(CORRECTED) Hundreds from the Pullman community turned out for a free Christmas dinner Saturday, Dec. 22, at the Marathon gas station and grocery store.

It was the second year in a row managers Manjit Singh and wife Angelica Delacruz contributed and gathered donations for the event along with community organizer Carlos Lopez.

After a similar event for Thanksgiving, Singh said he had been looking forward to the dinner—as had the community.

“Oh, yeah, I’d hear from people all the time,” he said, as a result of the first dinner they did in 2017. “We’ve gotten calls all day today.”

Each child received a wrapped gift; there were 360 this year, provided by Christian Neighbors in Douglas and some private donations. A free raffle also gave out 20 gift cards and some turkeys to some lucky guests.

Marie Arems of Grand Junction said this event was wonderful because there wasn’t much else like it for people in Pullman, compared to the larger cities such as Kalamazoo and Grand Rapids.

Plus, having organized gatherings near her home for senior citizens for 10 years, she knows how difficult it can be to offer something like this on a temporary basis.

“There are so many rules,” Arems said. “There’s tons of hoops to jump through.”

Signh’s Marathon, which already has a food preparation and serving area, alleviates a lot of that.

Arems said, “This is the perfect place for it. You also need a ton of volunteers”—something she credits Lopez for helping make happen. “This event is so necessary and great. Carlo bends over backward to help those in need.”

Lopez said an entire Holland family, the Snoeinks, volunteered with others. He also thanked Singh and his family for all their hard work for the event.

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

Editor’s note: This story contained several errors when it printed in the Dec. 27, 2018, issue. It misidentified Carlos Lopez’s title; he is listed correctly above, having resigned from the Pullman Linking Center last spring. The continuation of the story was omitted. The gifts' donors have also been corrected. The Allegan County News regrets these errors.

Today, Allegan Healthcare Group Inc. announced it intended to join Ascension Michigan.

So far, this means the two health care groups have signed a non-binding letter of intent for Allegan to join Ascension Michigan.

Representatives for both organizations said there was no further comment at this time regarding when the deal would be finalized, the money involved or details about individual facilities.

The independent, nonprofit Allegan Healthcare Group includes the 25-bed Allegan General Hospital, a critical access hospital; Allegan Professional Health Services Inc.; and the Allegan General Hospital Foundation. The system has 17 employed primary care providers and an array of ambulatory services across Allegan and Van Buren counties.

Ascension Michigan includes Ascension Borgess in Kalamazoo and Borgess-Pipp Hospital in Plainwell. It is part of Ascension, the nation’s largest nonprofit health system.

“We anticipate a great level of cooperation and synergy between Ascension Borgess and Allegan,” said Dr. Joseph Cacchione, the senior vice president of Ascension Healthcare and the ministry market executive for Ascension Michigan. “The potential addition of Allegan General Hospital to Ascension Michigan represents a considerable opportunity for us, working closely with Allegan caregivers, to strengthen health care access and delivery and to better address the health care needs of the communities served by Allegan and Ascension Michigan.

“Our respective missions and values are aligned in seeking to best serve local residents with quality, compassionate, personalized health care.”

Allegan General Hospital president and CEO Gerald J. Barbini said, “We are very proud to become part of the Ascension system. Our missions are very compatible and together we will continue to provide outstanding health care to our community.

“This partnership will significantly enhance and improve all health care services available to residents in the Allegan area.”

The transaction would be subject to customary regulatory approvals and closing conditions.

The faith-based Ascension Michigan operates 15 hospitals and hundreds of related health care facilities that together employ more than 20,000.

Allegan General Hospital recently received a Level IV Trauma Center designation.

Fennville Police Chief Greg Rekucki said this week that an investigation into students in Fennville Public Schools participating in what he described as a “fight club” was nearing completion.

According to draft minutes of the Fennville City Commission’s Dec. 17 meeting, Rekucki told them the fight club was at the high school, taking place in the bathrooms.

On Wednesday, he said the reports about the investigation were largely written, with a few more planned, and soon would be turned over to the Allegan County Prosecutor’s office to determine charges.

Until then, however, he said no further details could be shared.

In other news:

• The police department is in the process of purchasing two video cameras for on-duty officers, a new practice for the department.

Rekucki said Wednesday he is testing the first one currently.

“I like this use of technology,” he said. “I think it will result in big cost savings and it makes this department very transparent. We used them all the time in Grand Rapids where I worked before here.”

The wireless units mount to the dashboard of the patrol car to record video there until the officers exit the vehicle, when they can attach it to their uniform. Made by Florida-based Point Blank Enterprises Inc., the units are called Iris Cams.

Allegan County News correspondent and commission member Jim Hayden wrote on his Bicycle Base Fennville blog that the department plans to buy two units at $439 each and spend about $200 on a 5 terabyte hard drive to store the video.

“I think it’s a great device,” Rekucki said. The cameras will assist in writing police reports, collecting evidence and training.

Before the cameras can be used on actual duty, the city needs to adopt a policy governing their use and how the information will be stored and used.

Rekucki said this week that the policy had been written to govern their use; it awaited commission approval. Broadly speaking, it would require officers to begin recording at the start of traffic stops and any time they interact with the public.

He sees the devices saving time and effort due to the evidence they will provide. In Grand Rapids, he recalled needing to give only cursory testimony and then was able to simply show video proving an offense.

“I recall sitting at... an area with construction, so there were no left turns,” he said. “I didn’t even have to say much; it was just obvious in the video. We’d use it in court all the time.”

Video can also be switched off for interviews.

He said, “That lets us, due to HIPAA law, shut off video but still capture audio when we’re in a hospital or at a sensitive crime scene or when we’re interviewing a victim of criminal sexual conduct.”

He said approval to purchase the cameras and equipment was expected at the city commission’s next meeting.

“Once we’re trained, I think we could see them in active use in about a month,” Rekucki said. “It’s about four hours of training.”

The department has Rekucki as its lone, full-time officer in addition to four part-time officers. Rekucki said he was seeking a grant to fund another full-time position. The department has one patrol car, though he’s looking to add a second in the next fiscal year, which starts in July.

• Hayden also reported that law enforcement-related complaints were up in the 2018 calendar year as compared to 2018, according to statistics released at the Dec. 17 commission meeting.

In 2017, Fennville police responded to 301 complaints. In 2018, the department responded to 418 total complaints, an increase of 117 incidents.

The increase is due to more policing and “just more complaints,” Rekucki said.

Through Dec. 1, the city police handled 28 general assists, 23 suspicious situations, 10 lost and found property issues and 10 abandoned vehicles.

Other numbers include one possession of methamphetamines, two drug arrests for marijuana, cocaine and heroin, two child abuse complaints, two criminal sexual conduct cases, two assaults, one fight and one report of gunshots.

• Hayden said the Dec. 17 meeting also noted that Fennville parking fines will go to the city instead of the state or county thanks to an ordinance given preliminary approval by the city commission.

Rekucki said, “The laws are exactly the same. It’s just that we’re collecting the fines.”

The Uniform Traffic Code ordinance amendment introduced that night must be approved at the next meeting, then published, before going into effect.

Currently, tickets for certain parking violations are written under state code and sent to Allegan County for collection—meaning the city receives about a third of the revenue.

Hayden said the new rule would mean the city gets more money from fines such as parking in front of a fire hydrant, blocking sidewalks or unapproved parking in a handicapped spot, according Rekucki.

A handicap parking violation is $100. All others are $25.

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

ALLEGAN CO.—Michigan State Police Wayland Post arrested a man who was flashing people from his blue 2007 Chevrolet Trailblazer around Allegan County and southern Kent County.

The man allegedly exposed himself to several victims while he remained in his vehicle and is being investigated on multiple incidents of aggravated indecent exposure.

Investigators believe there may be additional incidents that may not have been reported to police. Anyone with information is asked to contact Trooper Blaine Bachman at (269) 509-2106 or the Michigan State Police Wayland Post at (269) 792-2213.

A fire was reported around 11:30 a.m. Friday, Jan. 4, at the Schaendorf’s Dairy Farm on 130th Avenue, Hopkins.

A dryer in a utility room of a milk house cause fire catching some insulation in the metal building on fire.

Hopkins fire department’s assistant chief Robert Kerber said the fire was knocked down in about 10 minutes.

No cows or people were injured and the milking operation picked back up shortly afterwards with minimal damage.

Hopkins was assisted at the scene by Allegan and Salem fire departments. (Photo by Virginia Ransbottom)

A Valley Township woman has admitted to selling her home to two different people at the same time.

Carol Jean Borst, 50, was in Allegan County Circuit Court Monday, Jan. 7, and pleaded guilty to attempted larceny in a building.

She answered yes when her lawyer, Michael Orrin King, asked if she’d signed a land contract with the victim on the home in Trowbridge Township.

“Had you already sold that property to someone and he’s legally taken possession of it?” King said.

Borst admitted she had.

The crime happened May 1, according to court records, and she was arrested later in the summer.

Borst was originally charged with false pretenses $1,000 to $20,000 but pleaded guilty to the lesser charge after an agreement with Allegan County prosecutors.

In exchange for the guilty plea and an agreement to pay full restitution, prosecutors agreed to drop the felony in place of the two-year misdemeanor.

A sentencing hearing in the case was set for April 8 at 9 a.m. in Allegan County Circuit Court.

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

Allegan Healthcare Group Inc. announced Friday, Jan. 4, it intended to join Ascension Michigan, having signed a non-binding letter of intent.

Representatives for both organizations said there was no further comment at this time regarding when the deal would be finalized, the money involved or details about individual facilities or employees.

Sam Watson is the senior vice president for field engagement at the Michigan Health and Hospital Association. While he couldn’t comment on this specific deal, he said letters of intent, broadly speaking, function as a public notice.

“They essentially say that the two organizations are conducting due diligence to see if it’s a right fit to come together,” Watson said. This process involves examining the financial, staffing and facility information.

“Joining” is likely being used to describe the deal specifically because the arrangement likely is still being determined.

“There is such a range of what could end up happening,” Watson said. “Mergers of all kinds can range from simply jointly operating things all the way to one owning another. Most organizations are vague on what’s going to happen as they go through this process.”

The hospitals

The independent, nonprofit Allegan Healthcare Group includes the 25-bed Allegan General Hospital, a critical access hospital; Allegan Professional Health Services Inc.; and the Allegan General Hospital Foundation. The system has 17 employed primary care providers and an array of ambulatory services across Allegan and Van Buren counties.

Allegan General Hospital recently received a Level IV Trauma Center designation.

The faith-based Ascension Michigan operates 15 hospitals— including Ascension Borgess in Kalamazoo and Borgess-Pipp Hospital in Plainwell—and hundreds of related health care facilities that together employ more than 20,000. Ascension Michigan is part of Ascension, the nation’s largest nonprofit health system.

Pressure to merge

Watson said mergers between health systems have been the trend since the 1980s.

“Speaking about the broader market, we had 200 hospitals then. Now, due to mergers, closings and consolidation, we have 133 now,” Watson said. “So, this has been happening right along.”

He said decreasing reimbursement from health insurers has driven that change.

“Because of that, hospitals typically have less capital to invest,” he said.

The challenge for rural hospitals such as Allegan’s is also about staffing.

“Especially in rural areas, recruiting physicians becomes more of a challenge,” Watson said. “So, hospitals will also come together to make sure critical services are available.

“That’s important because you need a local ER, outpatient care, etc. Keeping those important services and personnel along with the latest equipment can present more challenges for rural hospitals.”

He said on top of that, there are also decreasing numbers of physicians and nurses.

“So, overall, joining forces can help both organizations maximize services and reduce costs,” he said.

Next

Watson said this period of due diligence can last several months or he’s seen it last a year.

“Plus, there’s also an element of whether or not it’s a good cultural fit. And the length of time depends a lot on how complex both partners are.

As for staff cuts, he hasn’t seen major staff reductions after mergers, broadly speaking.

“Typically you have a finite quantity of nurses and other health care professionals,” Watson said. “Hospitals are usually working as hard as they can to get people in. Certainly some deals might move personnel from one location to another. That’s going to be very situational.

“They will take a very methodical approach because it’s an important decision for any organization,” he said.

Allegan General Hospital president and CEO Gerald J. Barbini sounded confident the deal would be a good fit.

He said, “We are very proud to become part of the Ascension system. Our missions are very compatible and together we will continue to provide outstanding health care to our community.

“This partnership will significantly enhance and improve all health care services available to residents in the Allegan area.”

The transaction would be subject to customary regulatory approvals and closing conditions.

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

The idea of a “fight club” at Fennville High School is overblown, according to superintendent Jim Greydanus.

He said the event at the heart of the investigation was an isolated incident, and another student’s response to it reflected well on the district’s efforts to encourage positive behaviors.

“A headline and article in The Allegan County News from Thursday, Jan. 3, refers to a report of an investigation into a ‘fight club’ made by the Fennville Police Chief to the Fennville City Commission on Dec. 17,” Greydanus said. “A reader may gather the impression from this report that this is an ongoing concern rather than the actual isolated incident involving two students and some bystanders.”

He said a high school student alerted staff Dec. 7 of a potential issue. The assistant principal investigated and discovered that on Dec. 5 “there had been a fight between two students in the boys’ restroom during the lunch period, and later that evening one of the participants created a Facebook group labeled ‘Fight.’

“The two students who fought and one other commented in the group about fighting again on Friday, Dec. 7,” though that didn’t occur.

Greydanus said the boys who had fought were disciplined along with others present for the fight, per school policy.

“There is no tolerance for participating in or promoting violence at Fennville Public Schools,” he said. The incident was also referred to local law enforcement for review.

The Allegan County Prosecutor’s Office did not respond to a request for comment on whether or not charges would be brought in the case.

Greydanus said, “We are very proud of the student who stood up for a safe school environment and reported the concern. This student’s action is consistent with the district’s promotion of positive behaviors and our involvement with the OK2SAY and Be Nice programs.

“That student had said, ‘Hey, we don’t want that here.’ And saying it’s a ‘fight club’ doesn’t represent our high school students; it doesn’t show that it was limited to one fight between two students and another who egged them on.”

OK2SAY is a statewide effort to help students anonymously report bullying, threats of violence and criminal activity. In addition to a website, www.michigan.gov/ok2say/, students can also download a free app.

Fennville’s Be Nice program, created by the Mental Health Foundation of West Michigan, encourages positive behavior. As described at www.benice.org, “Be Nice is a mental health education, bully and suicide prevention initiative that creates a positive cultural change through simple daily actions” which teaches “people to notice, invite, challenge, and empower themselves and others.”

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

Except for a trace amount in one well, the latest round of residential well tests around Otsego showed neither dioxin nor PFAS contamination.

These results directly refute a round of summertime testing that had prompted state agencies to provide alternate water starting in early September to 17 homes that appeared to have dioxin contamination.

By October, however, the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality had spotted contradictions in the test results. Officials said the data showed that contamination of the testing lab’s equipment was the likely cause.

Of the 67 wells from the summer testing, the 21 with the highest of the now-presumed faulty levels of dioxin were resampled.

In a Jan. 7 announcement, the MDEQ said only one showed the presence of dioxin. The trace amounts for the lone positive result were far smaller than the limit for drinking water. A different laboratory was used for the October resampling effort.

That was welcome news for Pam McQueer, an area resident and founder of the community action group that has helped link agencies and the public—but this doesn’t settle the issue for her.

“It’s a good thing,” McQueer said. “It is good news, but a lot of people don’t have any faith in the DEQ because the tests were botched the first time.

“And now we need to go further and get into the ground and make sure that’s not going to be a problem.”

Trace

Dioxin is a highly toxic contaminant that causes cancer, reproductive and developmental problems, damage to the immune system, and interference with hormones.

In groundwater, it is measured in parts per quadrillion, or ppq. Since there are a dozen types of dioxin-like chemicals, the measurement is a calculation called a toxicity equivalent quotient, or TEQ.

The well’s TEQ of dioxin measured at 0.13 ppq. Agencies would only take action if the amount was 30 ppq or higher, a level for drinking water set by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. That means the well tested at a little more than 200 times smaller than the allowable limit.

According to the DEQ, dioxins are a group of chemicals that may be formed during chemical and paper manufacturing. In early 2018, residents brought concerns about contamination and high rates of health issues in the Otsego area to federal and state agencies.

The pond and PFAS

Recent tests also show contamination did not appear to be in wells near a former industrial landfill.

At a town-hall-style meeting in October, DEQ officials detailed how they were studying former industrial sites and cataloguing where waste from the paper industry had been spread. Documents collected about the now defunct Menasha Corporation showed that a pulpy sludge waste from the paper-making process had been spread on area crop fields. A syrupy, dark liquid byproduct called liquor was also spread for decades on roads as dust control.

In October, DEQ officials said a pond at the north end of a former Menasha industrial landfill had tested at higher than 1,000 parts per trillion for PFAS. The safe limit is 70 ppt. The landfill is just north of 106th Avenue near Hill Road.

That set of chemicals consists of per- and poly-fluoroalkyl substances the EPA says are likely carcinogens and also are linked to other illnesses.

The five monitoring wells around the landfill and several residential wells showed little to no traces of PFAS in the first round of testing. Based on the high level found in the pond, however, the monitoring wells were retested along with 20 additional residential wells in the surrounding area after the October meeting.

“All residential well samples came back negative for PFAS,” said the Jan. 7 DEQ announcement.

Results for private well owners will be mailed to individual homeowners.

Several concerned citizens don’t think this is the end of the story, however. Having seen the coffee-colored water in the pond for themselves and noting water runoff from the sides of the landfill property into nearby streams, area residents Chris Newland and Deb Beattie hope state agencies will investigate the landfill site further.

“I want it all tested,” Newland said. “Don’t you think if that pond tested so high, they should be all over this site testing? It seems like there’s a lack of a sense of urgency. It’s all over funding, I understand that, but part of it is that they let this go for 40 years and didn’t monitor it.”

Beattie said she’s watched liquid ooze out of the landfill site. Giving a tour of the land adjacent to the landfill, she encouraged state officials to drink the water.

“Because that’s exactly what these people (in nearby homes) are drinking,” she said.

Newland said he’s documented the sheen on the water that runs off the landfill site.

Soil

The next step the DEQ laid out in its plan in October involves testing the soil.

The agency has worked with a soil sampling consultancy to create a sampling plan to balance cost with gaining a representative survey of the soil.

McQueer doesn’t think soil sampling will turn up news as good as the water tests.

“I’ll be surprised if there’s nothing there,” McQueer said. “We all know the city was contaminated. It’s just a matter of when it was there and what were the chemicals.”

The best case scenario would be if the contamination had broken down to safe levels in the many decades since it was spread throughout the area. The chemicals tend to be long-lived, however.

She said she lived across the street from the landfill, in 1977 to 1978, on land that had stored the industrial liquor.

“We refer to my old house as ground zero,” McQueer said. “I remember showering and the water stinging my skin.”

She said she believes that the health problems many residents in that area face are due to the chemicals from Menasha.

“Auto immune disorders, the typical cancers and endocrine and reproductive problems—they’re very consistent. For my particular health history, there’s no way possible anyone could have all the things wrong with them had there not been some kind of exposure.”

She went blind for six months as one of several illnesses at the time; she continues to struggle with her health today.

State agencies have studied the cancer data for the Otsego and Plainwell zip codes. while rates are somewhat higher than would be expected, they have so far hesitated to link the contamination with cancer rates or other diseases in the area.

In any case, McQueer said she’s already in talks with a law firm familiar with how to handle these types of cases and is willing to take on the case should contamination be discovered.

Otsego residents with additional questions about test results can call the MDEQ Kalamazoo District Office at (269) 567-3500 or the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services at 1-800-648-6942.

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

The City of Wayland will be hosting a public meet and greet reception for new police chief candidates on Monday, Jan. 14, from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. at Jayda Gale Distillery, 152 S. Main St.

City manager Joshua Eggleston said during the Monday, Jan. 7, council meeting the city had received between 12 and 15 applications for the position. Of those, four were selected for interviews.

Current police chief Stephen Harper is retiring after serving since 2013. Harper has accepted a position as community impact pastor at Chapel Pointe church in Hudsonville and is leaving the city post in February.

The candidates are:

John Neph of Ortonville, an officer with the Lake Orion Police Department and Detroit Water Authority.

Eric Speese of Byron Center, an officer with the Wayland Police Department.

Mark Garnsey of Rockford, a consultant, accreditation assessor and Public Information Officer with the Newaygo Police Department.

Brian Berg of Freeland, a police officer with the St. Charles Police Department and owner of Adopt-A-COP Solutions, Inc.

Following the meet and greet, interviews will be held throughout the day on Tuesday, Jan. 15, in council chambers at city hall.

In other business, Eggleston gave council members a draft ordinance to opt out of allowing marijuana dispensaries within the city limits. While council members are anticipated to make a decision of whether to opt-in or opt-out at the next council meeting, Eggleston said the draft opt-out ordinance stipulates the city must revisit the ordinance once the state has issued guideline regulations.

The Michigan Department of Licensing And Regulatory Affairs is required to create a process to license recreational marijuana businesses in 2019.

In November’s election on Proposal 1, the statewide ballot initiative to legalize recreational marijuana and adopt the Michigan Regulation and Taxation of Marihuana Act, the City of Wayland voted to pass the proposal by 897 “yes” votes to 654 “no” votes.

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.

Allegan County Clerk Bob Genetski updated council members on this year’s elections saying voter turnout in the City of Wayland was nearly 70 percent in the Nov. 7 general election and nearly 30 percent in the August Primary Election.

The General Election not only included Proposal 1 but also a mayor’s race and three city council seats.

The next council meeting is Tuesday, Jan. 22, due to Martin Luther King Day on Monday. The council will have a special meeting at 5:30 p.m. to discuss the city’s water/sewer rate study. The regular meeting is at 7 p.m.

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

A 32-year-old woman from Otsego was found deceased outside an Otsego church on Monday, Jan. 14.

Police said Tuesday afternoon they believe Stacey Lynn Ongiyo’s death was an accident, though the investigation continues.

Emergency crews responded to River of Life Church at 695 W. Allegan St. for a 1:30 p.m. call and found Ongiyo lying unresponsive next to the church building. A passerby had called central dispatch to say there was an individual having an unknown medical emergency, according to the Allegan County Sheriff’s Office.

EMS and fire personnel arrived a short time later.

Police said, “It appeared she had been there for some time and she could not be resuscitated.”

Sheriff’s deputies and Otsego police officers investigated well into the night but found no signs of foul play.

“This was confirmed by initial autopsy findings; however, toxicology tests are still being completed,” police said. “All indications at this time lead investigators to believe that this is an accidental death.”

Friends and family posted messages using her Facebook account saying they had been searching for her as of Sunday evening. One post said she had left the home on foot without her phone. Dozens of people helped spread the word with many saying they would help search. Messages of support turned to heartfelt condolences by Monday evening after it became clearer police were investigating her death.

According to her obituary through the Winkel Funeral Home, Ongiyo was a mother of one and worked in the Emergency Department at Bronson Methodist Hospital.

Visitation is at the funeral home today (Thursday, Jan. 17) from 5 to 7 p.m. A funeral service will be Friday with burial at Mountain Home Cemetery in Otsego.

Contributions in her memory may be made to Cub Scout Pack #3098.

The sheriff’s office was assisted by the Otsego Police Department, Otsego Fire Department, Michigan State Police and Plainwell EMS.

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

Renovations for the new city hall at 231 Trowbridge St. are not going as planned. Bids came in nearly 20 percent above the highest estimate for the project. A tight bidding market and inflated costs due to the placement of tariffs were attributed to high bidding prices.

This past fall, a bond for $2 million was approved to pay for the city hall project and improvements at the Griswold Auditorium, the Regent Theater and construct new riverfront restrooms, storage and a service window for concessions.

A contract was approved for Progressive AE of Grand Rapids for design services in the amount $95,000 and an estimated $198,000 to serve as the builder for the project, which was based on a percentage of the estimated $1.8 to $2 million building renovation project, which included purchasing the former Allegan Professional building for $275,000 and $49,000 for asbestos removal.

Progressive AE designed the building to house all administrative functions, including all city council and advisory committee meetings, to be accessible to residents, have better integrated technology, and allow for confidential, productive meetings, and other secondary goals.

The bidding process included receiving multiple bids for each sub category of the project, including individual bids for plumbing, HVAC, electrical, general carpentry, etc.

Of the 12 sub categories, nine had only one or two bidders. Bids for the overall project came in at $2.4 million.

Since Dec. 20, when the bids were received, city staff has been working to scale back the project within budget while not abandoning the original goals of adding employee offices, council chambers, a reception/cashier space, garage/storage space, conference rooms, a break room, lobby, and public restrooms.

Final details of the new drawings and project schedule were shared with the council on Monday, Jan. 14.

Those plans include using the existing entrance to the building and cutting out the “fin,” a two-story brick wall rising above the rooftop to display a clock.

“It was not necessary to make the building functional,” said city manager Joel Dye.

The new design also reduces some of the ceiling to floor windows; reduces some ceiling to floor office walls to 7-feet but keeps some offices from ceiling to floor for confidential meetings; eliminates the fireplace; and uses cement fiber board finish for the exterior instead of wood.

“We’ll still keep 2,000 feet of leasable space in the building as an income generator,” Dye said.

The elevator and second staircase will be on hold for the future, if needed, since all offices will be on the first floor.

Six of the 12 bids that exceeded estimates will be rebid and in February, a recommendation on those bids will be brought back to council in the pre-session meeting to discuss moving forward.

Dye said plans are to put the current city hall on the market in March and moving into the new city hall is still anticipated for this summer.

It took police more than one attempt to get a 23-year-old man to stop going the wrong way on I-196.

According to the Allegan County Sheriff’s Office, deputies were called about 2:54 a.m. and told a car was going the wrong way on I-196 in Ottawa County heading into Allegan County.

A deputy tried to stop the driver, who was going west in the eastbound lanes of I-196 but the driver passed that deputy who had his lights and siren on.

Other sheriff’s deputies reached the area and were able to get the driver to stop. He was arrested for operating while intoxicated and police said they believed he was under the influence of both alcohol and marijuana.

His name wasn’t released pending arraignment.

Otsego planning commissioners will consider a request from a developer to rezone the former Harding’s Market building at their next meeting.

City manager Aaron Mitchell addressed the item, which has generated a lot of interest and discussion on Facebook, at the Monday, Jan. 21, city commission meeting.

Mitchell said the city had the legal responsibility to respond to requests for rezoning.

“We don’t own the building and we don’t tell the owners how to market their building,” he said.

Indianapolis-based Storage of America has applied to Otsego to have the property rezoned from Central Business District to Commercial C-1 and plans to seek a special use permit for a climate-controlled industrial storage building.

The planning commission will meet Monday, Jan. 28, at 7 p.m. at City Hall.

A few members of the audience said they’d heard a number of rumors, including one that the facility wouldn’t have to disclose what was stored there.

Mitchell shot that one down, saying, “That sounds illegal to me.”

Mayor Cyndi Trobeck explained that an industrial storage facility would not be allowed under the current zoning and wouldn’t under the C-1 zoning, except under a special use permit.

“They’re asking us to make an exception to our ordinance,” Trobeck said.

Mitchell said his understanding of the idea was that the business would rent space to local industrial companies for storage.

The request, even if approved by the planning commission, would also have to be approved by the city commission at a further meeting.

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

A large crowd gathered for the Michigan Milestone Award dedication ceremony to kick off the City of Plainwell’s sesquicentennial year, from 1869 to 2019. The ceremony was Wednesday, Jan. 16, in Plainwell City Hall Council Chambers. City Hall itself is a landmark listed on the National Register of Historic Places for being the former Michigan Paper Company Mill built in 1886. The mill was not only instrumental in the history and development of the community but also after renovations, a point of pride for Plainwell’s preservation and future development.

“Today we celebrate Plainwell’s past, present and future by acknowledging the past 150 years, celebrating that history all year long, and placing the Michigan Milestone plaque on the Soule Fountain for all future generations to see,” said Plainwell mayor Rick Brooks.

“Rumor has it that the first village president’s campaign slogan was ‘let’s fix the damn roads’ and here we are 150 years later,” he said, alluding to Plainwell’s junction of plank roads and the new governor’s campaign slogan.

Presenting the red, metal Milestone award plaque was Historical Society of Michigan board advisor Virginia Paganelli Caruso of Plainwell.

“We are happy to welcome Plainwell to the select group of Michigan municipalities that have stood the test of time and we are excited to recognize the dedication of the founders of this city and their vision and the follow-through of the subsequent generations of people who have been faithful stewards of the heritage of Plainwell,” she said.

The next scheduled event will be Sunday, Feb. 17, from 2 to 3 p.m., featuring the Kalamazoo Symphony Orchestra at Ransom District Library, 180 S. Sherwood Ave.

This free event is part of the Winter Concert Series, and in celebration of Plainwell’s Sesquicentennial Celebration. The Kalamazoo Symphony Orchestra’s Burdick-Thorne String Quartet will perform “Music from 150 Years Ago,” with music that was around when the City of Plainwell (Plainfield) was first established. This event is partially sponsored by the Michigan Humanities Council and the Michigan Council for Arts and Community Affairs.

Bravo Community Reformed Church members and volunteers have been working since November to expand the Sonshine Thrift Store at 5587 113th Ave., Fennville.

On Tuesday, Jan. 22, Ken Zecklin was one of the volunteers painting in preparation for new carpet after fixing uneven floors and tearing down some walls to expand the store. A wall mural will also be painted inside.

Sonshine Thrift Store is a secondhand store owned and operated by the church in its former building, which also once served as a schoolhouse. Since 2011, the renovated building has housed the store, storage space, and a food pantry.

When it reopens sometime in February, it will transition into more of a donation center, where items can be dropped off to assist neighbors in need.

“If you tell us what you need and if we’ve got it you can have it,” Zecklin said. “But on some of the more high-end items, like some furniture or some appliances there could be a cost.”

Graafschap and Park Community Reformed Churches are helping Bravo in the endeavor to meet community needs. Hours are Tuesday through Saturday 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. For more information, call the church at (269) 236-5037.

As part of teaching his students how to repair cars in a realistic workplace, Greg Sagodic knows he needs to give them, well, real repairs to complete.

Sagodic teaches the two-year automotive technology program at the Allegan County Area Technical and Education Center and said he has had his students work on the community’s cars for about the last decade.

“I work on creating an environment here that’s just like the real world,” Sagodic said last week. “It’s real life work; it matters if everything’s done right because someone is going to be out driving that car.

“The school superintendent’s car is right there; we’re working on it right now.”

The school has 45 students between the morning and afternoon sessions. The two-year program students can begin as juniors; if they complete the testing, they earn an ASC student certification.

“That’s recognized throughout the nation. They could take that and work anywhere,” he said, noting that of those second-year students who took the tests, they had a 90 percent pass-rate. “It’s also prep for post-secondary education, so they could go to a technical training school or straight out into industry.”

Price

Sagodic said the school and students make no profit from the service. They charge for parts, which they buy locally, but don’t charge for labor.

“We’re not out to take work away from local dealers,” he said. “We just want to get work for the students, to get them career-ready.”

That said, he’s proud to offer a low-cost option for those struggling financially. As an example, he said the program has serviced vehicles for women fleeing abuse being sheltered at Sylvia’s Place in Allegan.

“It’s been really great to help them,” he said.

Heather Forrest is the executive director at Sylvia’s Place and said the program was a huge help. Paired with funds from the nonprofit’s “Wheels Working for Women” fund, they can help women stay independent.

“The tech center’s program allows those funds to go much further,” Forrest said.

She explained that sometimes the women at the shelter have slashed tires and broken windows after altercations with their abusers.

“We’ve had women’s cars with brake lines cut, their spark plugs or batteries removed,” she said. “It’s a way the perpetrator has to control the person.

“If we can help that person have a working vehicle again, obviously that’s a big piece to their independence.

“And I’m sure, for the students, it takes on a whole new meaning if they’re doing this work for someone who really needs it.”

Service

Because students are performing the work, it takes extra time for services to be completed. Sagodic said something simple such as an oil change could be completed in a day.

“If it’s a larger job, such as the ball joints and a front-end alignment, it might take a few days,” he said.

While students won’t take on larger projects such as transmission work or an engine overhaul, they will do light drivability repairs such as suspension and brakes. They can perform minor electrical work and mount and balance tires.

“I just wanted to give a shout-out, tell community the program exists here,” he said.

He has good reason to tout the program. In the annual SkillsUSA competition for programs like it across the state, one tech center student took first place in brakes at a regional event; another took second place overall and competed at statewide. A year earlier, another student placed first in statewide competition.

This year’s regionals are in February at Lansing Community College and the tech center program is sending six students.

Those who wish to donate to the Wheels Working for Women can do so through sylviasplace.com or by calling (269) 673-5742.

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

Martin Public Schools may end up going further than its recent solar array to reduce its power bills.

After swearing in new members at the school board meeting Monday, Jan. 21, superintendent David Harnish said a “combined heat and power,” or CHP, system could be purchased that could eliminate the district’s need to purchase electricity.

“While the solar panels are a function of the grid, this would be a function of the school system,” Harnish said of the proposed project. “This really makes us independent.”

CHP is also known as cogeneration. Used in industry for years, the price has come down enough that it can be used of the scale of the school campus, Harnish explained.

The system would sit outside in the same way air conditioning units do. Fueled using the same natural gas as the school’s new, efficient boilers, it would generate electricity and better capture excess heat and work in tandem with the district’s boilers.

Harnish said he asked Verde Solutions, the same company that completed the district’s solar panel array last year, to come up with proposals to further reduce the district’s energy bills. This proposal was one of four and was both more practical and more affordable. For example, he said cutting ties with the electrical grid entirely, building more solar panels and then building the batteries to store all of that energy until the campus needed it would all be a multi-million-dollar project.

All told, the proposed CHP system costs more than $575,000, 20 percent of which is for contingency spending.

Trade-off

The district uses approximately 445,000 kilowatt hours of electricity each year currently. Martin’s solar panels are expected to feed the grid by an estimated 150,000 kilowatt hours annually, so the district gets credit for that much electricity.

The proposed new CHP system would actually produce nearly all of the district’s annual needs, generating approximately 430,000 kilowatt hours annually. Just as with household electric bills that spike in the summer, the system would need to be supplemented. That’s where the solar panels come in handy.

However, the panels will be providing far more than the district will be drawing from the grid. Current state law limits how much power the district can sell to the grid, a process referred to as net metering.

“Because of the current rules, we’d forgo net metering for the excessive energy we produce. It would just be a trade-off,” Harnish said, to reduce the electricity bill to zero. He said Verde engineers had said at least 50,000 kilowatt-hours from the solar panels would be uncredited.

How it works

By burning more efficiently, the CHP units would reduce consumption of natural gas, saving an estimated $23,000 annually. Because it captures more of the heat from that process, it eases how hard the boilers have to work, saving an estimated $13,000 in the first year. Because it generates electricity, that’s power the district doesn’t have to purchase—to the tune of an estimated $55,000 in the first year.

Harnish said the current annual electric bill is approximately $56,000. That is lower than it was before the district added the new gymnasium and auditorium wing.

The half-million-dollar price tag of the new system could be financed over eight to 12 years.

“We wanted to start out with something similar in price to what Phase 1 cost,” Harnish said, referring to the solar panels. “With that one, we paid $50,000 down and are set for 10 annual payments of $50,000, although actually we think we can pay it off after we get to five years.”

He said Verde claimed the CHP units have a listed 30-year working life but if properly maintained they will last more or less indefinitely. Because they will ease the load on the boilers, those should last longer too.

After about 13 years, Verde estimates the system will have saved more than the district paid for it.

Board vice president Vince Tuinstra asked what would happen if power went down in the area.

“These would still be producing,” Harnish said. “We could probably keep the doors open and run things here.”

Board president John Vandenberg proposed that board members discuss this at the board workshop this month.

Harnish said, “If we did this, we’d be the first school district in the United States to do this.”

He said he was also in talks with the Gun Lake Tribe to see if they would be interested in any partnerships with this project.

It would be some time before the system could even be implemented; Harnish said this was a proposal for the school board to consider.

“Had I understood it this well before the bond issue, we would have integrated it in—it makes that much sense,” Harnish said.

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

Not only was Martin Luther King Jr. Day on Monday, Jan. 21, a holiday: it was a “snow day” for students in more than 100 schools throughout west Michigan as temperatures dipped well below zero.

This photo was taken around 8 a.m. across the street from Allegan High School. Most schools did not want students waiting for buses in the frigid temperatures.

Note the Super Blood Wolf Moon still visible in the morning after the lunar eclipse.

Thirteen Allegan County Area Technical and Education students traveling in five vehicles survived a horrendous accident on Tuesday, Jan. 22, on M-222, west of 24th Avenue, in Allegan at around 10:30 a.m.

“For the magnitude of this accident, all are lucky to be alive,” said Allegan Fire District chief Nick Brink, while still on scene. “Age, speed and (lack of) seatbelts all factored into this crash.”

Four students were transferred to the hospital by ambulance with non-life threatening injuries, which included some severe cuts, bruises, and back and neck pain.

Two students at the scene, who were not injured, said a car “that was in a hurry” tried to pass a vehicle that turned left. The passing vehicle went airborne for about 100 feet before landing and rolling over. Two passengers in that car were among the injured, including a pregnant woman.

Other vehicles involved tried to avoid the crash.

Among the debris from the twisted wreckage was a motor that came to rest in a ditch off the shoulder of the road and a fender that landed in a tree.

The students were all from Plainwell High School and had just left classes at the Tech Center, according to the Plainwell superintendent.

An official police report was not available as of press time.

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