The City of Allegan approved a proposal to remove of 14 walnut and cherry trees from Oakwood Cemetery. The trees are in a wooded area of the cemetery near Academy Street.

The tree cutters will also clean up dead trees in the area at the public works director’s discretion. It was noted that the area would not be clear cut. Only the valuable trees will be removed, along with dead scrub trees.

The value of the timber is estimated between $10,000 and $15,000. The city will receive one/third of the timber sale, which would between $3,000 and $5,000.

Mayor Rachel McKenzie at the council’s Nov. 26 meeting asked why the city was removing trees that weren’t dead.

“Are they impeding graves?” she asked.

City manager Joel Dye said they were not; however, they were valuable trees and their removal would eliminate a future problem of having to remove them.

“Council paid $12,000 earlier in the year for a company to remove trees,” he said. “If this is a process that’s successful for us we might look at contracting people to cut our trees that will pay us for it instead of us paying someone to cut our trees.”

Terry Gowens and Kendall Smith are the persons who requested the proposal and will be doing the cutting.

Council member Traci Perrigo said the trees were in a section where Terry Gowen’s parent’s house used to stand and the trees had grown all around it in an area that was not defined.

“I think this is a very good idea,” said council member Nancy Ingalsbee. “We’re going to make some money for the city and eliminate a future problem.”

McKenzie asked that the trees being cut were clearly marked.

In an earlier meeting, The Public Spaces Commission unanimously approved the proposal as did the council.

Virginia Ransbottom can be contacted at vransbottom@allegannews.com or at (269) 673-5534.

After a public hearing in which two residents opposed the rezoning of 10 parcels along the eastern portion of North Main Street from M-1 Manufacturing to R-3 Multiple Family Residential, the Allegan City Council came to an impasse with a tie vote.

During the hearing, property owners of 700 and 770 Main St. spoke against the rezoning over concerns the residential zoning limited their ability to sell their property as an investment. 700 N. Main currently has warehouses and a shop for Waanders’ Concrete and 770 N. Main is the now defunct H&K Construction owned by Ted and Todd Heckman. The rest of the properties are vacant.

“There is nothing in R-3 that works for this property,” said Ted Heckman. “It has to be exactly identical if I want to sell it—which limits us at someone’s mercy.

“Rezone when there’s a need or request but I haven’t heard of anyone coming forward and I don’t want to be hobbled for only certain specific things.”

Mark Waanders owner of 700 N. Main said Ted summed it up. Although he’s not ready to sell his property, the buildings he’s invested in would be worth nothing if his land was bought for housing.

The parcels are between Green Street and Summit Drive. Community Development Coordinator Jordan Meagher said North Street is an entryway into Allegan and all other parcels there are residential. Rezoning would align the future land use plan adopted in 2015 which maps out increased residential opportunities and better projects an image of residential use rather than having manufacturing use at a main entryway to the city.

“Coming from the north, this is your first look at Allegan,” Meagher said. “It’s more a residential area than industrial area and manufacturing is a sore thumb.”

Meagher reiterated that if the rezone was approved, all current uses would remain their current use in the future as long as it is not expanded or altered. As a non-conforming use, any future property owner would also be able to continue this use as long as it is not expanded or altered to a different type of manufacturing use.

The Allegan City Planning Commission recommended 5-2 to rezone the property.

In the absence of council member Patrick Morgan, Nancy Ingalsbee, Charles Tripp and Mike Manning voted against rezoning.

Ingalsbee said any government body needs to have a very good reason to take away someone’s property rights.

“I feel that’s what we are doing now,” Ingalsbee said. “We don’t have anyone who wants to do R-3, that I know of, so we should wait until we have a use and then if we need to change it, change it then.”

Delora Andrus asked if rezoning is usually done before there is an interest. Meagher said rezoning begets interest.

Mike Manning expressed concerns over whether the zoning change would devalue the Heckman and Waanders properties.

Mayor Rachel McKenzie said the same argument could be made for residential areas that are right next to manufacturing.

“It could devalue their property and they would have to sit around and wait for somebody to give them what their property is worth,” she said.

McKenzie, Andrus and Traci Perrigo voted for rezoning. With a tie vote, the rezone did not pass.

Virginia Ransbottom can be contacted at vransbottom@allegannews.com or at (269) 673-5534.

The City of Allegan will be proposing to adopt an opt-out ordinance to prohibit marijuana establishments, at least on a temporary basis. That’s because the ordinance also specifically directs the planning commission to study the city’s options for authorizing and regulating marijuana establishments under the new law for future options.

City council set a public hearing for Jan. 14, and will have a first reading of the ordinance then.

City manager Joel Dye called the ordinance a “wait, study and recommend” ordinance that allows the city more time to study the issue and not make any rushed decisions.

Doing nothing is automatically an opt-in for allowing marijuana establishments to start business, which can open up legal risks with a lottery parliament choosing the company allowed in, said Dye. He said city staff recommended the best way to approach the issue was to establish an ordinance to get zoning in place to ensure setbacks from such uses as churches and schools.

Dye said the council also has to consider if choosing to opt-out, voters can override the council’s decision and only cities that have a marijuana establishment or microbusiness will receive a portion of taxes collected under the proposal.

“The devil’s in the details,” he said. “You now have a medical marijuana facility using the same terms as a recreational one that can combine into a list of seven facilities.”

Delora Andrus said her initial thought was to opt-in because marijuana is now legal and can be grown in the home. Also, if opting in, the city will get revenue.

However, after working for an industry lawyer on dispensary licensing, she said it took about a year to get up and going, so she preferred an ordinance to opt-out now until further information was available.

Nancy Ingalsbee said she also preferred to take some time and make a good decision.  “I think we should pass this to the planning commission to deal with.”

Mayor Rachel McKenzie said she would rather opt-out in order to set parameters for the community within the confines of the law the state sets for municipalities to follow.

“That’s not going to happen until the licensing program takes place,” she said. “The other thing to consider, whether we opt-in and receive tax incentives or opt-out and not receive it, we are still going to have folks passing through our community that our police department will have to deal with—so that needs to be considered in terms of how that will affect our police budget in the future.”

Charles Tripp said having a store downtown would bring more people downtown. “But I don’t think we’re ready to opt in yet,” he said. “We need to do a lot of stuff before that can happen.”

Mike Manning said he was all for more knowledge and asked the public to attend the planning meetings for input.

Traci Perrigo was for opting out right now because she could not envision the business in city limits. She agreed with the mayor about planning for the police budget since there will be the component of people possessing marijuana whether it is sold in the city or not.

Mayor McKenzie said marijuana will have to be treated like alcohol.

“Some people can use it responsibly and some irresponsibly, but we have to consider 58 percent of our residents voted for it,” she said “It’s not a giant ‘no’ to anyone who is involved in recreational use of marijuana.”

Dye said by the city opting out at this time and directing the planning commission to study the issues, they can return with a recommendation on how the city should handle land use—because it is a land use issue, he said. The planning commission will be instructed to return with a report before Dec. 1, 2019.

“I don’t think it will take the planning commission 11 months to get there but it will take several months,” Dye said. “We will hold at least one public hearing to seek input from the public.”

The proposed ordinance states Marijuana establishments are prohibited in the city until such time as the City Council amends the chapter to allow one or more establishments. It also establishes violations as a municipal civil infraction with fines between $100 and $500, as well as other costs incurred. Each day during which any violation continues shall be deemed a separate offense.

A large black lab was rescued from thin ice formed around an island in the Kalamazoo River. No one knows how he got onto the island but residents began calling 911 when he starting barking in distress.

Allegan Fire District was dispatched to the scene south of the M-89 bridge in Allegan on Wednesday, Dec. 5, around 10:45 a.m. Using a small rescue boat, firefighters in immersion ice rescue suits accessed the river at Lane Street to get to the island, while others watched from a deck at the Sunoco gas station on Marshall Street.

Once on the island, Chris Adrianson and Tyler Lampros crawled on top of the ice then waded in shallow water after breaking through to get to the dog who stayed dry on top of the ice.

At first the dog shied away from the bright red “gumby” suited duo until discovering they had treats. The firefighters tied a nylon rope into a makeshift leash, which the dog wanted nothing to do with and began barking at them. But after a lot of patience, the leash was administered and the dog gave in for a boat ride to solid ground.

Fire Chief Nick Brink said the dog had no ID tag but was wearing a choke chain. The lab mix looked a bit skinny and was escorted by police to the Allegan County Animal Shelter for warmth, safety and food.

The dog, named “Spike” wasn’t there long before his owners picked him up. They had been searching for Spike since Friday, Nov. 30, and were ecstatic the AFD rescued him.

Brink said the department rescues about six or seven animals a year; however, they are usually cats in trees—the most recent of which attacked them for their efforts.

While he’s had a chance to speak with other veterans in his family, Wayland Middle School eighth-grader Brett Bultsma of Dorr didn’t pass up the chance to speak with several more last week.

He was among several students who met with veterans prior to the school’s Dec. 7 commemoration of Japan’s 1941 attack on Pearl Harbor, Hawaii.

Ron Edington finished his service in the Marine Corps as a lance corporal, having served 1958 to 1962.

“I was too young to serve in the Korean War and I enlisted while the Vietnam War was in its very early stages,” he said, speaking to Bultsma while sipping coffee. He was one of many members of the Grand Rapids American Legion Post 258 to attend the Pearl Harbor Day ceremony and speak with students interviewing them beforehand. “While it seemed most of the time we were at sea, I spent a good deal of time driving for the regimental commander.”

He said that was largely at an island near Japan.

Edington and his siblings had a long history of service: one brother was in a bomber group, another served in Texas and his third enlisted in the Marines, whom he followed.

Bultsma  also spoke with Bob Porter, who was drafted and chose to serve in the Navy from 1967 to 1971, ending as a Communications Technician Second Class. He was attached to a naval security group, doing intelligence work.

“I got my draft notice on valentine’s Day of 1967,” Porter said. “They were shipping home 800 body bags a day (from Vietnam).”

Bultsma, whose first cousin served as a Marine in Afghanistan, said he was surprised to hear that only about 1 percent of U.S. citizens had served in the military; he thought it would’ve been higher.

“When I think about it—a few people have been it the military in my family—you’d think it’d be more,” Bultsma said.

Porter said he provided some of the students with sand from the shores of Iwo Jima, the site of a bloody World War II battle near Japan. His son was stationed in the West Pacific and arranged for the sand to be sent home.

He said it was a different time for his son and how his service is perceived.

“Back at the time I was in it, you know Vietnam was very controversial,” Porter said. “When we got out of the service, we were treated like we had been let out of prison. People did not really respect us.

“Fortunately by the time my son got out about eight years ago, the American attitudes are changed. They support our veterans.”

After the opportunity to interview veterans was over, middle school students gathered in the Wayland Union Fine Arts Center to view video of President Theodore Roosevelt’s declaration of war speech—which includes his famous phrase, “...a day that will live in infamy”—as well as other recordings and history about World War II and musical performances by the school band.

Veterans in attendance were individually honored as part of the ceremony.

Wayland VFW Post #7581 announced the VFW Teacher of the Year award went to middle school science teacher Michelle DeYoung-Foster.

Middle school principal Carolyn Whyte said, “It’s important for our kids to understand that we have service men and women who are doing things to protect us, not only presently but also in the past. I think it’s just special for them to be able to interact and hear what they have to say.”

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

Two public hearings have been scheduled for tax freezes through Obsolete Property Rehabilitation Application certificates during the Allegan City Council meeting Jan. 14. The application requests are for 109 Locust St. and 116 Locust St.

Last fall, Michelle Miersma of Lumberman Lofts LLC purchased the buildings. Lumberman Lofts is currently rehabilitating the old J.C. Penney building at 118 Locust, which is planned for completion in February. That project was approved by the state for a frozen taxable value of $55,500 while investments to rehabilitate the property were nearly $1.4 million to build seven apartments and multiple retail spaces.

116 Locust St. is a vacant building between the current city hall and the former J.C. Penny building. The former tenants of 114/116 Locust St. were a deli and a hearing aid office. The plan is to convert the second floor into apartments and lease the first floor to commercial users. Lumberman Lofts plans on investing $324,000 to rehabilitate this building.

109 Locust St. is currently home to Something Sweet. The plan is to convert the second floor into apartments and continue the first floor as a candy store and gift shop. Lumberman Lofts plans on investing $200,000 to rehabilitate this building.

As with other approved certificates, the applicant is seeking a 12-year freeze on property taxes.

Perrigo Plant 3

A public hearing was also set for Jan. 14, for a property split request by Perrigo Company at 102 Brady St., also known as Plant 3. Perrigo facilities and maintenance engineer Craig Taylor said Perrigo had used the building for more than 30 years as a maintenance shop.

“Last year we did some reorganizing moving people around and our maintenance operations out of Plant 3 and closer to manufacturing operations,” he said. “Thirty years ago, Plant 1 was a big manufacturing sight for us and we had a lot of maintenance down there.”

Plant 2 was where the police department is now and that too had been a manufacturing site. Plant 5 started and was developed in the 1970s and 80s on Eastern Avenue.

“Today all our manufacturing is out at Eastern Avenue, including Plants 4, 5, 6 and 7, and that’s where we’ve moved our maintenance, making it easier for calls to fix the equipment.”

With no need to further utilize Plant 3, Perrigo is seeking to split the property and either sell it or find another use for it. The request is to split the building and a parking lot off Brady Street but keep the 83-space parking lot behind the building at State and Water streets for employee parking for other downtown Perrigo facilities, including Plant 1 and the Perrigo Store.

A public hearing was also set for Jan. 14, for the Parks and Recreation Master Plan. The plan is needed every five years in order to be eligible for MDNR Trust Fund grants.

Airport terminal

The city airport’s new 1,600-square-foot, $620,000 terminal is anticipated to be completed by Dec. 17, and is in need of furniture. The Airport Board is holding off on a formal ribbon cutting until the spring.

The city council’s Dec. 26 meeting has been cancelled.

The Allegan County News office will close Monday, Dec. 24, at noon for the Christmas holiday.

The newspaper’s office, 241 Hubbard St., Allegan, will reopen Wednesday, Dec. 26, at 9 a.m. for normal business hours.

The office will also be closed New Year’s Day, Jan. 1.

WAYLAND—Police believe they have pieced together that a man who crashed his vehicle overnight on US-131 near Wayland was later struck and killed by a car.

A report from the Allegan County Sheriff’s Office said the two accidents were three hours apart.

Police have not released the names of any involved but reported witnesses had said the victim appeared to have driven erratically on northbound US-131 and crashed just north of Wayland about 2:15 a.m. Friday, Dec. 21. The driver had apparently fled and police could not locate him.

At 5:30 a.m., a different car’s driver reported striking a deer in the same area.

The police report, “Officers arrived and could not locate a deer, but the vehicle had damage consistent with hitting a deer—not another car or hard object. In the darkness, nothing else was located in the immediate area and this is not uncommon.”

By 8:50 a.m., however, a deputy was dispatched to check on an individual laying on the shoulder of the road along the highway, again in the same area. The body had obvious signs of trauma consistent with being struck by a vehicle. Investigators next connected the accidents.

Information on the victim tied him to the first crash.

“The subject was wearing dark clothing with no reflective surfaces and would have been extremely difficult to see in that full darkness,” police reported. “The driver of the vehicle involved in the reported car-versus-deer crash is cooperating with investigators.

“No names of individuals involved in this case will be released at this time pending family notifications,” police reported.

Updates on the investigation may be delayed due to the Christmas holiday.

The sheriff’s office was assisted on the scene by the Michigan State Police, Wayland Police Department, Wayland EMS and Wayland Fire Department.

For those in the City of Allegan who had a 1.5-inch water meter switched out to a 2-inch water meter, the water readiness-to-serve charge will be rising from $70.09 to $90.81. For those who have a 2-inch water meter, the charge will decrease from $122.67 to $115.30.

The adjustment will affect only 78 of the city’s 1,958 water customers and most of those affected are large commercial buildings or apartment complexes. The majority of customers use a five-eighths-inch meter.

The reason for the adjustment is after the city switched to Octave water meters, it was discovered Octave does not provide 1.5-inch water meters. The meters were switched out to 2-inch meters with no adjustments made in rates.

Recording of the data in the software program is now creating anomalies only the current city staff knows how to fix. If a turnover in staff occurs, the anomalies will continue and finance director Traci Stull said it needed to be adjusted so it would not continue into the future.

Since the city no longer offers a 1.5-inch meter, staff said it would not be fair to raise rates to a 2-inch water meter; therefore, they lowered the 2-inch charge by averaging the cost for both meter sizes.

The 10 customers whose readiness-to-serve charge will rise have been notified. Sixty-eight customers who already have 2-inch meters will see a decrease.

Allegan City Council members unanimously approved the water meter fee after a Dec. 10 public hearing.

Virginia Ransbottom can be contacted at vransbottom@allegannews.com or at (269) 673-5534.

Whooping cough has turned up in several west Michigan high school students, some of whom live in Allegan County.

Allegan County Health Department personal health services manager Lisa Letts said the department was tracking two confirmed cases of pertussis, a bacterial disease, last week.

According to the school, the students are among several who’ve contracted the illness who attended Holland Christian High School, leading a basketball opponent to cancel several basketball games last week.

Letts said this was the latest round with the disease within the borders of the county. For privacy reasons, the department could not release the names of the students or what area they lived in.

“There have been seven confirmed and three probable cases of pertussis documented in Allegan County between Jan. 1 and Dec. 13,” she said. “Pertussis can be treated or even prevented with antibiotics, if detected early or before the disease has started. If your child has been exposed, please contact your health care provider for protective treatment.”

Pertussis spreads through close contact, sneezing and coughing; it’s airborn, so it tends to spread among those in close proximity, such as at homes. Symptoms can take from seven to 10 days to start showing; in its early stage, pertussis can resemble a common cold—sneezing, runny nose, mild, dry cough and low-grade fever. The disease is most contagious at that time.

Letts said that after about one to two weeks, more serious “coughing spells” develop that can last for more than a minute and result in difficulty breathing. The disease gets its common name from the high pitched “whooping” children sometimes make after those coughing fits, catching their breath.

“If your child does develop any of the symptoms described above, keep him or her at home from school and contact your health care provider immediately. Please also inform the school of any illness,” Letts said.

“Fortunately, vaccinations against pertussis have made it a rare disease. The majority of children have been protected against it through their routine childhood immunizations. However, protection from the vaccine tends to fade over time,” she said.

She encouraged children older than 10 to consider obtaining a booster vaccination.

In the case of the Holland Christian students, the department advised that students exposed to those with the illness receive preventative rounds of antibiotics to prevent infection or reduce its severity.

For more information, contact The Communicable Disease Public Health Nurse at Allegan County Health Department at (269) 673-5411. More information is also available at www.cdc.gov/Features/Pertussis/

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

Allegan County’s ban on residential lawn fertilizer with phosphorous remains in place.

Allegan County commissioners voted 5-2 against repealing the local ordinance at their meeting Thursday, Dec. 13.

Commissioner Max Thiele, who joined Commissioner Don Black in favoring repeal, described the effort as merely a bit of legal housecleaning of an unnecessary ordinance, which took effect in 2009.

“Subsequent to our passing it, the state passed similar legislation,” Thiele said, noting that counties don’t have the authority to regulate commerce in this way. “State legislation is the ruling authority in this.”

For other commissioners, repealing was seen as backing off on environmental stewardship.

Commissioner Mark DeYoung said “The reason we put the ordinance in force in the first place to maintain proper water quality. I will be voting against repealing. I think it’s proper to have it and, whether we enforce it or not, it sets the standard.”

Concern about phosphorous is rooted in the nutrient’s runoff into waterways. It feeds aquatic plant growth. At high levels, excessive algae and other growth can choke a waterway off of oxygen, harming other aquatic life. Those seeking to cut back on the amount of phosphorus in rivers and streams are trying to prevent the resulting fish kills and odorous surface scum.

The statewide ban, which took effect in 2012, excludes farms, golf courses, new lawns and homes whose owners can prove through soil tests their lawns need phosphorus.

The county ordinance contained the same ban and limitations. It also put the Environmental Health Division of the Allegan County Health Department in charge of enforcing the ban, enabling it to levy $50 civil infraction penalties per violation.

The state law, Public Act 299 of 2010, contains wording that specifies that it preempts local regulation and “a local unit of government shall not adopt, maintain, or enforce an ordinance, regulation, or resolution that contradicts or conflicts in any manner with this part.”

It allows for exceptions due to “unreasonable adverse effects” on specific populations; obtaining the exception requires oversight and state permission.

Laketown Township’s Outdoor Discovery Center greenway manager Dan Callum encouraged commissioners to keep the ordinance.

“Currently, Lake Macatawa and Lake Allegan, are under a phosphorous total maximum daily load placed on us by the state and approved by the EPA. None of our communities have yet met those goals and we’re still working towards it... And the Rabbit and Gun rivers also have issues,” said Callum, who is also a Douglas resident. “While there is a state-level ban, we’re concerned... this will be viewed as going away from environmental stewardship.

“Hopefully we still all believe (the ban’s) original intent remains a priority.”

Allegan Conservation District chair Lon Koops, “In light of the current problems statewide, the conservation board is opposed to repealing the county’s phosphorous ban.”

The district’s vice chair, Mark Ludwig, questioned enforcement of the statewide ban.

“I would ask you: who’s enforcing the state ban?” Ludwig asked. “Are the state police running around checking on people’s lawn fertilization? I don’t think so.”

He said it was better to be able to levy modest fines locally for those flouting the ban and sets the tone for the county’s efforts. “There’s no reason to rush forward with this repeal,” he said.

Commissioner Tom Jessup asked Sheriff Frank Baker how enforceable the county ordinance was. Baker said, “From our perspective, I can’t see our deputies out doing that. Doesn’t mean we don’t support it.”

Thiele maintains that the ordinance is unenforceable.

“The health department doesn’t have the resources to be able to enforce this illegal ordinance,” he said. “(Repealing) does not reflect the board’s or county’s perspectives about clean air or water. It just attempts to clean the house of erroneous legislation that shouldn’t be on the county’s docket.”

So, for now, the county ban remains in place.

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

In the midst of the Christmas season, a celebration occurred in one of the most unlikely places.

Eight heavily tatooed inmates wearing bright orange scrubs at the Allegan County Correctional Facility graduated from the jail’s community reentry program Friday, Dec. 15.

Sheriff Frank Baker congratulated the graduates and said the Christmas season is a time of sharing, giving and hope.

“Over the course of this program you’ve shared a lot with the volunteers and they’ve shared back; it’s a time of giving and they’ve given a tremendous amount of time so you can complete this program,” he said. “It’s a time of hope, and hopefully we have given you hope for your future so you can have a life outside of this facility—a life free of the addictions that may have helped to bring you here—but it is hope for a better life and for your families.

“The community wants to welcome you back as a viable and contributing member and hopefully you’ll be able to help others that are in this same kind of position.”

Each inmate stepped to the podium and gave heartfelt testimonials after sharing their gratitude to the volunteers who facilitate the reentry program through Forgotten Man Ministries.

The graduates included Brian Foster, Anthony Schafer, David McNees, Shane Risner, Gary Berzley, Danny White, DuWayne McEwen and Michael Doolin. A ninth graduate, P.J., was moved to prison but also sent his gratitude.

 “The community reentry program has been a blessing for me,” said Michael Doolin. “The first day, it felt like I made a positive decision for the first time in years.”

Like most of the inmates who followed, Michael Doolin thanked Maré Westin for Moral Reconation Therapy, a program that identifies the roots of behavior through moral reasoning.

“Maré and the MRT program have shown me that I have been in an identity crisis most of my life,” he said.

Doolin said it will take some time to mend the shame he brought to himself and his family but thanks to finding God, he is turning his false identity away and learning to be the man he was supposed to be.

Brian Foster choked up while saying it seemed like all his life, all he’d done is fail. He said the programs have given him hope, shown there’s a life out there and opened his heart.

“I see how the community is looking at me, that I’m wrong and I need to change the way I’ve been living,” he said.

Given the opportunity to get his GED, he said there’s now things in his life that give him purpose.

“I’ve been so far down in my addiction I’ve tried to commit suicide—there was no point of living—but today I can honestly say there’s no where in my heart that wants to die.

“I’ve given my life to God and I’ve made a commitment to do something with my life and for my family.”

Shane Risner said he’s been in many different jails, prisons and programs but none where he felt the presence of God or the love from volunteers like in Allegan.

“I never had the desire to change until now,” he said. “I’ve taken something from each class and put it in my toolbox to use when I go home.”

After being mocked for reading the Bible by an inmate who said it was just a made up story, Risner told the man he believed—but if it was just a story then it was a good one. Eventually the inmate asked for a Bible and to be led into a Salvation prayer.

“Next to my kids’ births that was the best day of my life,” he said. “Some strange old grumpy man told me that I inspired him to change.

“That’s what gave me the desire to go into the reentry program and once I got in there I had so many questions about why I do the things I do in life, why I make these choices when I don’t want to but I do it anyway.

“Through the different groups and classes, being able to express myself, to trust people and be trusted—that was eye opening and made me understand why and gave me the inspiration to change.”

The program started seven years ago, said Sgt. John Sexton of the Allegan County Sheriff’s Department. Friday’s ceremony was the 30th graduating class, the 15th out of the new jail facility and the largest graduating class of all them.

The 10-week program allows its students to live in one pod to study and support each other throughout the program. They have two life-skills classes five days a week through Love INC. Coursework includes job skills, budgeting, addiction recovery, anger management, parenting, spiritual warfare and optional Bible study. Inmates must also follow courtesy rules and a strict schedule.

“We’re not the catchall or the end all, we’re just here from the very beginning, giving them craftsman tools,” Sexton said, also mentioning volunteers will continue to help after graduation if there’s a bump in the road.

Sexton said while the program is no guarantee, most inmates who go through it don’t return and if they do, it’s a lesser offense.

“A local defense attorney wrote me a letter saying he had three clients ask for longer sentences so they could finish the program,” Sexton said.

For those who are sentenced to prison, jail chaplain Sarah Lindstrom of Forgotten Man Ministries, said the seed has been planted—all they have to do is water it.

“Seriously amazing things happen here,” she said. “They are all so different than when they came in here 10-weeks ago, you can see it in their faces.

“It is possible for people to change their lives.”

One student said he found a new family. Another said the program broke him out of his own personal prison caused by addiction.

Bible study volunteer Dennis Norman said he thought he got more out of the program than the inmates did. Sean who also volunteers in the “God pod” said it’s the best two hours of his whole week.

There’s also Maré Weston, Bob Moore, Jean Pleasire Gary Bronson, Russ Pogodzinski, Linnay Moore, and others, volunteering two to 20 hours a week.

Volunteers, judges, probation officers, law enforcement and family are all invited to the graduation followed by a pizza party.

The program has been so successful the county set up a women’s program. Its first students graduated in September 2016 and offers the same classes but also offers individual counseling with a therapist and more parenting classes.

Forgotten Man Ministries provides jail ministries in 34 county jails across the state, said Lindstrom. “But not all of those have the community re-entry program.

Life-skills programs are emerging in county jails but aren’t widely used. Allegan County’s program is serving as a model for other jails and is one of the best in the state, said Sheriff Baker. “And it doesn’t cost the community anything.”

If you’d like to donate to Forgotten Man Ministries, go to www.forgottenman.org.

Police acted on a tip to arrest a driver involved in a hit-and-run crash that killed an Allegan man.

The pedestrian, Edward J. Howell Jr., 45, was killed Saturday, Dec. 8, about 11:10 p.m. as he walked along the 3900 block of South Ninth Street in Oshtemo Township.

The Kalamazoo County Sheriff’s Office said they contacted the driver Tuesday, Dec. 18. Police said the 21-year-old Kalamazoo female admitted in an interview she had driven the vehicle that evening. The day prior, police had seized the 2007 Pontiac Torrent, implicated by the debris at the crash site.

In a press release Dec. 19, sheriff deputies thanked the public for all their assistance.

The crash remains under investigation; anyone with any information about it is encourgaed to contact them at (269) 383-8748 or Silent Observer at (269) 343-2100 or online at www.kalamazoosilentobserver.com.

An Otsego woman who was pinned by her own vehicle at a toll booth in Indiana died from her injuries on Wednesday, Dec. 12.

Lucy Ortiz, 40, had worked at Casa Real in Otsego.

Ortiz dropped her debit card at a tollbooth along I-90, a mile east of the Indiana/Illinois border in Hammond, Ind., on Saturday, Dec. 8. When she got out of her SUV to get it, the SUV was not in park and lurched forward. Ortiz became wedged between the open car door and the toll box.

An Indiana State Police trooper and bystanders were able to move the SUV. The trooper applied an Automated External Defibrillator and began CPR until Hammond EMS arrived. Ortiz was resuscitated twice with the AED, taken to a hospital in Hammond and later airlifted to Christ Advocate Medical Center in Illinois.

Allegan County United Way is offering free tax help filed by individuals using help from IRS-certified volunteers.

The effort connects filers with the online service at MyFreeTaxes.com.

On location at the sites listed below will be computers and IRS certified volunteers to answer tax-related questions while participants prepare their tax returns.

Users must have an email address and basic computer skills. Volunteers can help with the rest. No tax knowledge is required.

What to Bring:

• Photo Identification

• Social Security or Individual Taxpayer Identification Number (ITIN) for each family member

• Birth dates for each family member

• Bank routing and account numbers to direct deposit refund

• Child care expenses, provider name, address and taxID

• W-2s, 1099s, 1098s and other forms of income

• 1095-A, B or C, Health care Statements

• Health Insurance Exemption Certificate, if received

• heat Bill

• landlord Info

• property Tax Bills

The following locations will host the tax help:

Jan. 26: 1-4 p.m., Immanuel Lutheran Church, 631 Grand St, Allegan, “Show Me the Money Day”

Feb. 2: 1-4 p.m., Plainwell Area Community Center, 798 E Bridge St,, Plainwell 49080, Hosted by Christian Neighbors

Feb. 4: 5-8 p.m., Linking Center, 943 56th St, Pullman

Feb. 6: 10 a.m.-1 p.m., Ransom District Library, 180 S Sherwood Ave., Plainwell

Feb. 11: 5-8 p.m., Fennville District Library, 400 W. Main St., Fennville

Feb. 13: 5-8 p.m., Allegan County Area Technical and Education Center, 2891 116th Ave., Allegan

Feb. 16: 1-4 p.m., Steeby Elementary, 435 E. Superior St., Wayland

Feb. 18: 5-8 p.m., Leighton Township Library, 4451 12th St., Wayland

Feb. 20: 5-8 p.m., Linking Center, 943 56th St., Pullman

March 6: 10 a.m.-1 p.m., Ransom District Library, 180 S. Sherwood Ave., Plainwell

April 13: 1-4 p.m., Fennville District Library, 400 W. Main St.

April 15: 5-8 p.m., Allegan County Area Technical and Education Center, 2891 116th Ave., Allegan

Police acted on a tip to arrest a driver involved in a hit-and-run crash that killed an Allegan man.

The pedestrian, Edward J. Howell Jr., 45, was killed Saturday, Dec. 8, about 11:10 p.m. as he walked along the 3900 block of South Ninth Street in Oshtemo Township.

The Kalamazoo County Sheriff’s Office said they contacted the driver Tuesday, Dec. 18. Police said the 21-year-old Kalamazoo female admitted in an interview she had driven the vehicle that evening. The day prior, police had seized the 2007 Pontiac Torrent, implicated by the debris at the crash site.

In a press release Dec. 19, sheriff deputies thanked the public for all their assistance.

The crash remains under investigation; anyone with any information about it is encouraged to contact them at (269) 383-8748 or Silent Observer at (269) 343-2100 or online at www.kalamazoosilentobserver.com.

It was a year for investment in downtown Allegan and while it’s mostly a work in progress, the momentum is building and leaving many in anticipation of a renaissance.

While Lumberman Lofts is on the verge of completely renovating the former J.C. Penney Store, they’ve also purchased a building next door for commercial space and apartments as well as the Something Sweet candy store building across the street. The beloved candy shop will stay while Lumberman Lofts renovates the upstairs to add apartments there too.

The Sassy Olive store outgrew its location on Locust Street, moving into a much larger building down the street where the former Springgrove Variety closed. It was sad to see the old five-and-dime go, but Sassy Olive is bringing another generation downtown.

Schaendorf’s opened where the Redtail 412 departed and continues redevelopment as well as 136 Brady St. JML Real Estate has purchased the building next door known as the flat iron building, which has a triangular front at the southeast corner of Hubbard and Brady.

But that’s not all Jim and Michelle Liggett (JML) have purchased. Among the real estate along the riverfront is 137 Brady (the former Montage Market) and 145 and 149 Brady (the buildings between the new Hartman Ellis Agency and Matt Flora’s Hair Studio).

JML has also purchased 213 and 217 Hubbard to the west of the riverfront walkway and 245 Hubbard to the east of the riverfront driveway. These buildings all hug the riverfront where the Liggett’s zipline is established and Allegan Event will be tied into. We’ve caught a glimpse of a conceptual drawing for the former Montage Market to be a restaurant-style building with a wraparound deck for outdoor seating and anticipate more plans in the future.

The Allegan County News office has had a front row seat to the final riverfront construction phase—watching the new splash pad, outdoor fireplace and a plaza area installed towards the end of the year. While it will be the place to be on New Year’s Eve, when warm weather returns, the riverfront will be better than ever.

While this is all something to look forward to in 2019, my favorite stories of the year were ones capped with happy endings.

Positively Allegan and Ropes Courses Inc. will be hosting a New Year’s Eve party Monday, Dec. 31, by counting down to midnight with Michigan’s largest ball drop from the Riverfront Plaza zipline tower and jump starting the New Year with a fireworks display.

The second annual Allegan NYE party will also have a new feature this year. “The Ice Brigade” will be revving up their chain saws to unveil a cool creation for Allegan revelers.

“Ice Brigade” is the name of The Food Network series that features ice gurus Randy Finch and Derek Maxfield who own and operate Ice Sculptures Ltd. in Grand Rapids.

Together with their team, they design and execute out-of-this-world ice sculptures that have been featured on national television, recognized in industry media, and included at movie premieres, celebrity galas, concerts and sporting events.

“The sculpture revealed that night will be a piece of Allegan iconography that will be recognizable to people in the area,” said City of Allegan promotions coordinator Parker Johnson.

The Ice Brigade will also be bringing along “photoentertainment,” an attraction that features a graffiti photo booth allowing guests to virtual spray paint, stamp and stencil photos.

“This has a 10-foot green screen for a background that you can write graffiti on and decorate photos with stickers or emojis,” said Johnson.

Revelers can use the digital background for some wild and crazy photos to be sent out on social media while waiting for the big ball drop.

The ball drop is manufactured by Allegan’s own Rope Courses Inc. At 10-foot, 6-inches and with 30,000 synchronized LED lights, it is Michigan’s largest “ball” for the countdown to midnight as it drops 60-feet from the zipline tower at Riverfront Plaza.

The NYE 2019 Celebration starts at 7 p.m. and will feature ziplining across the Kalamazoo River, the city’s new outdoor fireplace as well as 10 other fire pits, music, hot chocolate and adult beverages, games, glow sticks, food and more.

Allegan Event Z!p is open from 4 p.m. to 11:30 p.m. Revelers may want to book tickets early for the zipline before spaces fill up. If purchased in advance, tickets are $15 or else it’s $20 at the gate.

Local brew by Tantrick Brewing Co. will feature a NYE original, “Resolution Ale.”

“It was made specifically to debut at the New Year’s party,” Johnson said. “It has a double brown ale brewed with rum barrel aged coffee beans and infused with cinnamon and brown sugar.”

There will also be Michigan favorites from Bell’s Brewery and St. Julian’s Winery throughout the night. Champagne will be available from 10 p.m. until midnight.

From 7 to 10 p.m. a Deejay will be spinning music for the celebration. From 10 p.m. to midnight the live band “The NoBodies” will be kicking up the noise level. Billing themselves as four guys living life one song at a time and based out of Hopkins, The NoBodies were one of the featured bands for the inaugural “Rollin’ on the River” concert series on the Riverfront Stage in 2018 and made the evening a fun one, according to Johnson.

Allegan District Library will be partnering with the City of Allegan to provide a warm, family-friendly space during the celebration. The library will be open from 7 p.m. to midnight and will offer family-oriented activities, including board games, movies, video games, and a special night opening of the library’s digital lab. The public is invited to watch the ball drop and fireworks inside the library, which features its own fireplace.

There will also be plenty to eat if choosing not to sit down in one of the local restaurants. Food trucks will be provided by Pizza Hut, Brewster’s Smokehouse and Patty Matters (great burgers from Grand Rapids).

Bring the whole family to this family-friendly event and make some fun memories to start 2019.

Other sponsors of this event include Andy’s Ace Hardware, Bart/Rumery Agency, Hathaway Cottage and Gifts, The Sassy Olive and Weichert Realtors.

Virginia Ransbottom can be contacted at vransbottom@allegannews.com or at (269) 673-5534.

A sentencing hearing for a home health aide who has admitted she stole prescription drugs from an Allegan boy who later died after a seizure has been rescheduled.

Kristie Ann Mollohan of Kalamazoo pleaded guilty in  September to two counts of a federal charge of attempted tampering with a consumer product. Mollohan admitted to Allegan police she’d replaced Valium being given to the boy and two other people as anti-seizure medication with water and taken the drug herself.

The federal indictment stated “(Mollohan) with reckless disregard for the risk that another person would be placed in danger of death or bodily injury and under circumstances manifesting extreme indifference to such risk, did tamper with a consumer product...”

She is now scheduled to be sentenced in United States District Court in Grand Rapids Wednesday, Feb. 20, at 3 p.m. by Judge Gordon J. Quist. The hearing also was previous rescheduled from December to January.

As part of plea agreement with federal prosecutors, a third count of attempted tampering with a consumer products will be dropped after sentencing. The charges are punishable by up to 10 years in prison.

Allegan police investigated the child’s death after an autopsy showed he didn’t have the expected amount of medication in his body at the time he died. Police said the lack of valium in the boy’s body may have failed to prevent him from having a seizure.

The autopsy suggested the drug had been about 95 percent diluted.

Allegan police investigated the case for about three months and ultimately referred the matter to the federal justice system after discussions with local and federal prosecutors. Police said they believed the case could be more easily charged and proven under federal laws.

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

Three Ottawa County residents, Matteo Adan Marroquin, 22, of Holland; Lacy Lynn Zimmerman, 22, of Spring Lake and Andrew Tyler Leenheer, 23 of Zeeland, were indicted in federal court Dec. 19, related to the theft of two dozen guns from Graafschap Hardware, a federal firearms dealer.

Marroquin and Zimmerman are facing charges for theft of firearms, possession of the stolen firearms, and for being felons in possession of firearms, according to U.S. District Court documents.

Marroquin had absconded from probation on Nov. 16, after serving a year in prison for possession of methamphetamine. Zimmerman was on probation after serving a year and six months on two counts of violating the organized retail crime act in Muskegon.

The guns were stolen on or about Dec. 7 or 8 and included 17 shotguns, four semiautomatic rifles and a semiautomatic shotgun.

Leenheer is being charged with possession of a stolen firearm and felon in possession of a stolen firearm, allegedly being in possession of one of the semiautomatic rifles known as an AK 47.

The case was a multi-jurisdictional investigation involving the Allegan and Ottawa County Sheriff’s departments, Holland police, WEMET and the ATF.

Each charge has a penalty of up to 10 years in prison and/or a $250,000 fine.