do," Hanson said.

At next week's meeting the answers will be tabulated and commissioners will come up with a list of three to five finalists. Those finalists will be publicly interviewed at a special meeting set for 1 p.m. Monday, May 5.

Cultra, 66, will be retiring effective April 31.

Cultra became Van Buren County's first county administrator in 1967 after being Lapeer County's first administrator. He's also Van Buren's fifth county administrator. He left in 1995 to run a business with his wife, Mary, but came back in 2006 to succeed John Faul. Cultra has been administrator a total of 19 years.

The county's other administrators have been Judith Peterson and Calvin Teague.

In other matters, commissioners decided to seek a grant for new voting equipment at all polling stations in the county.

County Clerk Suzie Roehm said the equipment should be in use in next November's election.

The county should be receiving $313,676 in state funds and from the federal Help America Vote Act. Each precinct will be getting new equipment and must chip in $750 apiece to help cover expenses. "We have 33 voting precincts," Roehm said.

Roehm said the program has been in effect for several years and is basically allowing municipalities to replace old equipment.

In other matters, commissioners agreed to contract with low-bidder Compton Inc., of South Haven, to grade pathways in the North Point Land Preserve. Price is $2,185. According to a memorandum from Cultra, Compton will grade 164 cubic yards of soil and sand.

The grading, according to Cultra, "will define the walking and vehicle trails as well as planting areas" on the Syndicate Park Dune, which is both within the land preserve and the Syndicate Park development to the north.

The county is embarking on stabilizing the dune, which has moved 400 feet eastward since 1938 and has flattened some homes and is threatening others. The number of trails is being reduced to two, down from about 30 informal ones.

One trail will allow off-road vehicles, the other will be for foot traffic only. Future work will include plantings and fencing.

The land preserve borders Van Buren State Park on its north boundary.



4.10.17

Dan Ballock, owner of the new South Haven Brewpub, is shown standing behind the bar.

Crafting a career

paramedic turns in his gear to open South Hvaen's first brewpub

By KIM INGALLS

For the Tribune

It seems like brew pubs are popping up in towns all throughout Michigan, except South Haven.

But that became a thing of the past in March when South Haven Brewpub opened its doors, making history as the city's first brewery.

Located in the lower level of Old Harbor Village, the microbrewery is a dream come true for owner Daniel Ballock, who was a Bronson Medical Hospital ER nurse and paramedic before getting involved in the craft brew industry.

“I actually applied for medical school,” Ballock said. But another career possibility – creating craft brews — kept nagging at him. “I was turning 30 and thought  ‘It’s now or never.  I’m not married. I don’t have any kids. Here’s my last chance.'”

With hammer in hand, and the help of long-time friend and former paramedic Tim Owen, the two gutted Ballock’s basement and first started brewing beer at home. 

That was three and a half years ago. But, the two friends went one step further.

“We decided we wanted to open a brewery,” Ballock said.

A frequent visitor to South Haven, Ballock learned several years ago that York’s Landing was for sale.  In December 2015, he opened  Ballock’s Bar and Grill in the former York’s location in Old Harbor Village.

But something was missing. “It just wasn’t everything we wanted,” he said about the eatery. “We wanted to brew beer.”

After waiting close to a year to get approval from the state to brew and sell beer, Ballock's dream finally came true. He closed down Ballock’s and reopened it as South Haven Brewpub.

The brewpub offers eight hand-crafted beers on tap, a variety of Shandys made with their beers, a large selection of spirits, wine, domestic, and craft beers, and a full menu filled with hand-tossed pizza, half-pound Angus beef burgers, perch dinners, sandwiches and wraps.

Some of the speciality brews include Toes in the Sand Citrus Irish Pale Ale, Trilla’ In Vanilla Porter and Trails End - a traditional English Strong Bitter. 

Starting this month, South Haven Brewpub will be open 7 days a week.

State agency hosts hearing about Palisades

By BECKY KARK

For the Herald-Palladium

LAWRENCE — Van Buren County residents will get the chance to tell state officials how they feel about the proposed closure of Palisades Nuclear Power Plant when the Michigan Public Services Commission hosts two upcoming public meetings.

The two meetings are scheduled Monday, May 8 at the Van Buren Conference Center, 490 S. Paw Paw St., in Lawrence, according to Judy Palnau, media and public information director for the MPSC. The first meeting is scheduled from 3-5 p.m., while the second will take place from 6-8 p.m.

At the meetings, MPSC staff members will discuss its role, the timeline and administrative process to that it will follow in dealing with Consumers Energy Company's plan for early termination of its power purchase agreement with Entergy Corp., owner of the Palisades Plant. The MPSC will also allow public comment.

All three MPSC commissioners will participate and an administrative law judge will preside at the public meeting. Subsequently, a transcript of the public meeting will be filed.

Palnau said it is somewhat unusual for the MPSC to convene a public meeting outside of Lansing, but commissioners want to be sure to hear from Van Buren County residents.

“The commission wants public input as the case is still pending,” Palnau said.

The “case” involves Consumers Energy's request in 2016 to prematurely terminate its agreement to buy electrical energy from Palisades. If the request is approved by the MPSC, Palisades' owner, Entergy Corp. plans to close down the aging facility in Covert Township in October of 2018. Because the original pact between Entergy and Consumers wasn't supposed to end until 2022, the MPSC's approval will be needed.

Palisades, which employs 600 workers, pays approximately $10.5 million annually in taxes, making it not only the largest taxpayer in Covert Township, but the largest one in Van Buren County.

The company and its employees also have taken an active role in helping communities in Van Buren County. In 2013, the company reported that Palisades and its workers provided approximately $325,000 in charitable contributions, annually, to the community.

Van Buren County Board of Commissioners and the Michigan House of Representatives passed resolutions opposing the early termination of Consumers pact with Entergy.

In the meantime, the MPSC has held several hearings regarding the pact but has not yet rendered a decision. “I look forward to this public meeting and hearing from residents near the Palisades plant,” MPSC Chair Sally Talberg stated in a previous news release. “This meeting will be an essential part of our process to evaluate the issues.”



4.3.17

State agency plans meetings in VB County to gain input on proposed Palisades closing

By BECKY KARK

Editor and general manager

Van Buren County residents will get the chance to tell state officials how they feel about the proposed closure of Palisades Nuclear Power Plant when the Michigan Public Services Commission hosts public meetings in May.

The commission, Tuesday, directed the agency's executive secretary to begin setting up public meetings in Van Buren County, according to Judy Palnau, media and public information specialist for the MPSC. Dates, times and locations have not yet been finalized, however.

Palnau said it is somewhat unusual for the MPSC to convene a public meeting outside of Lansing, but commissioners want to be sure to hear from Van Buren County residents.

“The commission wants public input as the case is still pending,” Palnau said.

The “case” involves Consumers Energy's request in 2016 to prematurely terminate its agreement to buy electrical energy from Palisades. If the request is approved by the MPSC, Palisades' owner, Entergy Corp. plans to close down the aging facility in Covert Township in October of 2018. Because the original pact between Entergy and Consumers wasn't supposed to end until 2022, the MPSC's approval will be needed.

Palisades, which employs 600 workers, pays approximately $10.5 million annually in taxes, making it not only the largest taxpayer in Covert Township, but the largest one in Van Buren County.

The company and its employees also have taken an active role in helping communities in Van Buren County. In 2013, the company reported that Palisades and its workers provided approximately $325,000 in charitable contributions, annually, to the community.

Van Buren County Board of Commissioners and the Michigan House of Representatives passed resolutions opposing the early termination of Consumers pact with Entergy.

In the meantime, the MPSC has held several hearings regarding the pact but has not yet rendered a decision. “I look forward to this public meeting and hearing from residents near the Palisades plant,” MPSC Chair Sally Talberg stated in a news release. “This meeting will be an essential part of our process to evaluate the issues.”

SH, Covert officials try to reassure Latino families

By BECKY KARK

Editor and general manager

As President Donald Trump continues to lobby for tougher laws to control illegal immigrants from entering the United States, ones who are already here worry about facing deportation.

And it's not just immigrants living in Detroit or Ann Arbor. Concern is being raised by immigrants in small towns like South Haven and Covert, where police and other officials are trying to quell people's fears.

Natalie Thompson, police chief of South Haven, stated that her department has received questions from several people whether officers will step up immigration enforcement.

“There is fear that officers may begin attempts to verify immigration status or become proactively involved in investigations of this nature,” Thompson said in a news release. “The bottom line is, when we respond to calls for service, or initiate a traffic stop, we are not interested in immigration status...South Haven police officers enforce state statute and local ordinances and do not have the authority to investigate, enforce or request charges on immigration violations. Changes in federal enforcement will not change the way we conduct our duties.”

Michigan State Police is taking the same stance.

In February, Col. Kriste Etue, director of the Michigan State Police, issued a statement saying in part, “The Michigan State Police has a longstanding department policy of not detaining individuals solely on the basis that they may be in the United States illegally, and new federal immigration enforcement policies are not expected to impact this policy.”

However, there is one catch. If a trooper suspects a person has entered the United States illegally, they are supposed to cooperate with and notify federal immigration officials, who then determine if further action will be taken.

caveats such as that worry illegal immigrants, their families and friends.

“I am very afraid for my parents,” an 18-year-old high school senior from Covert said in an interview earlier this month. The young woman's parents are considered illegal aliens, however, her three brothers and herself were born in America and are U.S. citizens.

“When my parents got married, my dad said to my mom his dream was for his children to do better than him,” the young woman said. “They worked their way up from minimum wage jobs. They've given us every necessity possible.”

The young woman's two older brothers now attend Western Michigan University, majoring in engineering. After she graduates, she plans to attend Western next year and hopes to become speech language pathologist. But she worries about her youngest brother, who is 14.

“We are afraid for him if something were to happen to our parents,” she said.

The young woman isn't the only one from Covert who is worried for family members.

Latinos comprise 56 percent of Covert Public School District's student population, according to Superintendent Bobbi Morehead. Although she estimates that the majority of students are citizens or legal immigrants, the district is reassuring parents that action will not be taken by the school district to have illegal aliens deported.

“A child's immigration status or that of their parents has no bearing at school,” Covert Public Schools officials stated in a fact sheet given to parents earlier this month. “Children have a constitutional right to have equal access to education regardless of their immigration status or their parents' status.” Furthermore, the district stated that it does not ask for students' immigration status when they enroll. Even if district officials became aware of a student's lack of immigration status, they would not share that information with the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services.

To strengthen their policy, the Covert Board of Education went one step further on March 13 and

passed a resolution backing up the district's administrative policies regarding immigration. The resolution states in part: Covert Public Schools will remain a safe and welcoming place for all students and families regardless of immigration status...The district will continue to support and adhere to the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement policy that restricts enforcement actions by ICE officers and agents in or around schools, and reminds district employees that they shall not assist immigration enforcement efforts in or around school unless legally required and authorized to do so by the superintendent.”



3.27.17

Photo by Kim Ingalls

Work started in February on replacing the Breedsville bridge that collapsed in 2015 after a heavy truck went over it. The $1.4 million project is expected to be completed by August.

Breedsville bridge replacement underway

By KIM INGALLS

For the Tribune

BREEDSVILLE — Work has started on the replacement of the Breedsville bridge.

The bridge, which was built in 1969, has been closed since December 2015 when it collapsed.

It is the only entrance from the south into the village.

According to village president Rich Newberry, work began on Feb. 27.  Work is expected to be completed by Aug. 1.

“It’s only a little behind due to a few wrinkles with Consumers’ gas main,” he said.

The issue has been resolved and work has resumed.

The $1.4 million project calls for a new bridge that’s longer in length, a single span, and a new sidewalk on one side.

The old bridge had two spans with a center pier. 

Bangor school official outlines actions taken against staff members involved in video incidents

By BECKY KARK

Editor and general manager

BANGOR — If Bangor residents wonder how the school district initially dealt with six staff members caught on video tape making inappropriate comments about teachers and students at a local bar, they found out Monday.

District residents who attended the Bangor Board of Education meeting on Monday, also found out the names of two teachers who resigned over the incident once it went viral on the internet in February.

During Monday's meeting, school board members formally accepted the resignations of Stephen Smith, high school history teacher, and Brittany Park, a high school chemistry instructor. Another person involved in the incident, Administrative Secretary Patti Waite, also has resigned. Board members accepted her resignation in February, the day the video went viral on YouTube.

The two teachers, secretary and three other instructors came under fire after a person, who has remained anonymous, video taped them Friday, Jan. 13, playing a drinking game where they named people they wanted to marry, have sex with or kill.

“The names of three students were unfortunately and inexcusably raised but fortunately not discussed as part of the game,” district Chief Operating Officer Dennis Paquette, said in a written statement during Monday's school board meeting. “We are disheartened by the inappropriate actions of a few that has made a negative impact on our community.”

School board members and district administrators came under fire in February by local residents, privy to the video, who felt nothing had been done to discipline the staff members involved in the incident.

The day of Feb. 13, the video went viral. That evening the school board held its monthly meeting and dealt with angry district residents, many of whom believed students had been named as part of the drinking game.

Attorney Robert Huber told the audience the district investigated the matter and at the end of January and determined the students' names were not used in the drinking game. However, district administrators suspended Waite for five days without pay; issued written reprimands to two of the teachers (Smith and Park); and delivered oral reprimands to the four remaining teachers who were not actively involved in the game.

One day after the school board meeting, Smith resigned. Park also resigned the same day after a student video taped her putting duct tape around another pupil's arms and chest during a class she was teaching. The student was not injured but said he felt embarrassed by the situation, according to Bangor Police Chief Tommy Simpson.

Both the duct taping and drinking game incidents were investigated by Bangor Police Department and reviewed by the prosecutor's office but no charges were brought against the staff members.

Even though Bangor school district administrators have disciplined staff members over the incidents, a group of Bangor parents, led by a Facebook group called “Vikings Against the Bangor PS School Board,” is encouraging people to sign an online petition calling for the removal of the school board and Paquette.

The petition concerned several people at Monday's meeting, including one student who was quoted on WWMT-TV as saying, “You cannot be a Viking if you're against the schools.”

School board members, though, don't want the dissension to continue. Rather, they want the community to work together for a better school district.

“When these incident hit the news, I heard a lot of anger. I heard a lot of demands,” school board member Derek Babcock said in a written statement. “The anger and the concerns raised were valid. I am hopeful that all those that are standing up now can commit to healing and improvement as we move forward. We work hard and advocate, even when there are no news cameras. I am hopeful that the spark of anger can light a fire of involvement.”
Babcock went on to say the school district is working with the Van Buren Intermediate School District staff to provide training that will focus on harassment, discrimination and gender equality. The school board also plans to form a “Better Community Action Committee,” comprised of board members, teachers, students and local residents, to discuss concerns about the school district.



3.20.17

Photo by Kim Ingalls

Unlike many other maple syrup producers, Ridley Family Sugar Farm owners Rachel and Brian are having a good maple sugaring season despite the stretch of warm weather in February. The couple works 14 to 16 hours a day trying to keep up with the sap flow.

Sweet smell of syrup

Odd winter weather fails to stop the flow of sap at Ridley Family Sugar Farm

By KIM INGALLS

For the Tribune

Some of Michigan's maple syrup producers are collecting less sap this year due to a warmer-than-normal winter, but that’s not the case at the Ridley Family Sugar Farm in Casco Township. There, owners Rachel and Brian Ridley are working long hours trying to keep up with the sap flow.

“We were shocked to hear that,” said Rachel Ridley regarding news of a difficult harvest. “This season has been one of our best so far, but every one is different.”

Considered as youngsters in the maple sugar industry, the Ridleys are first-generation producers who have made maple sugar production a family affair. The couple's idea of operating a sugar farm began as something to do in their spare time, but it soon turned into a full-time endeavor.

“We started about five to six years ago,” explained Rachel. “It started as an idea for a hobby. We tossed it around a lot. We are very, very fortunate to live in this area. The neighbors are all exceptional.”

When sugaring season begins, the Ridleys waste no time getting started. Buckets have to be sanitized, new taps ordered, firewood collected, trees tapped, and sap collected. Long hours are then spent boiling sap into syrup.

“When we started, we made about 35 to 40 gallons of syrup,” Brian said. “If we make 400 to 500 gallons this year, we will be happy with that.”

Sugaring is not for the weak. Not long ago, Brian came up with a vacuum system for his truck that he can drive right into their parcel of tapped maple trees. Unlike those first years, gathering sap is a bit easier now.

“We had to manhandle every single bucket at every tree when we first started,” Rachel said. “Now we have 11,000 buckets and can take the pump truck right into the woods.”

Well before Michigan was admitted to the Union, Native Americans were tapping maple trees and boiling down the clear liquid sap into a sweet syrup. Today, maple sugaring remains Michigan’s oldest agricultural industry. It’s also one of its most temperamental.

“Far as I’m concerned the death of maple season is bacteria,” said Brian. “Bacteria grows when it gets warm. It’s crucial that it has to freeze at night. When the weatherman says there’s going to be no more freezes, we’re done.”

Controlling the bacteria that grows in taps is important, the Ridleys say. Galvanized taps were the standard back in the day. Today’s taps are clear plastic, more flexible and thinner. 

“We spend about $400 each year on new taps,” Brian said.  “Many of the old timers think we’re silly kids wasting money on new taps but you can’t completely get rid of a colony of bacteria so we replace them. There’s lots of reasons to use the new ones.”

Planning is also the key to success. Every January, the Ridleys start working on their equipment preparing for a new sugar season.

“You have to think ahead of the game,” Rachel said. “The difference is you have to get out early. That’s what’s worked for us.”

Along with producing maple syrup, the Ridleys make other varieties such as apple cider, pear and black walnut. These varieties, Rachel said, are often used by breweries for making speciality wines or in one case, a meat shop which uses syrups to flavor meats. 

Another speciality syrup the Ridleys produce is made from sorghum. Sorghum syrup is a popular Southern sweetener that is not often encountered in the North.

“We plant about an acre of sorghum,” Brian said. “You get an awful lot of syrup off of one acre.”

South Haven school chief a finalist for Allendale job

By BECKY KARK

Editor and general manager

After serving five years as superintendent of South Haven Public Schools, Bob Herrera may be moving on to lead a different school district.

Herrera has been named one of six finalists vying for the superintendent's job at Allendale Public Schools in Ottawa County. The winner will replace Dr. Dan Jonker, who is retiring in July, according to a news release posted Tuesday on the Allendale school district's website.

The other five finalists for the job are Garth Cooper, superintendent of Pewamo-Westphalia Community Schools; Randall Fleenor, superintendent of Lakewood Public Schools; Scott Merkel, assistant superintendent of Grandville Public Schools; and Daniel Remenap, principal of Allendale High School.

The six finalists were whittled down from a list of 44 applicants who initially showed interest in the job.

“Allendale Public Schools received a very good number of applications for the superintendent position,” consultant Denny Patzer of the Michigan Association of School Boards, said.. “The board has a strong pool of candidates to make a (final) selection from.”

Allendale Board of Education members now plan to host public interviews Monday-Wednesday, March 20-22. Herrera's interview will be Wednesday.

In an interview Wednesday, Herrera acknowldged that he does intend to go through with the finalist interviews in Allendale, but said he still remains committed as superintendent for South Haven Public Schools.

“I'm very proud and feel proud to represent this school district,” Herrera said. “We've made great strides over the past several years,” he continued to say, referring to the school district's passage of a bond issue to make significant improvements to the high school and other school district buildings.

However, he said when he was chosen as South Haven's school chief in 2012, he made it clear to the school board that he would consider other employment opportunities in the future; that South Haven would not necessarily be the last school district he would choose to be employed to lead.

“I've been here 5 years, It's a perfect time for me to consider other options,” he said. “I have two kids in college, this position (in Allendale) would pay significantly more than what I'm being paid now. I don't expect the South Haven school board to give me an increase in pay. It's a hard decision to make.”

Herrera's selection as a finalist for the Allendale job marks the second time in less than a year that he has been chosen as one of the contenders to lead a school district in Michigan.

In June of 2016, Lenawee Intermediate School District's Board of Education named Herrera one of two finalists for the school chief's job, there. However, several days after being interviewed, Herrera withdrew saying he had become concerned about the Lenawee ISD board's vision for district-level leadership. He also said his family had a strong desire to remain in Southwest Michigan.

Herrera is no stranger to Lenawee County, located in southeastern Michigan. Before coming to South Haven, he had served as the assistant superintendent for the Lenawee ISD, and as superintendent of Onsted Community Schools.

Prior to that he served as principal at Ross Beatty Junior/Senior High School in Cassopolis, and was then promoted to director of instructional services for Cassopolis Public Schools. He began his education career at Watervliet Schools in 1986, where he taught secondary-level science for seven years.

In addition to his superintendent duties at South Haven Public Schools, Herrera serves as an adjunct professor at Concordia University. He has done so since 2011.





3.13.17

North Beach improvements begin

Work has begun in earnest on a $1 million project to improve North Beach and Monroe Park subdivision streets in South Haven. In the photo, above, workers from Milbocker & Sons Inc. stack water mains near North Beach, to replace old ones that are in disrepair. Milbocker & Sons Inc. is also in the process of tearing up concrete on Lakeshore Drive, which fronts the beach. The road will be replaced and new water mains installed. The project also includes new walkways, playground improvements, accessibility improvements and paved access to the North Pier for emergency responders. The North Beach and Monroe Park subdivision street paving projects are expected to be completed a week prior to Memorial Day weekend. (Photo by Tom Renner)

LMC purchases under fire

College says that trustees acted within institutional policies

By TONY WITTKOWSKI

HP Staff Writer

BENTON TOWNSHIP — Former Lake Michigan College president Jennifer Spielvogel’s lawyer says the community college violated its ethics policy by paying more than $212,000 over the past five years to a trustee’s business.

Brad Glazier, Spielvogel’s lawyer, said documents showing then-Board Chairwoman Mary Jo Tomasini’s design company was being paid by the college for merchandising services came to light through his work on a lawsuit between LMC and its former president.

According to a document outlining the purchases between LMC and Competitive Edge, the $212,000 in charges included merchandise such as jewelry, pens, golf towels, wine and beer glasses, shirts and jackets. Competitive Edge is a promotional products supplier based in Stevensville.

The document includes the dates in which these items were ordered, which ran from Jan. 6, 2011 to Aug. 17, 2016. While Tomasini remains a trustee, she served as board chairman for part of the five-year period.

“I would like to see the board comply with their own policies. It’s important for a public institution to be transparent, and I don’t think they are being transparent with the purchase of these products,” Glazier said in a phone interview Friday. “It’s troubling to us because the policy states trustees can’t do business with the college, unless it is made public and is approved by the board.”

Glazier said he asked several trustees during a deposition for Spielvogel’s lawsuit against the college – including Tomasini, Chairman Michael Lindley and trustees Paul Bergan and Debra Johnson – and was told they had not voted on the purchases at a board meeting, and they were not made public.

However, LMC released a statement saying trustees have acted within the institution’s policies and procedures as they are not involved in “day-to-day purchasing decisions at the college.”

The statement said the role of each trustee is to approve the annual budget and not individual line items – such as promotional material.

“Ms. Tomasini has never misused her role at the college as an unpaid volunteer trustee,” the statement read. “In fact, she does not direct or participate in any transactions between Lake Michigan College and Competitive Edge. As a college alumni, she and her firm have made almost $130,000 in donated personal and professional contributions. In addition, Competitive Edge frequently provides promotional items to the college at wholesale cost or through a donation.”

The college’s Purchasing Department is responsible for purchasing functions and are given the expectation of “upholding the ethical practices of the purchasing profession.”

According to LMC’s statement, the college has done business with Competitive Edge since 1993. When Tomasini became a trustee in 2009, LMC officials said she fully disclosed her business.

LMC said it buys promotional products through more than 25 vendors.

These promotional items are used for student recruitment, promotion of academic programs, student life activities, community outreach, athletics, employee recognitions and donor relations.

In a letter to the editor submitted to The Herald-Palladium, which was published Friday, Lincoln Township resident Enid Goldstein called attention to the potential conflict of interest. Goldstein was told of the purchases from Glazier, who offered documentation to support his find.

Goldstein has been critical of LMC and its board for the handling of Spielvogel’s termination last spring.

Spielvogel was suspended a few months after taking the position for various reasons offered at a just cause hearing in May. Chief among those reasons were Spielvogel’s spending habits, as the board cited more than $20,000 in unapproved expenses. After the just cause hearing, where Spielvogel argued she was not at fault, trustees voted to have her removed as president.

Spielvogel has since brought a wrongful termination lawsuit against LMC, which remains ongoing.

“The chief allegation against my client (Spielvogel) is that she spent money inappropriately. But in order to prove the termination was for just cause, the employer had to show a policy was violated,” Glazier said. “The board clearly violated a policy and allowed the board chair to sell products to the university. They were not applying their policies even-handedly.”

In Friday’s news release, LMC officials said there was more to Spielvogel’s dismissal than her unanticipated expenditures.

“Ms. Spielvogel was dismissed from Lake Michigan College for many reasons beyond inappropriate spending,” the statement read. “Several concerns arose related to her job performance, including violations of policies, creating a hostile work environment, inappropriate comments to and about employees, college volunteers and community members, ignoring specific directions from the board and overall concerns related to management of the college.”



3.6.17

Community mourns loss of Bangor woman

By BECKY KARK

Editor and general manager

BANGOR — The community of Bangor is mourning the loss of 47-year-old Tiffany Glidden, who died after her vehicle collided with a train, Wednesday, near Breedsville. Glidden's 14-year-old son, Sammy Glidden-Fry, who was a passenger in the SUV, was seriously injured and is listed in stable condition at Bronson Methodist Hospital in Kalamazoo.

"Tiffany had a heart of gold and a smile that lit up a room,” said Jennifer Carpio-Zeller, former mayor of Bangor and a friend of Glidden. “This community's heart is breaking for the entire family."

“They're a quality family,” said Bangor Public Schools Superintendent Deb Pobuda, referring to Glidden her husband, Eric Ott, and their blended family. The couple had been married for less than a year.

Tiffany grew up in the Bangor community where her parents, Terry and Corky Glidden, served as teachers before retiring.

As a substitute teacher herself, Tiffany had become a familiar face to students and staff at Bangor Public Schools. Her son, Sammy, an eighth grader at Bangor Middle School, had recently won awards in the school's annual spelling bee and the Michigan Band and Orchestra Association's annual solo and ensemble competition. He's also very active in school sports.

“Our district is deeply saddened by the accident involving members of our Viking community,” Pobuda went on to say. “Our thoughts and prayers go out to the Glidden family at this time.”

To help students and staff deal with the tragedy, Bangor Schools asked the Van Buren Crisis Management Team as well as counselors from throughout the county to come to the school district Thursday to provide support to students and staff members affected by news of the accident. Counselors will be on hand today, as well, according to Pobuda.

The accident involving Glidden and her son occurred shortly before 4 p.m., Wednesday, at the CSX railroad crossing at 16th Avenue, west of County Road 215.

According to Sheriff Daniel Abbott, Glidden was heading east on 16th Avenue and did not yield for the train at the intersection. The CSX coal train, which was heading south at approximately 40 miles per hour, struck the driver's side door of the SUV and knocked the vehicle approximately 50 yards where it then landed into a ditch.

Deputies, who investigated the crash, say the train intersection had warning signs 100-150 yards before the crossing along with the yield sign. However, the crossing did not have drop arms or red flashing lights to signal when a train is coming.

'Court in the Crosshairs' topic of lecture

The Speakers Series of South Haven kicks off its 2017 schedule on Tuesday, March 14 when Dr. David Ryden, a nationally recognized authority on the Presidency and the United States Supreme Court, addresses how President Trump’s nominee, if confirmed, will influence the Court.   Future cases involving hotly contested constitutional issues such as abortion, religious liberty, affirmative action, transgender rights, immigration, the reach of executive power and others could be impacted by this closely watched decision.

“We are pleased to begin the 2017 schedule with such an important and timely topic presented by a person with Dr. Ryden’s credentials” said Tom Renner, one of the Speakers Series charter board members who recommended and recruited Professor Ryden to speak in South Haven.

The death of Associate Justice Antonin Scalia and the question about who would replace him became a significant issue in the presidential election and continues to spark strong reactions on both sides of the aisle.

The confirmation hearings for the nominee, Judge Neil Gorsuch, will begin on March 20, a week following Ryden’s presentation on the Court’s future in the “political crosshairs”.

Ryden, Professor of Political Science and chair of the department at Hope College, has authored several books and articles on constitutional and political issues including “The Supreme Court and Electoral College”.  His works on the Presidency and Supreme Court have been cited in national media outlets including newspapers, magazines and television networks.

The presentation will be at Lake Michigan College's South Haven campus, 125 Veterans Blvd. A pre-presentation reception with the speaker will begin at 6:45 p.m. followed by the speech at 7:30 p.m. Admission is $10 at the door including the reception.  Students are admitted free.

The Speakers Series will host the second presentation of 2017 on March 30 when nationally recognized higher education specialist, Dr. Jean Norris, will address the audience on the challenges families face in making decisions about whether a college education is really worth the investment.



School chiefs nix balanced calendar idea

By BECKY KARK

Editor and general manager

It appears the school calendar for students in Van Buren County will remain the same – at least for now.

For the past several months, public schools within the Van Buren Intermediate School District have been considering whether to switch to a “balanced calendar” starting with the 2018-19 school year.

If it had been approved by all of the local school districts, — Bangor, Bloomingdale, Covert, Decatur, Gobles, Hartford, Lawrence, Lawton, Mattawan, Paw Paw, South Haven and Wood School — students would enter classrooms in mid-August rather than the day after Labor Day in September. They then would get one week of vacation in mid-October; two weeks of vacation for Christmas break; another one-week vacation toward the end of February, two weeks off for spring break at the end of March and beginning of April and finish the school year the second week of June.

But, when school leaders canvassed the public and teachers about it in January, the idea wasn't well received, according to Jeff Mills, intermediate school district superintendent.

“Some districts were getting mixed results based on surveys and conversations,” he said.

So this past month, the ISD's Superintendent Council chose not to proceed with the balanced school year concept.

Several parents who commented on South Haven Public Schools' Facebook site were glad about the decision.

“Those of us who farm would have a difficult time replacing all the teen employees if this were to occur,” Beth Crawford Bocock posted. “We already struggle when school starts after Labor Day. This would have destroyed us. Also, all the businesses downtown rely on teen employees through the summer as well.”

Amber Hulsey also was pleased the balanced calendar proposal won't be implemented in the 2018-19 school year. “Glad to hear,” she posted. “I'm already contemplating homeschooling and if this would have been a year round school that would make my decision final and there would be five less students going to South Haven schools.”

Another South Haven parent, Jeffrey Dick, said he wasn't surprised the proposal died, but thought it offered some benefits for students.

“My disappointment is that it appears nothing changes and I believe we need to make changes. Hope some more conversations take place,” he posted on Facebook.

Some changes to the school calendar may take place, according to Mills.

“We decided as a group to still look at ways to address summer learning loss, breaks throughout the year for students and teachers,”' he said. “So, we are still moving forward, however, we will focus on individual areas and see what we can do as a group to address each specific area.”

The ISD's Superintendent Council considered switching to a balanced school calendar because of studies that show students suffer learning loss over the traditional three-month summer break, resulting in teachers spending the first month of school reviewing what pupils studied the previous year.

A common finding across numerous studies is that on average, students score lower on the standardized tests at the end of the summer than they do at the beginning of summer on the same test. Summer loss for all students is estimated to be equal to about one month, according to information compiled by the ISD.

Bob Herrera, superintendent of South Haven Public Schools, acknowledged that learning loss over summer break is a concern, but he doesn't think the “balanced calendar” proposed by the ISD would solve the problem.

“From my perspective, I think it is important to note that simply reducing summer break alone will not ensure the academic success of all our students,” Herrera said.

Other superintendents agreed.

“From a strictly academic standpoint I believe the 45/15 day calendar is better educationally,” said Hartford Public Schools Superintendent Andrew Hubbard in a previous interview, referring to schools that are in session 45 days and then have a 15-day break throughout the year.

However, like Mills and other school chiefs in the ISD's Superintendents Council, Herrera said he is open to other ideas to improve students' academic achievement levels, even if it ultimately means a different school calendar.

“If there comes a time when we may need to significantly alter the school calendar to support student learning, I can assure our school community it will be for clear and specific reasons that are directly tied to programming and instructional practices,” Herrera said.

2.27.17

Workers from Strain Electric install ne underground conduit for new traffic signal lights and poles at the intersection of Broadway and Phoenix streets in South Haven. When they finish the project, lights will be attached to black steel masts, rather than overhanging cables.

Upgrading the Loop

MDOT mulls improvements along M-43 corridor; New traffic signals on the way

By BECKY KARK

Editor and general manager

Thanks to a mild winter, a state agency may have extra funds to make two badly needed repairs along the M-43 corridor in South Haven.

This spring the Michigan Department of Transportation hopes to replace two 300-foot sections of concrete on Phillips Street and S. Bailey Avenue, according to South Haven City Manager Brian Dissette.

“They're (MDOT) indicating they'll be doing concrete replacements,” Dissette said.

The two sections are located along curves in the road near South Haven Family Dentistry and Dr. Verne Ticknor's dentist office.

The project has not yet been approved by MDOT, however.

“Our maintenance crews are planning to do some concrete repairs in those locations, but it is not guaranteed work at this point,” said Nick Schirippa, a spokesperson for MDOT.

Many motorists have complained about the condition of the M-43 corridor leading to downtown South Haven, but just when a complete replacement of the concrete road will take place is unknown at this point, according to Dissette.

“They (MDOT) are exploring some additional improvements,” he said.

In 2016, MDOT spent $750,000 to replace portions of concrete on Phoenix Street, Broadway and LaGrange streets (commonly referred to as the Business Loop of Interstate 196).

“I think if they were to do something, it would be similar to that,” said Dissette, who met with MDOT officials several weeks ago to discuss the condition of the M-43 corridor.

In other street and traffic-related news, the replacement of the Black River bridge on Blue Star Highway could occur sooner than originally anticipated.

“It's a month to a month-and-a-half ahead of schedule,” Dissette said. Replacement of the bridge began this past fall and wasn't expected to be completed until June 30 of this year. However, if the weather continues to be mild, the work could be finished by the middle or end of May.

Closer to town, MDOT is overseeing replacement of traffic signals at the intersection of Broadway and Phoenix Street and at LaGrange and Aylworth avenues.

Strain Electric began work at the Broadway-Phoenix Street intersection earlier this month and are in the process of installing new foundations and placing new underground electrical conduits for both traffic signals.

“I anticipate the work will be complete by the end of May at the latest,” said city engineer Larry Halberstadt. “The new signals must be placed in operation before the exiting signals are removed.”

The signals are being upgraded to meet modern design standards and because the existing signals are at the end of their service life, Halberstadt went on to say.

The traffic signals and poles will look similar to ones that are located downtown at the intersections of Kalamazoo and Phoenix Street and Center and Phoenix Street.

MDOT will pay for installation of the new signals, while the city will spend $196,000 for enhancements that will include powder coating of the poles, black housings for the pedestrian signals, powder coating of the steel mast arms that support the traffic signals and installation of illuminated street name signs.

North Beach ready for a facelift

Street paving to begin in historic Monroe Park subdivision, as well

By BECKY KARK

Editor and general manager

More than $1 million worth of street and landscaping improvements are on the fast track for the city's North Beach and the historic Monroe Park subdivision.

South Haven City Council members, this past Monday, awarded a contract to Milbocker & Sons of Allegan to undertake $753,000 worth of upgrades to North Beach and also awarded a $278,000 contract to Compton Inc. of South Haven to repave streets in the adjoining Monroe Park subdivision.

Work on the two projects is expected to be completed by Memorial Day, according to City Manager Brian Dissette.

“This is something we've been working on for several years,” Dissette said regarding the two projects.

North Beach improvements include reconstruction of Lakeshore Drive (which fronts the beach); new sidewalks, new handicap accessible access to the beach from the parking areas, upgraded lighting, new crosswalks, and a paved connector leading from Lakeshore Drive to the North Pier.

Part of the cost for the North Beach upgrades will be offset by a $300,000 grant the city was approved for in 2016 by the Michigan Department of Natural Resources.

While work gets underway at North Beach, Compton will begin resurfacing the streets in Monroe Park. Several of the streets in the subdivision have not been resurfaced in a couple of decades, according to Dissette. “We did Avery Street (leading to North Beach) in the summer of 2006,” he said. “That is the last piece of paving work we've done in the subdivision in a long time.”

In other news, the city council voted in raise sewer rates 9.5 percent each year through 2021. Before doing so, the council held a public hearing, but no one voiced a comment. However, later in the meeting, a woman, Sharon Forbes, who came in late to the meeting, said she thinks the city is charging residents too much for sewer services.

“I think it is totally unfair,” she said.

City officials said earlier the funds are needed to help offset a $21.8 million project the city has undertaken to replace sanitary sewer lines on Kalamazoo Street, Dunkley Avenue, Black River Street, Monroe Boulevard, and North Shore Drive, and to upgrade the Indian Grove lift station, the city's wastewater treatment plant's main pump station and replace a large sewer line underneath the Black River that connects to the city's north side. Work on the sewer upgrades began two years ago and is expected to continue for the next several years..

“This (upgrading the sanitary sewer system) is not just going on in South Haven,” said Department of Public Works Director Bill Hunter, said earlier this month. “It's going on throughout the state and the rest of the nation. We have an aging infrastructure that needs to be replaced.”

Some of the city's sewer system infrastructure is more than 80 years old, according to Mayor Bob Burr, and is deemed unsafe for the environment. A number of times over the past two decades, breaks in sewer lines and aging equipment have resulted in the overflow of sewage into the Black River and Lake Michigan. Since 2008, the city has had a total of 18 sanitary sewer overflows at various locations within the city limits.

The $21.8 million project is being financed through a $13.9 million loan the city obtained from the Michigan Clean Water Revolving Fund Program; $2.5 million in Michigan Transportation Fund Bonds; $5.87 million in Capital Improvement Bonds; and $300,000 in grant funding from the Michigan Natural Resources Trust Fund.

The rate increases sewer system users will face could have been higher but city officials said they tried to find other revenue sources to offset the financing payments.

The city will save $2.8 million on the $13.9 million state loan because it has qualified for “disadvantaged status.” As a result the state is extending the city's loan repayment term to 30 years and the city will receive $500,000 in loan forgiveness. Also, the city's Downtown Development Authority and Local Development Finance Authority have each committed to paying a total of $3.75 million to help the city pay for the sewer system upgrades.



2.20.17

The six Bangor High School students who created the YouTube video, "Bangor  Students Voice," are shown in the photo, above.

The unheard voices

Bangor students tired of public, media attention

By BECKY KARK

Editor and general manager

BANGOR — Most students like it when the media covers athletic events, marching band competitions or other contests.

But Bangor High School students are weary of all the media attention the school district has received this past week over six high school teachers and a secretary caught on video in January making inappropriate comments about fellow employees and students while drinking at a bar.

So, a group of six Bangor High School students decided to do something about it. Seniors Josh Rukas, Carson Finch, Matt Ward, Justin Smith, Anders Mortensen and Carter Finch created a video, Thursday, and put it on YouTube.

“We felt like our opinions were not getting out. We decided to take matters in our own hands,” Rukas said.

The name of the video is “Bangor Students Voice,” and in it Rukas and the other students ask classmates what they think about the media attention and community reaction to the bar incident that captured international attention from such media outlets as The Sun tabloid in England, whose headline read, “Teachers Caught on Camera Playing 'F, Marry, Kill' Game About Their Own Pupils in a Bar.”

Participants who play the bar game list people they would like to marry, have sex with or kill.

The Sun and other media outlets reported that one teacher stated she would love to have sex with a student. Another teacher said they would like to kill a student.

The school secretary and two teachers resigned over the incident, and the other four teachers were reprimanded.

However, school district officials who studied the video, dispute the media reports.

The school district's attorney, Robert Huber, admitted that the names of at least three students were mentioned by the staff members, but not as part of the game that was being played.

“It doesn't show that any teacher engaged in any sexual impropriety,” he said at the Bangor Board of Education meeting this past Monday. “ If we thought any teacher was engaged in sexual impropriety we would not tolerate it.”

Students interviewed in “Bangor Students Voice” labeled media reports as exaggerated.

“I think they have to get their facts straight,” said Alexis Vorva. “They should look over the details and play the full video (of the teachers at the bar) instead of bits and pieces.”

“I feel like not only has the media taken advantage of this but the public as well,” said another student. “This whole situation has turned into a competition to see who can get the most attention.”

Students in the video, as well as the video's creators, acknowledge what the teachers and secretary did at the bar was wrong, but think the issue is now being blown out of proportion and that the Bangor community is getting a bad reputation because of it.

“We want people to recognize Bangor is not a bad place because a bad thing happened here,” Carter Finch said. “We don't want to be attacked anymore. We want people to know there's still good teachers. Everybody makes mistakes.”

“I think we should stay strong,” said Audrey Hay.

State sets fines against Bangor Public Schools

By BECKY KARK

Editor and general manager

BANGOR — Bangor Public Schools is facing a $42,000 reduction in state aid because two of its administrators are not properly certified.

School district attorney Robert Huber confirmed Tuesday that the Michigan Department of Education intends to issue the fine after it determined former Superintendent Dennis Paquette and Athletic Director Mary Spade failed to enroll in administrative leadership certification in a timely manner.

“The Michigan Department of Education did an audit. They found that the former superintendent and Mary Spade should have been certified,” Huber said. The audit was conducted in the fall of 2016.

According to MDE's regulations, school administrators must enroll in a 21-credit educational leadership certification program within six months of being hired as administrators. Administrators must then obtain certification within three years. Although both Paquette and Spade are currently enrolled in administrative certification programs — Paquette expects to finish his program by the end of August — they did not do so within six months of being named to their positions, according to William Disessa of the Michigan Department of Education.

The district will be fined $30,000 for Paquette and $12,000 for Spade.

The amount of money the district expects to lose is based on a formula.

“The deductions will be based on Mr. Paquette's salary and Ms. Spade's salary and the period of time each did not hold the required administrative certification,” Disessa said. “In both cases, the amounts deducted will be based on a 3.5-month period.”

In an interview in January, Paquette said Michigan Department of Education's position troubled him because he didn't realize he needed to enroll for the certification program within six months of being hired as superintendent. He said when he applied for the job he was told by previous district superintendent Ron Parker that he needed to have at least a master's degree and complete his administration certification requirements within three years.

Shortly after taking on the superintendent's job Paquette said he focused on eliminating the district's $360,000 debt, which was done by June of 2016.

In August 2016 Paquette then enrolled in the Michigan Association of Secondary School Principals' Path to Leadership certification program.

“I was accepted in August and started the classes in September and plan to be done by August of this year,” he said.

Huber, who is employed with Thrun Law Firm in Lansing, said Paquette and Spade aren't the only school administrators who haven't kept abreast of the state's certification requirements.

“We represent over 400 Michigan school districts,” he said. “I've seen it in a number of other school districts. Bangor is certainly not the only one.”

Paquette was named superintendent in August of 2014, while Spade, who had been serving as athletic director and physical education teacher was named assistant high school principal/athletic director. When state officials informed Bangor Schools that Paquette was not properly certified, he stepped down from his position at the end of 2016 and district BusinessManager Deb Pobuda was named interim superintendent. Paquette is now employed as the district's chief operating officer of non-instructional services, while Spade's job was reclassified to athletic director/high school dean of students.

Huber said the school district plans to appeal the state's ruling against Spade.

“They've (Michigan Department of Education officials) indicated they were in some part guided by the misnomer of a job description that said she was an assistant principal,” said Huber, who went on to say that Spade was really serving as the high school's athletic director and dean of students, and therefore did not have to enroll in a leadership certification program, which is required for administrators who deal with instructional services.



Covert parents worried about new immigration policy

By KIM INGALLS

For the Tribune

COVERT – Scared that their families may face deportation under President Donald Trump's immigration reform, a handful of Hispanic parents questioned the Covert School Board this past week on what it plans to do to protect immigrant families.

Using an interpreter, the mothers voiced many concerns during Monday's school board meeting.

“What will happen to my kids if I get deported?,” asked one mother with small children. Another parent admitted that her son, who is a junior at Covert High School, is scared too.

“It’s possible he could get arrested if he travels out of Covert,” she said.

The two parents who spoke up at the meeting aren't the only Hispanics in Covert who are worried about their family's future in the United States.

School Superintendent Dr. Bobbi Morehead told parents the district has been getting a lot of questions about Trump's immigration reform plans and school leaders are concerned as well.

Morehead said Covert schools administrators have been working with staff from the Van Buren Intermediate School District to help answer questions Hispanics may have. A meeting is scheduled March 2 at Covert Public Schools and will take place at the Adult Education English as a Second Language class. The public is invited to attend, as well.

One school board member thinks the district should go a step further in protecting its Hispanic students, who comprise a third of the student population at Covert Public Schools.

Board member Michael Dambrowski proposed a policy to designate Covert as a “sanctuary” school. Sanctuary school districts, colleges and cities are ones that adopt policies to protect students and citizens who are undocumented immigrants. A number of municipalities in California and other states are adopting such policies.

Covert school board members, however, did not take any action on Dambrowski's proposed resolution. They said they were interested in the concept but need more time to study it.

In other business, Covert Elementary was named a Reward School by the Mackinac Center for Public Policy for the third year in a row. The organization also recognized the high school for outstanding achievement on its 2016 Michigan High School Context and Performance Report Card.

Music teacher Geoffrey Hanson gave an update about the school’s new music program. Elementary students are receiving one-and-a-half hours of music each week, which he said was on board with what larger districts like Jenison provide. High school students are receiving two hours of music class a week.

The elementary school will also be getting 14 “e-pianos” which will allow students the opportunity to learn to play the piano via computer keyboards.





2.13.17

True Blue Farms racing crew gets ready to push their train entry down the hill for the Ice Breaker cardboard sled race, Feb. 4. (Photo by Tom Renner)

Adults and youngsters get creative  for cardboard sled race

By BECKY KARK

Editor and general manager

You could say some of the participants of Ice Breaker's Cardboard Sled race borrowed ideas for their creations from the popular comedy movie, “Planes, Trains and Automobiles.”

But those weren't the only model sleds that people raced down Coast Guard hill during the festival, Feb. 4.

Bloomingdale Communications fashioned a cardboard sled to look like a telephone; a couple crafted an old-fashioned klondike sled – which actually made it to the bottom of the hill with the man still standing. There was even an entrant who wrapped cardboard and duct tape around himself and rolled down the hill as a “human sled,” much to the enjoyment of the crowd.

There were thrills and a few spills as 500 people watched 42 cardboard sled entries do their best to make it down Coast Guard hill with their sleds and themselves intact.

Not everyone made it. A few sleds fell apart. Even the South Haven Chamber of Commerce's attractive boat experienced some navigational mishaps after capsizing on its side at the bottom of the hill and spilling its crew members, including Chamber Director Kathy Wagaman.

But Wagaman took it in stride and got cheers from the crowd as she rescued her boat and took it to the side.

The chamber, which organizes Ice Breaker, didn't quite know what to expect when Wagaman came up with the idea to offer a contest where people could create sleds made solely of cardboard and duct tape. She wanted to get families involved, so the chamber created three categories for the contest — youth, businesses and adults. (See contest results on B3).

But, the chamber wasn't sure just how many people would enter. At first, only 12 contestants entered. But on race day, 42 boats and their racers showed up and crowds lined the sides and bottom of Coast Guard hill, while others stood on the patio at the American Legion, which overlooks the hill.

“We had more youth entries than the other two categories, which is wonderful,” Wagaman said. “We loved presenting something families could get involved with and indeed it was a huge success.”



People pack into South Haven for Ice Breaker 

By BECKY KARK

Editor and general manager

South Haven's Ice Breaker takes place in the dead of winter, but judging from the crowds and parked vehicles, last weekend's festival could have been mistaken for a summertime event.

“It was amazing,” said Laura Rusin, who owns Captain Nemo's restaurant along with her husband, Tom. “It was definitely one of the biggest Ice Breakers ever. The weather, I'm sure, had something to do with it. It wasn't too cold and it was sunny.”

With the sun shining down brightly, South Haven's downtown parking lots and streets began filling up early Saturday, Feb. 4, the day when most of the festival's activities took place. By noon, when the chili cookoff began, parking was at a premium. Crowds lined the streets to sample chili from more than two dozen restaurants. People watched as amateur and professional artists carved lions, horses, trains, cars and even a stack of books, from large slabs of ice. Runners braved the 30-degree temperatures to race in the Frosty 5K Dash, while nearly 50 adults and children tried their hands at making sleds from cardboard and duct tape and racing them down a hill for the debut of the festival's first-ever cardboard sled race.

The crowds not only took part in festival events, they also ate and shopped downtown.

“It was definitely good for business,” said Michael Hummel, operations manager for Taste restaurant. “It looks like our business was up from last year. “We were at full staff. Things went extremely well and they deserve the credit for it.”

“I thought it was a really good weekend,” said Janet Buffinga, who works at Decadent Dogs pet boutique. “We were so busy I didn't even have time to look at our ice sculpture until 6 oclock.”

The South Haven Area Chamber of Commerce, which organizes the festival each year, heard similar comments from merchants.

“We have heard from many who are telling us what a huge success this event was for business on Saturday,” said Kathy Wagaman, the chamber's executive director. “That is what we love to hear.”

Here are results from Ice Breaker contests

Pro chili cookoff

1. Taste restaurant – winner of the traveling Chili Con Carne trophy

2. Hawkshead Links

3. Clementine's

Student ice-carving contest

1. St Basil School, carving of a church with stained glass windows and belfry

2. Bangor Public Schools, carving of a rhinoceros beetle

3. Bangor Public Schools, carving of a Tai dragon

Amateur ice-carving contest

1. Frank Lawson, carving for Black River Tavern

2. Sean Torstenson, carving for Oh My Darlings

3. Charlie Umbenhower, carving for Phoenix Street Cafe

Professional ice-carving contest

1. Joel Gesiakowski, carving for Taste

2. Lou Rodriquez, carving for Clementine's restaurant

3. Tracy McKee, carving for N&R Department Store

Cardboard Sled Race contest

Adult category

Fastest sled: Bathtub Bandits

Best design: “Hale Yeah”

Best team spirit South Haven High School's “Snowmageddon” robotics team

Business and organization category

Fastest sled: Lander's Hardware “Hoosier Daddy”

Best design: True Blue Farms “Blueberry Express”

Best team spirit: Bloommingdale Communications “Telephone”

Snowsuit fashion contest

Ugly but Functional award — Grace Bortoli

Don't Laugh, It's Warm award — Debbie Foune

Sub-Zero Glamor award — Dolly Harris

2.6.17

Boats competing in the 2013 Queen's Cup get ready to enter South Haven's harbor. The race will be returning to South Haven this year. (File photo by Kelly Weber).

A three-peat

Queen's Cup returns to

South Haven for 2017 race

By TRIBUNE STAFF

One of the oldest sailing races on the Great Lakes will return to South Haven for a third time this summer when the South Shore Yacht Club in Milwaukee, Wis. and the South Haven Yacht Club team up to sponsor the Queen's Cup.

Now in its 79^th year, the 2017 race will begin Friday afternoon, June 23, in Milwaukee and end Saturday morning, June 24, in South Haven.

Nearly 200 boats with more than 1,200 sailors are expected to take part in the 76-mile race across Lake Michigan, according to South Shore Yacht Club's website.

For many years Queens Cup sailors departed from Milwaukee and headed to either Muskegon or Grand Haven.

But in 2012 the Queen's Cup committee began looking at different ports up and down the eastern shore of Lake Michigan and chose South Haven because of the local harbor's close proximity to downtown shops, restaurants and cultural and entertainment venues.

The committee then chose to end the 2013 race in Ludington, the 2014 race in Muskegon and then returned to South Haven in 2015 before settling on St. Joseph for the 2016 competition.

But apparently, South Haven has proven to be popular with racers.

“South Haven...has turned into one of our most popular destinations,” 2016 Race Chair Jerry Kedziora wrote in an article in the South Shore Yacht Club Compass newsletter.

The Queen's Cup is one of the oldest cups in world yachting still offered for competition every year. The silver cup dates back to the late 1840s when it was handcrafted in England. The South Shore Yacht Club acquired the cup in 1938 and held its first Queen's Cup race, which ended in Spring Lake.

Griffin, Whiteford take on House committee assignments

Two state representatives, who represent Van Buren and Allegan counties, have been assigned to several House committees.

State Rep. Beth Griffin, a freshman representative from Mattawan, has been chosen by Speaker Tom Leonard to serve as vice chair of the House Committee on Communications and Technology.

Griffin also will serve as a member on the House Energy Policy; Education Reform; and Regulatory Reform committees, and has been named vice chair of the Legislative Council.

“People in Michigan deserve access to technology such as affordable broadband Internet that helps them learn, work and socialize, and some of our areas are underserved or do not have broadband at all,” Griffin said. “Access to high-speed Internet has become a vital aspect of learning and doing our jobs, and without it Michigan families could fall behind in education and work.”

Griffin said advancements in in communication and technology also have an enormous impact on industry, and Michigan must be on the cutting edge of developments to remain a leader in the global workforce.

“As technology advances in the workplace, Michigan must continue to adapt to the new tools so we can be competitive,” Griffin said. “It benefits everyone when our economy grows, and we can continue to invest in Michigan by keeping up with the latest technology.”

The other local state representative, Mary Whiteford, R-Casco Twp., will chair the Michigan House Appropriations Environmental Quality Subcommittee. She'll also serve as vice chair of the Appropriations Subcommittee on Agriculture and Rural Development and will be a member of the Licensing and Regulatory Affairs/Insurance and Financial Services, and Health and Human Services subcommittees. She also serves as a member of the House leadership team as majority caucus vice chair.

“It’s an honor to be entrusted with the responsibility of serving on our state’s budget committee,” Whiteford said. “I believe in responsible spending and ensuring that every tax dollar is spent in the best interest of Michigan families. I look forward to taking on this very important task.”

Whiteford previously served on the House Natural Resources Committee, the Agriculture Committee, and the Military and Veterans Affairs Committee.

House committees will have their first meetings in the coming weeks.



1.30.17

Thousands of women and men participate in the Women's March on Washington, Jan. 21. (Photo by Julie Leavitt)

South Haven women take part in historic Women's March on Washington

By BECKY KARK

Editor and general manager

As a minister, Julie Cowie of South Haven lives by the mantra, “Love Thy Neighbor.”

So when her daughter Anastasia and her friend, Kelly Cramer, mentioned they wanted to attend the Women's March on Washington, it was a no-brainer for mom to go along, too.

“As soon as I heard about the march I was interested because I was disheartened by the many rude comments Donald Trump stated while campaigning that in my opinion were not appropriately challenged in the media as inappropriate or even uncalled for,” she said.

But Cowie kept her thoughts to herself until Anastasia, a graduate student at Oakland University, mentioned that her friend, Kelly, a graduate student at Western Michigan University, wanted to take part.

“I said I was thinking about going,” Cowie said, “and Anastasia said, 'Really?'”

That cinched it. Cowie, Anastasia, Cramer, and Cowie's youngest daughter, Marina, a student at Grand Valley State University, boarded a bus and headed to Washington D.C. for the Jan. 21 march.

They were joined by several other women from the South Haven area, including Janice Varney, retired Dean of Academics for Lake Michigan College's South Haven campus; Julie Leavitt, a retired Baseline Middle School science teacher; Julia Ranney Ludwig and Sherri Saenz, who are both active in the South Haven community.

When they arrived in Washington D.C. for the march, they were shocked by the sheer volume of women, children and men participating.

“I figured there would clearly be more than 200,000 people, but we didn't have any way of knowing how big the crowd was from where we were standing,” Cowie said. “But when I saw videos shot from rooftops and saw three streets full of pink caps (the caps people wore for the march) that was so affirming. It was remarkable how smooth things went and the day passed. There was not a single bit of rudeness, heckling, shoving or insults.”

Maureen Baskel, another South Haven resident who marched, voiced similar comments.

“There were men, women and children of every age, race and ethnicity, straights, gays, trans, rich, poor, middle class,  from all over the United States as well as people from other countries. I met people from France, Spain, Germany, Philippines, and Canada.  We also talked with a family with three generations of men marching together — son, father and grandfather of Japanese heritage.  The diversity was a testimony to what America is, has been, and needs to be.”

While local women took part in the Washington DC march, others participated in “sister” marches in Kalamazoo and Lansing.

Jo Muszkiewicz was one local resident who took part in the Kalamazoo march.

“I participated in the March in Kalamazoo because Donald Trump does not represent a majority of Americans,” she said. “Although I do not believe that Trump is capable of considering other viewpoints, my hope is that Congress is paying attention.  2018 is not far off. Congressional seats will be changed.”

Another South Haven resident, Elaine Stephens and her granddaughter Iza Graham, a Michigan State University student and South Haven graduate, marched at the Capitol in Lansing.

“These are unusual times and I hope the March encourages people to become more active and involved in our democracy,” Stephens said. “We participated in the March because we believe it is important to take a peaceful stance against messages of hate, intimidation, and discrimination.”

Now that the marches are over with, women who attended said the work to promote Democracy and inclusiveness in America is just beginning – whether President Trump agrees with them or not.

“I hope the March will remind us to listen to and respect differing perspectives, have deeper conversations across the full political spectrum, share our opinions with others, and let our representatives hear our voice at regional, state, and national levels,” said Janice Varney.

“The real work is underway,” Cowie said. “We need to think of ways to help our communities and promote active citizenship for ourselves. For me it's about loving our neighbors.”

Warm, wet winter results in bumpy ride on gravel roads

By TRIBUNE STAFF

If you're tired of dodging ruts and potholes on gravel roads this winter in Van Buren County you're not alone.

“Every (Michigan) county is going through this,” said Brian Cornish, a superintendent for Van Buren County Road Commission.

Apparently, Mother Nature has played a large role in the hazardous conditions motorists face on some of Van Buren County's 250-mile network of gravel roads.

“It got really cold in mid-December where there was anywhere from 4 to 5 inches of frost in the ground,” Cornish said. “But with the rapid warmup we've had in January the frost is now coming out of the ground and with the rain we've had it has turned the top surface of gravel roads into a muddy mess. If you try to grade it or blade it (the gravel) you're actually pumping the water to the surface.”

The thawed out gravel road bed on a section of 52^nd Street, near Baybrook Road in Lawrence Township had to actually be closed this past week because the road had become impassable due to the poor gravel condition. The road commission also began canvassing other gravel roads to determine their condition and mark sections that were deemed dangerous to drive through.

“Basically it's the spots where it's swampy on both sides of the road because the ground is saturated and can't dry out,” Cornish said.

Unlike the county's 1,330 miles of paved roads whose wintertime potholes can be temporarily patched, there's not much the county can do with problem spots on gravel roads until there's a break in the weather pattern.

“We hope things will get colder so we can grade,” Cornish said.

Heating assistance campaign gets underway in SH area

By BECKY KARK

Editor and general manager

Paying monthly heating bills can be a struggle for low-income residents.

It's a plight well understood by the staff of We Care in the Name of Christ, who once again will be working with St. Basil Church to coordinate the annual Warm Your Heart heating assistance campaign.

During February, local businesses, churches, civic groups and individuals will be raising funds to provide heating bill assistance to South Haven area residents in need. The campaign will culminate in the annual “Island Sit,” which will take place from 7 a.m.-7 p.m., Saturday, Feb. 25 at South Haven's downtown traffic island on Phoenix Street. There, Paul Layendecker, radio personality from 103.8 FM will present a live broadcast while passers-by donate money to the heating assistance campaign.

“The goal for 2017 Warm Your Heart Month is $15,000,” said Linda Olsen, executive director of We Care, a human service ministry that helps people in South Haven, Covert, Bangor and surrounding areas.

“In past years we have helped up to 165 families annually and have paid out between $13,500 and $36,000 each year (for heating bills).” We Care also works with other agencies to obtain additional funds to help people with their fuel costs. “Working with other ministries and agencies, we assisted families in finding up to an additional $60,000 each year,” Olsen said.

We Care takes applications for heating assistance from Nov. 1-April. 1, each year. Families who are eligible for fuel bill assistance can receive $300. We Care will also try to help them find assistance from other agencies.

Area residents who want to donate to the heating assistance campaign can do so by sending a check to We Care INC, 06321 Blue Star Hwy., South Haven, MI 49090 (print “heat” in the memo slot), or they can donate funds at the following events:

• St. Basil's Super Soup Luncheon, noon-2 p.m., Saturday, Feb. 4, at the church, 513 Monroe Blvd., South Haven. Soups will be provided by several area restaurants.

• Corner Collections, 10 a.m.-2 p.m., Saturday, Feb. 18, corner of Center and Phoenix streets, downtown South Haven. The Knights of Columbus will be collecting money in jars from passers-by.

• Island Sit, 7 a.m.-7 p.m., Downtown Traffic Island on Phoenix Street. Paul Layendecker of 103.7 FM will conduct a live broadcast from 7 a.m.-7 p.m. to collect funds.





1.23.17

Rev. Aaron Cobbs of South Haven is shown speaking during the Martin Luther King Dr. Day celebration, June 16 at Lake Michigan College. (Photo courtesy of Lake Michigan College)

SH minister receives Diversity Award during LMC's Martin Luther King Jr. Day celebration

By LOUISE WREGE

HP Staff Writer

1.16.17

The erosion of Evergreen Bluff in South Haven Township can be seen from this satellite image taken by Google Maps.

Evergreen Bluff erosion addressed

State grant to pay up to $750,000 for erosion control measures

By BECKY KARK

Editor and general manager

It looks like relief is on the way for South Haven Township homeowners worried about the extensive erosion occurring along the Lake Michigan shoreline of Evergreen Bluff subdivision.

The State of Michigan plans to award up to $750,000 in funding to shore up the bluff from further damage, according to Larry Hummel, engineer-manager for Van Buren County Road Commission Evergreen Bluff.

The funds were appropriated by the state legislature at the close of December 2016. “Our legislators contacted us in December to let us know,” Hummel said. He is not sure if the funds will come from general revenue funds or Public Act 51 (local road) funds. But, he's glad the money will be available.

“There are five homes that are specifically on the dead-end portion (that overlooks Lake Michigan),” Hummel said. “If the erosion is left to continue those homeowners don't have any other access out of the subdivision than that street. The lake's gonna keep coming.”

It was 30 years ago that the township and county obtained grant funding to build a new drainage system and revetment walls to stop extensive erosion occurring at Evergreen Bluff. At that time, the water level of Lake Michigan was very high and several homes along the bluff actually collapsed, while several others were relocated elsewhere.

The rising lake water once again is threatening shoreline homeowners and although it has not yet affected the roadway, township and road commission staff don't want to take any chances.

“Probably 75-85 feet of what was restored in 1986 is gone,” Hummel said. The drainage system also has failed causing moisture and water to constantly build up within the bluff walls, further compounding the erosion problem.

Property owners have told Hummel that the bluff wall recedes about 12-15 feet each year, depending on the level of the lake water.

Before work can proceed on the bluff, the county road commission will need to obtain design and engineering studies. They then will need to obtain permits from the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality and the Army Corps of Engineers before proceeding with the reconstruction project.

Hummel hopes the project can be completed by October.

“We've been told the state funds need to be expended by Oct. 1, the end of the 2016-17 fiscal year. The permit process can take 60-90 days alone. So it's all going to be really tight.”

Hard times ahead

Administrator warns of economic struggles facing Van Buren County

By ROD SMITH
For the Tribune

PAW PAW — Van Buren County's administrator ran the numbers and foresees hard economic times in the future.
Administrator Doug Cultra told commissioners Tuesday that rising pension and insurance costs combined with the planned closing of Palisades nuclear plant and possible reduction in tax revenues from New Covert Generating Plant could result in "the unprecedented reduction
in staff and programs."
Cultra said his numbers, which he called a "snapshot," were based on the last audit for the 2014-15 fiscal year and the balance sheets as of Dec. 27, 2016.
The biggest foreseeable liability is the county's pension fund, which Cultra calculated will grow at $200,000 each year for the next five years, for a total of $1 million.
That goes along with the sheriff's retirees health plan, which affects 23 retired employees, with an increase of $20,000 for the 2016-18 fiscal year up to $75,000 per year for the 2021-22 fiscal year.
Cultra said these numbers don't include cost-of-living increases for employees or health insurance premiums. It also doesn't include depreciated equipment, liability insurance or indigent legal counsel. He estimated those expenditures would cost the county $500,000 annually.
And then revenues to offset those increased expenditures will likely take a beating. "We're going to be impacted by two huge events," Cultra warned.
One is that Palisades, located in Covert Township, is set to close Oct. 1, 2018. When that happens the owner may argue that the plant at that time is worth nothing. Cultra said he believes there may be some property tax value in the casks that contain the spent fuel rods that will remain on site at the plant. But he calculated that the closure of the nuclear plant will reduce the county's property tax revenues by $800,000 each year.
Covert Township's other electrical generating plant, the New Covert gas generating facility, has been fighting the county over its assessment for the past several years.
Cultra said the county believes the plant should be valued at $665 million. The company says the taxes should only be assessed at $180 million. Right now the matter is in litigation.
Should the county lose, its property tax revenues from the generating plant will drop by $700,000 per year.
According to Cultra, even though the county and the plant owners are in litigation, revenues from the plant already have dropped. "Unfortunately, New Covert has failed to pay its entire tax bill for the plant," Cultra said. "They have failed to pay $700,000 of the $1.1 million, which is owed.
This should not be an acceptable practice that a business can essentially hold a government hostage to lower their taxes."
However, Cultra said he thinks the gas generating plant property tax revenues may become more valuable after Palisades closes.

But that may be of little help to the county's coffers.
"Now for the worse news," Cultra said, "we have very little growth in our county." Most of it is in Antwerp and Almena townships in the eastern part of the county. "The best case scenario for growth in property tax revenues would be a 2 percent increase," Cultra said. "This would translate into approximately $260,000 in new property tax revenue."
Not all Cultra's report was pessimistic. Over the past 11 years the county has increased fund reserves in 18 funds from nearly zero to around $33 million.

"This was accomplished with a pragmatic and conservative approach to planning, programming, budgeting and execution," Cultra said.
Cultra said he plans to reconvene the county's Sustainability Committee to try to work out a plan to avoid the problems he foresees.
"The longer we wait to address this issue the more difficult it will become to craft a viable solution," he cautioned.



1.9.17

Taking a hit

Bangor school chief steps down following ruling by Michigan Department of Education

By BECKY KARK

Editor and general manager

Bangor Public Schools could lose some of its state aid after Michigan Department of Education officials learned that two of the school's administrators — Superintendent Dennis Paquette and Assistant High School Principal Mary Spade — do not meet state administrative certification requirements.

“Mr. Paquette is not properly certified and her (Mary Spade's) case is exactly the same. Like Mr. Paquette, her position requires certification,” said William Disessa of the Michigan Department of Education.

The department's decision prompted Paquette to step down, following a special school board meeting Dec. 27. Paquette, who has been school chief for the past two years, will now serve as the district chief operating officer of non-instructional services while Deb Pobuda, the district's business manager, will serve as interim superintendent.

“He (Paquette) feels this is what is in the best interest of the district at this time,” said Pobuda, who has been with Bangor Schools for 17 years.. “I will continue to perform my duties as the business manager and will also oversee the delivery of curriculum and instruction. He will oversee all non-instructional programs for the remainder of the 2016-17 school year. As a result in his change in job duties, he has taken a reduction to his yearly salary. This restructuring will have no increased personnel cost to the district.”

Bangor district officials are somewhat troubled by the state's position regarding Paquette's and Spade's administrative credentials.

According to MDE's regulations, school administrators must enroll in a 21-credit educational leadership certification program within six months of being hired as administrators. Administrators must then obtain certification within three years. Although both Paquette and Spade are currently enrolled in administrative certification programs — Paquette expects to finish his program by the end of the school year — they did not do so within six months of being named to their positions.

A state law, which was updated in 2015, requires administrators, hired after 2010, to enroll in a certification program within six months of starting their new duties. But neither Paquette nor other school officials were aware of the six-month clause, according to Pobuda.

“Our attorneys that drew up his (Paquette's) contract did not notify us. The Intermediate School District was not aware of this. This was something kind of buried,” Pobuda said.

But state officials are remaining firm in their stance.

“Their ignorance of not being aware is not an excuse,” Disessa said. “The six-month rule is part of state law.”

However, Disessa admitted Michigan Department of Education officials weren't aware of the certification issue involving Paquette and Spade until the department was notified by someone in the fall of 2016.

“About four months ago the department got information that indicated Mr. Paquette may not be properly certified in Michigan. The Department takes that issue seriously,” Disessa said. Upon further investigation, the department also found that Spade was not properly certified.

As a result, Bangor Public Schools is being penalized by the state and may be losing thousands of dollars of state aid.

“It's going to be somewhere in the five figures,” Disessa estimated.

The amount of money the district could lose is based on a formula.

“The deductions will be based on Mr. Paquette's salary and Ms. Spade's salary and the period of time each did not hold the required administrative certification,” Disessa said. “In both cases, the amounts deducted will be based on a 3.5-month period.”

Bangor school officials can appeal the penalty in state aid dollars, according to Disessa. Whether they will do so remains to be seen. The district also has not yet determined if Spade will have to be removed from her assistant principal duties.

“We are working with MDE and do not feel there are certification issues,” Pobuda said.

In the meantime, school district officials want to continue educating students.

“The Board of Education is continuing to be very supportive of Mr. Paquette and we will work together as a team to make this a smooth transition for the district,” Pobuda said. “It is our first priority and our goal that the students and staff feel no impact on their daily routines as a result of this move.”



Plastic bags are used at many stores including Villlage Market where grocery/frozen/dairy manager Mike Retberg is shown bagging groceries for a customer. (Photo by Kim Ingalls)

Bag it

New state law stops municipalities from banning plastic bags

1.3.17

Bangor resident Wilma Wallat has been knitting and giving away hats to local children since 2005. Born in Germany, Wilma learned to knit in school at the age of 5. (Photo by Kim Ingalls)

One hat, two hat - every kid gets a hat

By KIM INGALLS

For the Tribune

BANGOR - If Wilma Wallat has her way - every kid around will have a warm hat to wear during the winter.

The 78 year old has been knitting and giving away  hats to children since 2005. Often attending community events like the recent American Legion Post 160 Christmas party, Wilma can often be found sitting next to a table piled high with hats in all colors and styles asking children who walk by "Do you want a hat?"

Most of the time the answer is yes.

"I'll make anything anyone wants," she said. "I make blankets, hats, shawls - anything anyone wants. I do it for everyone."

Indeed she does. Last year, she made an astonishing 23 blankets that she gave away to veterans, babies or as she puts it "anyone who needs it."

Wilma has been making things since she was small. Born in Germany, she was only five years old when the lessons began.

"We had to learn to knit in school," she explained. "All the girls had to go."

Not long after that, her best friend's grandma taught them to crochet. By 14, the girls were told "they had to sew something."

Those lessons turned into a life-time of creating things. At the age of 18, she decided to come to America and landed in Chicago where she met her  husband. In between working and attending church, she found time to create.

"I made everything for myself because I'm so short," she said, laughing.

After purchasing a farm near Bangor, the husband and wife made the community their full-time home in 1971. Nowadays, she mostly knits and can whip up a blanket in four weeks. At that pace, she goes through quite a bit of yarn, but keeping enough on hand is not a problem.

"I buy some myself," she said, "but when people see me, especially the ladies from church, they give me yarn."

Projects in Allegan, Van Buren in line for grants

By BECKY KARK

Editor and general manager

Four recreational projects in Allegan and Van Buren Counties are in line to receive nearly $600,000 in grants from the Michigan Department of Natural Resources Trust Fund.

The local projects are among 87 throughout the state that are expected to receive a total of $47.6 million in grants, according to a DNR news release. Grant recommendations for the 2016-17 fiscal year will now be forwarded to the legislature for its approval. If OK'd, the final approval will be made by Gov. Rick Snyder and if all goes well, funds will be available in the spring of 2017.

South Haven Area Recreation Authority is slated to receive the bulk of the nearly $600,000 worth of grants for Allegan and Van Buren counties. SHARA is expected to receive $400,000 for improvements at Pilgrim Haven Nature Preserve and for the purchase of property for a proposed athletic recreation park on 14^th Avenue in South Haven Township. The other two grants will go to the Allegan State Game Area and Van Buren County. The game area plans to receive $150,000 for improvements to its shooting range, while a $46,300 grant would go to Van Buren County for installation of interpretive signs along the Kal-Haven Trail.

News of the two grant awards for South Haven Area Recreation Authority pleased Ross Stein, who is the group's chairperson.

“It's very exciting,” he said. “It will be nice to continue work on Pilgrim Haven and to buy property for the park.”

Development of Pilgrim Haven, which overlooks Lake Michigan in South Haven Township, began earlier this year with construction of an all-accessible paved path leading to the waterfront, a gravel parking lot, lighting, fencing, sidewalks and signage. The second phase, for which the proposed $100,000 grant is for, will pay for paving of the parking lot, restrooms, a kayak/canoe rack, benches, landscaping, a control gate and additional fencing. SHARA plans to pitch in $40,000 toward the total cost of the $140,000 project, according to Brian Dissette, South Haven city manager and a member of the SHARA board.

The phase II improvements will begin either in fall of 2017 or spring of 2018, depending on the bidding process.

The second grant SHARA expects to receive will go toward purchase of 39.5 acres of land on 14^th Avenue in South Haven Township. SHARA envisions developing the site, once home to Lappo Lumber Co., into a recreation park complete with soccer fields, baseball/softball fields, parking and restroom/concession facilities.

SHARA plans to spend $400,000 to purchase the land. The $300,000 DNR grant will pay for the bulk of the acquisition, while SHARA will shell out the remaining $100,000. SHARA's revenues come from residents of South Haven and South Haven Township who pay an annual assessment of $2 per person for each resident who lives in the two municipalities. South Haven Public Schools is also a member of the SHARA board.

Once the property is purchased, SHARA plans to proceed with construction of the recreation park.

Originally, a recreation park was scheduled to be built in Casco Township, however, two years ago SHARA began looking at more desirable locations. Board members chose the 14^th Avenue site because of its accessibility to M-140 Highway and Blue Star Highway. The property is also situated next to the Van Buren Trail.

But completion of the park probably won't happen for several more years, according to Dissette and Stein. Before construction happens, SHARA hopes to obtain additional grant funding from the DNR to help finance the project.

Former factory site cleanup funding plan OK'd

By ANDREW LERSTEN

For the Tribune

A brownfields plan has been approved to help the new owners of the former Bohn Piston factory site some financial relief as they clean up the site for future development.

South Haven city council members voted in December to approve the brownfields plan for the properties at 220 Aylworth Ave. and 1280 Kalamazoo St.

The city’s Local Development Finance Authority, which captures funds on improvements in the city’s three industrial parks, sold the 16.8-acre property to the Lukela Group earlier in 2016.

The brownfields plan allows the new owners to use a portion of tax money captured on the property through improvements, called Tax Increment Financing (TIF), to help pay for environmental cleanup and related costs.

The Lukela Group will be able to get $263,465 in TIF funds in reimbursements for qualifying activity done at the site, as funds become available, said Assistant City Manager Kate Hosier. However, it could take many years for those reimbursement funds to be available, she noted.

Eligible activities will include not only environmental testing, but also demolition work, removal of a failing roof, removal of water-damage interior walls, lead paint abatement and the removal of abandoned natural gas and electrical lines.

The council action followed a required public hearing.

Lukela Group officials have told city officials they plan to focus on office space for future development, but there may also be some warehousing space.

In another LDFA-related matter, the council voted to approve an agreement with the LDFA under which the LDFA will provide $100,000 to the city to help fund upgrades to water and sewer lines within two of city’s three industrial parks, Hosier said.

Of the total, $75,000 will be earmarked for upgrades in LDFA District 1, which includes the former Bohn Piston plant site; and $25,000 for the I-196 Business Park on the city’s far northeast side.

“This is another way to retain our businesses,” Hosier said. No work is planned for LDFA District 2, which is on Stieve Drive, she added. The LDFA funds are expected to be given to the city over 25 years, as they become available.





12.19.16

State House, led by Rep. Nesbitt, opposes closure of Palisades plant

By BECKY KARK

Editor and general manager

Even though Rep. Aric Nesbitt's term ends Dec. 31, he's refusing to remain idle while Entergy Corp. moves ahead with plans to close its Palisades Nuclear Power Plant in October 2018.

Nesbitt, R-Lawton, said he was “livid” upon hearing the news, and put his words into action this past Thursday by getting his House colleagues to pass a resolution opposing closure of the plant.

“The closure of Palisades will have a devastating effect on Michigan's electric reliability, said Nesbitt, chair of the House Committee on Energy Policy. “This is not just a horrible decision for our local families, it also is the wrong decision for Michigan's energy future. It is imperative we retain this stable and important source of electricity.”

Entergy's announcement, Dec. 9, to close Palisades ties in with an agreement the company reached with Consumers Energy to terminate its contract to supply electricity to Consumers in 2018. The pact was supposed to last until 2022, however, Consumers cited changes in market conditions and less expensive energy-generating alternatives as reasons for terminating the contract. Entergy officials stated the high maintenance costs associated with the aging Palisades plant, plus the trend toward building newer, less-expensive energy generating facilities led to its announcement to close the plant.

But the proposed early termination of the power purchase agreement hinges on approval from the Michigan Public Services Commission.

“When that filing is made the commission will carefully review the information to see what its regulatory, legal and financial role will be (in making a decision),” said Judy Palnau, spokesperson for the MPSC.

Nesbitt hopes the commission will turn down Consumers' and Entergy's request.

After hearing about Consumers and Entergy's proposal, Nesbitt fired off letters to the MPSC, as well as to the CEOs of Consumers Energy and Entergy Corp. urging the continued operation of Palisades, located in Covert Township.

In his letter to Entergy Chairman and CEO Leo Denault, Nesbitt wrote, “Instead of fulfilling your power purchase agreement and continuing to provide important reliable energy in Michigan, you have decided to leave your employees and the community they are a part of out in the cold. This decision will also negatively impact Michigan’s and the region’s energy future.”

His letter to Consumers President and CEO Patricia Pope contained similar sentiments. “As my colleagues and I in the legislature continue to work on energy legislation to protect electric reliability, it is very concerning to me that Consumers Energy would be party to a decision which puts our state’s electric reliability even further into question.”

How bad is Michigan's electric reliability?

Midcontinent Independent System Operator (MISO), which oversees the electrical grid in a region that includes most of Michigan, projected in 2014 that Lower Michigan's capacity to provide electricity would be reduced by one-third this year, due to Covert Generating's decision to provide its electrical power to a different electrical grid region served by American Electric Power.

That decision, coupled with the proposed closing of Palisades will further compound the state's electric reliability, Nesbitt claims.

Palisades produces enough energy to provide electricity to 800,000 homes each year.

“I see no plans how that will be replaced,” Nesbitt said. “We've already had the closure of several coal-fired plants. I don't see how it's gonna work.”

But Consumers Energy officials stated in a news release they plan to continue providing reliable service.

“We have a comprehensive plan to ensure ongoing reliability and affordability for our 1.8 million electric customers,” said Patti Poppe, president and chief executive officer for Consumers Energy, in a news release. “That plan includes continued excellent power plant performance by Consumers Energy, robust waste-reducing energy efficiency programs, and adding more renewable energy and clean natural gas-fired generation to the company’s portfolio.'

Nesbitt, however, isn't convinced.

“I don't believe there is a plan,” he said. “I adamantly disagree with their assessment on this. We don't have the transmission capability. We're already importing power in peak times during summers. Over the next three years we'll be getting into a real energy crisis. This (the closure of Palisades) will escalate it. I think that Entergy and Consumers need to re-evaluate (the proposed early termination of their power purchase agreement.”

Currently, 42 percent of the electricity generated in MISO's region comes from gas-fired plants; 37 percent from coal; 14 percent from renewable sources; and 8 percent from nuclear power.

Nesbitt contends too much confidence is being laid in the start-up of new natural gas-fired plants.

“Ratepayers and customers will have to handle the ups and downs of natural gas prices,” he said. “It would be cheaper for rate payers to keep Palisades open for the next 12 years than produce a new gas-fired plant.”

But, several power generating companies are building or plan to construct such plants.

A new 300-megawatt natural gas plant owned by Wolverine Power Cooperative opened this year in northern Michigan, while DTE has announced plans to build several new natural gas plants in 2021 to replace three older coal-fired plants that will be taken out of service in 2023, according to a September article in Crain's Detroit Business magazine. Consumers Energy also is in the process of closing seven of its oldest coal-fired plants that will be replaced with a mixture of gas-fired generation and renewable energy, such as wind, solar, landfill gas and anaerobic digestion.

But it takes time to obtain permits and build the facilities.

Natural gas plants typically take 3-5 years to build, while nuclear power plants take an estimated 5-10 years to build, according to Nesbitt.

In recent years, there has been a growing trend to build natural gas plants to generate electricity because of the shale-drilling boom and new environmental regulations that are forcing older coal-fired power plants to close.

MISO is concerned about that trend. The company's 2015 annual report stated in part, “this trend poses challenges for the power sector because gas infrastructure was largely built for home-heating and manufacturing purposes. Consequently, gas-fired power plants in the MISO footprint and elsewhere sometimes cannot procure all the fuel they need to generate electricity due to pipeline constraints and other factors.”

Bangor board backs school chief over plagiarism issue

By BECKY KARK

Editor and general manager

BANGOR — As Benjamin Franklin stated many years ago, “Honesty is the best policy.”

And that old adage apparently came in to play with Bangor Board of Education's decision not to discipline its superintendent who was accused in October of plagiarism. Instead the board is issuing a “directive” that will be entered into Dennis Paquette's personnel file stating he will clearly cite sources in all future publications.

The controversy came to light in October when a regional television news crew received a tip that Paquette had plagiarized several of his monthly columns in the Viking Press school newsletter.

The following day, Paquette admitted on the district's Facebook site that he didn't cite sources in several of his columns but, he went on to say, he did not intend to cause any harm or seek financial gain in doing so.

“In writing and providing those articles, the purpose and character of the information is to educate our community for the benefit of our students and parents on matters of general interest,” he posted

“I gathered information from articles or blogs on the internet and included portions of those items into my article without citing the sources. To my knowledge, these were not copyrighted articles. In most cases the articles included reference to the researcher or source. I am not a professional journalist and I do not pretend to be one. I do not receive any form of compensation for the articles. I did not intend to violate copyright guidelines, if any applied, or to plagiarize. If I have strayed outside the parameters of the Fair Use Provisions of Copyright, I take full responsibility and regret any harm to others.”

His explanation initially drew mixed reviews from Bangor residents, however, at the school board meeting in November, most district residents in attendance backed Paquette, who was named superintendent two years ago and has been with the Bangor school district for 26 years, previously serving as an assistant principal, teacher and coach.

After reviewing the matter, the school board is backing Paquette as well.

“Mr. Paquette received no renumeration for the articles, it was done on behalf of the school district and for the betterment of students and parents,” Board of Education President Mike Hescott said. “This board believes that the fair use exemption in copyright law would be applicable in this situation.”

The “fair use” exemption of the U.S. Copyright law allows for the use of copyrighted material if it is done for a limited purpose, such as to comment upon a copyrighted work.

Hescott went on to say, “The Board, based upon the overall facts of this matter, has concluded that those that brought this to light did so to deliberately harm Mr. Paquette's professional reputation, rather than correct an error of judgment. The Board determines, after much deliberation, to take no disciplinary action...The Board is confident that based upon Mr. Paquette’s remorse and acceptance of responsibility, there will be no similar conduct in the future.”



12.12.16

Van Buren County faces uncertainty with Palisades plant's departure

By TONY WITTKOWSKI

HP Staff Writer

COVERT — To say Covert Township and Van Buren County have benefited from the Palisades nuclear power plant is an understatement.

The power plant employs 600 workers, produces enough energy to power 800,000 homes a year and pays millions in annual property taxes.

Those reasons made it all the more painful when news broke Thursday morning that Palisades would be shuttered in less than two years. It came as a surprise to many as Consumers Energy was committed to a power purchase agreement with Palisades through 2022.

Measuring the plant’s economic impact on Covert Township and Van Buren County can be hard to determine, economic analysts say.

Van Buren County Treasurer Karen Makay said Entergy has three major parcels that account for the majority of the plant’s property taxes. Combining those parcels, Makay said Covert Township received $9.9 million in taxes from the plant for 2016. According to plant officials, Palisades paid $10.5 million in property taxes for 2016.

Overall, the plant accounts for more than 7 percent of Van Buren County’s tax base, Makay said. It’s unknown what amount of property taxes Entergy would pay when the plant sits idle after 2018.

In addition to property taxes, Palisades provides $67 million in annual wages and benefits for its 600 employees. Plant employees primarily live in Van Buren, Berrien, Allegan and Kalamazoo counties.

Zachary Morris, Kinexus’ economic development consultant for Van Buren County, said the fiscal impact of the plant closing creates a ripple effect among the workers’ communities.

Plant employees have houses, which they pay property taxes for. The money they make from Palisades’ payroll is spent at local restaurants, gas stations, schools as well as area hotels – which benefit from as much as 1,000 contractors who stay close whenever the plant deals with outages.

Palisades spokesman Val Gent said Entergy is committed to treating employees fairly by offering a retention program once the plant shuts down in October 2018.

“We recognize the significant, positive role our employees play in the community and the impact the plant has on the local economy,” Gent said in an email.

Gent said Palisades will retain a portion of the existing staff to help work through the various stages of the decommissioning process. In addition, Entergy has committed to finding opportunities for any employee willing to relocate to the regulated utility business in the Gulf South.

Since Consumers Energy ended the power agreement, it is expected to result in $344 million in savings – $172 million of which is expected to lower Consumers Energy customers’ costs over the early termination period from 2018 to 2022.

Committees and funding

To support the community during the transition, Entergy – which owns the plant – and the Consumers Energy Foundation will provide a total of $10 million over several years in economic development funding for Southwest Michigan.

Of the $10 million, the Consumers Energy Foundation will contribute $2 million and Entergy will give $8 million. The process for reviewing requests for funds and distributing them will be announced later, with a focus on sustainable economic development that will broaden the community’s tax base, Gent said.

Of the 600 Palisades workers, Consumers Energy said they would consider up to “180 appropriately skilled workers” from the Palisades plant to Consumers Energy over time.

Kinexus will help Van Buren County with the Palisades transition through the development of a Joint Adjustment Committee. The committee will consist of company and worker representatives, along with community members.

“We have not officially formed this yet, but we are in the process of doing so,” Morris said of the committee. “The main focus will be to lessen the impact by taking a look at the community and the people who will be losing their jobs.”

Because a lot of the plant’s workers are involved in the STEM field – science, technology, engineering and math – Morris believes they’ll be in demand.

As the closure begins to take shape in the coming years, Morris said it’s too early to determine how Covert Township and Van Buren County will react fiscally when Palisades closes its doors for the last time.

“We don’t fully understand the economic impact it’s going to have at this point,” he said. “It all depends on how many will stay on with Palisades, how many will retire and how many take jobs elsewhere. The impact probably won’t be known for some time.”

Lengthy decommission of Palisades plant expected

By ANDREW LERSTEN

For the Tribune

COVERT — While the Palisades plant is set to close Oct. 1, 2018, it’s not likely the site along Lake Michigan will be freed up for development for decades to come.

The federal Nuclear Regulatory Commission allows up to 60 years for decommissioning a nuclear power plant once it ends operations.

Once the plant closes, company officials will have two years to submit a decommissioning plan to the NRC, said Viktoria Mitlyng, regional NRC spokeswoman.

Due to the radioactivity at the plants, it’s safer for workers to wait several years before a plant is decommissioned, she said.

“The longer you wait the safer the actual decommissioning work becomes,” Mitlyng said. “There is less worker exposure (to high radiation levels).”

There are three nuclear plants in Region 3, which covers 7 Midwestern states, including Michigan, now actively undergoing decommissioning, Mitlyng said.

Spent nuclear fuel must be stored in the spent fuel pool for between three and seven years before it can be transferred to dry cask storage, she said.

The licensee of the nuclear plant, Entergy in the case of the Palisades plant, is responsible for decommissioning costs.

Bill Mohl, of Entergy Wholesale Commodities, said Palisades has set aside about $405 million for the decommissioning of the plant.

One reason for the NRC’s 60-year rule is that a company can keep the funds growing through investments for many years in order to cover the full decommissioning costs, he explained.

He said Entergy’s Vermont Yankee plant is comparable to the Palisades plant in terms of decommissioning cost estimates. Vermont Yankee’s decommissioning costs are estimated at $1.2 billion.

Another big question is related to the federal government’s long-term nuclear waste storage program, Mitlyng said.

The Obama administration halted progress on the Yucca Mountain federal waste repository, so that program’s future remains unknown.

That means it’s unclear how long nuclear waste will be stored at the Palisades site, she said.

12.7.16

James Leppa stands by Santa's House and a sleigh he and Jeremiah Borden made as part of South Haven's holiday display. The house and sleigh are located in Dyckman Park.

Local business owner spearheads efforts to decorate SoHa's downtown

By BECKY KARK

Editor and general manager

What a difference a year can make.

In 2015 volunteers scrambled at the last minute to decorate South Haven's downtown for the holiday season, only to find out people didn't like the gold-colored lights.

But this year, thanks to a new group of volunteers infused with energy, Phoenix Street has been chosen as one of the top 10 main streets in Michigan to visit during the holiday season.

OnlyInYourState.com named South Haven's downtown holiday display “pure magic” along with ones in Marquette, Frankenmuth, Holland and Ann Arbor. (See related story)

For James Leppa, who led the volunteer efforts to decorate downtown for Christmas, the accolade came as a pleasant surprise.

“I thought that was cool,” he said.

Leppa, his partner Jeremiah Borden, and about a half-dozen other volunteers, spent 100 hours in November getting the downtown ready for the holiday season.

They strung white, twinkling lights on 200 light poles throughout the downtown, hung garland on 38 poles on Phoenix Street, wrapped lights around 18 trees at key intersections, decorated city hall's Christmas tree with lights and ornaments, and decorated Dyckman Park. Leppa and Borden even found time to build a wooden replica of Santa's North Pole house and sleigh for the park – just in time for South Haven's holiday parade that day after Thanskgiving.

“On Thanksgiving I stayed home to build the sleigh,” Leppa confessed, laughing.

Leppa, who owns Urban Studio Salon and Spa, is one of several South Haven business leaders who over the past decade have undertaken the task of organizing volunteers to decorate the town for the holiday season.

At 29, he's relatively young to shoulder the role.

But young adults, Leppa said, should get involved in their communities.

“I remember being at a city council meeting and hearing the median age is 50 years old in South Haven,” he said. “It's almost alarming when you don't see young adults involved in our community. If you want to change or improve your community you have to be willing to put work into making it happen.”

Leppa was one of the volunteers in 2015 who worked at the last-minute to ensure downtown would be lit up for the holiday season. Merchants had complained the previous year they didn't like the gold-color decorative lighting. Volunteers wanted to purchase different lights but didn't have enough time to do so in 2015. Leppa vowed things would change for this year's display.

He and another local resident. Sarah van Assche visited with downtown merchants this past spring to gather input on how they wanted South Haven to be decorated.

Merchants wanted soft white lighting and garland around the light poles and trees wrapped with lights. They also wanted to see more light displays throughout downtown.

Armed with their suggestions, Leppa and van Assche began soliciting donations and rounding up volunteers.

But, even though the Downtown Development Authority chipped in $5,000 and the city agreed to foot the bill for the electricity to run the lights, the committee fell short of its goals. The volunteer group was only able to raise $12,000. And when it came time to decorate, help was scarce.

“People stepped up initially but then never materialized,” Leppa said. “I think people were disappointed last year and were waiting to see what would happen.”

Anticipating a lukewarm response from the community Leppa, Borden and a handful of other volunteers soldiered on anyway. Even though they didn't raise as much money as they had wanted, the committee decided not to pay workers to install the lights as had been done in the past. Instead, they put up the new lights — all 500 strands — themselves.

“I learned a long time ago if you expect people to work as hard as you do you'll be disappointed,” Leppa said.

The hard work, however, paid off when the lights were officially lit for the Haven Holiday parade, Nov. 25.

“People said they liked it,” Leppa said, regarding the light display. “It was all positive feedback.”

Buoyed by the feedback, Leppa and his small band of volunteers are making plans for next year's holiday light display.

“Our goal next year is to have more poles wrapped in garland, and to have Dyckman Park's trees all lit up,” he said. The group also hopes to purchase more holiday laser lights to place in the flower islands downtown.

11.28.16

Volunteers at the American Legion begin to fill take-out boxes with Thanksgiving dinners as part of the Legion's Larry Carlson Senior Memorial Thanksgiving dinner.

Savoring a Thanksgiving tradition

American Legion serves up tasty dinner for seniors

By BECKY KARK

Editor and general manager

Eighteen years ago, Larry Carlson of the American Legion Post 49 in South Haven came up with the idea to make the Thanksgiving holiday happier for seniors.

“He said, 'why not cook dinner for them?'” recalls Jim Montgomery of the American Legion.

Carlson has since died, but the tradition he started continues to this day and has grown into a Thanksgiving dinner that is enjoyed each year by more than 300 older adults in the South Haven area.

Seniors sat down this past Sunday, Nov. 20 to talk with each other and eat a turkey dinner, complete with stuffing, mashed potatoes, gravy, green beans, rolls topped off with desserts, paid for and prepared by the Sons of the American Legion and other volunteers.

“People look forward to it every year,” said April Dornan of the American Legion. “The dinner doesn't start until noon but they start coming at 11 a.m.

It takes 24 turkeys, many pounds of potatoes, lots of green beans and stuffing, several hundred dinner buns and two tables filled with desserts to feed the crowd.

“We feed about 200 people at the Legion and prepare over a hundred take-out meals for people who can't make it to the dinner,” Dornan said.

When Carlson first came up with the idea for the dinner, he pitched in his own money to get it started. Since then, other Legion members have pitched in to keep the annual Thanksgiving dinner going.

Rich Lucchesy of the Legion is one of those volunteers.

“I donate the buns,” he said.

Other volunteers make the desserts, while businesses and organizations provide funding and food.

“Meijer donated the turkeys,” Montgomery said. “The Black River Lions Club also donated money.”

Carlson died earlier this year, but his name is not forgotten at the Legion.

“We used to call it the Sons of the American Legion Thanksgiving Dinner, but now we call it the Larry Carlson Senior Memorial Dinner,” Montgomery said.

Home sales improve in      South Haven market

Home sales continue to improve in the South Haven market, not only in terms of the number of dwellings sold, but the selling price.

In October, the number of single family home sales in the South Haven area increased 33 percent when compared to October 2015, according to the latest figures provided by the Southwestern Michigan Association of Realtors. Year-to-date, the number of houses sold was up 15 percent over last year (188 versus 163).

The price of homes that are sold has increased as well. The average selling price for single family houses in October jumped 36 percent to $296,163 from $217,133 in October 2015.

Year-to-date, the average selling price for single family houses was up 5 percent when compared to 2015 ($281, 021 versus $267, 009).

South Haven's condominium market sales continue to improve, too.

Year-to-date, the number of condos sold was up 25 percent over last year (45 versus 36).

But, unlike single family houses, the average condo selling price in October 2016 fell 31 percent to $307,125 from $443,350 in October 2015. Year-to-date, the average condo selling price was down 9 percent ($269, 220 versus $296, 586).

As the housing market continues to improve, overall, in the South Haven area, the number of foreclosures is steadily decreasing.

In October, there were no bank-owned or foreclosed single family homes included in the closed transactions in the South Haven area. There were three foreclosed homes in October 2015. No condos were included in the bank-owned or foreclosed transactions in October 2016 or 2015.

For comparison, the number of bank-owned or foreclosed homes as a percentage of all transactions in our overall market dropped to 8 percent in October. This was the lowest percentage for 2016 and since February of 2009, when the Association of Realtors reported that bank-owned and foreclosed homes accounted for 75 percent of the homes sold.



6.19.17

A woman gets ready to purchase strawberries at the South Haven Farmers Market. (Photo by Kim Ingalls)

For the health of it

Farm market's 'Local Wednesdays' include food tasting, raffles and free lunches for kids

If a farm market can't promote healthy, locally grown foods, who could?

With that thought in mind, four South Haven groups are teaming up with Bronson Wellness Center to offer Local Wednesdays at the South Haven Farm Market.

The new initiative begins this week and will include weekly drawings for cookbooks and and a food basket filled with Michigan produce. There will also be food demonstrations and tastings and free lunches for children.

Bronson Wellness Center, along with South Haven Public Schools, South Haven Area Chamber of Commerce, South Haven Downtown Development Authority and the City of South Haven are making the activities possible.

“We want Wednesdays to be a special day where community members can learn about and experience some of the creative, educational, and health-promoting activities going on in our community,” said Brian Dissette, South Haven city manager.

Although some people view farm markets as for upper-income residents, that doesn't have to be the case, according to Chris Flood, nutrition, health and wellness educator for Bronson.

“A new and important addition to the South Haven Farm Market this year is that many vendors will now accept SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program) benefits,” Flood said. “People who receive SNAP can purchase fruits, vegetables, food-producing plants, maple syrup, honey, baked goods, jams and jellies and meat, dairy and eggs with their SNAP benefits.”

Along those same lines, Local Wednesdays will also provide the opportunity for youth to receive a free lunch.

From 11 a.m.-1 p.m. Each Wednesday, youth, 0-18 can grab a lunch from the big, green South Haven Public Schools F.A.R.M. (Fun, Activity, Reading and Meals) bus.

“This program is open to all youth regardless of their income,” said Amy Nichols, school district food service director. “We brought this program to the farm market because it’s a natural fit with the new SNAP acceptance.

The lunches will include locally grown fruits and vegetables, and while students eat they can check out a book and take part in hands-on activities.

“These programs (SNAP) are vital to our community and help reduce health inequities that exist here locally by increasing residents’ access and ability to purchase fresh, healthy, locally-grown foods, regardless of their income level.” said Chris Rigozzi, South Haven Farm Market manager. “Accepting SNAP creates a win-win opportunity for the market, the market vendors, and South Haven community members.”

Some local Wednesday activities are funded by the Michigan Fitness Foundation though a Michigan Nutrition Network SNAP-Ed grant.

6.12.17

Interim director hired for We Care ministry

A South Haven resident who has spent 25 years working with non-profit groups and philanthropic organizations, has been named the interim director for We Care in the Name of Christ human service ministry.

Susan Trabucchi will succeed long-time director Linda Olsen, who retired after serving We Care for 29 years.

“We’re blessed to have Susan join us. She shares our motivation — the Love of Christ —to move us forward,” said Steven Mackey, president of We Care's board of directors.

He also noted that she brings the appropriate experience and skills needed to help shepherd We Care through a new beginning. He pointed to her 25 years experience in advancing the mission of non-profit and philanthropic organizations serving as staff, consultant, trustee, donor, and volunteer. “Susan has the ability to inspire people, build alliances, and motivate groups to work for a common goal,” Mackey said. “Her skills include strategic planning, program design, development and community engagement.”

Trabucchi will serve as interim director for six to eight months and work in partnership with We Care's board and its transition committee to find a permanent director. Her responsibilities will include managing daily operations while analyzing and evaluating We Care workings, status, and potential.

“I am delighted by the We Care board’s decision to create this ‘interim’ time for what is clearly an important crossroads in the life of this exceptional ministry,” Trabucchi said. “Linda Olsen and the dedicated volunteers and staff over the years have built a strong organization to serve those in need in our community. I look forward to helping We Care use this time to reflect on its journey to date, discern its call for the future, and lay the groundwork for its next long-term leader.”

Trabucchi most recently worked in marketing and community relations with South Haven Health System, and as chief communications officer and senior program director for the Fetzer Institute in Kalamazoo. Among her responsibilities at Fetzer was the evaluation of other non-profit groups for partnerships with the foundation.

In partnership with her spouse, Rev. Michael Ryan, rector of Epiphany Episcopal Church of South Haven, she helped initiate community-based practices aimed at redeveloping the church’s ministry.

She also worked as director of marketing and brand strategy for the Public Broadcasting series American Experience, as senior publicist of PBS News Hour with Jim Lehrer, and conducted brand strategy work for the weekly National Public Radio show, Krista Tippett On Being.

She holds degrees from Mount Holyoke College and Georgetown University.

Shooting suspect to undergo psychiatric evaluation

ALLEGAN — A psychiatric evaluation has been ordered for a St. Joseph man accused of killing his stepfather.

Tyler Smith, 27, will undergo evaluation following a court order issued earlier this month in Allegan District Court, according to a court clerk. The judge's decision came about during Smith's pre-exam hearing.

Smith faces first-degree murder in the death of 58-year-old Mark Hill of Glenn. The incident happened May 24, according to a news report from the Michigan State Police. Police say Smith was killed in his bedroom. His mother, Chris Hill, was home when it happened.

A call to 911 was made and when police arrived they found Smith in the backyard. He surrendered and was taken Allegan County Jail.

Smith had lived on and off with Mark and Chris Hill, while also retaining a residence in St. Joseph. Lt. Chuck Christensen of the Michigan State Police Post in Paw Paw said there had been no prior complaints about arguments between Mark Hill and his step-son.

Several relatives who were interviewed following the shooting speculated that Smith could have been dealing with mental health issues.

“He was in and out of counseling,” one relative said.



6.5.17

The lakeshore at your fingertips

'Lake Life' app offers info on life in South Haven, other lakeshore towns

By ALEXANDRA NEWMAN

HP Staff Writer

Restaurants, places to stay and things to do in Southwest Michigan and northwestern Indiana are all in one place with the launch of a new mobile application.

The new “Lake Life inmi” app for iPhone and Android is “a great resource guide for exploring everything that makes the area really cool,” said Stacey Ramsey, The Herald-Palladium advertising director.

Lake Life includes places to eat, play, shop and stay in South Haven, St. Joseph/Benton Harbor, New Buffalo area, and LaPorte and Michigan City, Ind.

“Mobile technology is the way everything’s going. So we wanted to be able to use that to reach the largest number of people we possibly could and make it convenient while they’re out exploring,” Ramsey said. “While you’re at the beach, or out running around, you might not always be able to just whip out the newspaper or spend a bunch of time searching on the internet. We have all of that information in one place.”

The app, which launched late last week, was created by Ramsey and others at the Lake Shore Media Group, which includes the South Haven Tribune, The Herald-Palladium, Harbor Country News, Michigan City News-Dispatch and the LaPorte Herald-Argus.

Sara Horton, advertising sales manager at The Herald-Palladium, said she didn’t see any other apps out there like it that had a little bit of everything.

“It’s a one-stop guide; even for locals. There’s so many times where I’m like ‘I want to go out to eat, but where do I go?’ It’s so easy to just hop on there now and scroll through a ton of restaurants,” Horton said.

Lake Life offers other features too, like Beach Report. This takes you to a special webpage on ABC 57 News which shows water condition, temperature, wave height and other things going on at the beach.

“(The Beach) is a big part of our life. We appreciate ABC 57’s willingness to partner with us on this,” Ramsey said.

Another feature of the app is the events section.

“It says, ‘happening now.’ So I could just hit events in South Haven and I could see events to go to at that moment,” Horton said. “Of course it has everything upcoming too, I think through the end of the year.”

Lake Life gives turn-by-turn directions to the events and places in the app.

It’s going to be really easy for tourists because everything they need is in there and is completely user friendly, Horton said.

The geo-tracking capabilities of the app gives the user proximity notifications for featured listings.

“If you get within 50 meters of a certain business, it’ll say ‘hey this is just around the corner, why don’t you stop in,’” Ramsey said. “I think that’s a lot of fun because maybe you didn't realize how close you were to something.”

Horton and Ramsey said there are other exciting things they want to add to Lake Life in the future.

“We hope to see it evolve and we hope to get some feedback from people who have used the app too. We may get some ideas on what would be the best way to make changes and add new features,” Ramsey said.

The free app can be downloaded for Android from the Google Play Store and iPhone from the Apple App Store. 

5.30.17

Mark and Chris Hill are shown in this photo.

Police try to make sense of why young man shot his stepfather

By BECKY KARK

Editor and general manager

GLENN — Relatives and friends are still reeling from the sudden death of Mark Hill, a Glenn resident who was allegedly shot by his step-son, Wednesday morning.

“Mark was a great guy,” said Tom Rusin of South Haven, a relative of Hill's.

Another relative who was still shaken by the tragedy and did not want her name used, said, “It's horrific. Mark was a fabulous man.”

Mark and his wife, Chris, moved to Glenn several years ago to open Farmhouse Glenn Antique Store on Blue Star Highway, just north of 111th Avenue.

The couple had been married for approximately 20 years, according to Rusin. Mark Hill helped raise Chris's children, including Tyler Smith, who is now accused of shooting Mark Hill.

The Hills were active in helping with different community organizations, including Al-Van Humane Society.

“He (Mark Hill) and his wife have been wonderful supporters of Al-Van, offering opportunities to do adoption events at their store as well as their recent participation in our Holiday Home Tour,” said Lisa Galdikas, president of Al-Van's Board of Directors. “This is such a tragedy and our hearts and prayers go out to the family.”

Police are not yet sure what motivated Smith to shoot his step-father.

“At this point we're trying to determine the why,” said Lt. Chuck Christensen of the Michigan State Police Post in Paw Paw.

Some relatives who were interviewed speculate that Smith could have been suffering from mental health issues.

“He was in and out of counseling,” one relative said.

Police, however, aren't willing to indicate exactly what caused the shooting. But, Christensen said Smith's mental state of mind is being considered.

“That's obviously one of the things we're looking at,” he said.

Smith, 27, had lived on and off with Mark and Chris Hill, while also retaining a residence in St. Joseph. Christensen said there had been no prior complaints about arguments between Mark Hill and his step-son.

But, at 7:17 a.m., Wednesday, a 911 was made from the Hill's home to Allegan Central Dispatch about the shooting. When police arrived, they discovered Mark Hill had been shot in his bedroom. They found Smith in the backyard where he surrendered and was taken to Allegan County Jail. According to Christensen, Chris Hill was also at home at the time of the shooting.

Smith remains in Allegan County Jail. His arraignment in Allegan District Court occurred Thursday where he was charged with homicide – open murder, and possession a firearm in the commission of a felony, according to a court clerk. Bond was denied.

His next court date is June 1 in district court.

Former South Haven mayor left lasting impact

By BECKY KARK

Editor and general manager

A lot could be said about Dave Paull. Over the past 45 years, the South Haven man worked as a school teacher, mayor, city council member, technical writer, audio technician and web designer.

But what he really excelled at was helping citizens and governmental leaders solve problems.

“He was somebody who negotiated for the good of the community,” said South Haven City Manager Brian Dissette. “He was someone who could be demanding, but he was always very polite, understanding.”

Paull died Sunday, May 21, at South Haven Nursing and Rehabilitation Center of complications from heart disease and diabetes. His wife, Grace, and their dog, Jade, were at his side.

“We were talking about plays and Bette Midler starring in 'Hello Dolly' on Broadway,” Grace said. “About 10:30 a.m. he said 'I feel dizzy' and then he just slipped away.”

Paull had been struggling since January with ongoing health issues.

“He had five hospitalizations - three in Holland, one at Borgess and one at South Haven,” Grace said. “Each time it was harder for him to get his strength back.”

Paull has struggled with medical issues for a number of years, yet through it all he remained active in the South Haven community.

“He really, really loved South Haven,” Dissette said. “I've dealt with dozens of elected and appointed officials. Dave was just someone who put in the time and who really worked to make South Haven better. He took a ton of pride in seeing his community grow.”

Paull and his wife first came to South Haven in August of 1970. Paull had been hired to teach at Central Middle School and wanted to get into town before the start of the school year. Grace remembered the trip well.

“We were hauling a trailer on M-43 and the tail lights went out. A cop stopped us.”

But rather than give the couple a traffic ticket, the officer traveled behind them to ensure they made it safely to their new home.

“We came here by police escort,” Grace said, laughing.

Perhaps it was the officer's gesture or South Haven's personality, but the Paulls decided to settle down and make the lakeshore town their home.

They had two children, Michael and Kate, and Paull continued teaching.

But soon, he became involved in community affairs.

“He helped organize Fourth of July parades, he chaired the National Blueberry Festival Committee twice, he also helped save the (lighthouse) catwalk,” said Grace, who also worked as a teacher for South Haven Public Schools. “Dave and (the late) Glenn Cowles worked their butts off to raise the money and to transfer the catwalk from the Coast Guard to the city.”

Paull also became quite active in city government, and that's where people discovered he had a knack for resolving controversial issues.

“The man could reason you to death,” Grace said. “He would do it until you could see both sides of the issue.”

Paull spent 35 years serving on boards and commissions for the city, including the planning commission, zoning board of appeals, and city council. Some of his biggest accomplishments occurred during the early 1990s when he served as mayor for two terms.

He helped with the formation of South Haven Area Emergency Services, the development of Riverfront Park, and redevelopment of city beaches. He also played a pivotal role in extending municipal water and sewer services to portions of Casco and South Haven townships through the formation of the South Haven, Casco and South Haven Township Water and Sewer Authority.

“They (the city and townships) had been talking about it for years, but nobody ever got it quite done,” Grace said.

Paull's skills were most recently put to the test in 2016 when city officials began to hammer out a vacation home rental ordinance,after local residents questioned the legality of people renting their homes on a short-term basis to visitors. Paull took a lot of criticism from citizens who thought the city was dragging its feet. He ended up resigning his post as planning commission chairman, but remained a commissioner, all the while talking with citizens for and against the rental ordinance. Finally, in July, after months of controversy, the ordinance was adopted.

“Dave always figured that if he sent everyone home a little unhappy then he did his job,” Grace said. “There were no winners or losers, but an agreement was reached that everyone could live with.”



5.22.17

Zero Tolerance

College students find that sun, sand and booze don't mix well at South Haven beaches

By BECKY KARK

Editor and general manager

Since 1974, Kalamazoo College students have taken a day off school during May to come to South Haven beaches for the day.

But that tradition came to a roaring halt, Wednesday, when police evacuated more than 500 students from South Beach.

“We started getting multiple phone calls from citizens,” said South Haven Police Chief Natalie Thompson. “They were calling 911, city hall, city council members. I was in Paw Paw at a Southwest Enforcement Team meeting and my phone was blowing up.”

Citizens were complaining about hundreds of college students partying on the beach, where no alcoholic beverages are allowed. Students came in two buses, while others drove themselves.

Police from several agencies began to evacuate the beach shortly after noon and continued to monitor the situation for the next couple of hours to ensure that students left and went home. Most students were cooperative, Thompson said. However, there were several arrests for minor alcohol-related offenses.

Students may have been cooperative, but several who were interviewed, weren't very happy about being told to leave.

“We've (the college) been coming to South Haven for over 40 years. We make sure we have sober drivers. We try to be responsible. We don't distract people. We keep to ourselves,” said Kalamazoo College student Adam Dykstra.

Another student said, “They can rationalize it any way they want. It's a police state.”

The students came to South Beach to celebrate “Day of Gracious Living” or DOGL as the students refer to it as.

The tradition was born in 1974 when Kalamazoo College officials set aside one day where classes were canceled so students could enjoy a day at the beach in South Haven.

As the college's website about DOGL relates, “Students jumped at the chance to get to the South Haven beaches via over-capacity cars and vans. Students spent the day in the sun, playing volleyball and completing the mandatory administrative assignment of abstaining from class work altogether.”

But alcohol is not allowed at South Haven beaches or parks, according to Thompson.

And there was plenty of beer cans, bottles and liquor bottles littered on South Beach, Wednesday, after police told the crowds of students to leave.

In the past, police officers who found beachgoers with alcoholic beverages sometimes merely made them pour it out if they weren't getting out of hand and had a designated sober driver for transport. But it's a policy that didn't work well.

“I was a summer police intern here in 1992,” Thompson said. “We used to pour out alcohol when we found it, but it's now getting to the point where we can't pick and choose like that,” she continued to say, explaining that some people accused police of being discriminatory.

“We'd hear, 'you let that one go because he's a rich guy from South Haven, or from Chicago,'” Thompson said. “Now, it's zero tolerance.”

Case in point was last year's Light up the Lake fireworks event, where police had to evacuate North Beach after a group of unruly people began throwing bottles and other objects at beachgoers and police, injuring several of them.

“Alcohol is not allowed on our beaches. Period. That's why we have zero tolerance,” Thompson said. “We can't pick and choose anymore. That's discrimination.”

Thompson said she felt bad telling students they had to leave.

“It's sad,” she said. “But when there's buses full of coolers (with alcoholic beverages) that's not good.”

New Columbia Township supervisor appointed

By BECKY KARK

Editor and general manager

GRAND JUNCTION — The old saying, “Third time's the charm” turned out to be the case for the appointment of Columbia Township's new supervisor.

Township board members voted, 3-1, this past Saturday to hire Linda Norton after failing to reach a consensus in two previous meetings on May 8 and May 11.

Board members interviewed three candidates for the job — John Conner and Denis Curran and Norton.

Norton will take the place of Dean Beckwith, who resigned April 1 due to health reasons. Township voters elected Beckwith in November 2016. Norton will now serve as supervisor until November 2018 when she will have to run for election.

Although Norton lost to Beckwith in November's election, she feels she's up for the job.

“I know there's a lot that can be done,” said Norton when asked why she applied to fill Beckwith's unfinished term. “Columbia Township has a lot to offer and I feel I can help.”

Norton currently serves as clerk in the neighboring village of Breedsville. She has been involved in the village's government since 2012 when she was elected as a trustee. She then became treasurer and now, clerk.

She felt one of her biggest accomplishments as clerk was helping to coordinate grant funding for replacement of the village's bridge on County Road 215. Norton worked with former State Rep. Aric Nesbitt as well as other Lansing officials to line up funds for the $1.4 million project. The bridgework is expected to be finished sometime by Aug. 1, village president Rich Newberry said in a previous interview.

The bridge, which was built in 1969, has been closed since December 2015 when it collapsed.

It is the only entrance from the south into the village.

“That bridge has been my project,” Norton said. “I've been the go-to person.”

Norton said she is not yet sure if she will give up her post as village clerk. She said she would like to continue both jobs if possible.

In addition to her government roles, Norton is a billing specialist at South Haven Family Physicians. She has two grown children and is engaged. Her fiancé has two grown children, as well.



5.15.17

South Haven hospital leader bids farewell

By BECKY KARK

Editor and general manager

After spending much of her healthcare career in southwest Michigan, Bronson South Haven Hospital administrator Joanne Schroeder will head north to become president of Munson Healthcare Charlevoix Hospital, in Charlevoix.

Schroeder plans to take on her new role in June, according to Bronson Healthcare President and CEO Frank Sardone. She will be succeeded by Bronson Healthcare Vice President Kirk Richardson, who is also chief operating officer for Bronson LakeView Hospital in Paw Paw. Richardson will be serving as chief operating officer for both hospitals.

“We are all saddened to see Joanne go, but understand she has a wonderful career opportunity ahead of her with a well-respected organization in a part of the state that she and her family love.”

Schroeder has served as chief operating officer and vice president of Bronson South Haven since the local hospital merged with Bronson Healthcare in January. Prior to that she was the president and CEO of South Haven Health System for 10 years.

Schroeder has spent much of her 25-year career at South Haven Health System, where she first served as vice president of patient care services. She also worked at Mary Free Bed Hospital and Rehabilitation Center in Grand Rapids as vice president of patient care services.

According to Sardone, Schroeder played an instrumental role in helping the former South Haven Health System board make the decision to merge with Bronson.

“As our organizations have come together, we have benefited from Joanne's leadership style, collaborative spirit, commitment to doing what is best for patients and her 32 years of experience in the community and in the healthcare industry,” Sardone said. “She leaves a lasting legacy.”

Munson Healthcare chose Schroeder in April. She will replace President Lyn Jenks, who is retiring.

“Joanne understands the challenges of small community hospitals and has strong management and leadership experience to carry forward the great foundation of care established in Charlevoix,” said Ed Ness, president and CEO of Munson Healthcare, a northern Michigan health group that operates the Charlevoix hospital.

Schroeder said in a Munson Healthcare news release she is looking forward to her new job.

“We love the Charlevoix area and we love northern Michigan,” she said. After having the opportunity to meet with the board, Munson Healthcare leadership, physicians, the management team and employees, it seemed like a great fit and I believe we will be able to do great things together.”

An open house honoring Schroeder's years working for South Haven Health System and now Bronson South Haven, will take place from 4-6 p.m., Monday, May 22 at Bronson Wellness Center, 950 S. Bailey Ave.

Attendees will also have a chance to meet Richardson. Richardson has 30-plus years of healthcare experience. He holds a master's degree in management with undergraduate degrees in nursing and as an emergency medical technician. He is also a certified firefighter and serves as a captain for Paw Paw Fire Department where he is active in county-wide emergency planning.

PHOTOS: Joanne Schroeder

Kirk Richardson

Faul steps out of retirement to lead Van Buren County

By ROD SMITH

For the Tribune

PAW PAW — A familiar face will soon be returning to become Van Buren County administrator. John Faul, who served as county administrator from 2000-2006 is expected to start June 1 to succeed Douglas Cultra, who retired April 30.

Commissioners, Tuesday, voted to hire Faul from a list of five finalists.

Faul sent a text to County Commission Chair Richard Godfrey shortly after the unanimous vote was taken. "Excellent. I look forward to working for the county," Godfrey read. "Just tell me the next steps and I'll be there."

The next step, according to Godfrey, will be to negotiate a contract.

Commissioners interviewed the five finalists, Friday, May 5. Besides Faul, the finalists were Warren Brown of Sandusky, Ohio, Michael Bossert of Kankakee, Ill., Tracy Byard of Clare, and Patrick Jordan, formerly of Wexford County.

But Faul was the only candidate considered during Tuesday's commission meeting. Commission Vice-chair Michael Toth said Faul was way above all the other candidates. "He did score very high," Toth said.

"It wasn't really close," Commissioner Paul Schincariol said. The motion to hire Faul came from Commissioner Richard Freestone.

Several commissioners also commented that another advantage is that they already know Faul wants to live in the area. Faul resides in the Mattawan area.

Faul has been the Kalamazoo County deputy administrator since 2008 and had been acting administrator for two years. Prior to that he was a group municipal account executive for the Southfield-based Meadowbrook Insurance Group.

From 2000 to 2006 he was Van Buren County administrator and five years prior to that he had been community development director for Michigan State University Extension for the county.

Faul holds a bachelor of arts degree in economics from Kalamazoo College, a master's degree in geography and community development from Western Michigan University and underwent training in community and economic development from MSU Extension.

Godfrey said that a total of 14 people applied for the position, the furthest from Wisconsin.

Faul will succeed Cultra, who succeeded Faul. For both it is the second time around serving as administrator for Van Buren County.

Cultra, 66, became Van Buren County's first administrator in 1987 after serving as Lapeer County's first administrator. He left in 1995 to run a business with his wife, Mary, but came back in 2006 to succeed Faul. Cultra has been administrator a total of 19 years.

Faul will be the county's fourth and sixth county administrator.

The county's other administrators between Cultra's first term and Faul's first term have been Judith Peterson and Calvin Teague.



5.8.17

Louise Wepfer of South Haven (left) is shown with her dog, Daisy, during a recent Books and Barks reading activity at Decadent Dogs. Also shown are store owner Roxanne Leder, with shop dogs Sandy and Gillian, and Audrey Dunton of Kalamazoo.

As it turns out, dogs can be young readers' best friend, too

By KIM INGALLS

For the Tribune

Walk into Decadent Dogs pet boutique shop any Wednesday afternoon and you might want to be careful where you step.

Chances are there are dogs and kids sprawled all over the floor. There might even be a few grandparents in the mix.

They are all part of the South Haven store’s newest activity “Books and Barks,” which encourages school age children to cuddle up with their canine buddies and listen to stories with a special theme - dogs.

“This is something that I have meant to do for years,” Decadent Dogs owner Roxanne Leder said. “I finally buckled down and did it this winter.”

A firm believer that reading provides a strong foundation of education, Leder came up with the idea as a way to encourage youngsters to love books.

“If it takes snuggling up to a dog to read a book, that’s a good thing,” she said.

Research has shown that kids seem to improve their reading skills when they have a furry creature nearby.

In 2010, the University of California veterinary medicine program conducted a study of a group of third graders and home-schoolers. After reading to dogs once a week for 10 weeks, the youngsters showed a marked improvement in their reading skills. Researchers concluded that dogs provided a non-judgmental  audience which “listened” and took the pressure off of kids who stumbled over pronouncing words.

While the Decadent Dogs program is a bit different - adults read while kids snuggle with pets, the outcome is pretty much the same.

“Usually I do the reading,” Leder said. “if I’m not available, one of my staff will do it.”

Don’t worry if you have a kid but no dog, Leder assured. Shop dogs Sandy, Gilligan or Bode Miller don’t mind laying down on the job for a good cause.

“We welcome anyone who enjoys children and dogs,” said Leder about the one-hour story time. “Therapy dogs are also welcome to attend and practice their therapy skills. Or if an owner just wants to bring in their dog to socialize, they are welcome.”

Books and Barks is held at 4:30 p.m. Wednesdays at Decadent Dogs, 505 Phoenix St., downtown. Leder said once school is out for summer, the activity may switch to mornings. Updates can be found on the store’s Facebook page. 

City council OKs July 3 fireworks in South Haven

City staff plan new measures to prevent rowdy, drunken behavior at parks, beaches

By BECKY KARK

Editor and general manager

The popular Light up the Lake fireworks display will ignite over Lake Michigan this year, but city officials are keeping their fingers crossed there won't be a repeat performance of the unruly crowd of people who marred last year's event.

City council members voted 4-1 Monday to approve a recommendation to hold this year's fireworks display, July 3. Council member Vickiy Kozlik-Wall cast the lone no vote.

“There's a solid plan in place,” said council member Scott Smith, in regard to the South Haven Police Department's proposed recommendations to ensure better crowd control this year. “I'm going to trust our law enforcement to say we're ready for this year.”

The Light up the Lake fireworks display in 2016 was marred by rowdy crowds on the city's North Beach, which prompted police to close the beach an hour prior to the fireworks display. Approximately 4,000 people had to leave the beach after a drunk and unruly group of people began throwing bottles and other objects at police and beach-goers. Eight people were arrested during the incident.

This year, things will be different, according to Police Chief Natalie Thompson.

Thompson has spent the past year talking with local residents and neighboring law enforcement agencies to develop better ways to try and prevent disorderly people from attending the fireworks display. She said the city wants to provide an enjoyable and safe environment for people to enjoy Light up the Lake fireworks display, but drunken and disorderly behavior won't be tolerated.

“Our goal was to learn from last year,” she said. “The input we received was great.”

Thompson unveiled the police department's plan for better crowd control this year. Highlights include:

• More visible support from outside police agencies, including the Michigan State Police, Van Buren County Sheriff's Department, Allegan County Sheriff’s Department, Covert Township Police Department, Pokagon Tribal Police Department and the U.S. Coast Guard.

• Stricter enforcement of the city's zero tolerance for alcohol at beaches and parks. Not only will police be checking coolers, they also will be checking beverage containers. Police will also be monitoring at the beaches earlier in the day on July 3 before beaches and parks become too crowded with people.

• Double fencing will be installed at beaches to create a better way to control crowds.

• Social media sites will be monitored more closely to avoid what happened last year when an influx of people came to South Haven's North Beach based on posts and text messages they received from friends.

To show support for the police department, Van Buren County Sheriff Dan Abbott and First Lt. Dale Hinz, commander of the Michigan State Police post in Paw Paw, attended the city council meeting.

“The city will have the full resources of the state police,” Hinz said. “We will send a large contingent of manpower.”

Abbott also pledged support, but said in the future he thinks the city should move the date of the display to July 4.

“You might want to run it the same night as other big cities,” he said, referring to the many out-of-town day trippers that South Haven's fireworks display attracts. “Your city will benefit if you hold it on the same night as other cities do.”

Council member Kozlik-Wall agreed.

“I do like the idea of moving it to July 4,” she said. “This event is for our city of South Haven and the surrounding townships. Either have it on the 4th of July or cancel it.”

She also brought up the amount of money the city spends to host the event.

“My other concern is the wear and tear on our city...how much it costs us and most of all the safety of our citizens.”

It costs the city approximately $20,000 to prepare the beaches and parks for the display and to provide police protection, according to City Manager Brian Dissette. However, private sponsors provide funds for the fireworks display, itself.

Dissette said the city has traditionally budgeted money to provide police and Department of Public Works services for special events, such as the fireworks display, Harborfest and the National Blueberry Festival.

Trial date set in Bangor park shooting case

By ALEXANDRA NEWMAN

HP Staff Writer

PAW PAW — The Bangor man accused of killing a man in a park in February is scheduled to face trial in July.

Thurman Fletcher Jr., 19, charged with first-degree murder in the death of Eddie “E.J.” Holland, 29, of Hartford, is scheduled to appear at 8:30 a.m. July 26 in Van Buren County Circuit Court. A final pre-trial hearing is set for July 10 at 1 p.m.

The dates were set at a pretrial hearing this past week.

Van Buren County Sheriff Daniel Abbott confirmed in April the investigation was handed over to the Michigan Attorney General’s office because his son may be involved in the incident. He said as soon as they discovered a possible conflict, the case was turned over.

No charges have been brought against Abbott’s son, and no more information has been released about his possible involvement in the incident.

The shooting took place in Lions Park in Bangor when Fletcher allegedly met Holland to buy marijuana.

When the two men arrived at the park, Holland began fighting with Fletcher, according to witness testimony in March. The two men fell to the ground and Holland grabbed the pistol and shot Fletcher in the leg. Fletcher then got ahold of the pistol and allegedly shot Holland twice.

Holland, shot in the chest, lost consciousness within a few seconds and died within a few minutes, according to testimony.

Fletcher is being held without bond in the Van Buren County Jail.







5.1.17



This photos shows Cardiology II P.C. & Body Laser Sculpting Medical Spa. Authorities say its owner, Dr. Bradley Bastow, does not have the proper building permit to operate the facility as a medical clinic. However, as of Wednesday, the clinic was still open.

A troubling medical history

Pole barn clinic is physician's latest run-in with regulators

By BECKY KARK

Editor and general manager

GLENN — A South Haven physician is in hot water with local and county officials after Allegan County Sheriff's deputies discovered he was performing a surgical procedure in a pole barn in Glenn.

The physician in question is Dr. Bradley Bastow, a cardiologist who also performs liposuction and other body laser sculpting procedures under his medical practice's name, Cardiology II P.C. & Body Laser Sculpting Medical Spa.

Deputies were called to the medical clinic, April 20, to assist other first responders in dealing with a patient who was having difficulty breathing after a liposuction procedure. While there, deputies began to look around and did not like what they saw, according to Sheriff Frank Baker.

“Concerns regarding the facility were observed,” Baker said Wednesday.. Further investigation showed the building is not properly licensed to function as a medical clinic.

“We will be working with our prosecutor's office, health department and the state department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs in regard to determining anything that might be criminal,” Baker said.

Allegan County Health Department officials wasted no time alerting the public about the medical clinic.

“This building does not have a certificate of occupancy and is not approved for any business activities,” said Allegan County Health Officer Angelique Joynes. In a news release issued one day after first responders dealt with the medical emergency at the clinic. She also issued a warning to the clinic's patients — “If you have had surgery at this site and have any signs of infection such as fever, redness and swelling seek immediate medical care.”

Although the county health department issued a warning a week ago that Bastow and his staff are not supposed to conduct medical procedures in the Glenn facility, the practice was open Wednesday.

Several patients were waiting to be seen and office staff were present. However, office staff said Bastow was not in the office and would not be available for comment until at least Monday, May 1, because he was out-of-town dealing with a personal family matter.

Bastow had been practicing cardiology in South Haven for the past 27 years before moving his practice, in early 2016, to the pole barn at 6990 114th Ave., in the heart of Glenn's small downtown area. Glenn is located 10 miles north of South Haven in Ganges Township.

Almost immediately Bastow came under fire by local residents and Ganges Township officials, who worried the building wasn't up to code for use as a medical facility.

At a Ganges Township Planning Commission meeting in March 2016, residents and business owners expressed their views.

Jan Woods of Earl's Market, was quoted in the Saugatuck Local Observer weekly newspaper, saying, “I am concerned that the doctor's building is an eyesore.”

Kay Conklin of Conklin Real Estate said, “I am concerned about health issues concerning the doctor.”

Their concerns stemmed from Bastow allegedly conducting medical procedures in the building despite being issued a stop work order by Ganges Township because his facility did not comply with building codes.

A year later, the facility still does not meet all of the building codes necessary for operation as a medical facility, according to Tasha Smalley, a zoning administrator for Michigan Township Services. As a result, Bastow has not received an occupancy permit and as such, medical procedures cannot be performed in the building.

Bastow did satisfactorily upgrade the electrical, plumbing and mechanical units, however the building itself does not meet code as a medical facility.

“Hallways need to be a certain width, the bathroom has to be handicap accessible...there's 13 building codes for medical clinics,” Smalley said.

In an interview, Tuesday, Smalley said township officials tried initially to work with Bastow.

“He bought the building and started the clinic before he could legally occupy it,” she said. “In that process the township was working with him to get the occupancy permit. In the beginning we verbally gave him permission to temporarily issue prescriptions.”

But, even though he was only supposed to write prescriptions for his patients, the doctor allegedly has kept on performing medical procedures.

“We all knew he was doing things there he shouldn't have been doing,” Smalley said.

So township officials took action. They filed a complaint in Allegan Circuit Court and obtained a judgement in July of 2016 ordering Bastow to stop performing medical procedures.

But Allegan County Sheriff's deputies caught Bastow earlier this month performing liposuction on a patient.

Smalley said the Allegan County Prosecutor's office could file criminal charges against Bastow because he is allegedly violating the circuit court order, but whether the prosecutor will do so remains to be seen.

“The sheriff's office is still investigating,” Allegan County Prosecutor Rob Kengis said Wednesday. “They are getting intouch with the health department and the state department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs to look at what permits and licenses he (Bastow) has. When they wrap up with the investigation we'll coordinate with all agencies to determine what course of action to pursue.”

This is not Bastow's first problem with operating a medical facility.

In 2013, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission fined him $1,000 for failing to keep instruments properly calibrated; failing to keep accurate and complete records; and failing to conduct regular inventories of sealed radioactive sources.

In 2014, he came under the NRC's radar when they stepped up inspections of his medical offices at 950 S. Blue Star Hwy., in South Haven. After conducting several investigations, the NRC fined Bastow $3,500 in March 2016 for continuing to violate NRC regulations. Bastow voluntarily relinquished his NRC license rather than pay the fine, and also closed his South Haven office. In a letter sent to Bastow in March of 2016, Cynthia D. Pederson, regional administrator for the NRC told Bastow if he tried to apply for an NRC license again he would have to pay the $3,500 fee.

Bastow has not reapplied for the license, according to Viktoria Mitlyng, senior public affairs officer for the NRC's Region 3 in Illinois.

“Dr. Bastow is prohibited from serving as a Radiation Safety Officer while in NRC jurisdiction,” Mitlyng said. “This includes working as an RSO; being listed as an RSO on a license; and performing any RSO duties for any licensee while in NRC jurisdiction. However, Dr. Bastow is an authorized user on (a license he has with Mirview Inc.), which does allow him to prescribe/order diagnostic procedures, administer, and interpret scans involving diagnostic nuclear medicine procedures.”



4.25.17

Circuit court date set for rape case

By BECKY KARK

Editor and general manager

Five South Haven basketball players will be headed to circuit court in May to face felony charges of statutory rape.

The five players waived preliminary exams, April 12, in Seventh District Court and were bound over to the higher court the same day, according to Magistrate James Becker. Their next court date is scheduled May 8 in Van Buren Circuit Court where they will face a pre-trial for third degree criminal sexual conduct.

The students — Darion Gist, 18; twins Damari and Dashaan Palmer, 18; Cameron Watkins, 17; and Caskadara Smith, 17, are accused of having sex with a 15-year-old girl, who is also a student at the high school. If convicted the five students could be facing up to 15 years in prison.

According to court records, the alleged sexual acts took place between Nov. 1-Dec. 6, 2016, when all five of the suspects were 17 years old. South Haven Police became aware of the allegations last week and began an investigation.

In an earlier interview, South Haven Police Chief Natalie Thompson did not indicate whether the female minor consented to the sexual acts, but regardless, she is under the age of 16, and under the Michigan law, teenagers under the age of 16 cannot legally consent to having sex.

“Michigan Compiled Law defines criminal sexual conduct in the third degree as involving penetration with a victim of ages 13, 14, or 15 years of age, otherwise known as statutory rape,” Thompson said.

Bangor interim school chief plans to retire

By BECKY KARK

Editor and general manager

BANGOR — It looks like the search for a new superintendent for Bangor Public Schools will begin in earnest with the retirement of interim school chief Deb Pobuda. But whether Chief Operating Officer Dennis Paquette will return as superintendent is not known at this point.

Bangor Board of Education members Monday formally accepted the retirement of Pobuda but did not take any formal action on conducting a search for a new person to lead the school district.

“We haven't figured that out yet,” said Bangor Board of Education President Dwight Click.

Pobuda had served for the past 18 years as business manager for Bangor Public Schools until being named interim superintendent in January. After serving in the education field for the past 32 years, she said she her husband “felt it was time (for her to retire)”

“Bangor has been a good district to work for and I appreciate all the support I have received,” she said.

Pobuda doesn't plan to retire until the end of July, so Click said that will buy the district time to conduct a search.

However, Click would not say whether Paquette will be reconsidered for the job. Paquette, who had been hired as superintendent in 2014, stepped down in December 2016 when it was disclosed he did not file in a timely manner to enroll in courses to complete his certification requirements as a superintendent. Because he failed to do so, the Michigan Department of Education plans to fine the school district $30,000. In the meantime, he is serving as chief operating officer for the school district, because under state guidelines, he cannot deal with any issues involving curriculum or personnel matters — issues superintendents typically deal with.

In an interview in January, Paquette said Michigan Department of Education's position troubled him because he didn't realize he needed to enroll for the certification program within six months of being hired as superintendent. He said when he applied for the job he was told by previous district superintendent Ron Parker that he needed to have at least a master's degree and complete his administration certification requirements within three years.

Shortly after taking on the superintendent's job Paquette said he focused on eliminating the district's $360,000 debt, which was done by June of 2016.

In August 2016 Paquette then enrolled in the Michigan Association of Secondary School Principals' Path to Leadership certification program.

“I was accepted in August and started the classes in September and plan to be done by August of this year,” he said in a previous interview.

But whether the school board plans to rehire Paquette as superintendent remains to be seen.

The school district is still dealing with the fallout of a scandal that involved five teachers and the superintendent's secretary who were caught on video making inappropriate comments about students and fellow staff members at a bar in January. The video went viral in February and three of the staff members ended up resigning, while the other three were reprimanded.

During Monday's school board meeting, Click made a formal apology to the community, saying, “On behalf of the entire school board, I apologize for the unfortunate incidents that occurred and hope the community will work with us.”

The secretary who resigned was Patti Waite. During Monday's school board meeting, Melissa Quinn, who served as the administrative assistant for the athletic director, will now take over as administrative assistant and human resources coordinator for the superintendent at an annual salary of $39,000.



4.17.17

After the 2016 presidential election, Brigitte Krummel, 82, felt she had to turn her frustration into action and formed the group Van Buren For All.

Political changes spark a surge of activism among local residents

By KIM INGALLS

For the Tribune

Not one to usually involve herself in politics, Brigitte Krummel felt she had to do something after the 2016 presidential election, in which Democrat Hillary Clinton won the popular vote, but ended up losing to Republican Donald Trump after he won the electoral college.

“I couldn’t breathe,” said the 82 year old who was born in Germany and grew up there during World War II. Trump's controversial comments about women and minorities, his campaign platform of forcing illegal aliens to leave the country, to put up a wall between Mexico and the United States and sever ties with allies and other countries who disagreed with his nationalistic views worried her. Some political analysts were even comparing Trump to a dictator, similar to Germany's Adolf Hitler, who started World War II and was responsible for the Holocaust, in which 6 million Jews perished at the hands of the Nazi death camps.

“I was fearful,” Krummel said. “I thought at 82 does history repeat itself? Didn’t we learn? Do we have to go through this again?”

From the millions of people who attended the Women’s March the day after President Trump was inaugurated to the hundreds who crowd into town hall meetings, political activism is on the rise.

Krummel is one of the many who have chosen to harness their fears and frustration into productive activity. Using the online Google document, the Indivisible Guide as a tool, she formed Van Buren For All.

“The Indivisible Guide gave me the skeleton of what to do, so I got together with a group of friends at my farmhouse in Webster Hills (between Bangor and Hartford),” she said. “We discovered pretty quickly that we’d need a bigger location and moved our meetings to the Lawrence Library.”

The Indivisible Guide suggests the best practices for making Congress listen to the American public's concerns. It gives tips on how groups can ask Congressional leaders to focus on defensive advocacy, embrace progressive values, and the core of the movement - resist the Trump nationalistic agenda. 

Others had a similar reaction to the election of the 45th president.

Channeling anger into action, South Haven resident Wendi Onuki formed a small Facebook group called Nasty Women of Southwest Michigan. Another South Haven resident, Jenny Combs gathered a band of concerned citizens and held a meeting where members sent postcards to Congress several months ago.

Meanwhile, retired South Haven Public Schools science teacher Julie Leavitt decided to organize a post-march "huddle" at her home. She did so after attending the Women's March in Washington D.C. Leavitt invited some 50 friends, acquaintances and neighbors to share concerns and discussing future action. 

Realizing that they could make a bigger impact together, it was decided that the small groups should merge -  officially becoming Progressives United of South Haven (PUSH).

“PUSH organized its first event — a protest outside the local post office in support of immigrants and refugees,” said Onuki. “It has hosted collection drives for local causes, held rallies and protests against the current administration's oppressive policies, and used its monthly meeting to generate a long list of initiatives aimed at such issues as women's rights, education, the LGBTQ community and the environment.” 

PUSH isn’t the only group hosting events. 

On Saturday, April 29, Van Buren For All will host its first “ Celebration of Unity” at Van Buren Youth Camp in Bloomingdale.

“The official opening of the celebration will be at 2 pm.,” said Krummel. “During the program from 2-5 p.m., different groups can share with each other what they are doing, and how everyone can get more involved in their efforts. As a part of the program we will support the Climate March that is happening the same day, and participate in our own way.”

Political activism from both sides of the political spectrum has blossomed since the election. The nation saw the largest post-inauguration protest in history with the Women’s March on Washington, which took place not only in D.C., but also across the country and even across the globe. There were 673 marches around the world and an estimated 4,956,422 marchers. 

Locally, both groups are experiencing a growing interest. With almost 250 members at last count, PUSH holds monthly in-person meetings at the South Haven Memorial Library and shares daily actions, events and updates on its website push49090.org and its Facebook page.

“We have a voice” Krummel said. “Seeing people waking up, marching, attending rallies, writing postcards, making phone calls, standing in front of offices and finding ways to stand up for what we believe in. This is a movement that without question is happening spontaneously across the country, and it isn’t happening just on the TV in big cities, it is also happening here locally.”

South Haven mayor's race now a contest

By BECKY KARK

Editor and general manager

It looks like there will be a mayoral race in South Haven after all.

Former Assistant City Manager Paul Vandenbosch announced in November of 2016 that he would run for mayor in this November's election and remained the sole candidate until Monday evening, when city council member Scott Smith tossed his hat in the ring. Any other candidate has until April 24^th to submit their petition to run for mayor.

Whomever is elected in November will replace Mayor Bob Burr, who cannot seek re-election due to term limits. Burr is completing his fourth two-year term of office as mayor.

“I want to keep the positive and continuous things that are going on in this community,” Smith said.

Smith has served on the city council for nine years. He also has served on the planning commission, housing commission, zoning board of appeals and on the Liberty Hyde Bailey Museum board.

He is an occupational therapist for Bronson South Haven Hospital. He and his wife Listy have three children.

“The biggest thing we need to focus on is economic development and job growth,” Smith said. “I think we're doing a lot of good things,” he went on to say regarding the infrastructure improvements that are taking place on North Shore Drive, Monroe Boulevard, Kalamazoo Street and at the city's wastewater treatment plant; improvements that he thinks can help lead to economic growth in the future.

When those tasks are completed Smith said he hopes the improvements will lead to more jobs for the community.

“I think we need to move forward now toward job growth and a year-round economy,” he said. “I want to be a welcoming community to all.”

Vandenbosch, who retired as assistant city manager in 2015, spent 19 years as an administrator for the city. During his tenure, he assisted in writing the city's master plan and worked as project manager to develop industrial parks, demolish old industrial sites on the city's south side and repair streets and utilities.

“My goal as mayor of the City of South Haven is to be responsive to its citizens,” VandenBosch wrote in a news release when he announced his candidacy for mayor in November of 2016.. “My top priorities will be to continue the excellent work of street and utility reconstruction, to support implementation of the rental regulation program, and to focus the city's efforts on providing quality customer service to its residents and visitors.”



4.10.17

A film crew is shown this past summer shooting a scene for the "Sernity in South Haven" episode of GJTV's "Lakefront Bargain Show."

SH home featured on HGTV show

By KIM INGALLS

For the Tribune

If you tune in to HGTV’s  “Lakefront Bargain Hunt” real estate show this month, you might be surprised to see a familiar sight.

The hit cable show's newest episode, “Serenity in South Haven,” will feature a Chicago couple searching for their dream lakefront home right here in South Haven.

“HGTV reached out to me because they were taking their popular show 'Beachfront Bargain Hunt' and expanding it to include fresh water lakes throughout the United States, calling it Lakefront Bargain Hunt,” explained Amy O’Sullivan, an associate broker with Jaqua Realtors. “The premise is that you don't have to spend a million dollars to get close to Lake Michigan or even have views of the lake. The producers had heard of South Haven and thought it would be a great community to feature.”

Some of O’Sullivan’s higher end listings had been featured in the past on HGTV, and when asked if she had any customers looking for a house, she had an answer.

“The producer asked if I had any clients looking for a lakefront 'bargain' and I thought of Brennan and Alex right away,” she said.” They live in the city of Chicago and were looking for a 'getaway' from the hustle and bustle for the weekends. They didn't want to spend more than $300,000 and I was really excited to help find them the perfect place. They instantly fell in love with South Haven and the beaches and beautiful sunsets.”

“Serenity in South Haven,” which was shot in July 2016, follows the city dwellers as they tour three properties searching for the perfect vacation home. Each showing took about a half a day to shoot, and required a little bit of patience on the part of O'Sullivan.

“It was fascinating to see how these shows are made and we sometimes had to do the same 'scene' two or three times before the director and producer were satisfied,” she said. 

Even though it was sunny and very hot, the crew couldn’t stop raving about how wonderful South Haven was, she said.

More importantly, Brennan and Alex thought the same thing.

“We were excited about the experience! We watch HGTV religiously and always have it on,” said Brennan Bohman. “It was really great working with Amy and it was fun to show off the town of South Haven. We have come to love it here so much and think it's a great thing to share that with the viewers. There is so much to do around the area and really think it's a positive thing to get people excited about the lake lifestyle that we both enjoy so much.”

Serenity in South Haven will air Monday, April 10 at 3:30 a.m., and Sunday, April 23 at 7:30 p.m



Bangor seeks millage for upgrades to city parks

By BECKY KARK

Editor and general manager

BANGOR — Bangor is home to 10 parks, but maintaining them, let alone upgrading facilities, isn't easy for a small town on a limited budget.

But city officials think they may have a solution to provide extra funds for park improvements, while going easy on taxpayers' wallets.

When Bangor city voters head to the polls, May 2, they'll be asked to vote on whether to pay .35 of a mill for a new dedicated park millage. However, the millage being requested is the same amount that city taxpayers paid to the South Haven Hospital Authority, before it merged with Bronson Healthcare Group in January. If approved, the average homeowner in Bangor would pay $20 annually in taxes.

“Since we no longer pay the small millage to the South Haven Hospital Authority, we're asking the public to continue to pay that amount as a dedicated park millage,” City Manager Regina Hoover said. “We know that it's hard to pay increased taxes, so this will hopefully be no hardship since we are asking for pretty much the same amount they were used to paying.”

If the millage proposal is OK'd by voters, it would raise about $9,000, annually, for the parks system.

“It isn't a fortune, but would certainly help,” Hoover said. “All of the parks need improvement.”

One of the city's biggest park priorities is the placement of security cameras at Lions Park and

Donald S. Mora Ballpark.

“Next we would be repairing or replacing broken or worn out equipment,” Hoover said. “We need new equipment, such as picnic tables. I have many catalogs of fun-looking playground equipment I'd love to see in the Kids Place Park behind McDonald's. The list could go on and on.”

The millage also could be used to leverage grants to help fund improvements, such as new paths, signage, sidewalks, parking lots and roads within parks.

City council candidates

Three incumbent city council candidates are running uncontested in the May 2 election. Geno Aleman, who was appointed last year to replace Jim Tanner, who died, will be seeking a partial-term that ends in May of 2020, while Dan Fry and Harold Bator will be seeking the two three-year term seats.

Write-in candidates have until 4 p.m., April 21 to file a petition at city hall.



4.3.17

South Haven Area Emergency Services spent five hours putting out a fire that broke out March 30 at a home in South Haven.

South Haven minister's home gutted by fire

By BECKY KARK

Editor and general manager

A fire, Wednesday evening, destroyed the home of a South Haven minister.

Luckily, however, Rev. Simon Harrington, pastor of Solomon's Temple Ministries, and another adult family member were able to escape from the burning home before the fire engulfed the dwelling at 452 Maple St., in South Haven.

The fire began at 10:30 p.m., Wednesday, according to Ron Wise, South Haven Area Emergency Services director.

“We believe the fire originated in the attic space and spread throughout the home's walls and ceiling,” Wise said.

It took firefighters quite a long time to contain the fire. The pouring rain and wind didn't help, according to Wise. “We were there until 3:30 a.m.,” he said.

Firefighters did not yet know Thursday what caused the fire, but said no foul play is suspected.

“Some of the home is too structurally unstable from the fire to enter into at this time,” Wise said.

The home was heavily damaged from the fire and is considered a complete loss.

Rev. Harrington and his wife, Betty, are staying with family members, according to Linda Olsen, executive director of We Care in the Name of Christ human service ministry.

“They lost everything,” Olsen said, regarding the Harrington's possessions within the home.

LMC board approves tuition hike

By RALPH HEIBUTZKI

HP Correspondent

That includes labor contracts, plus health insurance and wage increases for employees, rising utility costs, decreased enrollment, and flat or declining state aid – which all put pressure on the college’s budget, Harrison said.

“Over time, the amount the state pays has gone down, statewide, to 17 percent (of LMC’s budget). We’re subject to increases in property tax values, which results in higher property taxes,” Harrison said. “Basically, we focused on tuition (in this academic year), not on fees.”

In-district tuition will see a $5 adjustment to $102 dollars per contact hour, an LMC news release stated.

Out-of-district student rates will go from $150 to $157.50 per contact hour, and international student rates will change from $219.50 to $230.50 per contact hour, the release said.

Tuesday’s action will mean an average annual increase of about $120 per student.

According to the college’s release, the tuition cost per year for a full time, in-district student – before scholarships and financial aid are applied – will be $2,448, or $3,552 with fees.

Even after Tuesday’s decision, tuition at LMC remains less than a third of what most public colleges and universities charge, the release said.

For example, the average cost per year for a full-time student at a four-year public school is $11,000, while annual private schools cost an average of $25,000.

Students who attend LMC first, and transfer to another school, could save up to $43,000, the release stated.

“In a time of skyrocketing college costs and crippling student loans, Lake Michigan College is still the place in southwest Michigan to earn a college degree at the lowest cost without sacrificing quality,” Harrison said.

According to the release, tuition revenue and state support provide just 35 and 17 percent, respectively, of LMC’s budget.

By contrast, state support stood at 32 percent in 2001, the college noted, in its release.

The rest of LMC’s revenue comes largely from local property taxes.

“We are very sensitive to the needs and limitations of many of our students and families, and we will continue to create ways to make college a reality for students despite their financial circumstances,” Harrison said. “A strength of community college is the ability to provide access to high-quality academic programs and services at an affordable price.”

Tuesday’s decision allows LMC to maximize support for its new Guided Pathways to College Completion initiative, which will focus more resources on helping students set and achieve their academic goals, Harrison said.



3.27.17

Construction of the new three-story pump station at the South Haven wastewater treatment plant is shown. When completed, the station will be able to more effectively prevent overflow of untreated wastewater into the Black River and Lake Michigan. (Photo by Tom Renner)

South Haven seeks grant for more upgrades to wastewater plant

By BECKY KARK

Editor and general manager

South Haven city officials hope to attract more food-processing oriented businesses, but to do so the aging wastewater treatment plant will need to be upgraded to properly process waste generated from such businesses.

As a result, this past week the city council voted to seek a $1.5 million grant from the Michigan Economic Development Corp. (MEDC) to make the improvements. The proposed upgrade is in addition to construction of a new, larger main lift station at the treatment plant. The new lift station will have more capacity to help prevent storm sewage from entering the Black River or Lake Michigan.

“The future (economic development) of this area is likely going to be food processors,” said City Manager Brian Dissette, regarding why the city is seeking the MEDC grant.

Currently, two micro-breweries are on tap for the city, including South Haven Brewpub, which just opened in Old Harbor Village, and Three Blondes Brewery, which will be located on Phoenix Road near 71-1/2 Street. Hanson Logistics has also proposed building a cold storage facility and processing plant on 2^nd Avenue near the city's Business and Industrial Park.

“The city is in the process of working with developers on several new projects in the community including up to two and maybe three new microbreweries,” said Public Works Director Bill Hunter. “The impact of these developments and particularly the wastewater from the proposed breweries as well as the planned Cold Storage facility have raised concerns about the capacity of the wastewater treatment plant to effectively handle (sugar-based) waste from these projects.”

To handle the waste effectively to meet environmental requirements, the biological treatment system at the wastewater plant should be increased. Right now, the plant has a storage capacity of 90 days for the types of wastewater that would be generated from food processing facilities. However, the plant ideally needs to have a storage capacity of 180 days if more food processing businesses locate in South Haven. To address the problem, the city hopes to build a new bio-solids storage tank will replace the existing drying beds at the plant.

A second improvement the city hopes to make at the treatment plant involves replacing two of the aeration blowers and adding a computerized system to control them. Doing so will save the city about $30,000 annually in utility costs to run the blowers.

The total cost for the proposed bio-solids storage tank and aeration blowers has been pegged at $2 million. The city could have applied for $2 million in grant funding but is choosing to only apply for $1.5 million and provide the remaining $500,000 as a local match.

“We feel we'll score better on our application if we provide a local match,” Dissette said.

Money for the local match would come from the Department of Public Works and the Downtown Development Authority.

“We are not proposing to increase sewer rates,” Dissette said.

The city should know within six months if the MEDC will award the grant.

Herrera no longer a contender for Allendale school chief job

By BECKY KARK

Editor and general manager

It looks like Bob Herrera will remain as superintendent for South Haven Public Schools.

Herrera was one of six finalists — chosen from 44 applicants — vying for the school chief's job in Allendale.

But after interviewing the half-dozen finalist candidates last week, the Allendale Public Schools Board of Education announced Thursday that it had narrowed the list to two finalists — Garth Cooper, superintendent of Pewamo-Westphalia Community Schools, and Scott Smith, director of human resources and assessment for Hudsonville Public Schools.

Both men will be interviewed Tuesday, March 28. The successor will replace Allendale's current superintendent, Dan Jonker, who plans to retire in June.

“Naturally, there is some level of disappointment when you are not selected as a finalist. However, if you trust the process then you know it is in your best interest,” Herrera said Thursday.

“Making the decision to leave South Haven will be difficult regardless of how appealing any future job opportunity may be,” Herrera went on to say. “My family considers South Haven their home and during the past five years our staff has earned my deepest respect. They face many challenges and barriers in their daily efforts to educate and provide support services to our students. They have accepted these challenges in a professional manner and have made significant strides over the past five years. It is a privilege to work with our district employees and I feel fortunate have the opportunity to serve and lead the school community.”

Herrera's selection as a finalist for the Allendale job marks the second time In less than a year that he has been chosen as one of the contenders to lead a school district in Michigan.

In June of 2016, Lenawee Intermediate School District's Board of Education named Herrera one of two finalists for the school chief's job, there. (Lenawee ISD is located in southeast Michigan). However, several days after being interviewed, Herrera withdrew saying he had become concerned about the Lenawee ISD board's vision for district-level leadership.





3.20.17

Covert Township Police Chief Jay Allen swears in 4-year-old Skylar Sturdevant as the department's honorary police officer.

Big cop, little cop

Little girl's admiration for Covert Police earns her the title of honorary police officer

By BECKY KARK

Editor and general manager

COVERT — It's not everyday that a police chief pins a badge on a new police officer. Especially if the officer happens to be 4 years old.

But that's exactly what happened to Skylar Sturdevant Tuesday night during the Covert Township Board meeting.

It wasn't exactly an official police badge, but rather a special one – an honorary police badge and a special patch, to boot.

So what special act did a little girl from Lawrence do to earn such a tribute?

Skylar simply likes police officers. Firefighters too.

Covert Police Chief Jay Allen and several of his officers became aware of that several weeks ago when they stopped in to eat lunch at China Buffet in South Haven.

Several booths away sat Skylar and her mom, Brandi Sturdevant.

“As soon as we got there, Skylar noticed them and wanted to sit next to them,” Brandi said.

Not wanting to be rude, Brandi told her daughter to sit still and be nice.

“She kept to herself, but kept waving at them,” Brandi said.

The officers waved back but soon paid their bill and left. Touched however by the little girl's friendliness, they soon returned and presented Skylar with a stuffed Teddy Bear. And unbeknownst to Brandi, Officer Jacob Brace even paid for her and Skylar's lunch.

“I couldn't believe it,” Brandi said.

When she got home she soon posted to friends on Facebook the kind gesture made by the Covert police officers and chief.

“I should've been the one to pay for them after all they do,” Brandi posted. “It was a pleasant surprise knowing they did that for us instead. We didn't need that or ask for that and they just did it...It was a sweet moment,” she said on Facebook.

Her post went viral, attracting more than 500 likes and 142 shares as well as 50 positive comments.

When Covert Police Department found out that Skylar one day hopes to become a police officer or a firefighter they decided to go one step further and make her an honorary police officer for the department.

“We heard she likes police,” Allen said.

Skylar wasn't always sure she liked police, however, her mom said. “Two years ago she was with her dad (Josh Sturdevant) in a store and she saw a police officer and was scared. Her dad took her up to the officer and talked with him and she's liked police ever since. She says they help people and that's what she wants to do.”

As for what Skylar thinks of Covert police officers — “They're really nice, they're cool,” she said.

Bangor man bound over to circuit court on murder charge

By ALEXANDRA NEWMAN

HP Staff Writer



3.13.17

Kids Corner playground, built in the 1980s, will undergo nearly $100,000 worth of upgrades in the fall. (File photo by Andrew Lersten)

South Haven undertakes projects to benefit kids

By BECKY KARK

Editor and general manager

South Haven City officials hope they won't have to hear the familiar summertime lament of children saying there's nothing to do around here.

To that end, city council members gave the green light this past Monday for the construction of a bicycle pump track, renovations to Kids Corner Park and submittal of a grant to help pay for a splash pad park at South Beach.

“In making its priorities, the city council has tried to incorporate improvements that benefit all age groups,” said Brian Dissette, city manager.

Over the past several years, the city council has approved recreational upgrades to the city's South Beach and North Beach, but is now turning its attention to attributes that benefit children and teenagers.

The bicycle pump park, to be located on Wells Street, across from the city's skate park, is one of those attributes.

The city plans to complete the track by the start of summer. It received a $42,000 grant from the Michigan Department of Natural Resources in 2016 and voted Monday to award a $58,000 contract to Southwest Transport Company to build the track. The city will also contribute in-kind services for the $104,000 project. The track will be 10 feet wide and will include a parking area, fencing and signage.

City council members, Monday, also agreed to accept a grant from the DNR to make nearly $100,000 worth of improvements in the fall to Kids Corner. Funding will come from the $45,000 grant and $48,000 from the city.

Kids Corner resembles a wooden fort and was built by community organizations, who banded together in the early 1980s to create the park. It is similar to wooden playground structures built in other towns throughout Michigan several decades ago. However, in the past decade, some of those structures have fell in disrepair, prompting communities, such as Traverse City, to tear them down in favor of safer structures built with composite materials, which do not deteriorate as quickly as wood.

South Haven city officials considered a similar move after hearing complaints of children being injured at Kids Corner.

“We actually had a kid who got a splinter go into his hand and into his forearm,” Dissette said.

But rather than tear down a playground that the community had helped build, South Haven Department of Public Works staff met with the company that originally designed Kids Corner to see if it could be salvaged with safer materials.

“They spent three days here examining the structure,” Dissette said.

The result will be replacement of most of the wooden structure with composite material. However, contractors will make sure the fort-like structure of the playground is retained. Pea gravel will be replaced by wooden chip products and the handicap accessible play area will be improved and expanded. The climbing structures and swings will also be updated to insure children's safety.

The third enhancement for children is a splash pad at South Beach. A year ago the city applied for a DNR grant for the project, but came up empty handed.

City council members, however, remain undaunted.

Monday, they gave the go-ahead for staff to apply for a $300,000 grant to help pay for a proposed $580,000 splash pad park. The city's match would come from the Downtown Development Authority and beach parking fund.

The splash pad's design will be based on a nautical theme, inspired by the Michigan Maritime Museum's tall ship, Friends Good Will. The splash pad would have a capacity for approximately 100 children and will create a safe spot for children and families when the waves of Lake Michigan are unsafe for swimming.

If the city receives the grant, it hopes to start construction of the splash pad in 2019.

Braving the cold weather to provide warmth for others

By BECKY KARK

Editor and general manager

Standing outside braving cold temperatures may seem like a strange way to raise money for people who need help paying their heating bills, but that's exactly what people did as part of Warm Your Heart Month.

The annual campaign, organized each February by We Care in the Name of Christ human service ministry, raised $19,000 this year, with one of its biggest fundraisers held outdoors.

“Our annual Island Sit raised $8,054,” said Linda Olsen, executive director of We Care.

The Island Sit, sponsored by St. Basil Catholic Church and 103.7 FM, took place, Feb. 25 at South Haven's welcome island on Phoenix Street, downtown. For 12 hours volunteers from churches, service clubs, schools and businesses took turns standing in the cold while seeking donations from people.

Volunteers came from We Care, South Haven Area Ministerial Alliance, Haven Heating and Air Conditioning, South Haven Kiwanis Club, South Haven Key Club, St. Basil adult and youth groups, South Haven High School staff and students, Baseline Middle School staff and students, Bangor and Covert community leaders and youth groups from First Congregational Church, Church of the Epiphany, First United Methodist Church and Peace Lutheran Church.

Other Warm Your Heart fundraisers included the Annual Super Bowl Soup Luncheon at St. Basil Catholic Church, a Soup and Salad Luncheon sponsored by Gospel Tabernacle Baptist Church and We Care's Covert Advisory Board, Bangor Church of Christ Soup Luncheon, and outdoor corner collections in downtown South Haven, sponsored by St. Basil Knights of Columbus.

“The response to We Care’s request for help with heat is remarkable,” Olsen said. “It shows exactly what one small community can do when it comes to helping our neighbors. Although this winter has been extremely mild compared to most in Michigan, we truly appreciate the efforts and donations shared as one never knows what the next heating season will bring.”

Money raised during Warm Your Heart Month will be put into We Care's heating assistance fund. So far this winter, the fund has provided $16,600 to 28 families to help them with fuel costs. We Care provided $10,200, while other social service agencies donated $6,400. We Care's heating assistance program for the 2016-17 winter will continue through the end of March.

“The dollars raised during February of 2017 have been used during the 2016-17 heat season or will be used next year.  It’s essential to plan ahead when dealing with heat funding in Michigan,” Olsen said.





3.6.17

Man sentenced again for 1988 murder

By BECKY KARK

Editor and general manager

PAW PAW — A Bangor man who pleaded guilty to second-degree murder in the 1988 slaying of Charles Paul Miller has been sentenced to 25 years in prison.

Van Buren Circuit Court Judge Kathleen Brickley sentenced Junior Fred Blackston, Monday, according to the Van Buren County Clerk's Office. He has served nearly 18 years in prison for the crime and could end up being let out of prison in four to five years due to a plea deal he took in 2016 by admitting to second-degree murder in Miller's death.

The case involving Miller's death was a complicated one and remained a cold case until 2000 when Michigan State Police discovered new evidence, including Miller's body, which had been found in a shallow grave in Allegan County's Lee Township.

Police alleged that Blackston and two other men — Guy Carl Simpson and William Dean Lamb, both of Bangor, were involved in Miller's death. Police theorized Simpson, Dean and Blackston lured Miller to a wooded area north of Grand Junction and that Miller was shot and killed over a drug debt.

Blackston was convicted for first-degree murder in the case in 2001 after Lamb and Simpson testified against him.

They said they witnessed Blackston shoot Miller in the back of the head in a rural area north of Grand Junction.

In agreeing to testify against Blackston, Lamb pleaded guilty to a reduced charge of manslaughter and was sentenced to 10-15 years in the case, while Simpson was granted immunity in exchange for his testimony. However, when the conviction was appealed in 2002, Simpson refused to testify against Blackston.

Even though the appeals court upheld Blackston's conviction in 2002, a federal judge in 2015 ordered a new trial for Blackston, stating he had not been given fair trials.

Because Simpson refused to testify against Blackston in the 2002 appeals court proceedings, police arrested him in 2016 for murder and conspiracy to commit murder in the death of Miller.

However, a month ago, a jury found Simpson not guilty of the charges.

Latinos worried about future of illegal aliens in Covert, other towns

By BECKY KARK

For the Herald-Palladium

COVERT — Latino parents worried about President Donald Trump's immigration enforcement efforts, packed into a classroom at Covert Public Schools, Thursday, to learn whether they or their loved ones may face deportation.

Approximately 50 people attended an information session organized by the Van Buren Intermediate School District's Migrant/Bilingual Education program. Similar teleconference sessions were held Thursday at Bloomingdale, Hartford, Decatur and Lawrence Public Schools, as well.

“A lot of people don't know what will come of President Trump's immigration stance,” said Jasmine Cortez, an assistant coordinator for the ISD's English as a Second Language program.

Throughout his presidential campaign, Trump stated he would step up efforts to deport illegal aliens and build a wall along the Mexican-American border to keep illegal immigrants from entering America.

The purpose of Thursday's meeting was to give Latino parents and their loved ones information on what to do if they should face issues from immigration authorities. Legal advice during the teleconference came from attorneys representing the Michigan Immigration Rights Center and Farm Worker Legal Services.

“We're hoping this information will be helpful and answer questions they may have,” said Covert High School Principal Yolanda Brunt. “We're hoping it will relieve some of their anxiety.”

Latinos comprise 56 percent of Covert Public School District's student population, according to Superintendent Bobbi Morehead. However, only a minority of those students are considered illegal aliens, she estimated.

If those students are worried about being taken from class and deported, school district officials want to put minds at ease.

“A child's immigration status or that of their parents has no bearing at school,” Covert Public Schools officials stated in a fact sheet given to parents who attended Thursday's meeting. “Children have a constitutional right to have equal access to education regardless of their immigration status or their parents' status.” Furthermore, the district stated that it does not ask for students' immigration status when they enroll. Even if district officials became aware of a student's lack of immigration status, they would not share that information with the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services.

But, Latinos still worry, nonetheless, as one 18-year-old student said.

“I am very afraid for my parents,” she said. The young woman's parents are considered illegal aliens, however, her three brothers and herself were born in America and are U.S. citizens.

“When my parents got married, my dad said to my mom his dream was for his children to do better than him,” the young woman said. “They worked their way up from minimum wage jobs. They've given us every necessity possible.”

The young woman's two older brothers now attend Western Michigan University, majoring in engineering. She is now a senior in high school and plans to attend Western next year and hopes to become speech language pathologist. But she worries about her youngest brother, who is 14.

“We are afraid for him if something were to happen to our parents,” she said.

Several people in attendance at Thursday's meeting in Covert questioned why more illegal aliens don't try to become citizens.

But according to Danny Inguilla, an attorney for Farm Worker Legal Services, becoming a U.S. Citizen, let alone being chosen as an immigrant, isn't easy.

The United States only accepts so many immigrants each year. Just wanting to live in America is not a qualification for immigrant status he said.

Immigration to the United States on a temporary or permanent basis is generally limited to three different routes: employment, family reunification, or humanitarian protection, according to the American Immigration Council.

Even if an immediate family member wants to come to America, it could be 10-20 years before they can be approved, depending on what country they are originally from, according to Inguilla.

“The laws have tightened up over the last decade,” he said.



2.27.17

Members of South Haven High School's Team Ramegeddon work on the robot they plan to enter in the FIRST Robotics competition at St. Joseph High School. From left are Allison Uckele, Parker Jensen, Alexis Skuca and Alex Rummel. (Photo by Kim Wise)

Students ready to put their robot to the test

By KIM INGALLS

For the Tribune

South Haven High School’s robotics team hasn’t come up with a name for this year’s robot yet, but that’s not going to stop them from hoping their little square box of metal, brackets, gears and wires has what it takes to win competitions.

With the build season behind them, Team Ramageddon will host an open house Thursday, March 2 to unveil  their new robot to the public before embarking on their first district competition. They have high hopes that this one will be a winning one.

Thursday’s open house will start with dinner at 6:30 p.m. followed by the team showcasing their robot and talking about its creation.

“We feel pretty confident we’re going to make it to state,” said Kim Wise, Ramageddon team co-advisor.

First up is the FIRST Robotics competition March 10-11 at St. Joseph High School followed by the March 31-April 1 competition at East Kentwood High School.

“This year’s theme is ‘Steampunk,” said South Haven Public Schools Director of Non-Instructional Services Kevin Dee, who co-advises the team with Wise. Based on the popular trend of  incorporating technology and design inspired by 19th century steam powered machinery, the first contest is dubbed FIRST Steamworks.

A typical robotics season starts in January when teams learn the rules of the current year’s challenge. Then it’s six grueling weeks of designing, building, testing and revising the robot to meet the requirements.

FIRST Robotics is a worldwide competition that some refer to as a “varsity sport for the mind.” It was started as a way to inspire students to pursue careers in science, technology, engineering, and math.

Creating a robot from scratch certainly requires some serious thinking and patience.

It also takes money.

“Our goal was to raise $10,000,” said Sophie Goodnough, 15, who is part of Team Ramageddon's marketing team. “We went to local businesses with packets, made presentations and raised $10,700. We had a lot of return sponsors.”

“Sponsors are very important. Each competition costs $2,500 to enter,” said Wise.

The two contests scheduled this year have already ate up half of the funds.

While building the machine may look like all fun and games, the kids are learning skills that could lead to careers.

“I’ve always been interested in engineering,” said first-year team member Allison Uckele, 16. “I got to make some of the small parts, some brackets and worked on the arm. I’m going to definitely look at college for engineering.”

Uckele is one of eight girls who are part of the team of 18. This is the fifth year for Team Ramageddon and interest continues to grow for the robotics club, thanks in part to a new event.

“We did a fun thing this year,” Wise said. “We held a robotics camp for middle schoolers. The kids on the team mentored the younger ones.”

For more information, follow South Haven Robotics Organization on Facebook.

Housing sales brisk in the South Haven market

South Haven's real estate market is off to a good start for 2017, according to information from the Southwestern Michigan Association of Realtors.

In January, the number of single family home sales in the South Haven zip code increased 50 percent when compared to January 2016 (18 vs. 12).

The average selling price for single family houses in January soared 124 percent to
$365,406 from $162,992 in January 2016.

More condominiums sold as well. There were 4 condos sold January compared to 2 in January 2016.

The average condo selling price jumped 80 percent in January 2017 to $238,157 from $132,500 in January 2016.

Bank foreclosed transactions continue to decrease from the peak years of the Great Recession. In January, there were no bank-owned or foreclosed single family homes included in the closed transactions in South Haven 49090. There was 1 foreclosed home in January 2016, while here was 1 condo included in the bank-owned or foreclosed transactions in January 2017 or 2016.

For comparison, the number of bank-owned or foreclosed homes as a percentage of all transactions in Southwestern Michigan in January 2017 was 11 percent. This also set the record for the lowest percentage in the month of January since 2009. In January 2009, the percentage was 57 percent. The highest percentage of bank-owned or foreclosed homes as a part of all closed transactions occurred in February 2009 at 75 percent and the lowest percentage was set in October 2016 at 8 percent.

Throughout Southwestern Michigan In January, buyers have not been deterred by the shrinking inventory of homes for sale. Last year, the housing market set records for home sales and selling prices nearly every month. In the year-over-year comparison, 2016 became the new peak year for the local housing market. It was a long road back from 2006, the previous peak year. January 2017 continued the record shattering trend. The number of houses sold, total dollar volume, and the average and median selling prices were higher than in January 2016 and also were higher than any previous January going back to 2006.

There were 203 houses sold in January 2017 compared to 187 in January 2016 for a 9 percent increase in Southwestern Michigan.

At the end of January, the average time a home was on the market before it sold was 139 days compared to 115 days in January 2016. This was a 21 percent increase.

The total dollar volume in January 2017 was up 16 percent over January 2016
($43,498,631 vs. $37,462,744).

The average selling price of $214,278 in January 2017 jumped 7 percent from the $200,335 the average selling price in January 2016.





2.20.17

Traces of lead found in some drinking water fixtures at South Haven Schools

District proactive about fixing problem

By BECKY KARK

Editor and general manager

Tests of drinking water at South Haven public school buildings shows elevated levels of lead in some drinking fountains and sinks, but it's a far cry from the drinking water crisis that occurred in Flint in 2016.

Of the 196 drinking faucets and sinks that underwent testing, in January, in all of the district's buildings, 18 were found to have slightly elevated levels of lead, according to Kevin Dee, operations director of non-instructional services for the school district.

“All of them have been shut down and are being replaced,” Dee said during Wednesday's Board of Education meeting. “Once we replace the fixtures we'll have them resampled.”

In October, South Haven Public Schools officials decided to voluntarily test the drinking water in all of its buildings. They did so following the water crisis in Flint where higher-than-acceptable lead levels were found in the city's water system.

Although the news of lead found in some of South Haven Public Schools sinks and drinking fountains may sound alarming to parents and students, it's not as bad as it seems.

The federal Environmental Protection Agency states that if the lead found in water exceeds 15 parts per billion it is not acceptable for consumption. However, when South Haven tested its water faucets and drinking fountains it used a new voluntary standard established by the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality that lowers the limit to 5 parts per billion.

“We said we're going to take the high road,” Dee said. “”We actually exceeded the EPA guidelines and used the voluntary ones by the DEQ.”

He also said that unlike other school districts that have checked for lead levels in their drinking supplies, South Haven chose to test all of its faucets and drinking fountains, and to not only check them once, but twice.

“A lot of districts did one fixture or a few,” Dee said. “We saw other districts testing every fixture and some just doing a sampling of random fixtures. We went and tested every fixture that could be used for water consumption. All the sinks in kitchens, classrooms and drinking fountains were tested.”

The tests revealed that nine faculty sinks in the back rooms of classrooms at Lincoln Elementary School contained lead levels exceeding the EPA's 15 ppb standard. Water to those sinks has been shut off, Dee said.

“We surveyed all the staff (in the back rooms of classrooms where the sinks were located). A majority were never used or hardly used,” said Dee. Water from the sinks was mainly used for classroom cleaning purposes or mixing paint for art projects.

Those nine sinks as well as all of the other water fixtures at Lincoln will be replaced this summer when the school undergoes an extensive project to replace water pipes and fixtures as part of the district's bond issue projects, according to Dee.

Other results of water testing and action the district is taking follows:

• Maple Grove Elementary School had 3 drinking fixtures with levels above the DEQ's voluntary standard of 5 ppb, but below 15 ppb. Those fixtures have been replaced.

• North Shore Elementary School had 1 drinking fountain with levels above the DEQ's voluntary standard of 5 ppb, but below 15 ppb. The fountain was replaced.

• South Haven High School had three drinking fountains with levels above the DEQ's voluntary standard of 5 ppb, but below 15 ppb. Those fountains were turned off and the fixtures will be replaced as part of the ongoing renovation project at the high school.

• Baseline Middle School had two drinking fountains with levels above the DEQ's voluntary standard of 5 ppb, but below 15 ppb. Those fountains were turned off. One fountain has been replaced and the other one is in the process of being shipped to the school.

In most cases, plumbing fixtures caused lead detection, not the water or plumbing pipes, according to Dee.

He also said that in the case of the Lincoln sinks, the higher-than-acceptable level of lead most likely came about because the sinks were seldom used.

“If you don't have water going through, metals like copper or lead can actually leach from the pipe or fixture and lead to higher levels,” he said.

School district officials could have remediated the elevated lead levels in water fixtures by putting up a sign instructing people to run water for several seconds before drinking it.

“It's one of the prescribed remediation methods, but we just don't want to rely on flushing (a sink) or someone following a note.” Dee said.

It is anticipated the district will spend approximately $1,500 to replace sink and drinking fountain fixtures. It also cost approximately $8,400 on testing, which was done by New Age Landmark in South Haven. The district is eligible to recoup $950 from the DEQ for the testing and remediation.

Long-time Van Buren County leader plans to retire

By ROD SMITH

For the Tribune

PAW PAW — Van Buren County's first and longest-serving county administrator is retiring.

Douglas Cultra will step down effective April 31.

"I was very sorry to hear that," Commissioner Gail Patterson-Gladney told Cultra at Tuesday's Van Buren County commission meeting. "Thank you for all the work that you've done."

Cultra holds both the first and longest titles because he was not only the first of four administrators, but served longer than the other three county administrators together. He has been administrator for 19 years and earned the Michigan Association of Counties Excellence in County Government Award in 1994.

Cultra became Van Buren County's first county administrator in 1967 after being Lapeer County's first administrator.

In 1995 he left the county government to work with his wife, Mary, to open Brookside Mortgage Corp. of Kalamazoo and was succeeded by three administrators — Judith Petesron, Calvin Teague and John Faul. But in 2006 he returned to Van Buren County to serve as interim administrator when Faul left.

Cultra was only expected to stay on for three to four months, but, after a search for Faul's permanent replacement, commissioners only interviewed one finalist: Cultra.

He's helmed the county ever since.

Cultra is now 66 and says all his friends are retired, "except for these guys," indicating county commissioners, many of whom are retirees. His last day at his desk will be April 30, but his official last day of work will be sometime in July as he uses up his vacation time.

Cultra said he's proudest of the county's financial turn-around during his watch. "We were quite frankly in pretty bad financial shape," Cultra said. "We simply turned it around. We got our highest financial rating.

"We have really solid (financial) reserves," Cultra continued to say. "I think today we are as good a shape as we could've possibly been." The county is debt-free during a time of little additional property taxes. Over the last four years we had virtually no increases in property tax revenues until this year. I think we created a culture of being fiscally conservative."

Without borrowing, the county has made $6.5 million in capital improvements. This includes the single security entrance for the county courthouse and annex building, and remodeling the Michigan Department of Human Services Building near Hartford, South Haven District Court Building and the Human Services Building East in Paw Paw.

Under Cultra's leadership, the county has also implemented a wellness plan for employees and addressed economic development under the guidance of Planning and Economic Development Director Edward VanderVries, who rejuvenated the county's Brownfield Redevelopment Authority.

"That's been one of our great generators of jobs," Cultra said. Brownfield redevelopment funds helped pave the way for the construction of several Hometown Pharmacies in the county and the South Haven Meijer store.

Cultra plans to work in retirement and probably will spend some time in South Florida, where he has a residence. He also plans to take his grandson to Chicago's Brookfield Zoo "He's the joy of my life," Cultra said.

Cultra said he's had a passion for being county administrator, working 50 to 60 and sometimes 70 hours a week. "I loved coming in here," he said.

But mostly he's going to miss the people. "They're dedicated. They're kind. They care about people," Cultra said. "We've really done some neat things."



2.13.17

Arnoldo Aleman, originally of South Haven, will receive San Francisco Police Department's gold medal of valor.

South Haven native earns San Francisco Police Department's highest honor

By KIM INGALLS

For the Tribune

An act of heroism has resulted in a South Haven graduate receiving the highest honor a police officer can receive.

Arnoldo Aleman, an officer with the San Francisco Police Department, will be awarded the gold medal of valor this month after responding last year to a violent struggle with a suspect who had slashed the throat of a California Highway Patrol officer.

“It’s nice to get recognized, but it’s not why I do my job,” said the 1989 L.C. Mohr graduate in a phone interview last week. “I do it to help people.”

Aleman had his work cut out for him a year ago when the incident occurred. Armed with a knife, the suspect attacked the CHP officer last February and then fled the scene. Aleman, who was on patrol as part of the citywide Super Bowl 50 security detail, thought he saw the suspect heading to a nearby bank. Following him inside. Aleman received help in locating the man after customers started pointing to a person who had dried blood on his hands.

Aleman managed to talk the man into leaving the bank but, once outside, he refused to get on the ground despite Aleman pulling his gun and ordering him to do so. Conscious of the department’s new philosophy on de-escalation to reduce the number of fatal police interactions, Aleman decided to holster his weapon. 

However, the incident escalated when the suspect, who Aleman believed was unarmed, started toward the police officer who by then had taken out his baton. Despite being struck several times with the baton, the man attempted to grab Aleman’s gun and even tried to put him in a choke hold. By then, several other officers had arrived on the scene and helped detain the man.

The entire time, the suspect had the knife in his back pocket.

Due to his heroic actions, Aleman was recommended for the gold medal.

Aleman said he always dreamed of becoming a police officer. Raised in a large family surrounded by nine brothers and five sisters, Aleman, who is the youngest, credits his parents for the kind of person he has turned out to be.

“Everything I do on my job is a direct result of what my mom and dad taught me,” he said. His mom, Baudelia, unfortunately, is not going to be able to make his award ceremony, but, he said, she will be there in spirit. His dad passed away 16 years ago.

Moving to California soon after graduation, Aleman, who was working at a local school at the time, was able to follow his dream after finding out the SFPD was hiring.

“I was lucky enough to get hired in ’94,” he recalls. While he likes living in California, he’s never forgotten his roots in Southwest Michigan and plans to return to South Haven once he retires.

“San Francisco doesn’t have what South Haven has - a sense of community. People don’t realize how lucky they are to grow up in South Haven. It’s so much friendlier.”

South Haven eyes multi-year sewer rate hike

By BECKY KARK

Editor and general manager

South Haven city officials have undertaken nearly $22 million worth of improvements to upgrade the city's aging sewer system, but the loans the city received will have to be repaid, and that means users will most likely pay more money each month for sewer services.

City council members, Monday, voted to hold a public hearing Monday, Feb. 20 on an ordinance that seeks to increase sanitary sewer rates by 9.5 percent, each year, for the next five years. If adopted, property owners may see increases on their bills as soon as March. For an average household of two adults and three children, the rate hike will cost approximately $4.88 per month in the first year.

“It's no fun for any of us but this is something that needs to occur,” said City Manager Brian Dissette.

The funds are needed to help offset a $21.8 million project the city has undertaken to replace sanitary sewer lines on Kalamazoo Street, Dunkley Avenue, Black River Street, Monroe Boulevard, and North Shore Drive, and to upgrade the Indian Grove lift station, the city's wastewater treatment plant's main pump station and replace a large sewer line underneath the Black River that connects to the city's north side. Work on the sewer upgrades began two years ago and is expected to continue for the next several years..

“This (upgrading the sanitary sewer system) is not just going on in South Haven,” said Department of Public Works Director Bill Hunter. “It's going on throughout the state and the rest of the nation. We have an aging infrastructure that needs to be replaced.”

Some of the city's sewer system infrastructure is more than 80 years old, according to Mayor Bob Burr, and is deemed unsafe for the environment. A number of times over the past two decades, breaks in sewer lines and aging equipment have resulted in the overflow of sewage into the Black River and Lake Michigan. Since 2008, the city has had a total of 18 sanitary sewer overflows at various locations within the city limits.

“The city needs to protect our natural resources to ensure the prevention of future overflow occurrences,” the mayor said.

The $21.8 million project is being financed through a $13.9 million loan the city obtained from the Michigan Clean Water Revolving Fund Program; $2.5 million in Michigan Transportation Fund Bonds; $5.87 million in Capital Improvement Bonds; and $300,000 in grant funding from the Michigan Natural Resources Trust Fund.

The rate increases sewer system users will face could have been higher but city officials said they tried to find other revenue sources to offset the financing payments.

The city will save $2.8 million on the $13.9 million state loan because it has qualified for “disadvantaged status.” As a result the state is extending the city's loan repayment term to 30 years and the city will receive $500,000 in loan forgiveness. Also, the city's Downtown Development Authority and Local Development Finance Authority have each committed to paying a total of $3.75 million to help the city pay for the sewer system upgrades.

South Haven High School lands grant to promote safe winter driving

By BECKY KARK

Editor and general manager

Southwestern Michigan hasn't experienced much of a winter this year, but that's not stopping South Haven High School from embarking on an initiative to promote safe winter-driving skills for teens.

South Haven is one of 50 high schools throughout Michigan that have been awarded $1,000 grants from Strive 4 A Safer Drive, a statewide teen-driving program aimed at reducing serious traffic crashes, injuries and fatalities among the state's most inexperienced drivers.

Strive for a Safer Drive (S4SD) is a public-private partnership between Ford Driving Skills for Life and the Michigan Office of Highway Safety Planning. Traffic crashes are the leading cause of death for teens. In 2015, there were 41,961 crashes in Michigan with a driver age 15-19. Those crashes resulted in 84 fatalities and 477 serious injuries.

Edward DeLong, a senior at South Haven High School, knows all too well how dangerous driving can be, particularly during winter months, when roads become slick with ice.

Six months after getting his driver's license he nearly got into an accident during the winter. “I was driving to my grandmother's house and ended up doing a 360 on M-43,” he said. “Luckily there were no other cars.”

That experience, plus the memory of a popular classmate — Devon Smiley — who died in a car accident in 2015 on Blue Star Highway, prompted DeLong to head up South Haven's initiative to promote safe winter driving skills.

“We're calling our campaign, 'Safe Haven,'” said Amy Nichols, South Haven school district's Food Services director and chair of the district's health committee, who applied for the grant. “We recently lost a very inspirational student leader (Smiley) to a single vehicle accident and we are hopeful this title will convey our project's goal to make South Haven students safer drivers and passengers.”

Schools chosen for the grants are asked to create teen-led traffic safety campaigns to educate their classmates about districted driving, seat-belt use, speeding, underage drinking or winter driving.

South Haven decided to focus on winter driving.

“It's a huge challenge for teens,” DeLong said. “Students learn how to drive in driver's ed. But they often don't take it during the winter months.”

The Safe Haven driving campaign will begin this month with a video that will be sent to every student's email. The video, which DeLong is creating, will consist of facts and stories about the dangers of speeding. Students will then take an online survey to provide input on how they feel about speeding and if it's really worth the risk. Afterwards, they'll be asked to sign a “Safe Haven” banner to pledge to reduce the instances of speeding.

Other activities include morning announcements with tips on how students can drive safely in the show and a program where students can practice winter driving skills on a simulator. Students will also receive “Winter Safe Haven” bracelets to reinforce the “Safe Haven” theme and earn the opportunity to win T-shirts by practicing safe driving habits. The Safe Haven initiative will culminate with students creating a s tory, in the media of their choice, on distracted driving. Entries will be judged by the school's resource officer with the winning class being awarded 30 $20 gas cards.

2.6.17

Three of the 10 community leaders who served on the South Haven Police Chief Selection Committee are shown with proclamations they received from the city council. From left are council member Vickiy Kozlik-Wall, Mayor Bob Burr, Police Chief Natalie Thompson, Bobby Walker, Dorothy Sherrod and Mayor Pro Tem Clark Gruber.

Police chief selection committee honored

By BECKY KARK

Editor and general manager

South Haven City Council recently recognized 10 community leaders for helping staff choose new Police Chief Natalie Thompson.

The 10 individuals received framed proclamations in January after serving on the Police Chief Selection Committee, which recommended hiring Thompson in December.

The honorees included Dr. Robert Herrera, South Haven Public Schools superintendent; Lt. Dale Hinz, commander of the Michigan State Police Paw Paw post; South Haven Police Officer Michael Knizewski; South Haven City Council member Vickiy Kozlik-Wall; South Haven City Human Resources Director Deborah Lull; South Haven Police Sgt. Michael Pauly; community representative Dorothy Sherrod; South Haven Township Supervisor Ross Stein; community representative Bobby Walker; and South Haven Area Emergency Services Director Ron Wise.

In coming up with the police chief selection committee, city staff wanted a good cross section of the community. They chose community leaders from faith-based church groups, South Haven Public Schools, South Haven Charter Township, South Haven City Council, South Haven Area Emergency Services, Michigan State Police and South Haven Area Emergency Services.

The committee spent several months and dozens of hours going through applications and vetting potential candidates.

Thompson was chosen from 33 candidates who applied for the job. She served as acting chief since February 2016 when Chief Tom Martin retired. She has been employed with the police department for more than 24 years. She was promoted to sergeant in 2008 and to deputy chief in 2013.

New planning director named in South Haven

By BECKY KARK

Editor and general manager

A Michigan native with master's degrees in urban and regional planning as well as conflict resolution, will become the new planning and zoning administrator for the City of South Haven.

Jenna Levin will begin her new duties, Feb. 6, at an annual salary of $57,000, according to City Manager Brian Dissette.

She replaces Linda Anderson, who served as planning and zoning administrator for the past five years before announcing her retirement this past year. Anderson has continued to work on a contractual basis for the city and will continue to do so for the next several months to provide a smooth transition for Levin as she adjusts to her new duties.

“Something the city has not had success with is succession planning,” Dissette said. “Our intent is for Linda to spend one to three months working with Jenna so Jenna can hit the ground running.”

Levin was chosen by city staff and city planning commission chairman Larry Heinig from a dozen applicants.

“In our interview process we used staff, but also had Larry Heinig sit in on all of the interviews in an effort to find someone who would be a good fit for staff and the planning commission,” Dissette said.

Assistant City Manager Kate Hosier, who works with the planning commission, said she was impressed with Levin's work and education background.

“She has a master's in conflict resolution and a master's in urban planning. We thought that would be a good fit,” Hosier said. “Most of this job is dealing with the public.”

Levin is coming to South Haven from Fort Collins where she worked as a transportation planner for North Front Range Metropolitan Planning Organization, an association of 15 local governments that work together to improve regional transportation and air quality.

Prior to that she was employed as a graduate assistant in urban and regional planning at Eastern Michigan University, as an urban and regional planning intern for the City of Ypsilanti and as a comprehensive planning consultant intern at Carlisle/Wortman and Associates. She also served as a visiting sustainability instructor at the University of Science and Technology in Beijing, China, for a month in 2015.

Levin earned a master of science degree in urban and regional planning from Eastern Michigan University, a master of arts degree in conflict resolution, mediation and facilitation from Lancaster University in the United Kingdom and a bachelor of science degree in North African and Middle East Studies from Eastern Michigan University.

Several issues will be facing Levin as she starts her new job, the chief one being the implementation of a new master land-use plan for the city.

“The biggest thing is the master plan,” Dissette said. “We're very much at the starting point of the process. So Jenna is coming in at a good time. She'll be able to help Kate and the planning commission and contract planner move the overall process forward.”

In formulating the new land-use plan, the city plans to seek input from the public February-April when it hosts three targeted neighborhood meetings, according to Hosier. The planning commission also invites the public to share input at their monthly meetings, as well.





1.30.17

Paula Marcoux (left) and Theressa Ruppert sing "How Great Thou Art," Friday, while participating in a march in South Haven as part of the National March for Life 2017. (Photo by Becky Kark)

Local residents bring national right-to-life march to South Haven

By BECKY KARK

Editor and general manager

Their numbers were small — 20 or so — but their message was strong — protect the rights of the unborn.

That's what a group of South Haven resident hoped to achieve, Friday, when they took part in a localized version of the National March for Life in Washington D.C.

Marches took place not only in Washington D.C. And other large cities throughout America — even small ones, such as South Haven.

The South Haven march took place from noon-1 p.m. at Dyckman Park.

While participants held signs promoting pro-life, they also sang several religious hymns and prayed.

"I wanted to go to the march in Kalamazoo but thought 'why not have one here?'" said South Haven resident Paula Marcoux, who organized the local march.

The marches were held on the 44th anniversary of the Supreme Court ruling that legalized abortion.

The marches, in fact, have been held every year since abortion was first legalized in 1973.

But, according to CNN, the anti-abortion effort has become more vocal with the election of Donald Trump as president and Mike Pence as vice president.

During the president's first week in office, he signed an executive order that reverses a policy allowing funding to international non-governmental groups that perform or promote abortions.

Pence, who took part in the national pro-life march, Friday, signed some of the most restrictive abortion laws when he served as governor in Indiana, according to CNN.

But Marcoux said she didn't organize the local march to make a political statement.

"It (pro-life) is something I feel to be morally correct," she said.

Thousands of women and men take part in the Women's March on Washington DC, Jan. 21. (Photo by Jennifer Carpio-Zeller)

Bangor mother, daughters take part in Women's March in DC

By BECKY KARK

Editor and general manager

When Bangor High School graduate Cori Carpio texted her mother, Jennifer Carpio-Zeller about attending the Women's March on Washington, Jan. 21 little did she know her mom would actually take her up on the offer.

“Cori texted me on Jan. 11th and said. 'Let's March on Washington because I need to do something,'” Zeller recalled. “Cori (who plans to graduate this year from Indiana Tech with an education degree) is becoming a teacher and is distraught about the future of our education system and her rights as a female.”

As it turns out, Zeller and her other two grown daughters — Marissa, a psychology major at Truman State University in Missouri, and Cassie, who graduated last year from Michigan Technological University with a degree in environmental engineering — felt similar emotions following the election of President Donald Trump.

So, Thursday, Jan. 19,, Zeller, Cori and Cassie packed a car and headed for the nation's Capitol, while Marissa, who is currently studying overseas in Edge Hill College, in England, supported her family by attending a similar Women's March, Jan. 21, in Liverpool.

“We agreed with the Unifying Principles set forth by the organization (Women's March on Washington),” Zeller said. “We needed to be heard, feel that energy and bring some positivity back into our lives.”

The Women's March on Washington movement organized shortly after Trump was elected in November 2016. The group, whose founders include Tamika D. Mallory, organizer for the 50th Anniversary of the (Martin Luther King Jr.) March on Washington, and Carmen Perez, executive director of Harry Belefonte's Gathering for Justice organization, were disheartened by the negativity the presidential election generated toward women, minorities, people of faiths different from Christianity, and immigrants.

“We stand together in solidarity with our partners and children for the protection of our rights, our safety, our health, and our families - recognizing that our vibrant and diverse communities are the strength of our country,” the organization's website states.

The grassroots effort only had a couple of months to pool their resources and form a national movement, but their efforts paid off with what some say was one of the largest marches on Washington D.C. in the nation's history.

According to USA Today, an estimated 500,000 people crowded into Washington D.C.'s streets for the Women's March, while another 1.5 million from other American and foreign cities held similar marches and demonstrations of their own.

The sheer volume of marchers in D.C. came as a surprise to Zeller and others who attended.

“It surprised everyone,” Zeller said. “There were a lot more men then I would have expected. They were wonderful, supportive and helpful. But I was brought to tears when I watched all of the gatherings all over the world.”

Zeller's daughter Marissa messaged her mom and sisters about the gathering in Liverpool: “Mine lasted for one hour,” she posted on Facebook. “We didn't march but we stood at St. George's hall where many people gather to show support. It was awesome...There were speeches about the future of women's healthcare, equal representation and the unity of everyone.”

With the march now over, will its intent — protecting the rights of all people living America — have any effect on the president and other legislators?

“I think it is clear that the President doesn't give women's issues much thought or concern,” said Zeller, former mayor and city council member for the City of Bangor. “But the message has been delivered via the entire world.  I am confident that our senators and legislators will hear us...I hope the intent of the march will continue, our country will not move backwards with regard to human rights and all people will be treated fairly.”





1.23.17

South Haven Memorial Library plans to seek voter approval for a millage to pay for a $2.3 million plan to renovate and expand the library. The photo above is a rendering of what the library will look like if the plan is approved.

Expansion and upgrades proposed for South Haven Memorial library

By BECKY KARK

Editor and general manager

South Haven Memorial Library's plans for renovating and expanding its facility are coming closer to reality, but it will take a vote of the public to determine whether the plans will reach fruition.

South Haven City Council members, this past week, unanimously passed a resolution to allow the library to place a .25 millage proposal for 40 years on the May ballot for voter approval. The council's resolution follows on the heels of a similar motion unanimously approved by South Haven Township Board, Jan. 11.

If voters approve the millage it will fund a $2.3 million project to expand and modernize the library at 314 Broadway St. in South Haven.

“The current library facilities have served the community faithfully for going on 60 years, with the last major renovation project taking place in 1989,” said Library Director Jim France. “As time has passed deficiencies in the current building have become apparent, and in seeking to continue to serve the community to the best of our ability we are requesting help in making needed improvements and updates.”

Improvements would include making the entrance to the library handicap accessible, upgrading the heating and cooling systems, 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 by library staff.

Library staff has been working with the library's board of directors for the past several years to finalize a plan for improving and expanding the library, according to City Manager Brian Dissette.

The library's district includes the City of South Haven and South Haven Township, that's why voters in both municipalities are being asked to vote on the proposed millage, which is expected to generate $114,000 in the first year, if passed.

South Haven Memorial Library currently is 11,000 square feet. Plans call for expanding the front portion by 1,150 square feet and the back portion by 950 square feet to create a total of 2,100 square feet of additional space for patrons.

The library stays quite busy throughout the year. In 2016, patrons checked out 24,000 books and other items. During a typical month, more than 6,500 people pass through its doors. Computer users have become somewhat dominant in the past decade, with approximately 1,200 online sessions logged in each month, according to France.

“The role of the library has changed over the years,” he said. Patrons not only browse for books, they also utilize the library's computers and take part in programs and activities sponsored by the library. South Haven area organizations also utilize the library facilities, especially its community room for special events.

SH city council OKs last phase for Central Lofts

By BECKY KARK

Editor and general manager

What once housed classrooms and the library at the former Central School in South Haven may soon be converted into 19 condominiums.

The proposed condos are part of the third and final stage of the Central Lofts residential development.

South Haven city council members approved the final phase of the project this past Monday, but with several stipulations:

• The developer install a sidewalk on Superior Street, between School and Broadway streets

• The developer install curb and gutter on the driveway leading to the lower level indoor parking lot at the project's second phase development (former Vocational Education building)

• The developer stripe parking spaces in the outdoor parking lot

• The developer upgrade water and sewer services

• The developer asphalt the south parking lot of phase I of the development

• The developer not receive occupancy certificates until all engineering issues are resolved to the satisfaction of the city engineer

The idea to convert the former Central School buildings into “lofts” began a decade ago when Central Lofts LLC purchased the property and began to develop 22 condominium units and an indoor pool in the portion of the former school that fronts Erie Street.

By 2013 Erie Street Properties LLC purchased the complex and made several improvements that included paving the parking lot that fronts Superior Street, installing a small retaining wall and constructing a patio area on the south side of the building facing Superior Street.

Erie Street Properties then began to convert the former school's Vocational Education building into 10 condominiums with underground parking in 2015.

The final phase of the development will take place in the section of the former school that faces Broadway Street.

In other city council news:

• Council members presented proclamations to members of the Police Chief Selection Committee for the time they spent recommending Natalie Thompson as the city's new police chief in December. The members of the committee were Dr. Robert Herrera, South Haven Public Schools superintendent; Lt. Dale Hinz, commander of the Michigan State Police Paw Paw post; South Haven Police Officer Michael Knizewski; South Haven City Council member Vickiy Kozlik-Wall; South Haven City Human Resources Director Deborah Lull; South Haven Police Sgt. Michasel Pauly; community representative Dorothy Sherrod; South Haven Township Supervisor Ross Stein; community representative Bobby Walker; and South Haven Area Emergency Services Director Ron Wise.

• Council members appointed Elaine Shumaker, Mark Reece, Frederick Kauffman and Kilby Brandt as regular and alternate members to the city's Board of Review. The Board of Review, which deals with property tax appeals, will meet on the following dates: March 1 to review the tax assessment roll; and March 13, March 17 and March 21 to hear tax appeals. The board's final meetings will be July 18 and Dec. 12. Members will be compensated $50, each, for attending the organizational meeting; $100, each, per day, for each time they sit in session for appeals hearings; and $25, each, for the July and December meetings.





1.16.17

South Haven Area Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Kathy Wagaman is shown inside the cardboard boat she created for Ice Breaker's new Cardboard Sled contest. Dr. Max Masters, whose chiropractor's office is sponsoring the event, is also shown in the photo.

Ready, get set, slide

Participants encouraged to build sleds made of cardboard and duct tape for new Ice Breaker event

By BECKY KARK

Editor and general manager

Are the winter doldrums setting in? Then find some cardboard, lots of duct tape and put your creative thinking caps on for the first-ever Cardboard Sled Race in South Haven.

The race will be part of the 24th annual Ice Breaker Festival, Feb. 3-5, and is scheduled at 3:30 p.m., Saturday, Feb. 4 at the Lighthouse Keeper's House sledding hill at the corner of Michigan and St. Joseph streets.

“They (cardboard sled races) have been done at a few other locations in Michigan and they always bring a good audience to watch,” said Kathy Wagaman, executive director of the South Haven Area Chamber of Commerce, which organizes Ice Breaker.

Each year, the chamber tries to think of new events to compliment Ice Breaker's signature ice carving competitions and chili cook-off contest.

“Last year I had the idea to add the Snowsuit Fashion competition and it was so much fun,” Wagaman said. “So this year we wanted to add yet another family-friendly event and this —the cardboard sled contest — seemed like a good fit. This is a great thing for youth or families to do together. Ages 13 and younger have their own competition.”

The other two categories are adults and families and businesses and organizations. Prizes will be awarded best design, best team collaboration and fastest time. Rules and registration forms are available online at www.southhavenmi.com/pages/icebreaker; at the South Haven Area Chamber of Commerce office, 606 Phillips St.; or Masters Chiropractic & Rehabilitation, 1675 Phoenix Rd., which is sponsoring the event.

In case of rain or other types of inclement weather that may prevent sledding on the hill, the cardboard sleds will de displayed downtown during the festival and prizes will still be awarded based on creativity, uniqueness and team spirit, according to Wagaman.

There is no charge to enter the competition, but people do need to register. They also have to keep in mind that entries must be made entirely of cardboard and duct tape.

“It is easy to come up with ideas for something fun that showcases your hobbies, interests, business, or just plain creativity,” Wagaman said.

To prove her point, she oversaw the creation of the Chamber's entry, which will be on display during the competition.

“Ice Breaker” is a replica of a boat, complete with a cardboard throttle.

“I built it in my living room over Christmas,” Wagaman said. “ I have a rather small
house, so it was pretty funny.  It (constructing an entry) doesn't take too long to do, so I encourage anyone to join the fun.”

'I own this'

School chief takes the blame for certification matter

By BECKY KARK

Editor and general manager

For the past three weeks, Dennis Paquette has kept quiet about stepping down as Bangor Public Schools Superintendent following allegations that he does not meet state certification requirements.

But Wednesday he decided to talk about it.

“I own this,” he said, admitting that he missed the six-month deadline to enroll in a Michigan Department of Education-approved certification program after being named superintendent in August of 2014. “I missed the filing deadline.”

Paquette stepped down from his position Dec. 27 after the school district was informed by the department of education that it could face financial penalties because he and assistant high school principal Mary Spade did not file in time for certification programs that are required for administrators who deal with instructional programs. Paquette is now serving as chief operating officer for the school district, while Spade has stepped down from her assistant principal duties and is now the district's full-time athletic director.

But even though the two administrators have stepped down from their positions, the state could still take away some of the district's state aid, according to William Disessa of the Michigan Department of Education.

“It's going to be somewhere in the five figures,” Disessa stated in an interview last week.

If Bangor Public Schools does get penalized by the state, both Pobuda and Paquette said the district will appeal it.

“Absolutely,” said Pobuda. “We are trying to head it off before it happens. When it comes down to a financial issue I will fight.”

“If we do receive a reduction in state aid it will be nominal compared to our budget,” Paquette said. “But I don't want to minimize it. I'm going to work very hard that it is as small as possible and the district doesn't feel any burden.”

According to MDE's regulations, school administrators must enroll in a 21-credit educational leadership certification program within six months of being hired as administrators. Administrators must then obtain certification within three years. Although both Paquette and Spade are currently enrolled in administrative certification programs — Paquette expects to finish his program by the end of the school year — they did not do so within six months of being named to their positions.

The state's position troubles Paquette, who said when he applied for the superintendent's job he was told by previous district superintendent Ron Parker that he needed to have at least a master's degree and complete his administration certification requirements within three years. Shortly after taking on the superintendent's job Paquette said he focused on eliminating the district's $360,000 debt, which was done by June of 2016.

In August 2016 Paquette then enrolled in the Michigan Association of Secondary School Principals' Path to Leadership certification program.

“I was accepted in August and started the classes in September and plan to be done by August of this year,” he said. But when a news story in November by WWMT-TV alleged that he had not met state certification requirements, Paquette checked into the matter.

“I made a phone call to the (Van Buren) Intermediate School District. When I found out I was non-compliant I started the self-reporting process,” he said. “I called the Michigan Department of Education. Somebody else may have called them already.”

News that Paquette had failed to meet the certification enrollment deadline caught Bangor district officials off-guard, as well.

Two weeks ago, Acting Superintendent Deb Pobuda said the district was not informed by its attorneys about certification requirements when providing a contract for Dennis Paquette at the time of his hiring as Superintendent.

However, in an interview this past Wednesday, Pobuda said she regretted making the statement because, upon further review, the schools's law firm had in fact notified the school at the time of hiring about the required certification for Superintendent and had in fact notified all their clients through monthly newsletters about Michigan Department of Education updates and changes including updates about certification qualifications.  

“I misspoke,” said Pobuda, who has been the district's business manager for the past 17 years before taking on the role of acting superintendent, Dec. 27.

1.9.17

Gail Patterson-Gladney is shown with South Haven Mayor Bob Burr during the swearing-in ceremony for Van Buren County officials

South Haven resident becomes first African American woman to serve as a Van Buren county commmissioner

By BECKY KARK

Editor and general manager

Gail Patterson-Gladney never envisioned being elected to South Haven City Council let alone Van Buren County Commission.

Yet, this month, Gladney, 67, of South Haven will be traveling to Paw Paw to attend her first meeting as commissioner for District 1, which includes the City of South Haven and townships of Covert and South Haven.

In doing so she becomes the first black woman to serve as a county commissioner in Van Buren County. It follows on her accomplishment in 2010 of becoming the first black woman elected to South Haven's city council.

“No one in our family had run for public office,” she admitted, alluding to her parents, the late Benjamin Franklin and Clara Lucille Brown. Although Gladney and her seven brothers and sisters all obtained college degrees, seeking political office in Van Buren County didn't seem high on their list of priorities..

“Our parents taught us there were two worlds we lived in,” Gladney recalled. “They acknowledged we were African Americans, but they also said we could do anything we set our mind to do.”

Gladney took their words to heart.

“I am an African American,” she said. “But I feel a part of this city, this community, our county. I know people in this community and they know me. I've been involved in the community and on a lot of different committees before I even thought of running for office.

“I didn't think of barriers,” she went on to say. “During the time I was running for county commission I had major surgery, but I didn't let that be a barrier.”

Gladney attributes much of her political and community relations acumen to her upbringing.

“My parents were from the Depression Era,” she said. “They taught us a lot about finances, the value of an education and sharing what we had with others. They encouraged us to love everyone no matter their background or income.”

Born in Chicago, Ill., Gladney traveled with her parents and siblings at a young age to rural Bangor where her father established a farm. “I attended a one-room school until fourth grade when we moved to South Haven and I went to a two-room school in Lacota. I was so frightened,” she said laughing.

Her world got bigger in sixth grade when she entered the hallways of the former Central Middle School in South Haven and then South Haven High School, where she graduated from in 1967.

Then it was off to the University of Michigan, where Gladney obtained a bachelor of science degree in social work. “All of us went to college,” Gladney said, referring to her siblings. “My parents were very big on education. We always had books in our home, newspapers and magazines. Reading was a big factor in our success.”

So it's not surprising that Gladney has spent the past 16 years at South Haven Memorial Library as the children's librarian.

In her spare time she began to get involved in various community groups. She became a founding member of the Ward I Community Action Committee, a group that represents citizens in the city's Ward I, which includes the Elkenburg Park neighborhood, an area that had once been home to South Haven's industry, including Everett Piano Co., Bohn Aluminum and National Motors. But after those factories closed in the 1980s and '90s the neighborhood fell into poverty.

Gladney and other Ward I community leaders wanted to turn things around. They focused attention on providing more opportunities for youth by establishing a college scholarship program, lobbying for more communication with police, school and city officials and making improvements to Elkenburg Park.

The eventual improvements to the park in 2014 started with the establishment of the Elkenburg Park Redevelopment Committee, and Gladney, served as the committee's secretary. It was then that a friend suggested she run for the Ward I city council seat in 2010.

“I had never thought about it but I thought if I was elected I could make more positive change,” Gladney said. Voters liked her philosophy and elected her to office. Two years later the city obtained a $250,000 state grant to construct new basketball courts at the park, install new bleachers, improve the restroom facilities and plant shrubs.

Gladney continued to serve as a voice in Ward I after she was re-elected to the city council in 2012. She served until 2016, but couldn't run again due to term limits.

That's when she decided to run for the county commission seat being vacated by Mike Henry, who chose not to seek office again.

Again, her campaign stressed Gladney's commitment toward working for positive change to benefit the community as a whole.

“As a city council member I really enjoyed seeing how I could make a bridge between people and government to create positive change,” she said. “I listen a lot and then try to find out as many facts as I can to see how I can make a positive difference.”

Even though she's just been elected as a county commissioner, Gladney has already thought about issues the county faces.

“One of the big, glaring issues is the planned closing of Palisades Nuclear Power plant and the ability to meet energy demands in the future,” she said. “Before I was elected I talked to people about the possibility of the plant closing but it was still a shock. It employs 600 people and is the county's biggest taxpayer.”

There are other issues she hopes the county can address: “I want to bridge the gap between seniors and teens,” she said. “There's so many seniors living alone and kids who need jobs. She also thinks more attention needs to be paid to providing mental health services for people who need it and getting rid of the stigma that surrounds people who deal with mental health issues.

“In talking to police they're called to homes on domestic complaints where they find people haven't taken their medications,” Gladney said. Depending on the severity of the situation police often have no other option than to take the suspect to jail. “We need to make sure people with mental health issues get help before they end up going to jail. That is not the proper place for mentally ill people,” Gladney said.

1.3.17

South Haven is getting a $45,000 state grant to help pay for half the cost of refurbishing Kids Corner playground at the city's Monroe Park. (Photo by Andrew Lersten)

Playing it safe

Kids Corner ready for nearly $100,000 upgrade to improve accessibility and safety of children

By ANDREW LERSTEN

For the Tribune

Kids Corner at South Haven’s Monroe Park is an elaborate wooden playground that resembles a small city.

Along with traditional swings and slides, it has towers and turrets and secret passages that keep kids playing for hours — or until their parents pull them away.

The playground was built in 1988 as a community build structure, with donated labor and funding - and given to the city as a gift.

It has served the city well since then, City Manager Brian Dissette said last week.

But it’s starting to show its wear and tear, and is in need of some upgrades.

Luckily, the city will be getting a $45,000 state Department of Natural Resources grant to fund about half of the estimated $93,000 renovation project.

City officials applied for the grant in April, and were notified this month that the grant has been approved.

If all goes well, project bids will be sought in the spring and the renovations could be done as early as the fall of 2017, Dissette said.

Otherwise, the project would move ahead in the spring of 2018, he said.

The city will use general fund money set aside for parks to pay for the balance of the project, Dissette said.

“Although the poles and framing are still in good structural condition, the funding allows for the playground to be renovated, with attention to all maintenance issues and safety non-compliances,” he said.

“Renovations would entail replacing some portions to allow for newer equipment, including renovation of existing play elements that will meet current safety standards and be ADA accessible.”

The DNR grant is coming through the state’s Recreation Passport Grant Program, created in 2010 to help fund development of public recreation facilities for local governmental units.

The program is funded by the sale of state Recreation Passports, which is offered at the time of motor vehicle permit renewals and allows residents entrance to state parks.

Van Buren County approves $5 million jail upgrade plan

By ROD SMITH

For the Tribune

PAW PAW — The Van Buren County Board of Commissioners has approved the plans for the proposed jail expansion and renovation.

Commissioners this past week adopted a $5,014,000 plan recommended by the Buildings and Grounds Committee. It includes 10,000 square feet of new construction and 8,800 square feet of renovations, including site work, roof replacement and fixtures.

According to a memo from County Administrator Douglas Cultra, the architect, DLZ of Kalamazoo, would like to ask for bids beginning Jan. 13

The jail project is the first phase of a larger $32 million plan that will include three annexes.

One annex would go on the north end of the jail for booking, housing, a day room, medical, offices and storage. An east addition would be for a receiving building and kitchen.

The south addition would necessitate ripping out the old sheriff's residence and jail. It would be used for court and related offices. There will also be money in the budget for work on the Administration and Land Management Building to the north of the courthouse.

The sheriff's office and jail complex is west of the main courthouse and fronts South Kalamazoo Street (M-40) in Paw Paw. The former sheriff's residence is at the south end. The buildings take up the entire 200-block of the east side of the street.

Also in the loop is renovating the Courthouse Annex Building.

Commissioners intend to ask for millage to pay for the projects in the spring.

In other matters, commissioners approved the purchase of an automated medical priority dispatching program for the 911 central dispatch center. Cost is $55,427 from Priority Dispatch of Salt Lake City, Utah.

"At the present time," Sheriff Dale Gribler and 911 Director Tim McGee wrote in a memo, "our 911 dispatchers must utilize a manual look-up for medical emergencies which takes several minutes resulting in lost time and potential liability issue for us."

In another sheriff's matter, commissioners inked an agreement among the Pokagon Tribal Police and sheriffs of Berrien and Cass county on a joint crime mapping project. "The program," Gribler wrote in a memo, "will allow us to provide our staff with quick data on crime trends, including date and times which will allow for better crime predictability and better use of patrols. We can also make crime mapping available to our citizens which will assist our neighborhood watch programs."

The tribal police are paying for the program and three years of maintenance, according to Gribler.

And commissioners ratified agreements with judges, court employees and assistant prosecutors.

The judges will receive the same wellness benefits as employees represented by the American Federation of State County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME). They'll also be allowed the select from three county-approved health insurance plans or waive the plans entirely for $150 per pay period.

The assistant prosecutors and court employees will receive the same plus raises of two percent per year for the next three years.

South Haven native Doug Till is shown smiling after his heart transplant surgery. The surgery took place in November. (Contributed photo)

Home for the holidays

Heart transplant gives South Haven native a new lease on life

By BECKY KARK

Editor and general manager

Like most people, Doug Till plans to spend Christmas and New Year's with family and friends, but a year ago, he didn't think he'd live long enough to enjoy another yuletide season..

Till, 67, formerly of South Haven, spent December of 2015 feeling quite ill.

“He moved to Palm City, Fla., last December excited about starting a new job at Florida Power and Light on Jan. 4,” said Till's brother-in-law Dane Vilims. “However, around Christmas time, he fell ill, was hospitalized and told he needed to be evaluated for heart valve surgery. He was too sick to start the job for which he moved cross-country.”

The news got even worse.

“In January, after multiple tests, he was diagnosed with end stage congestive heart failure and was referred to Florida Hospital Congestive Heart team to be evaluated for a possible heart transplant,” Vilims said.

Thus began Till's long, arduous journey toward a recovery that finally resulted in a heart transplant a month ago.

His heart problems initially began 16 years ago when he was working as an operations supervisor at the D.C. Cook nuclear power plant in Bridgman.

“On the way to work one morning I had chest pains and drove myself to the hospital in St. Joseph,” Till recalled. “Long story short, I had open heart surgery for six bypasses.”

Within six weeks, however, five of the bypasses failed. He then underwent emergency surgery at the University of Michigan Center where doctors placed four stents in the bypassed arteries.

“It was at that point I was informed I was going to need a heart transplant,” Till said. “I recovered fairly well and regained enough strength to live a fairly active life for 15 years. In January that life ended when I went into end-stage congestive heart failure.”

Doctors in Florida immediately listed Till as a 1A candidate on the national organ recipient list, but they wanted to first try other methods to keep Till alive while he waited for a donor.

“I spent three-quarters of the year in and out of the hospital,” he said.

In early March, doctors installed an IV pump into Till's body and gave him Primacor, a vasodilator used as short-term treatment for life-threatening heart failure. But later in the month, while at home, the IV pump malfunctioned and administered the Primacor too quickly.

“Doug was able to call 911 before collapsing,” Vilims said. “Paramedics found him and he was stabilized. He was then taken by ambulance to Orlando Hospital Intensive Care Unit where he stayed for six weeks.”

While at the hospital, doctors installed a Left Ventricular Assisted Device (LVAD) to keep Till's heart functioning until an organ donor could be found.

But by June, he re-entered the hospital where he was diagnosed with diabetes. By July, he began vomiting blood and made yet another trip to the hospital where he was given four units of blood and four units of blood products.

His ordeal didn't end with that procedure, however. By August, feeling quite ill he went to a hospital emergency room where doctors diagnosed him with sepsis.

“The LVAD had become infected,” Vilims said.

September brought on dehydration necessitating another stay in the hospital.

“Doctors told him to hand in there; that a heat should become available at any time,” Vilims said.

That time finally came in November when Till and his wife, Dee, got the call they had been waiting for.

“My wife and I had been anticipating a call for six weeks,” Till said. “The day they called I answered the phone and asked, 'do you have a heart for me?' and she said 'why yes we do.'”

On Nov. 21 Till underwent heart transplant surgery.

“It was two days before my birthday and three days before Thanksgiving,” Till said. “I couldn't have asked for a better gift or been more thankful.”

Family members were just as happy and thankful. “Thank God!  And God bless the man who donated it,” Vilims said. “Prayers go out to his family.”

Till has been out of the hospital for several weeks and so far tests indicate that the transplant was successful.

“I've had several biopsies and so far so good,” Till said. “I'm taking a lot of medications and the steroids have made be diabetic, but I'm able to sit by the pool and within a month I'm planning on swinging a golf club...New Year's is starting out right.”

But the financial burden of hospitalizations and surgery weigh heavily on Till and his wife's minds.

According to Transplant Living, a service of the United Network for Organ Sharing, a heart transplant surgery costs $997,600, and that was in 2011.

To help the Till's with medical expenses, Vilims has set up a GoFundMe page, titled, “Doug Till's heart transplant fund.”

“As one would expect, this has been not only an unbelievably emotional challenge for Doug and Dee, but also a hefty financial burden due to medical expenses,  travel costs of countless trips to Orlando hospital, which is over 2 hours away from their home, and lost wages,” Vilims said.





12.19.16

Van Buren County board protests announced closing of Palisades

By ROD SMITH

For the Tribune

PAW PAW — Hardest hit by the announced closure of the Palisades nuclear plant, Van Buren County has decided to hit back.

Commissioners Tuesday adopted a resolution addressed to the Michigan Public Services Commission asking that body to reject a deal that would enable the plant to close in two years.

On Dec. 8, Entergy, which owns the Covert Township plant, announced plans to cancel an agreement to provide power to Consumers Energy four years early. The company blamed changing markets that made the plant unprofitable. There appears to be no other company interested in buying it.

Palisades, according to the county's protest resolution, employs 600 people and generates approximately $10 million in tax revenue locally. The largest recipient is Covert schools at $4.4 million, followed by Covert Township at $1.8 million, Van Buren County at $1.68 million, the Van Buren Intermediate School District at $1.4 million, Lake Michigan College at $400,000 and the Van Buren District Library at $250,000.

"The county," the resolution said, "has a vested interest in providing as much time as possible for future fiscal stability of our county and the personal well-being of our hardworking families employed by Entergy."

If the two utility companies wait until 2022 — the original termination date of the contract — state and local officials would have time to draw up plans to address the loss of jobs and tax revenue, according to the resolution.

The closing also "threatens Michigan's electrical reliability for many years," it said.

"Now, therefore be it resolved, that the Van Buren County Board of Commissioners stands united in asking the Public Service Commission to deny the request of Consumers Energy to terminate their contract with Entergy as October 1, 2018."

Beyond the reading of the resolution there was no discussion. Commissioners voted unanimously to adopt it.

Consumers Energy originally built the Palisades plant, which is just south of Van Buren State Park on Lake Michigan. In 2007 it sold the plant to Entergy and with that sale signed a 15-year agreement to purchase all the electricity it generated. With changing market conditions, officials reportedly conferred six months ago and concluded it made good business sense to terminate the contract four years early and close the generating plant.

The plant is licensed to operate until 2031.



Bangor Schools eliminates deficit

By BECKY KARK

Editor and general manager

BANGOR — Bangor's back in the black.

That's the buzz going around Bangor Public Schools these days, and for good reason.

After accumulating a deficit of nearly $400,000 in 2013, the school district now has a fund balance of nearly $800,000, according to Alex Schaeffer, a certified public accountant and senior manager for the auditing firm of Kruggel Lawton in St. Joseph.

Schaeffer attended the Bangor Board of Education meeting, Monday, to deliver the good news.

“In 2013 you had a deficit of $373,349, gradually the deficit became a surplus of $790,232. That's a testament to the school board, Dennis (Paquette, district superintendent), Deb Pobuda (district finance director) and the entire staff to eliminate the deficit,” Schaeffer said.

Bangor's debt was actually projected to run as high as $454,000 during the 2014-15 school year. It forced the district to lay off eight staff members in December 2014. That's when employees stepped in to take a voluntary 3 percent pay cut.

“That was unprecedented,” Paquette said, remembering a district-wide staff meeting he held in November 2014 to inform employees the dire financial straits the district was facing and the need for layoffs. “It was grim,” Paquette said. “People were crying. While I was driving home after the meeting, Randy Ward, the teachers union president, called and said the teachers wanted to help.”

The teachers, Paquette said, offered to take a 3 percent cut in pay.

One by one, other employee groups, including administrators, para pros, bus drivers and custodians offered to do so as well.

The voluntary pay cuts saved the district $133,000. Coupled with the $233,000 saved through the layoffs, along with other cost-saving measures, the district was able to trim its deficit to $109,000 by the end of the 2014-15 fiscal year, according to the latest audit figures.

The financial picture got even better during the 2015-16 fiscal year when Bangor attracted new students to the school district, which generated $300,000 more in state aid than originally projected. Along with other increases in revenue sources, the district ended up with $500,000 more in revenue than it did the previous year. School officials also held the lid on expenditures, spending $200,000 less than they did the previous year. The result was a surplus of $790,232.

“After the staff layoffs and the voluntary pay cuts we continued to tighten our belts,” Paquette said. “We looked after every penny. The more pennies we saved the more dollars we saved. Principals made sure not to spend all of their budgets just to spend them.”

Now that the school district is out of debt, it no longer is under watch by the Michigan Department of Education.

In a letter to the school district earlier this month, Daniel M. Hanrahan, director of MDE's Office of State Aid and School Finance, wrote, “The Michigan Department of Education would like to take this opportunity to commend you, your administration and your local school board on successfully eliminating the deficit fund balance.”

In 2012, anticipating that its fund balance would be depleted due to dwindling student enrollment and increases in staff retirement expenditures and insurance premiums, the district was forced to file a deficit elimination plan with the Michigan Department of Education. The state gave the district until 2017-18 to eliminate its deficit spending and to build a fund balance totaling at least 5 percent of the school system's operating budget.

Thanks to keeping a lid on spending and accumulating more revenues, the district's fund balance now stands at 6.8 percent of its operating budget. Bangor officials hope that someday they can bring the rainy day fund up to 15 percent, which is what the state recommends school districts have in case of unanticipated expenditures.

12.12.16

Senate OKs Medal of Honor for South Haven man

By BECKY KARK

Editor and general manager

It looks very promising that a South Haven Vietnam War veteran will soon be receiving a Congressional Medal of Honor — the nation's highest military honor.

Legislation to make Jim McCloughan eligible for the Medal of Honor passed the Senate Wednesday after Congress approved it Dec. 2. The legislation, which is part of the National Defense Authorization Act, will now to to President Obama's desk for his signature.

McCloughan is being considered for the Medal because of heroic actions he took as an Army medic to save the lives of 10 members of his platoon who were wounded during the Battle of Nui Yon Hill, May 13-15, 1969.

“Private First Class James McCloughan put his life on the line to save his fellow service members, and the passage of this legislation will help ensure his bravery and sacrifice are properly recognized.” said Sen. Gary Peters, a former Lt. Commander in the U.S. Navy Reserve.

 “This has been a long-time coming,” said U.S. Fred Upton, R-St. Joseph. “And now, thanks to our bipartisan efforts in the House and Senate, we’re closer than ever to getting Private First Class McCloughan, and his family, the recognition he duly earned on the battlefield.”

The Department of Defense can issue the Medal of Honor, but must do so within five years of the courageous action. However, if the president signs the legislation that has just been approved by the Senate and House, the rule can be waived to pave the way for McCloughan to receive the honor.

“I’m still in a daze. I’m just humbled to even be thought of for this,” the retired teacher and coach for South Haven schools told the Herald-Palladium in an earlier interview. He went on to say he will accept the award on behalf of his platoon mates.

South Haven city council eyes higher parking fines

By ANDREW LERSTEN

For the Tribune

The problem with South Haven’s parking fines is they’re too low to dissuade some people from violating the rules.

That’s according to City Manager Brian Dissette.

The City Council Monday night voted to introduce an amendment to the parking ordinance to double most of the fines.

“We’re trying to ratchet these fees up so they are a disincentive” to violations, Dissette said.

Most of the parking fines now are $10 and go up to $20 and then $30 after a week and 60 days, respectively.

The change calls for doubling all three fine categories, to $20, $40 and then $60.

The fine for illegally parking in a handicapped zone parking spot would increase even more. Now the fine is $50. It would increase to $175.

Assistant City Manager Kate Hosier also told the council the city plans to be tougher on enforcing oversized vehicle parking violations.

If an oversize vehicle goes beyond the parking spot lines, the vehicle's owner would be fined, she said.

“They may have to go into a public parking lot” to find a larger spot, she said.

The council will hold a public hearing on the proposal at its Dec. 19 meeting, and could take final approval action after the hearing.

In other matters, the council set a public hearing Dec. 19 on a plan to ban trash haulers from operating in the city between midnight and 6 a.m. It has become a noise issue, Dissette said.

As with the proposed parking fine changes, the council could approve the ban after the public hearing is held.

Also at the council meeting, members voted to affirm the promotion of Acting Police Chief Natalie Thompson to police chief. Thompson had been serving as acting chief since Chief Tom Martin retired earlier this year.

Several police officers, relatives of Thompson and members of the police search committee were on hand to congratulate Thompson on her promotion. Dissette said he believes Thompson’s salary will be $82,000 per year.

Thompson has been with the South Haven Police Department for more than 24 years.

“The city made an excellent choice in a new chief,” said council member Clark Gruber.

Contact: alersten@TheHP.com, 9320357, Twitter @HPLersten





12.7.16

Thompson accepts job as South Haven police chief

By ANDREW LERSTEN

For the Tribune

South Haven Acting Police Chief Natalie Thompson has accepted the job of chief.

City Manager Brian Dissette confirmed a contract is being negotiated with Thompson.

The City Council Monday night will be asked to formally vote to affirm the selection, though it’s not required legally, according to Dissette.

Dissette said he’s confident a contract will be negotiated by Monday's meeting.

Thompson has been acting chief since February, and has been employed with the police department for more than 24 years. She was promoted to sergeant in 2008, and to deputy chief in 2013.

She will take the place of Chief Tom Martin, who retired in February.

Thompson was one of 33 people who applied for the job, and one of two finalists interviewed for a second time in November by the search committee.

The other finalist invited back for a second interview was Thomas Osterholzer, police chief in Burton, near Flint.

The police department serves South Haven city and township.

The search committee consisted of Councilwoman Vickiy Kozlik Wall, Fire Chief Ron Wise, city Police Officers Mike Pauly and Mike Knizewski, Schools Superintendent Bob Herrera, state police First Lt. Dale Hinz of the Paw Paw post, South Haven Township Supervisor Ross Stein, and area residents Bobby Walker and Dorothy Sherrod.

Sculpting a streetscape

Art on the Town committee envisions 11 sculptures on Phoenix Street in downtown South Haven

By BECKY KARK

Editor and general manager

The dream of artists creating outdoor sculptures throughout downtown South Haven is starting to become a reality.

This past Friday, the first metal sculpture on Phoenix Street was erected in front of Taste restaurant.

South Haven artist Kathy Kreager created the 9-foot-tall steel and fused glass sculpture, “Summer Breeze,” after being commissioned to do so by SHOUT for South Haven. Kreager created her sculpture from steel and fused glass. It was then professionally finished by Reveer Environmental in South Haven.

SHOUT along with representatives from the City of South Haven and South Haven Center for the Arts are spearheading efforts to entice local artists to create 11 sculptures along walkways and gathering spaces on Phoenix Street. Kreager's piece is the first to be mounted on concrete bases that were installed as part of the multi-million renovation of Phoenix Street, downtown, three years ago.

“Our hope in the future is to expand (the sculpture program) up and down Broadway and develop mural opportunities for artists,” said Thea Grigsby, director of the art center and a member of the center's Art on the Town Committee.

The committee formed a year ago to develop a vision for placement of outdoor art, downtown, with an emphasis on art pieces created by local artists. To help pay for the artwork the Downtown Development Authority has agreed to provide seed money that will be matched by private donors.

Kreager's sculpture was chosen for the first installation. The sculpture depicts the sun showing through tall beach grass.

“I started thinking about what I enjoy about South Haven,” Kreager said when asked how she came up with the idea for her sculpture. “I love viewing the sunset through grass.”

Now that the first sculpture has been installed on Phoenix Street, the art center's Art on the Town Commitee plans to launch a program where sculptors from Van Buren, Allegan and Berries counties will be invited to submit design proposals.

Five artists will then be selected within the next year to design and create locally themed sculpture.



 PHOTO: Artist Kathy Kreager (left) and Bob Copping, president of SHOUT for South Haven, stand in front of Kreager's new sculpture on Phoenix Street by Taste restaurant.

12.4.16

Matt Whitman, a retired Michigan state trooper, is shown in his classroom at Van Buren Intermediate School District’s Technology Center, where he teaches law enforcement courses.

From man in blue to Code Blue

Retired trooper recalls his post-surgery brush with death

By BECKY KARK

South Haven Tribune

LAWRENCE — Retired Michigan state trooper Matt Whitman feels like he has a second lease on life these days.

Instead of patrolling highways throughout Southwest Michigan he’s now in charge of the law enforcement program at Van Buren Intermediate School District’s Technology Center and serves as an adjunct criminal justice instructor at Lake Michigan College.

But, 13 years ago, his life nearly ended, not because of a shooting, but because of a complication that occurred after neck surgery. Known as respiratory compromise, it nearly robbed him of his life.

It occurs in 1.5 to 7 percent of patients who have undergone surgical procedures, according to a medical report compiled by Medtronic, a medical device company headquartered in Dublin, Ireland.

“It’s in the millions,” said Phil Porte, executive director of the Respiratory Compromise Institute and the National Association for Medical Direction of Respiratory Care, in regard to the number of patients who suffer from respiratory compromise each year. “We’re just beginning to scratch the surface.”

Whitman had never even heard of respiratory compromise until after he was resuscitated by doctors.

“I ‘died’ at 4:11 in the morning,” he recalled. “For many years after I would wake at 4:11 remembering what happened to me.”

It was April 17, 2013, when Whitman underwent a 6.5-hour major neck surgery to repair portions of his neck and spine that were damaged while he was a state trooper assigned to the Detroit area in the early 1990s.

“I was hit by a drunk driver on I-75,” he said. “I broke my back and was off work for six months. I did a lot of physical therapy.”

He then went back to his job and worked 12 more years as a trooper in Berrien County.

But by 2003, back and neck pain got the best of him.

“I was playing football with my son and reached out to throw the ball and got a shock down my spine and all the way to my legs,” Whitman said.

A neurosurgeon at a hospital in Indianapolis delivered the bad news.

“A vertebra was hitting my spinal cord,” Whitman said. “He said I needed major surgery.”

The surgeon also informed Whitman he could no longer be a state trooper due to physical restrictions that he would endure even if the surgery was successful.

Devastated by the news, Whitman still went ahead with the surgery.

“It was a long surgery,” he recalled. “I was told everything went well.”

But the aftermath of the surgery left him in pain.

“It was 9:10 p.m., I was on a morphine pump and in a lot of pain,” he said. “I said, ‘I think I need some more (morphine),’ and they upped the dosage.”

After that things became surreal for Whitman.

“I was drifting off to sleep, but I knew something was different,” he said. “I was in a peaceful tranquil place. No stress. But I knew it was a dream. I thought, ‘Wait a minute, I want to fight for my life.’ I knew I was dying. Then all of a sudden I woke up and two doctors were working on me. ... They said I had stopped breathing for six-to-seven minutes.”

Whitman more than likely would have died if it weren’t for a nurse who decided to check on him to see how he was doing.

The third-shift nurse had checked on Whitman earlier in her rounds, and was tending to other patients. But she told Whitman after he was revived that something prompted her to check on him one more time, where she then immediately issued Code Blue alert.

“She said she heard me take my last breath,” Whitman said. “She said, ‘You’re the first Code Blue (patient) I saw live.’”

Whitman survived, but was faced with the task of rebuilding his life. Being a state trooper had been his life.

He admitted feeling sorry for himself.

“It took me two years to get my sense of humor back,” he said.

He regrouped and enrolled at Western Michigan University where he obtained a bachelor’s degree in teaching in 2006. He served as an alternative high school teacher in St. Joseph briefly and then landed a job at the Technology Center as a law enforcement instructor.

Buoyed by his success, he decided to resume classes at WMU, where he received a master’s degree in career and technical education administration in 2012.

His brush with death and the complication that caused it – respiratory compromise – was never far from Whitman’s thoughts, however.

He decided to become an advocate for monitoring devices – such as capnographs – that can detect respiratory compromise in post-surgery patients.

“I’ve attended several national medical conferences,” he said. “If I can stress how important capnography is and get hospitals to change their minds and monitor all surgery patients, then it’s worth it. My goal is everyone in the United States should be continuously monitored (in post-surgery).”

But capnographs, and other devices that measure a patient’s respiratory system after a surgery, are quite expensive, according to Porte. As a result, hospitals may feel it is out of the question, cost-wise.

“There are numerous challenges,” he said, “not the least is monetary. If you’re monitoring for everything, you’re going to break the bank.”

Although capnography can be a solution for high-risk post-operative patients, Porte advocates better recognition of patients who have the potential of suffering from respiratory failure.

“One of things our institute is trying to do is look at identifying high-risk and low-risk patients and then make a judgment of when monitoring occurs,” he said.

In the meantime, Porte thinks hospital staff can do a better job of assessing a patient’s medical condition prior to surgery because some conditions, such as sleep apnea, can make a person at higher risk for respiratory failure following a surgery.

He also said the heavy workload and long hours that nurses and doctors deal with can make them less attentive to the needs of a patient who may be at high risk.

“Nurses, staffing fatigue, that’s a huge, huge challenge,” Porte said.

11.28.16

Fact check:

City official: Analysis shows some assertions made about short-term rentals were 'unfounded'

By ANDREW LERSTEN

For the Tribune

Analysis of South Haven’s short-term rentals registration ordinance, adopted in May, has revealed surprises, officials say.

City Manager Brian Dissette gave a presentation on the findings to the City Council on Monday night.

“A number of the assumptions the Planning Commissioners heard when beginning the short-term rental ordinance process were discovered to be unfounded,” Dissette said.

For example: The areas with the highest rentals concentrations were not areas of high police activity due to noise or nuisance gathering Many property owners chose to have fewer maximum occupants on their registration forms than the city allowed. Police complaints were no higher for short-term rentals than any other property. There were very few complaints to police, or violations issued, related to the short-term rentals, he said.

The study showed that 389 housing units were used as short-term rentals properties, or 11 percent of the city housing stock. The number does not include condominiums, which are not required to register. The city did not enforce occupancy limits this year, but will enforce them moving forward, Dissette said.

For single-family residential zones, the maximum number of renters on any night will be 12. The number is based on a formula using the number of bedrooms and floors.

In other residential zones and mixed-use zones, the occupancy will be capped at 16, but property owners in those zones could seek to increase that number to 24 with specific additional stipulations such as enhanced fire protection.

This year’s data showed the average number of renters per property was 9.9 people, and that 62.2 percent of the properties had an occupancy limit of 10 or less.

The average length of stay at the properties was seven days for 72 percent of the properties.

The city has hired a consultant to help draft a new master land use plan. The consultant will use data from the registration ordinance report in drafting the new plan.

There will be a community survey, featuring many questions about short-term rentals; and several community meetings to gather more feedback on that and other zoning and land use issues, Dissette said.

A meeting will take place Dec. 5 between city officials, city attorneys and police to lay out policies and procedures related to the enforcement of the rental registration ordinance next year, Dissette said.

Van Buren County OKs $1.3 million renovation project

By ROD SMITH

For the Tribune

PAW PAW — The Van Buren County Board of Commissioners has officially chosen a contractor for a building renovation project.

Commissioners Tuesday decided they will formally award a contract to Grand Rapids-based Owen-Ames-Kimball to renovate the Human Services Building-East on Hazen Street in Paw Paw. Contract is for $1,319,300.

There were only two bids but Jason Vetne, of Kalamazoo-based DLZ architectural firm, said OAK was the lowest by $2,000.

According to a memo from County Administrator Douglas Cultra, the job includes painting, ceiling tiles, carpet tiles, new HVAC equipment and controls, cabinets, toilet partitions, new exterior doors and new folding panel partitions for the three-part conference room.

The 25,505-square-foot Human Services building needs replacement of its mechanical systems, lighting, ceilings, floors and walls. The building is about 25 years old and houses Van Buren County Community Mental Health plus offices serving veterans and hospice.

Work will be funded from county funds, not a millage or bonding.

In other matters, commissioners OKd two contracts for stabilizing the dune that straddles the border of Syndicate Park subdivision and North Point Land Preserve near Van Buren State Park.

Cardno of West Olive will install dune grass, fencing and shrubbery for $65,342 and Abonmarche of Benton Harbor will oversee the project and prepare other bid specs for $13,690.

Van Buren County has received $100,000 in grants for dune restoration and stabilization. Besides stabilization, the plan includes reducing the number of trails to two.

The sand dune has been moving for decades and is threatening to crush some homes in the subdivision.

In other matters, commissioners ratified contracts with corrections officers and command officers in the sheriff's department. The deputies were represented by the Police Officers Labor Council.

Both contracts run from 2017 through 2019 and call for 2-percent wage increases each year.

Commissioners also approved an annexation of property on Paw Paw's east Red Arrow Highway from Antwerp Township to the village of Paw Paw. Village Manager Larry Nielsen called it a "friendly annexation," and one that Antwerp agreed with.

Two of the three parcels are owned by the Michigan Department of Transportation and the third by Lipson Holdings, formerly the Legends restaurant/bar and ball field.

The village boundary bisects both properties, according to Nielsen.

Since, unlike cities, villages are part of townships, Antwerp will lose no tax revenue. The MDOT properties do not pay property tax at all.