Two suspects are facing felony malicious destruction of property charges after being arrested for redesigning Allegan City Hall, tagging profane graffiti along the riverfront and drawing pictures of inappropriate body parts on doors at Allegan Alternative High School.

The incident happened sometime between midnight on Friday, Nov. 23, and 2 a.m. Saturday.

According to Allegan Police officer Kris Meade, the two males, ages 18 and 20, will also be facing charges for throwing objects at motor vehicles on M-89 Friday evening.

While damages are still be tallied, restitution will also be sought for at least $4,000.

Allegan’s Department of Public Works were called in on Saturday to clean up the graffiti on public and private benches, tables, signs, the boardwalk and a construction trailer at the library. The suspects also defaced holiday trees in downtown planters.

Four city employees spent five hours cleaning up the destruction.

The suspects were arrested Saturday night and charges were authorized Monday. Names were withheld pending arraignment.

A Gobles man will serve jail time and probation for violently attacking a Plainwell man who’d hit his dog with a car.

Christopher Steven Robinson, 26, was sentenced Monday, Nov. 26, in Allegan County Circuit Court for one count of attempted assault with intent to do great bodily harm. The victim of the August 2017 incident in Plainwell suffered serious injuries including a broken jaw and broken teeth. The dog survived the accident.

Allegan County prosecutor Myrene Koch argued for a longer jail sentence because of the severity of the attack and pointed out it had happened the day after the dog was hit, not immediately.

“The defendant admitted the victim was very apologetic about the fact the dog had been hit,” Koch said. “He choked the victim and punched the victim several times.”

She admitted Robinson had not prior criminal record.

“He has no prior record up to this point, but whether it was the dog or that he was just angry, he lashed out at this man and did a lot of damage,” Koch said.

She said the victim was still going through treatment for the affects of the attack.

Robinson’s lawyer, James Michael McEwen, said his client hadn’t been in an altercation with another person.

“Mr. Robinson recognizes his behavior was unacceptable, inappropriate and obviously criminal,” McEwen said.

He said his client had sought counseling.

“It was hard for him to believe he did this damage to someone,” McEwen said. “He wanted to learn how to not repeat something like this.”

Robinson was continuing to engage in counseling and was a group leader, McEwen said, and had support from his parents. He said he thought his client would be successful on probation.

Robinson apologized and said he took responsibility for what he’d done.

“I know my actions were wrong and completely unacceptable,” he said. “I’ve acted to take care of the issues with myself.”

Judge Roberts Kengis said, “The court is glad you’ve gotten help for yourself.

“You still deserve to be punished for this incident. This was a very inappropriate response for what happened to your dog.

“The court is very concerned you waited a day to cool down and you still reacted like this...”

Kengis sentenced Robinson to 18 months on probation and 90 days in the Allegan County Jail. He allowed Robinson to serve 30 days and then have the rest of the sentence suspended and only enforced in the event of a probation violation. Robinson was also allowed to report to jail a few days later to try to set up work release. Kengis said restitution was still to be determined in the case.

Robinson pleaded guilty in September and as part of a plea agreement Allegan County prosecutors agreed two counts of assault with intent to do great bodily harm dropped in exchange for the plea to attempted assault with intent to do great bodily harm.

Contact Dan Pepper at dpepper@allegannews.com or at (269) 673-5534.

Editor's note: The story above has been clarified to include the detail that the dog was hit with a car (as opposed to physically attacked by the victim in the case above).

The art installation pictured above adorns the main entrance stairwell to the Allegan District Library’s new addition. The new building reopened Nov. 19 after materials were moved out of the library built in 1976 next door.

The artistic fish are part of “Copper Shoal,” a work donated by local artist Mike Lajoice. It is a recognition piece with each fish representing a donor.

While renovations are ongoing for the 1976 addition, many library programs are still taking place—relocated to Griswold Auditorium.

Large print, CDs, and some children’s materials are not available due to space restrictions.

Renovations will be ongoing all winter to reorganize the 1976 portion of the library. The historic Carnegie Room will also be rehabilitated and get an elevator to provide access.

An Allegan County judge sentenced a Grand Junction woman to jail and probation for hitting another woman’s car several times in February.

Michelle Lynn Sterling, 43, was sentenced Monday, Nov. 26, in Allegan County Circuit Court for the incident which happened Feb. 27 in Lee Township.

Some of the facts of the incident were disputed between the prosecution and defense, but both agreed Sterling had hit the car of other woman, who was with Sterling’s ex-boyfriend at the time, three times, both in her driveway and then out on the public road.

Allegan County prosectuor Myrene Koch said, “This was a very violent and serious situation.”

Koch said Sterling had driven at the two victims both when they were in the car and when they were outside it, forcing them to jump back in to avoid being hit.

“We feel the jail sentence should be commensurate to what she did to these victims,” Koch said.

Sterling’s lawyer, James Michael McEwen, said his client had been afraid of the two people who’d come to her house and that the police report substantiated the ex-boyfriend had been waiving an Airsoft gun Sterling had believed to be a real firearm.

“She was trying to get away and trying to flee the situation,” McEwen said.

She’d also been suffering from anxiety problems, he said, and was getting treatment while working full-time.

“She’s doing well and making progress with her treatment,” McEwen said. “We believe a probation sentence is necessary but we also believe a jail sentence isn’t necessary.”

Judge Roberts S. Kengis said, “This was obviously a very dangerous situation.”

He said he recognized there were mental health issues and he’d take that into account.

“But you didn’t do anything to help the situation,” Kengis said. “There were three contacts between the vehicles...

“This, along with the fact you have a domestic violence conviction, persuades the court to order a jail term.”

He sentenced Sterling to 90 days in jail and 30 months on probation for assault with a dangerous weapon and 90 days in jail for malicious destruction of property $200 to $1,000. She was given credit for 15 days already served and ordered to have no contact with the victims. She was allowed to seek work release and report to jail a few days later to allow her to get her employment in order.

As part of a plea agreement, a charge of assault with intent to do great bodily harm and a charge of malicious destruction of property $1,000 to $20,000 were dropped after the sentencing in exchange for Sterling’s guilty plea.

Contact Dan Pepper at dpepper@allegannews.com or at (269) 673-5534.

Design plans will move forward for the City of Allegan to build a restroom, storage and concession facility at a building facing the riverfront.

After much discussion and comments from the public during the Monday, Nov, 26 city council meeting, a request for services was unanimously approved in an amount not to exceed $25,750 by Abonmarche, the firm that helped design the riverfront, to design the facility as well.

The issue was tabled at the last council meeting by a 4-3 vote out of concerns for the addition of a permanent concession stand for the sale of beer at outdoor events.

Concerns were raised at this week’s meeting over entering into a lease agreement with a private business for the location.

The structure would be located at property currently owned by JML Real Estate as well as property currently owned by the City of Allegan. The mechanical and storage will be located inside the current building at 217 Hubbard St. The restrooms and concession stand would be built below a deck that extends out over city property.

Council member Charles Tripp who previously opposed the addition of a concession stand in the design said he had a change of heart after discovering the deck above it is not part of the concession stand and the city is not paying to have it built.

“The cost would be minimal because it’s just a bump-out with electrical outlets,” he said.

 A draft form of the lease with JML Real Estate has been developed by the city attorney. Council members were not asked to approve the lease at the meeting.

A few Hubbard Street building owners questioned the arrangement.

“I have concerns about the new toilet proposal and I hope the city doesn’t get into a royal flush,” said John Watts. “You’re going to pay $25,000 for the design but what if the developer changes their mind—is that money just wasted?”

 Watts said it seemed a rush to judgment and asked if any other places or proposals were looked at.

Peter Hanse also opposed approving the design expense before a lease was approved and building a $200,000 facility he said the city won’t own in the end.

Hanse also said the concession stand would be in competition with his father’s Boardwalk Ice Cream business.

As a new resident and “Rollin on the River” volunteer, Debra Adams supported the restrooms and service counter (she didn’t like the term concession stand.)

“The riverfront is a gem and the city is on the cusp of greatness with a beautiful view, waterpark and the momentum of getting people down here is incredible,” she said. “Restrooms are needed and after people come to riverfront venues and drink a beer they patronize the local establishments afterwards.”  

City manager Joel Dye said the concession stand and storage area would reduce staff time and costs for setting up and tearing down after events by 60 percent. The restrooms are a necessity for usage at the new splash pad and other riverfront events. He said an independent structure was looked at.

“But I shot that down because the riverfront is a jewel and it shouldn’t be crowded out with structures that block the view,” he said. “We looked at one location behind the stage completely on private property but the flow didn’t work so we reached out to JML who is giving of their company time to help out with events and discussed ‘what ifs.’”

Council member Nancy Ingalsbee was against taxpayers paying for a concession stand and wanted to know how much could be saved if it was taken out of the design.

Dye said the majority of the cost of a building lies in the foundation, the flooring, the walls, the support beams and the roof. In discussing this project with other engineering firms and builders, the restrooms and concession stand are just rooms within the structure and the only way to significantly reduce the cost is to reduce the size of the structure.

Tony McGhee of Abonmarche said not building a restroom facility would be a deterrent for people visiting the riverfront. He said it should be looked at as a quality-of-life issue and an investment for bringing tax dollars to downtown—not as a cost to taxpayers.

“We should work together with people for leverage,” he said, adding that the city is taking advantage of already having water and sewer installed for the facility.

Council member Mike Manning asked what risk there was if JML Real Estate changed their mind before being locked into a lease.

Jim Liggett of JML Real Estate was there to answer.

“I’ve already spent $25,000 on my own design plan,” he said. “We need bathrooms and its our vision along with the city.”

Liggett said he is developing a restaurant and Air B&Bs above the restaurant that will also be accessing the riverfront.

After investing $6 million in Allegan properties, including Allegan Event and the zipline, Liggett said he is also trying to make Allegan his home and bathrooms are a need for the community. Plus rent is only $1. Other than that, Liggett said he’s not getting a penny out of the deal.

Tripp said Liggett could have invested anywhere in the world; however, he chose Allegan so he didn’t think a partnership would be risky.

Manning said the council would have more specifics when the design plans are presented.

State Representative Steve Johnson invites residents of the 72nd House District to join him during local office hours on Friday, Dec. 14, from 8:30 to 9:30 a.m. at Simply Celia’s, 142 S. Main St. in Wayland.

“Open and honest communication with residents is instrumental in holding state government accountable,” Johnson said. “I invite all residents to attend a local office hour gathering to share their concerns and ideas.”

No appointment is necessary and there is no cost to attend. Those unable to attend are encouraged to call Rep. Johnson’s office at (517) 373-0840, email StevenJohnson@house.mi.gov or visit his website at www.RepJohnson.com.

Allegan City Council listened to a presentation by city attorney Nick Curcio on the recently passed recreational marijuana state law and its impact on the City of Allegan.

Council members took the information under advisement on Nov. 13 and made no decisions on whether to opt in or opt out of allowing marijuana establishments in city limits.

City manager Joel Dye said the council will be asked in January or February to decide which way to go.

In 2016, the council expressed no interest in legalizing medical marijuana sales in the city after hearing a presentation by the West Michigan Enforcement Team and the Allegan County Substance Abuse Prevention Coalition on how marijuana affects communities.

If opting out again, voters do have the right to initiate opt-in ordinances to override opt out with a ballot initiative.

Proposal 18-1 was a statewide ballot initiative to legalize recreational marijuana and adopt the Michigan Regulation and Taxation of Marihuana Act (MRTMA).

The initiative passed statewide with 57 percent approval; in the City of Allegan, it passed with 58 percent of the vote.

The effective date is Dec. 6, which is 10 days after the Board of Canvassers certified the election results.

Once effective, state law will or older to:

• Possess 2.5 ounces of marijuana in public

• Possess up to 10 ounces of marijuana and up to 12 marijuana plants in one’s home

• Consume marijuana in non-public places

• Transfer up to 2.5 ounces of marijuana to another person, as long as no compensation is received

These provisions apply regardless of whether a municipality opts in or opts out of the scheme.

However, the act allows employers to discipline or terminate workers for marijuana use, pursuant to an established drug policy.

The sale of marijuana will still be illegal under state law, unless the person making the sale has a state license issued by the Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs.

LARA is required to start issuing licenses under the new act within one year of its effective date.

The licensing scheme will largely mirror the scheme established by the Michigan Medical Marihuana Facilities Licensing Act (MMMFLA) passed in 2016.

The MRTMA defines “marihuana establishments” as a new statutory term for marijuana businesses to encompass the five MMMFLA facilities (growing, processing, testing, transporting and storing; and selling), as well as two new business types:

• The Marihuana retailer sells or otherwise transfers marijuana to marihuana establishments or to individuals 21 and older.

• The Marihuana microbusiness cultivates up to 150 plants, processes marijuana from those plants and sells or transfers it to individuals 21 and older or to safety compliance facilities.

Interpretation issues:

In some circumstances, it may be difficult to determine how the new marihuana act fits together with existing marihuana acts already on the books. This includes identifying identical terms differently; the new act not mentioning provisioning centers; and with the new act appearing to create regulations for all “marihuana establishments,” including those facilities already created under the previous act.

Courts may likely find that the previous acts continue to apply, except when the new act directly conflicts. Court cases and administrative rules may clarify other aspects as well.

Opting in or out

Like the previous act, the new act allows municipalities to choose whether to allow marijuana establishments within their jurisdictions, and to limit the number of establishments.

However, the new act appears to flip the default status from “opt out” to “opt in,” which means a municipality choosing to prohibit marijuana establishments must adopt an ordinance in order to do so.

To opt out, the new act does not provide such guidance regarding the form or content of an opt-out ordinance but a fairly simple regulatory ordinance would likely suffice.

This ordinance should be in effect by the time LARA starts processing applications (within one year). Otherwise, LARA will treat the municipality as an opt-in community and issue licenses to qualifying applicants.

If opting in, municipalities can adopt ordinances that limit the number of establishments of any given type. It also appears that municipalities can still regulate establishments through zoning ordinances, although the new act does not expressly refer to zoning.

Opt-in ordinances can still charge marijuana-related businesses an annual fee up to $5,000.

Possible zoning regulations

Communities opting in have adopted regulations that include limiting establishments to commercial or industrial zones, special-use requirements, signage regulations, site layout requirements to increase site security, distancing from sensitive uses (schools, churches, parks, etc.), distancing from like uses, odor control measures and set layout requirements to mitigate impacts on neighbors.

New considerations for opting in include: regulations cannot be unreasonably impracticable; municipalities can require establishments to obtain local licensing as well as state licensing, and if a municipality places a numerical limit on establishments, it must create a “competitive process” to choose among applicants, such as lotteries, first-come-first serve or a scoring system.

Municipal revenue streams

Municipalities can charge an annual fee of up to $5,000 to defray costs. The new act eliminates the 3-percent excise tax on medical marijuana provisioning centers. In its place, there is a 10-percent tax on sales by recreational retailers and microbusinesses.

Specifically, after certain payments are made to the state and federal programs, 15 percent of the remaining revenues are allocated to those municipalities in proportion to the number of retailers or microbusinesses within their jurisdictions.

A Plainwell man, Adam Kacena, was killed sometime early Sunday, Dec. 2, in a single-car crash in Bloomingdale Township.

According to the Van Buren County Sheriff’s Office, officers were called about 8:20 a.m. to a section of County Road 665 south of the Village of Bloomingdale.

Arriving on the scene, they found debris from a vehicle strewn around and then found Kacena, 30, and his heavily-damaged vehicle. He was still inside the vehicle and appeared to have gone off the road, rolled over and struck several trees and brush.

Sheriff’s officers said Kacena was wearing his seat belt and seemed to the only occupant of the vehicle.

There was no indication of a cause for the crash and officers weren’t able to determine exactly when it had happened.

Capt. Virg Franks said, “There was nothing untoward other than rolling over with no known witnesses.”

The investigation remains open, including the standard delay waiting for toxicology reports.

Contact Dan Pepper at dpepper@allegannews.com or at (269) 673-5534.

One hundred years ago the most generous woman in Allegan died.

Marilla (Milham) Griswold, 79, passed  away Feb. 20, 1918, after succumbing to a stroke. The city of Allegan was the benefactor of the bulk of the lumber baronesses will.

Marilla’s will, dated Oct. 23, 1917, left the City of Allegan $100,000, to erect a hall in her name. The will said she intended to erect said auditorium during her lifetime and she wanted YMCA rooms to be provided in the building.

She never got to see her legacy built, dying just four months after signing the will. She was buried in a very heavy bronze casket at Oakwood Cemetery at the monument her husband left $500 to build.

At the funeral, the Congregational Church was overflowing and people had to stand outside. A great many people gathered in the cemetery as well where the grave was amass with flowers.

“Among them were many families not so well known as some in Allegan, that were there to express some appreciation for the continuous generosity shown them by Mrs. Griswold. These people will be the ones who will miss her as much as anybody,” said the Allegan Gazette.

Marilla also gave $10,000 to the First Congregational Church, which allowed them to build the dining room and kitchen that today feeds more than 1,200 free meals to those in need each Thursday.

By the time the building was built, the Marilla Griswold Memorial Building fund stood at $164,848. The land on the corner of Hubbard and Chestnut Street downtown Allegan was to be where the hall should be built, as long as the land was less than the $6,500, which was the amount that had been proposed to her.  She stipulated that if it was more than that, new grounds were to be found and that’s what happened, one block further west on Hubbard and then the stock market crashed and the vision was scaled back.

Today, The 600-seat auditorium, with a stage lit up under the word of William Shakespeare; “All The World’s A Stage,” looks much the same as it did in 1929. While smaller than Marilla hoped, the facility has met her dream and original purpose of a setting for community functions.

It hosts a variety of events and activities throughout the year with performances ranging from concerts to plays to comedy shows. The historic landmark is also a great wedding venue.

While the “Marilla Room” is the meeting space for the city council and its boards and committees, which will be moving to the new city hall in 2019, the move will decrease activity there.

In 2017, rehabilitation of the exterior masonry was completed after receiving a State Historic Preservation Office grant. Now the city will be working on what kind of foundation it can provide the community inside its walls and how to fund it for the next chapter in Marilla’s legacy.

Here’s a sample of what 1918 dollars were worth in today’s money:

1918                        2018

$300,000            $5.4 million

$100,000            $1.8 million  

$10,000            $180,000

$5,000            $90,000

$500            $9,000

Work to link city water lines with several houses with contaminated wells in Allegan Township is complete.

Allegan Township supervisor Steve Schulz told board members at their meeting Monday, Dec. 3, that Milbocker Construction had completed the project ahead of schedule, though some landscaping may have to wait until spring. Most of the work occurred in November.

“A lot of trees had to be removed; they had to bore under the highway in a couple spots, but it was successful,” Schulz said. “Those people won’t have green ice cubes anymore—that’s what they had before.”

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency funded construction for the roughly $500,000 project to extend city water lines to Jeffrey Drive and 29th Street.

Since a massive fire that destroyed Allegan Metal Finishing in March 2015 along M-89, three residential wells turned up levels of chromium that exceeded the 100 micrograms-per-liter drinking water limit set by the EPA. One detected at 22,000 micrograms per liter, according to the EPA.

The township spent $70,000 to cover the cost of the engineering for the project.

“We think that was well worth it,” Schulz said. “And those wells have been plugged; or, if they haven’t, they will be.”

The EPA has not yet announced details of its investigation as to the source chromium, used mainly for making steel and other alloys. Chromium compounds are also used for chrome plating. The metal can be a carcinogen when inhaled or ingested.

Schulz said the township remains interested in extending the city lines farther still. The township is waiting to hear from the owner of two mobile home parks just to the south of the former AMFCO. Schulz said owner Kevin Kammeraad was having engineering done to see how much it will cost to update the infrastructure within his parks. Schulz also said the township would also need to know the city’s connection fee.

With the onset of winter, the additional extension would at least have to wait until next spring or summer.

“Betten Baker would be across the street. That gives you an idea of where we’d stop,” Schulz said. “We’re still considering that if (Kammeraad) is willing to hook up.”

He explained they are pursuing the project because they anticipate the chromium contamination to spread and infiltrate other nearby wells.

“Quite often, where the most water is drawn out of is where the plume could go,” he said. “We wanted to get it out there ahead of time, shovel ready, in case that contamination happened. There’s a lot of testing out there (AMFCO) by the EPA that has to be done. Preliminary tests have shown cyanide in some places.”

He stopped short of saying AMFCO was the source of the contamination, said “it’s probably a good bet.”

“They did coat a lot of their stuff with chromium, I believe. I guess the suspicion is there. There’s going to be complete oversight from the EPA to delve into that to see if there is somebody that is responsible for that. Have to wait for all that detective work.”

He also noted that neighboring Allegan Tubular, owned by some of the same family that had owned AMFCO, was served by bottled water and has expressed interest in connecting to city water.

Fence

Township members also approved the low bid for white PVC fencing approximately 1,700 feet on three sides of the township-run Hudson Corners Cemetery.

All Size Fencing of Allegan was selected over two other bidders. The township recently obtained property from the City of Allegan’s adjacent industrial park to expand the cemetery. This project was planned for in the budget.

It will cost approximately $18,000.

Treasurer Jane Waanders said, “This encompasses our old part of the cemetery, our second section and our new section along industrial drive” but doesn’t include fencing along 118th Avenue. A survey will need to be done first before the fence goes in.

Leaf pickup

As the township had left a message on its website stating that its leaf pickup service will be a free service, even for multiple requests, the township will refund several residents’ bills who had paid for their third and fourth requests.

Schulz said, “We been pretty successful in getting people to rake their leaves to the edge in high-density residential areas. In the past, we have charged $25 per pickup. This year, we didn’t charge anything until the calls got busy and our recycling money started to deplete a little bit.”

They had decided at that time to charge $40 for third or fourth pickups.

Board member Jim Connell said, “Yeah, if we advertised it as free, we can’t charge for it.”

Waanders said that, since costs to pay the private companies for the pickups depleted the township’s recycling funds, some will end up being covered by the township’s general fund.

Schulz said it was worth funding the program as it had definitely cut down on smoke alarms being triggered at the local schools due to smoke from people burning the leaves.

That said, the township will be evaluating its recycling spending to decide whether or not to charge for multiple pickups.

Contact Ryan Lewis at rmlewis@allegannews.com or (269) 673-5534.

One new and three returning Wayland City Council members were sworn in Monday, Dec. 3, to begin their two-year terms.

Incumbents Joe Kramer and Timothy Rose along with newcomer Abe Garcia filled three council seats. Garcia fills the seat of John Sloan who did not file for re-election.

Kramer was appointed to fill the council vacancy left by Tracy Bivins who stepped down in June. He was officially reelected to the seat Nov. 6. Abe Garcia who moved to Wayland in 2014,  has served two terms on the planning commission. Frequently attending council meetings as a public member, he took a seat at the council table for the first time on Monday. Rose is now serving his fourth term.

Mayor Tim Bala was also sworn in for a sixth two-year term after defeating Brian Sweebe in the November election.

After swearing in the council, City Clerk Michelle Herman presented each council member with a laminated ballot from the election. Mayor Bala received 952 votes and Brian Sweebe 433. Trustees Kramer received 987 votes, Garcia 886 and Rose 873.

Rose welcomed Kramer and Garcia to the council and thanked Bivins and Sloan for their input, knowledge and experience.

“They both meant a lot to the council and were much appreciated,” Rose said. “I’m also looking forward to what the future council will do.”

Garcia was appointed the ex-officio to the planning commission and Jennifer Antel was reappointed mayor pro-tem.

In other business:

•With only seven applicants applying by deadline for the police chief position, city manager Josh Eggleston said the search is being reopened to the end of December to get more applicants. Two finalists have been chosen from the first list of applicants and will be among those interviewed in January. Police Chief Steve Harper is leaving in February to be the community impact pastor at his church.

•Eggleston informed the council there was a likelihood the city will be getting  $400,000 in funding for a paving project on South Main Street from Maple to S. Locust streets in 2023 from MDOT’s Rural Task Force program.

“This is the first municipal project in four or five years to get considered,” Eggleston said. “It’s been awhile for Wayland; 2009 is the last time we got funding from them.”

• No action will be taken on Recreational Marijuana establishments until after Dec. 6 and after LARA better defines the rules.

• An auditor report will be presented at 6 p.m. on Dec. 17. The Jan. 21 council meeting has been moved to Jan. 22 due to Martin Luther King Day.

• Three Wayland Union High School students attending the meeting said they were interested in applying for the vacant student representative seat on the council. They were asked to stay after the meeting to apply.

• An encroachment permit was approved for Open Road Brewery to have a tent in the alley behind the brewery for a TagaBrew party attracting craft beer enthusiasts from across the state on Jan. 12, from 2-6 p.m. 

• The council invited the public to attend Art Hop on Friday, Dec. 7, from 5-9 p.m. and the Christmas parade on Saturday, Dec. 8, at 11 a.m. A reminder was given to bring non-perishable food items, hats, boots, scarves, coats or mittens for the Christmas Project. The Boy Scouts will be collecting them along the parade route.

Classroom libraries at two Allegan County elementary schools just got a big boost.

The Perrigo Company Charitable Foundation announced last week it was donating $63,182, split evenly between Pine Trails Elementary School in Allegan and Fennville Elementary School.

“Bottom line, we’re just grateful this program was put in place, because I love the innovation around it. It’s so simple and so striking, and yet needed some resources to make it happen,” said Thomas Farrington, executive vice president chief information officer as the foundation’s president.

He’s referring to the High Impact Leadership literacy program, a federally funded initiative designed to energize teachers and principals and provide resources to increase literacy rates in high poverty schools in west Michigan.

Perrigo’s donation will dovetail with those efforts, creating a direct influx of classroom books.

Allegan superintendent Kevin Harness said, “If you have the appropriate book right there, ready to go at the appropriate level, it’s going to have a major impact on that student’s eagerness to read and eagerness to learn. It’ll impact their education for many, many years.”

He said students’ abilities to read is crucial beyond just their school years and helping them reach successful literacy was a monumental task.

“The HIL grant is providing a great deal of support in terms of personnel and expertise to accomplish that, but another part of that is having appropriate reading material.”

He said instructors now break down reading ability to 26 levels among students in pre-kindergarten to fifth grade.

“Providing books on subjects that students are interested in at each level—that’s a lot of books,” Harness said. “And when you figure in fiction and nonfiction, the number gets even larger.”

He said Perrigo’s donation will help Pine Trails stock hundreds of books of all the various reading levels in each classroom.

“We greatly appreciate what the Perrigo Foundation is doing to help us supply those books,” Harness said.

The donation would be spent somewhat similarly in Fennville, but there it would also help leverage its Book Trust program.

Fennville Elementary principal Albert Lombard said a partnership of local business leaders contributing to support from the National Book Trust to provide books monthly to students. The district has had funds to support books for kindergarteners through third-graders; Perrigo’s donation allows them to leverage more national funds to expand it through fifth-graders.

“Each month they get to order from the scholastic catalogues they get a $7 allowance,” he said. “The power is in their choice. If they want the new Dogman book or a particular graphic novel. When that book comes in a couple weeks, they want to read that book.

“The day the book boxes come in, every kid has a book (or two or three, depending on how they spent their allowance). And those kids are so excited. Some won’t put it down for the rest of the day.”

He said that doesn’t happen when they go to the library, which might not have 10 copies of a popular book.

“That choice gets them to read more, and they can impact their own learning,” Lombard said.

Fennville will also use part of Perrigo’s donation to provide additional professional development for teachers.

Farrington said, “The thought that we just needed to get a larger array of books in front of kids—what a concept. Why wouldn’t we do that? To help get these kids past the third-grade cliff, the data was overwhelming to say do it. It was a no-brainer for the foundation, and that’s why it was so exciting.”

With a new Allegan City Hall about to be renovated that will eventually be the meeting chambers for city council and its boards and committees, discussion is underway on what new activities can give Griswold Auditorium new purpose.

That’s where municipality meetings have been held due to the current city hall being too small for gatherings.

“The use of the building (Griswold Auditorium) will decrease since it was more of a municipal building than a community center,” said city manager Joel Dye. “City staff has been discussing with residents what the next chapter will be.”

While preparing for the move, staff has been cataloguing documents stored in the basement of the City Hall at Locust Street and stumbled upon Marilla Griswold’s will. She donated $100,000 in 1918 for the City of Allegan to find a place to build an auditorium in her name (See related story on Page A1).

Promotions coordinator Parker Johnson and promotions assistant Tammy Gorby were tasked to think outside the box for ideas the next chapter would be for The Griswold.

“One of the first conversations we had was to offer more live music and stand-up acts,” said Johnson.

In keeping with Marilla’s interest in the YWCA, ideas for country line dancing, yoga, jazzercise, Zumba, other low-impact public classes in the basement, which is basically a gymnasium, were suggested for little or no cost on Mondays, Tuesdays and Wednesdays. That way, the city can still offer the basement as a banquet room for setting up on Thursdays for weddings and receptions on Fridays and Saturdays.

“We want to give the community more opportunity to be in the building,” Dye said. “We’re one of the few community’s that doesn’t offer a recreation program.” 

It was also Marilla’s desire to always have a place for community theater.

The Allegan Community Players are one of Michigan’s oldest theater companies (dating back to 1918). Johnson said the theater group has a fresh board with a lot of young people involved.

“They realize that the Griswold Auditorium is the home of the community players and they want to bring that back there,” said Johnson. “We want to keep it open and active even more so than in the past.”

Dye said the city could start opening up the Griswold to the community starting in January after figuring out some funding for leader compensation.

No action was taken at the city council’s last pre-session meeting but it will be a topic on the council’s regular meeting on Dec. 10.

Council member Nancy Ingalsbee said she would like to see a space for seniors to come in and play bingo, cards and meet and greet. She also suggested a summer recreation program for school children.

Mike Manning said when the Leverences were involved in the council they brought a lot of arts to the Griswold.

“Some of those concerts were really good,” he said. “Maybe we could also get some lectures by authors.”

Mayor Rachel McKenzie said she was in favor of the ideas as were other council members.

Contact Virginia Ransbottom at (269) 673-5534 or vransbottom@allegannews.com.

Two men are facing charges after a string of vandalism in downtown Allegan.

Brett Alan Warner, 20, and Bradley Alan Snyder, 18, were both arraigned Tuesday, Nov. 27, on one count of malicious destruction of property $1,000 to $20,000 and one count of throwing objects at cars.

Both pleaded not guilty, according to court records, and were freed on $4,000 bonds.

Both men were scheduled for preliminary hearings Wednesday, Dec. 12, in front of Judge Joseph S. Skocelas, where police and prosecutors must show there is enough evidence the crimes happened and the men committed them.

The incidents happened late Friday, Nov. 23, and early Saturday, Nov. 24, and involved damage to the future Allegan City Hall building, profane graffiti along the riverfront, pictures of body parts on the doors at the Allegan Alternative High School and objects thrown at cars on M-89.

The pair were arrested the night following their destructive spree.

Four city workers had to clean up damage for about five hours, working on graffiti on benchs, tables, signs, the boardwalk and a construction trailer at the library. They also defaced holiday trees downtown.

Contact Dan Pepper at dpepper@allegannews.com or at (269) 673-5534.

Roger Keeney was elected to Plainwell City Council yesterday after a hand recount broke an election-night tie with challenger Stephen Bennett.

Both had 608 votes for the general election Nov. 6. Bennett drew lots, per city charter, and was named the winner, unseating longtime incumbent Keeney.

Keeney requested the recount, conducted throughout Wednesday, Dec. 5, by the Allegan County Board of Canvassers. The four-member board of two Republicans and two Democrats counted 609 votes for Keeney and 607 for Bennett.

Mayor Rick Brooks’ total of 800 votes remained the same. Incumbent Brad Keeler lost one vote, going from 769 on election night to 768.

Allegan County clerk-register Bob Genetski said there were no instances of an unclear vote.

“No, there were no arrows pointing to names on the ballot or ‘hanging chads’,” Genetski said, the latter a reference to the 2000 election of George W. Bush when hole-punched paper ballots in Florida caused headaches for tallying the results. “This seemed pretty clear cut.”

He said no other recounts could be requested. The canvassers had certified the recount results and notified the state.

Bennett was sworn into office at the council’s Nov. 26 meeting and voted on several items, including the annual election of the mayor and mayor pro-tem.

City clerk Brian Kelley said he was awaiting confirmation from the city attorney to determine how to handle the election switch.

“I believe we will simply swear in Mr. Keeney at our (Dec. 10) meeting and he’ll have to abstain from approving the minutes because he wasn’t on the council for the last meeting, technically,” Kelley said. “It doesn’t sound like it will turn out to be as formal as retiring the current council and swearing all of them back in.”

Keeney will also be asked for his consent on the mayoral election, which saw Brooks re-elected as mayor.

The Allegan County News and Union Enterprise are reaching out to Keeney to hear his reaction to the news.

The City of Allegan’s vacant Brady Street lot officially went on the market Dec. 5, with a request for proposals, or RFP, from developers open until Feb. 6, 2019.

The proposals will then be evaluated from Feb. 7 to March 8. The finalist will be notified March 19 to give a presentation to an evaluation committee between March and April. Terms of a redevelopment and purchase agreement will be finalized in May.

 Allegan was one of only a few cities in the state selected to receive pro bono work from the Michigan Economic Development Corporation to help market the development of 101 Brady St. The lot is currently zoned C-1 in the city’s Central Business District and allows for a mixture of uses.

As part of the pro bono work, city staff, a group of community leaders, two council members, a representative from the Chamber of Commerce, a representative from the Allegan District Library, a realtor, a community member involved in neighborhood engagement, and the city’s development consultant discussed in general what kind of development they would like to see at the site.

The majority decided the lot should be developed into a mixed-use, multi-story building that is not just “more of the same” but a statement building that complements the river, the boardwalk and park space to the north.

This lot has not always been vacant. It’s been the location for the Goodwill Store, movie rentals, antiques, an upholstery shop, body shops, car dealers and even a cigar shop.

The city wants to make it productive again.

Council members at their Nov. 26 meeting were asked to approve the request for proposals. Nancy Ingalsbee at first did not want to vote because she had not had a chance to review it and said there were a lot of people who did not want the city to sell it.

The proposal wasn’t received until the day of the city council meeting because of a death in the family by the person preparing it. Mayor Rachel McKenzie said the council had previously given the city manager the directive to sell off all vacant city-owned property.

“We’re not selling it at this time,” she said. “It will come back to the council to review what developers want to do with it.”

Ingalsbee was adamant about not having a building taller than four stories but voted along with the rest of the council to move forward with seeking proposals.

City manager Joel Dye said he already had a few requests about the property being for sale but had told those interested to wait for the city seek proposals.

In anticipation of a sale, Allegan Art in the Park, a local artisan market that previously set up at the Brady Street lot, was approved to relocate to Rossman Park at Marshall (M-89) and 5th Street in Allegan. The market will be open on the last Sunday of the month in May, June, July, August and September.

Here’s some of what the request for developer qualifications says:

“The City of Allegan seeks developers for a city-owned property at 101 Brady St. This 0.41-acre parcel provides an opportunity to offer new-build retail/restaurant space, as well as housing and lodging options with riverfront views, in formats that are currently underserved by the local market.

“The site is the eastern gateway to Allegan’s historic downtown shopping and entertainment district. It includes 150 feet of frontage on the Kalamazoo River and Allegan Riverfront Boardwalk, offering unobstructed views of the river, and the iconic 2nd Street Bridge—a National Historic Civil Engineering Landmark. It is the eastern anchor to Allegan’s riverfront district, which contains placemaking amenities including an amphitheater, canoe/kayak launch, and zipline course.”

The city’s preferred development for this site would:

• Create new residential and/or lodging options in a multiplex or “Missing Middle” housing format;

• Provide a mix of uses to create vibrancy and year-round activation. The ground floor is an ideal location for high-visibility restaurant and/or retail space;

• Incorporate a creative design process that respects the historic character of downtown Allegan and its legacy buildings;

• Provide a connection between Brady Street and the Allegan Riverfront Boardwalk through incorporation of a plaza or similar amenity;

• Consider the important location of the subject site relative to the 2nd Street Bridge and Kalamazoo River in the building’s design. Proposals incorporating signature architectural treatments of the south and west facades are encouraged.

The city’s asking price, $25,912, is negotiable, and it is open to all reasonable offers in support of an optimal development plan. A range of incentives, at the local and state levels, may be leveraged as part of a negotiated predevelopment agreement. Preference will be given to projects with a mix of uses, and that creatively incorporate some or all of the provisions described above.

Several site precedent images were provided in the RFP. The images are of recently completed projects in Michigan that embody various aspects of the city’s vision.

If and hen the RFP is posted to www.cityofallegan.org, it will be posted at this link.

A Kalamazoo woman admitted to helping a man escape from Allegan County’s custody.

Shari Ann Hubbard, 30, pleaded guilty to one count of attempted aiding a prison escape. She admitted she’d tried to help James Henry VanNess, 40, escape.

“He got into the vehicle and we drove away,” Hubbard said.

Hubbard was in Allegan County Circuit Court Monday, Dec. 10, and entered her plea.

She confirmed to Judge Roberts Kengis she’d helped VanNess in the June 14 incident in Allegan Township. Hubbard said VanNess had been part of a work crew outside the jail when he’d left and gotten in her car and she’d known he wasn’t allowed to leave the jail.

VanNess was captured soon after, according to court records, and was arraigned June 18 on a charge of escaping from custody. He was in jail at the time on a methamphetamine charge.

Hubbard agreed to plead guilty as part of an agreement with Allegan County prosecutors, who promised to drop a habitual offender notice that could lead to a longer sentence for Hubbard in exchange for the guilty plea.

Contact Dan Pepper at dpepper@allegannews.com or at (269) 673-5534.

Designs for a new streetscape plan in downtown Allegan were presented to the public by Abonmarche consultants on Wednesday, Dec. 3, with a couple of options for the city and community to mull over.

With increased investment occurring as a result of riverfront development, a new streetscape is being sought to revitalize commercial opportunities, improve traffic flow and pedestrian accessibility and create a vibrant space with unique character for social activity.

Abonmarche, the firm that designed the riverfront improvements, were paid $47,000 from the DDA and City budgets for the design plans.

Services included a traffic study identifying traffic movements throughout the downtown and the impact of modifying one-ways and intersection re-alignments; a streetscape plan for replacing streets, sidewalks, trees and landscaping in the downtown; and road ratings using the PASER system and coring several areas to determine the existing road materials.

Through variations in parking, sidewalk widths and the inclusion of bumpouts, Option “A” would reduce existing parking spots from 510 to 457, while Plan “B” would reduce parking spots from 510 to 465.

Senior landscape architect Kathy Burczak said the parking loss was minimal and a parking analysis determined on the busiest days, city parking spots are only 60 percent utilized. The study did not include county parking areas.

“Those could be gone tomorrow,” said city manager Joel Dye. “We have no control over them.”

While a few people maintained that new tenant facilities coming to downtown would create a parking shortage and hinder renters, Ben Otis who is developing four apartments at 136 Brady Street said, “I know with our tenants, parking will not be a problem.”

Michelle Miersma of Lumberman Lofts said, “At night there is no one parking downtown.” Miersma is developing seven apartments at 118 Locust St. 

Designated lots for overnight parking are at Cutler Street behind Country House Furniture, on Water Street between Myers Bumper to Bumper and the Perrigo Store and Hubbard Street behind The Regent Theatre. The lots are proposed to provide 222 spaces and the DDA is considering providing loading and unloading spaces.

Some of the highlights of the plans include:

• Realigning Hubbard Street further south to align with Jenner Driver (M-40) at Marshall Street (M-89), making Hubbard two-way for entering and exiting downtown and creating a park with the space vacated to enhance the main gateway to downtown Allegan.

• Reversing Trowbridge to a one-way street as an entry into downtown from M-89 instead of an exit.

• Locust Street becoming two-way with parallel parking in place of angle parking on both sides of the road. The configuration would reduce parking spaces from 42 to 27 but produce 18-foot-wide sidewalks with flush curbs. However, Option “B” was preferred by a few business owners at the meeting. It proposed a two-way street with angle parking on one side and parallel parking on the other, which would provide 13 feet of sidewalk space with flush curbs and reduce parking from 42 to 35 spaces.

• Enlarging the festival site area to include and extend the intersections of Hubbard, Locust and Brady streets. Make the curb level with streets, provide bump-out seating areas, gathering spaces, café seating and movable planters to block the streets for festivals.

• Closing the 2nd Street Bridge to traffic and turning it into a pedestrian park that extends almost to Brady Street leaving enough street parking for food vendor trucks. However, Option “B” received more approval by attendees who preferred making the bridge a one-way entering downtown only and eliminating the alternating traffic exiting the city. Both options would eliminate the high accident rate when exiting from the bridge onto Marshall Street and divert the high traffic count crossing the bridge to the downtown area.

• Remove the Locust trees lining downtown streets. Business owners complained of the leaves being too messy and the trees are also towards their end-of-life.

• Enlarging the Water Street commercial area by eliminating southbound parking to allow the widening of sidewalks on the northside and including café seating, gathering spaces, screened parking and dumpsters and connectivity to the boardwalk behind businesses.

• Eliminate northbound parking on Brady Street and extend sidewalks on that side of the street to include bench seating, ADA ramps with seat walls and landscape beds.

• Change parallel parking on Hubbard Street in front of the library to angle parking, which adds more spaces in that area not included in the parking count.  Library officials liked this option. Library board president Mike Kiella also thanked the city for being forward-thinking.

The next step is for Abonmarche to do a cost estimate. Tony McGhee said it could run from $200 per linear feet, if needs are only to cut asphalt and mill-and-fill, to $800 per linear foot if placing “unsightly” overhead utility lines underground.

The city council will have a cost estimate in March or April and if a final plan is approved, state and federal grants will be sought.

“If we don’t have a plan, we won’t be eligible for grants,” said council member Charles Tripp.

During an audit review of Allegan City finances for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2018, Dan Veldhuizen of the CPA firm Siegfried Crandall PC said the city is in good shape and praised the city’s financial team as being better than ever before.

Here are some of the highlights:

The City’s total net position increased by $1,002,829 (3 percent) as a result of this year’s activities.

The net position of the governmental activities increased by $341,601 and the net position of the business-type activities increased by $661,228.

Of the $34,460,286 total net position reported, $3,281,776 (10 percent) is available to be used at the council’s discretion, without constraints established by debt, legislation, or other legal requirements; $27,266,246 represents a net investment in capital assets; and $3,912,264 is restricted  for various purposes.

The general fund’s unassigned fund balance at the end of the fiscal year was $1,968,892, which represents 23 percent of expenditures.

“You want to have three to six months set aside, and, at 23 percent of current year expenditures, you’re right at that base,” Velhuizen said. “It would have been higher but a grant monies came in right after the year ended.”

Changes in net position

The city’s total revenues for the current fiscal year were $14,021,784, which is $4,369,080 higher than the prior year. In the current year, nearly 38 percent of the  city’s  revenues come from charges for services, primarily utility charges, and more than 16 percent come from property taxes. Operating grants represented 35 percent of total revenue in the current year due to substantial one-time grants.

The total cost of the city’s programs, covering a wide range of services, totaled $13,018,955. More than 33 percent of the city’s expenses relate to providing utility  services. Public safety and general government expenses account for 13 and 11 percent of the city’s total expenses, respectively.

Budgetary highlights

The city amended its revenue budget to increase total revenues by $227,943, primarily to increase property tax revenue to expected amounts. The city also amended its appropriations during the current year so that budgeted expenditures decreased by $362,873 to reflect changes that occurred over the course of the year. The most significant amendment reduced capital outlay expenditures by $416,721, as project costs were too high in the original budget. 

Total revenues were $3,718,297 more than budgeted, primarily due to $2,716,846 of unbudgeted federal grants and $1,006,250 in unbudgeted private contributions related to projects.

Expenditures were $3,809,829 more than the amounts appropriated, as public works and community and economic development costs exceeded appropriations by $3,523,828 and $501,194, respectively. The public works expenses were related to a hazard mitigation project, involving riverbank stabilization, and the community and economic development costs related to a blight elimination project. The revenues and expenditures related to these large projects were not included in the city’s budget since the projects had no net cost to the city.

These variances resulted in a net $91,532 negative budget variance due to a $431,804 decrease in fund balance compared to a budgeted decrease of $340,272.

The sewer fund experienced an increase in net position of $666,975 in the current year, primarily because user fees have been set so the fund is covering its costs. Total net position is $8,450,141 at year-end, of which $1,031,104 is unrestricted.

The water fund experienced a decrease in net position of $5,747 in the current year. User fees have been set so the fund is typically covering its costs; however, additional meters were purchased during the year which caused the decrease. Total net position is $11,296,987 at year-end, of which $1,307,535 is unrestricted.

Major capital asset events during the current fiscal year included the following:

• A building was purchased, for future city offices, for $269,570

• A parking lot was constructed at the riverfront at a cost of $195,167

• Improvements were made to Griswold Auditorium at a cost of $100,293

• Paving at Oakwood Cemetery for $42,200

• Street improvements were made in the amount of $139,726

• Sewer equipment was purchased at a cost of $58,956

• Water tower painting costs of $167,689

• Equipment fund capital additions amounted to $109,336

At the end of the fiscal year, the city had total long-term debt outstanding totalling $16,457,434, a net decrease of $1,312,780 due to principal payments that were made in a timely manner. No new debt was issued during the fiscal year that ended June 30.

The city’s charter authorizes a maximum levy of 17.50 mills for operating purposes. It is currently levying 16.4884 mills.

A 27-year-old woman from Hastings lost her life after crashing into a deer on Monday, Dec. 3, at about 6 p.m. in Wayland Township.

Allegan County Central Dispatch received calls about a car in the ditch on 135th Avenue near 7th Street. An officer from Wayland City Police and a deputy from the Allegan County Sheriff’s Office responded to find an unresponsive female.

The single vehicle crash was investigated by the Allegan County Sheriff’s Office reconstruction team and determined that the vehicle was traveling eastbound and struck the deer.

The crash caused fatal injuries to Kendra Kaye, 27, of Hastings.

Speed and alcohol do not appear to be a factor in the crash.

The Allegan County Sheriff’s Office was assisted by Wayland City Police, Wayland Fire Department, Yankee Springs Fire Department, and Michigan State Police.