Allegan City Council authorized the removal of more than 70 trees in the city to secure sidewalks for the Safe Routes to School program and road construction of River Street.

A low bid of $34,600 was approved by Axman Enterprise Inc. of Saugatuck, for the tree removal on River, Knapp, Delano, Grant and 115th Avenue.

“There’s only one on Grant but there’s several on 115th,” said DPW director Aaron Haskin. “While a lot are small ones, there are some 50-inches in diameter on Delano Street.”

The trees need to be cut down before March 31, because that’s when the endangered Indiana bat will be roosting and their habitat will no longer be able to be disturbed.

The bid by Axman was the lowest of four bids. Haskin said the company has done work in the area previously and were highly recommended.

The DPW department also had some mishaps in the month of February. The roof of the salt barn collapsed under heavy, melting snow on Saturday, Feb. 2. The barn and salt are covered by insurance. A plow truck was also struck by a vehicle in the curve at the bottom of Hooker Street hill on Feb. 12. No injuries occurred; however, the truck was in the shop for repairs.

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

The City of Allegan will be selecting a realtor to sell the current city hall at 112 Locust St. The realtor selected must be experienced in commercial sales and will also be responsible for leasing space at the new city hall building at 231 Trowbridge St.

City council members at their Feb. 25 meeting gave city staff the go ahead to create a request for proposals from realtors with specifications of the request to be presented at the next council meeting on March 11.

“I spent 10 years in the real estate business and it was said anyone who tries to sell property on their own is stupid,” said council member Nancy Ingalsbee, “I agree we need someone who is a professional in real estate to guide us through this.”

Renovations for the new city hall building are underway.

Receiving individual bids for 12 sub-categories of the project, which included plumbing, HVAC, electrical, general carpentry, etc., six bids came in over budget and were rebid and came back lower, putting the renovation cost at around $1.94 million, down from $2.4 million.

“Estimates were between $1.8 million on the low side and $2.1 million on the high side, so we are now within range,” said city manager Joel Dye. “The new bids also include installation of a new elevator and a second staircase.”

New conceptual drawings were presented to the council Jan. 14, removing such design frills as the two-story wall extending above the roof displaying a clock, a flag pole area at the curb, a fireplace, new entryway, cement fiber board finish for the exterior instead of wood and the possibility of delaying an elevator and new stairway to the basement since offices will be on the first floor.

City staff went back to the original four points for needs of a city hall. They include administrative functionality, better technology, ADA and general public accessibility, and conference rooms for both confidential and productive meetings.

A council chamber will seat 60-65 people and leaseable office space will be offered.

Cleanup crews will return to Otsego’s former Rock Tenn paper mill at 431 Helen St. this spring.

In April, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency will remove toxic asbestos from the mill’s power house and then demolish the large, deteriorating building.

“We’re waiting until the warmer weather because of the need to keep the entire building wet,” said EPA on-site coordinator Paul Ruesch. “We’ll be using blowers to spray mist across the worksite to keep the dust down. You can’t do that in the (freezing) cold.”

Keeping dust settled will be key to removing the asbestos, as it is being removed precisely because its microscopic fibers can be inhaled and irritate lungs. The Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry said long-term exposure can cause lung scarring, lung cancer and mesothelioma.

The substance was often used in insulation. Though its use was banned in the 1970s, the material is often still present in older buildings.

The project will take approximately two months.

It was spurred after Allegan County and Otsego city officials requested last June that emergency funds be used for the cleanup. Typical Superfund cleanup takes longer; now designated as a time-critical action, funding has been approved.

Ruesch said he believed the decision was made based on that request as well as the site’s condition.

“With the deterioration of that building since 2012, it’s really very unstable,” he said.

He recalled several of the former mill’s neighbors approaching him at a community meeting last spring.

“They lived across the street and across the river from this place” Ruesch said. “You could just tell they were upset and very concerned about the people who were trespassing on the property. The asbestos was a threat to the kids; the place is a magnet for people wanting to get in there.

“They knew people were being exposed. They saw the graffiti; they could see people in there at night. So, I heard that loud and clear.

“I’m looking forward to going door-to-door to inform people of the upcoming work and being able to tell them we heard them and we’re doing something about it.”

Work

Ruesch said the community can expect approximately a dozen workers on the cleanup and demolition crew. Trucks and heavy equipment, including a crane with a claw attachment will be used.

“That claw will pick apart the building to minimize dust being kicked up,” he said.

Ruesch said a community meeting will soon be scheduled at Otsego city hall.

“We’ll explain exactly what we are going to do, how we’re going to have the trucks come in and go out. We’ll have pictures of how the work will take place,” he said, including how the trucks hauling material off-site will be lined with plastic.

As with last year’s work along the Kalamazoo River, he said air monitors at the perimeter of the property will provide real-time updates of how much dust the equipment is kicking up, to prevent asbestos from spreading from the cleanup but also to maintain air quality.

“I’ll explain how we’ll be testing to make sure the air is safe,” he said.

He estimated the heavy equipment and work trailers would be moved on-site by late March. Signs will be posted on nearby roads to mark truck paths.

Crews will recycle as much of the metal in the building as possible; other materials generally will be hauled to a landfill.

“People will definitely hear the noise of the work,” Ruesch said. “They may hear or feel the percussive force from different parts of the building falling.

Work is slated only for the power house.

“There may be a building to the west and south that, by taking down powerhouse, we may have to do some limited demolition around it so as to not leave buildings there that are about to fall over,” he said.

Asbestos

Allegan County executive director of services Dan Wedge has previously said there are two types of asbestos that need to be cleaned up on the property. There is the intact asbestos on some boilers in one building as well as in the power house. Wedge estimated this made up 75 percent of the asbestos.

The rest is loose asbestos, scattered throughout the powerhouse and the basement of a secondary structure when the former owner of the property was stripping the buildings of valuable metal for salvage. The owner of that company, Anthony Davis with Cogswell Properties LLC, was convicted for purposely not properly cleaning up the asbestos.

Cogswell stopped paying the taxes on the property in 2007; the county gained possession in 2011, at which point the back taxes totaled nearly $250,000.

This would not be the EPA’s first foray into cleaning up the site. In 2011, a grant-funded survey of the property found approximately 200 drums and other containers of chemicals the EPA deemed hazardous and removed the following year.

Buyer beware

Allegan County has been trying to find a viable buyer for the mill property since it acquired it. A push last year found some interested companies but undetermined total cleanup costs made buyers hesitant. It has been previously estimated at approximately $2 million to $4 million.

A press release from Allegan County said, “The power house may be considered the most difficult building on the complex to remove due to its size, contents and inherent structural dangers. This action will aid in redevelopment opportunities.”

Otsego city manager Aaron Mitchell said this removed a major hurdle for development.

“I’ve always thought of this as the first domino,” Mitchell said. “I realize the other buildings are a substantial concern as well; this isn’t the be-all-end-all.

“I think once it comes down, though, the rest will be easier to get down incrementally. It’s the first one that’s always the hardest to get going.”

He believes this will drive down any developer’s initial investment by roughly $1 million. As he understands it, potential developers are likely to ask for tax incentives to help recoup cleanup and demolition costs. In whatever form that takes—likely tax incremental financing—reducing the cleanup costs means less burden on local taxpayers from that kind of incentive.

Mitchell thanked the EPA for acting after being told about the trespassers.

“Plus, I really think the community will respond well to finally seeing some action on the site,” he said.

Ruesch said the project would be as quick, safe and unobtrusive as possible.

“I hope this is beginning of the end of the old complex but also the beginning of a new start for the whole property,” he said.

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

A South Haven man was sentenced to probation and no additional jail time for a shooting that was deemed accidental.

John Allen Redaway, 46, was in Allegan County Circuit Court Monday, Feb. 25, for sentencing on one charge of possession of a firearm by a felon.

Judge Margaret Zuzich Bakker said, “The court believes Mr. Redaway did not intend to cause harm to victim in the case.”

Previous hearings in the cases against Redaway and co-defendant Allen Craig Troeger, Jr. indicated the men had gone to a home in Casco Township April 24, 2018, to get property that belonged to Troeger and after a struggle with the person living there, a shotgun went off and hit Troeger’s ex-girlfriend who was sitting in a van in the driveway.

Allegan County assistant prosecutor Steven Lanting said his office had agreed at the plea hearing to recommend local jail, probation and restitution in the case.

Attorney Robert Champion, representing Redaway, urged Bakker to follow that recommendation including time served and probation.

He asked that a probationary condition requiring an anti-alcohol tether device worn around the ankle not to be enforced because it would interfere with his client’s employment as a tree climber. Redaway explained he had to wear spikes that attached to his ankles in such a way the equipment would be in the way or damaged if he wore it.

Redaway said, “I know you are going to punish me. You can’t punish me any more than I punish myself. I hate myself for this.”

Bakker said the facts of the case were very unusual in that everything indicated Redaway hadn’t intended to shoot the victim.

She sentenced Redaway to 220 days in jail, with credit for 220 days served, and four years of probation. He was ordered to have no contact with the victim, his co-defendant or another individual.

Redaway pleaded guilty Nov. 29 to the possession of a weapon by a felon charge.

In return for the plea, Allegan County prosecutors agreed to drop charges of discharging a firearm under the influence causing serious injury as a second habitual offender, possession of a short-barreled shotgun and three counts of felony firearms.

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

A home health aide who admitted stealing drugs from an Allegan child who died has been sentenced to over six years in federal prison.

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. Investigators couldn’t definitively link the child’s death to the lack of medication and after a lengthy investigation by Allegan City Police Department officers, local officials decided to charge Mollohan with the federal violations she committed. An autopsy suggested the drug had been about 95 percent diluted.

Mollohan was sentenced Wednesday, Feb. 20, in U.S. District Court in Grand Rapids to 82 months in federal prison on each count, with the sentences to be served concurrently. U.S. District Judge Gordon Quist also sentenced her to supervised release for two years after serving her sentence, according to court records.

As part of plea agreement with federal prosecutors, a third count of attempted tampering with a consumer product was dropped in exchange for the guilty pleas.

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

Allegan firefighters battled an attic fire at the Poelman residence at 123 Second Street next to the old iron bridge on Monday, Feb. 25. The fire was called in at 4 p.m. and firefighters were on scene nearly four hours, containing the blaze to the upstairs portion of the house.

No one was in the home when the fire broke out. Two dogs were rescued from inside and one cat hid downstairs where it remained safe during the ordeal.

Fire chief Nick Brink said the home was about a 25 percent loss with no smoke damage downstairs but mainly water damage. Firefighers broke through the ceiling to put the fire out. While the specific cause was unknown, it was speculated to be an electrical issue.

“It’s not a total loss, but it will be a long time before they’ll be able to move back in,” Brink said.

Six adults were displaced from the fire. The homeowner’s insurance agent was on scene and Red Cross was called to help the family.

Hopkins Area Fire Department assisted Allegan Fire District at the scene and Second Street Bridge traffic was closed for four hours while battling the blaze.

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

Drama students at Allegan’s high and middle school are taking March as Reading Month to new levels—and the stage.

They will present “From Page to Stage” March 7-9 at the Allegan Performing Arts Center. Shows each evening will begin at 6 p.m. to accommodate families with younger children.

It will bring to life five children’s books, four by Robert Munsch and one by Bernard Waber.

The stories will be set in the 1960s and involve audience participation.

Director and high school teacher Kim Sparks said, “These volunteers may become actors, set pieces or bystanders sitting next to performers in the audience. Either way, the hope is to introduce young audiences not only to the experience one can only get with live theater but also to encourage the love of reading since it is reading month.”

The production will also help announce an Allegan District Library reading contest. Students from each elementary, middle and Allegan High School will keep track of the number of pages they’ve read throughout March. The class with the most pages from each building will win a behind-the-scenes tour of the new library along with a pizza party there.

Representatives from the library will be at each performance to sign up participants.

The tour will be after renovations have wrapped up on the older section of the library, when it’s united with the new addition. Winning classes will be announced at the end of March.

Tickets may be purchased from cast members or at the door and prices have been reduced; adult tickets cost $5 and all youth and senior citizens 62 and older cost $3. For more information, call (269) 673-7002 or visit Allegan High Drama on Facebook.

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

Owners of the former Allegan Metal Finishing Co. have so far refused to sign an access agreement for the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

Allegan Township supervisor Steve Schulz told board members Monday, March 4, that meant the federal agency was now faced with pursuing a federal lawsuit to test the property for contaminants.

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

The EPA funded a $500,000 construction project to extend city water lines to those homes along Jeffrey Drive and 29th Street. Construction wrapped up at the end of November; some landscaping remains for the spring.

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

The EPA has not yet announced details of its investigation as to the source of the chromium. It is used mainly for making steel and other alloys. Since chromium compounds are also used for chrome plating, Schulz has speculated that AMFCO is a likely source for the contamination.

“So I asked the EPA about doing an investigation,” Schulz said.

He read from an email from EPA’s on-scene coordinator Tricia Edwards, “My attorney has made multiple attempts to gain access to the... property so that I can conduct a site assessment. We need to conduct sampling to determine if there are threats on the property that need to be addressed.”

He said Edwards said the owners had been unwilling to sign an access agreement.

“So now we will be forced to take it to the (U.S. Department of Justice) to gain access through the courts. This could be a very slow process.

“...eventually we will get on site and sample.”

Schulz said, “I hope it happens in my lifetime; I hope they get in there.”

The Allegan City Planning Commission has scheduled a public hearing—the first of several—for Monday, March 18, at 6 p.m. to receive community feedback on the future possibility of allowing recreational or medical marijuana facilities within the city limits.

The meeting is at Griswold Auditorium, 401 Hubbard St. The public is invited to attend and participate in the discussion.

Allegan City Council voted to opt out of the new state law that would allow recreational marijuana facilities to become established within city limits and directed the Planning Commission to begin studying the seven types of marijuana establishments, along with the effects that recreational marijuana has had within other communities.

The council also directed the Planning Commission to hold at least one public hearing to engage the public on the matter, and submit a report with a recommendation to council by Dec.1, 2019, when the state licensing board is expected to start issuing licensing for marijuana facilities.

The seven types of marijuana businesses include:

• Growers that grow and package marijuana for sale to processors or provisioning centers.

• Processors that extract resin from marijuana or create marijuana-infused products to sell to provisioning centers.

• Provisioning centers that sell marijuana to patients or caregivers.

• Transporters  that store and transport marijuana between facilities.

• Safety compliance facilities  that test marijuana for contaminants and proper chemical levels.

• Marijuana retailers that sell or transfer marijuana to marijuana establishments or adults.

• Marijuana microbusinesses that cultivate up to 150 plants, process marijuana from the plants, and sell or transfer it to adults or to safety compliance facilities.

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

An Allegan teenager has been bound over on some of the charges prosecutors sought involving abuse of his girlfriend but others were dropped.

Tyrione Isaiah Henriques, 18, was arraigned in January and pleaded not guilty to eight counts including torture, unlawful imprisonment, two counts of third-degree criminal sexual conduct involving force or coercion, two counts of assault with intent to do great bodily harm and domestic violence.

On Wednesday, Feb. 27, Judge William A. Baillargeon found there was enough to bind him over to Allegan County Circuit Court on five of the charges, with three being dismissed.

Baillargeon ruled there wasn’t enough evidence to show that the count of torture, the count of assault with a dangerous weapon and one count of assault with intent to commit great harm had happened.

He bound Henriques over on one count of unlawful imprisonment, one count of assault with intent to commit great bodily harm and two counts of third degree criminal sexual conduct.

At the first part of the hearing, the alleged victim testified about the abuse she said Henriques inflicted on her. That including beatings, chokings, spraying with chemicals, sexual assaults, pouring urine over her head and other acts. She was cross-examined by the defense, which argued she’d made inconsistent statements in the past about injuries and told people she wasn’t being abused by Henriques.

The hearing was concluded Wednesday, Feb. 27.

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

Overall, Allegan Township’s next budget is only gradually increasing, with projected general fund revenue and spending up 2 percent over the current year.

That means the township will continue to pursue many of the same things as in previous years in its road and capital projects.

At his board’s budget hearing Monday, March 4, township supervisor Steve Schulz said the budget continued to allow the township to focus on maintaining good services such as fire and ambulance and road projects.

“We have good roads and we’ll continue to improve them,” he said. “We have great ambulance service, a great fire department and we haven’t had too many complaints.

“We’ve been saving in our recreation fund, our capital fund and adding to our road. Those three areas are very important.”

For the 2019-20 budget, projected general fund revenues total $1,099,500. It expects to take in nearly $13,000 more in tax revenue, and state aid payments are projected to increase another $25,000. The township is also backing off on how much it spends its fund balance down (which it counts as revenue)—it spent $148,596 in the current year’s budget which ends this month, and it plans to spend it down by $126,400 in the budget that starts up April 1.

Spending

This budget will again supplement road work, capital improvement, and the recreation fund at $50,000 each from the general fund.

For roads, that adds to the revenue the township collects from three 1-mill taxes that voters continue to renew.

Schulz said road work for the coming construction season was not yet determined other than the usual dust control and gravel work.

There are a couple projects that would be very pricey; Schulz said he is awaiting discussions with the Allegan County Road Commission to determine which are viable.

One includes where 123rd Avenue curves into 25th Street, east of Miner Lake Store. The 1-mile stretch of gravel road is narrow and the sight-lines are poor, he said, noting it was dangerous for school buses—especially as it was narrow enough that there was little room for snow to be pushed aside.

“We had a reconstruction estimate in 2017 of about $517,000,” Schulz said. “And that’s without blacktopping it, so it would be $750,000 by the end.”

Another project could be 28th Street between 118th and 120th avenues, another project expected to cost approximately $750,000.

The township’s contribution to the Allegan Fire District will increase to $121,000, up from this year’s $78,000. The department covers both the city and township of Allegan.

Most of that increase is due to the need to save up for large equipment such as fire trucks.

“We’ve done a long-term study on what equipment we’ll need to replace in the future,” said Schulz, who also sits on the fire board. “It’s critical to keep up our equipment. And that along with everything else is getting more expensive.”

That includes the firefighters’ turnout gear and other equipment. While the department secured a $180,000 grant last year to replace its compressed air tanks, there aren’t grants for everything.

“Our payroll is getting bigger as more people are moving into the area. And the requirements of training and the cost of the gear they wear—all going up.”

The township again plans to spend $90,000 on improvements at the township hall, as it did in the current budget.

Schulz said the flat area of the hall’s roof has begun deteriorating. The building was built in 1994.

“We’ve put a Band-Aid on it to keep it going, but we’ve decided to get that done, to put a gabled roof on it,” he said. “And we do need to finish off putting shingles on the remaining section of roof that hasn’t been addressed in recent years.”

The men’s and women’s bathrooms will also be updated.

Again matching Allegan County’s wage adjustments, the next budget increases township wages by 2 percent. This continues the trend from the past five years of gradual increases.

For 2018-19, the supervisor will earn a salary of $44,535 up from $43,661. The position has flexible hours but generally encompasses the township’s regular office hours of 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Monday through Thursday.

For 2018-19, the clerk and treasurer will each earn $28,845 up from $28,279. The positions have no set hours, though they often staff the office during its regular hours.

For 2018-19, the two other board trustees will each earn $5,964 up from $5,847.

Other miscellaneous highlights include:

* Work will continue to add fencing and trees and shrubs at the cemetery

* The recreation fund will cover matching funds necessary to take advantage of grants for sidewalk work and road construction along River Street.

All of that spending is projected to leave the township with approximately $223,000 in its general fund balance at the end of the fiscal year, next March. That continues to be a solid 20 percent of expenditures.

Schulz said, “We feel fortunate here the economy is going well, we’re getting an increase in our sales tax money coming from the state. And people in the township are renewing the millages to help us get some things done in township.”

Township board members will vote on passing this budget at their April 1 meeting.

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

A Kalamazoo man was killed Tuesday, March 5, in a crash on US-131 in Martin Township that happened when he rear-ended a stopped school bus.

According to Michigan State Police, the crash happened about 7:30 a.m. on northbound US-131 near mile marker 53 in Martin Township and involved two SUV’s along with the school bus.

“The driver of one of the sport utility vehicles failed to observe that traffic was stopped due to a prior crash and rear-ended the stopped school bus,” police said.

The driver was identified as Evert-Jan Ohler, 65, and police said he died from his injuries and was pronounced dead on the scene.

The bus, from Providence Christian School in Kalamazoo, was carrying 19 teenaged students. One of the occupants of the bus was taken to a hospital for treatment of minor injuries.

Allegan County Sheriff Frank Baker said the students were taken to the Martin Fire Station for shelter during the investigation.

State police said their preliminary investigation showed the crash was caused by speed and that alcohol and drugs appear not to be factors.

Traffic on US-131 backed up as far south as D Avenue Tuesday morning as multiple crashes closed the expressway in two places, reopening around 10:21 a.m.

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

MARTIN TWP.—A 68-year-old Plainwell woman was rescued from Gun River after crashing her vehicle and rolling it into the water at 2nd Street, south of 116th Avenue in Martin Township on Thursday, March 7.

Allegan County Deputies were dispatched to a vehicle submerged in the river shortly before 10 p.m. A Michigan State Police Trooper and the Martin Fire Department arrived on scene to find a SUV almost completely underwater after what appeared to be a single vehicle crash. 

The woman was found floating with the current of the river and struggling to stay afloat.  After attempts were made with ropes to help retrieve her, a member from the Allegan County Dive Team entered the river along with a Martin firefighter and pulled her from the water. She was transported to a Kalamazoo area hospital and is listed in serious but stable condition. 

Alcohol is believed to be a contributing factor in the crash.

The Allegan County Sheriffs Office was assisted by Allegan County Dive Team, Martin Fire Department, Wayland EMS and Michigan State Police.

Anticipating the completion of renovations at Allegan District Library, the library will be closed March 25 through April 6 to reorganize the new addition as well as the renovated portion. The library will reopen on April 8.

No books will be due during the closure. There will also be a one-week grace period to return items when the library is reopened.

Library staff asks that patrons keep their materials while the library is closed. The book return will be locked.

All programs will continue to take place at the Griswold. All materials will once again be available when the library reopens in the new full library space.

The official grand opening ceremony will be Thursday, May 2. All are invited for a ribbon cutting at 6 p.m. followed by an open house with music, beverages and confections.

As it turns out, last year was not the last hurrah for the Cabaret Band Show in Allegan.

The 34th show will be March 15-16 and 22-23 at Griswold Auditorium.

The mostly annual and always live concert features a professional band and a cast of local performers covering a rousing set of covers of classic tunes. Interspersed throughout are the musical, often comedic advertisements, taking familiar songs and adding rewritten lyrics to sing the praises of the show’s sponsors. Goofy antics and costumes abound in both the ads as well as the proper musical numbers, all with professional lighting, sound staging and choreography.

As usual, the Cabaret Band Show will again primarily raise money for the nonprofit Wings of Hope Hospice. The Allegan Area Arts Council will run the cash bar as a fundraiser.

In the last 15 years, the show has raised more than ($175,000) for Wings of Hope, which uses it to offset the cost of pain management for its clients. Wings of Hope Hospice serves patients in their final days and weeks of life.

All shows begin at 7 p.m. Pre-parties begin at 5:30 p.m.; a $5 donation buys guests chips and either a Coney dog or sloppy Joe. Videos of past Cabaret shows dating back to 1985 will also be on display for the pre-parties.

All tickets are reserved seating for $30. To buy tickets in advance or for more information, call (269) 686-8659.

The band includes: Jeff Clearwater on bass, Greg Howard on lead guitar, Rick Dutkiewicz on rhythm guitar, Bill Roelofs drums and Dean Michaels on keyboard and a variety of other instruments; he also directs the show. Backup singers this year include Meredith Mancuso, Meghan Daniel, Leslie Spenelli, Dana Opatik and Nancy Lucas. Dave Swan is on trumpet, John Schulte is on trombone and Alva Morgan is on second keyboard.

 Find fun cast member spotlights on the show’s Facebook page.

Check out The Allegan County News on Facebook this week for a sneak peek of the new logo and stage, as Michaels will be a guest for the paper’s weekly preview video.* (*Eventually; thus far, Facebook has not allowed the video to post. -Ed.)

State Representative Steve Johnson invites residents of the 72nd House District to join him during local office hours Monday, March 18, at Big Boy, 1180 W. Superior St., Wayland, from 8 to 9 a.m.

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

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

As abuse of Allegan Township’s recycling bins continues to rack up extra costs, officials there hope a newly increased grant fund will help fund improvements.

Board members discussed Monday, March 4, applying for a grant through the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality.

“It looks like we’d now qualify for it,” said township treasurer Jane Waanders.

The DEQ announced at the end of last month it would be increasing the total pot of money for Recycling Infrastructure Grants to $3.7 million—up from $500,000—and they are extending the deadline for grant applications to May 1.

Announced in November, the grants are designed to increase the recycling rate and recycling access. According to MDEQ, they are part of this year’s Sustainability Grants, and the increased funding has been made available by the recently established Renew Michigan Fund, designed to fund environmental cleanup and projects like these.

Municipalities, nonprofits and others are eligible to apply for as much as $1 million.

Waanders said the township hopes to apply for money to enlarge the concrete pad for the recycling dumpsters at the side of the township hall, fencing, and additional lighting and security cameras.

Currently, the township monitors the unsecured area with some video cameras. Residents can use the bins at any hour; unfortunately, some individuals continue to fill the bins with trash. When emptied, the waste hauler weighs the refuse and sends a bill to the township for its disposal, which draws from the township’s increasingly dwindling recycling funds.

Waanders said, “We’re basically their trash service.”

She said the township intends to make the area bigger, secure it with a fence and staff it for regular hours of operation.

Township officials have sought help applying for the grant from economic development firm Lakeshore Advantage. The township earlier this year agreed to a $1,875 contract for economic development services.

Township supervisor Steve Schulz said, “This is a prime example of why we did that.”

Waanders said as yet there was no estimate for the cost of the project, though it would require 25 percent matching money.

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

The Safe Routes to School project will not, as previously supposed, require Allegan township and city to front the cost of the sidewalk work.

At the Allegan Township board meeting March 4, supervisor Steve Schulz corrected what he had announced.

“I’ve learned that it is not a reimbursement grant,” he said.

The project will add sidewalks near Dawson and West Ward elementary schools and L.E. White Middle School using a $650,000 grant. It is slated for construction this year and work has already begun to clear trees in the area of the work.

The township and city split the cost of the engineering designs created by engineering firm Prein & Newhof. There are no matching funds required.

Read more about the project here; it has been in development for nearly two years.

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

A request for proposals from qualified realtors to market and sell the iconic Allegan City Hall was approved at the city council meeting Monday, March 11.

Another request for proposals from realtors to market and lease excess office space in what will be the new city hall was also approved.

The realtor bids were kept separate to attract the realtor that has the most experience in economically and efficiently selling property and/or leasing property.

It is anticipated the selection will be completed in April.

“We may get the same realtor for both proposals, but just in case, we may get one who is really good at leasing while another is really good at selling,” said city manager Joel Dye.

Dye said inquiries on the sale of 112 Locust St. (currently city hall and a formerly a bank building) began rolling in about a year ago when the newspaper reported the potential of its sale if the city moved into new headquarters.

“Once the city selects a realtor, part of their job will be to market its best use,” Dye said. The council may decide otherwise, but Dye said he will not be recommending use as office space.

“To be successful you want retail on main retail streets and that’s what I’ll be pushing for—retail or entertainment,” Dye said.

Council member Mike Manning asked how the new city hall project was coming along.

While renovations to 231 Trowbridge St. for the new city hall were approved in February, one month into the project, steel studded walls are under construction. Mid-July is the completion date and the council will now be receiving monthly construction updates.

In other business:

• The city approved the encroachment of a balcony overhang onto the city’s riverfront property. Carl and Carol Canales are converting the rear half of 311 Hubbard St. from a storage space to a dwelling unit and proposed a 6-foot wide balcony on the back of the blue building west of the riverfront driveway. The back faces Veteran’s Memorial Park. The front of the building is Canales’ A-Tech Computer store.

• After a public hearing with no comments, the city approved an application by Sneller Properties, 209 Hubbard St. for an Obsolete Property Rehabilitation Exemption Certificate allowing a 12-year tax freeze on a $220,000 investment to restore the second story into two single-family apartments.

• A $10,000 bid to replace a public utilities push sewer camera was approved after utility director Doug Sweeris said the purchase was budgeted to replace a camera no longer functioning. A new $3,279 service locator and transmitter was also approved for locating water and sewer lines. Usually working with two locators in the busy season, one is no longer functioning and the cost is an allotment from the replacement equipment fund.

• The seventh annual Living History Tour by the Allegan County Historical Society at Oakwood Cemetery was approved for May 31 and June 1, from 5 to 8 p.m.

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

An aging section of roof atop Dawson Elementary School will be replaced soon, the first of a series of projects paid for through the district’s new “sinking fund.”

At their meeting Monday, March 11, Allegan school board members approved an $89,000 bid from Myers Construction in Kalamazoo for the work.

School board president Troy Carns said, “I’m relieved the taxpayers approved the sinking fund so that we are able to finally redo this roof that has been in need of it for a while.”

The project will overlay a new waterproof membrane across approximately 10,000 square feet of roof at the southern end of the building. It sits atop an addition built in the early 1990s to then-house the special education classrooms. There will also be some work on that section’s eaves.

Superintendent Kevin Harness said that part of the school’s roof was relatively new during the last renovation for Dawson’s roof in 1998 and so was not replaced. Now it is among the oldest sections of roof in the district.

The work is expected to take a week and was originally slated for summer break; however, weather may allow for the work to be done during spring break in the first week of April.

It was the low bid between that company and Shain Roofing, which bid $97,000. Three other companies were sought but did not bid.

District director of finance and operations Amy Christman said the project was part of five years of planned renovations.

“It’s one of the biggest problems,” Christman said. “That’s why we selected it to start with. Each year, we’ll set aside funds for all of the district’s roofing needs.”

Nearby areas of the roof were bid as optional work, but the price was not low enough to justify doing work that was not strictly necessary.

“It was thought we could maybe see some economy of scale. When bids came in, that wasn’t there, so we’re holding off,” Christman said.

Sinking fund

In November 2017, voters narrowly passed a proposal that created a five-year, 1-mill tax; the money it collects is put in a sinking fund, and that money can be used to replace aging roofs and heating and cooling systems, repave parking lots, replace outdated computers and add other classroom technology.

While the first round of collection is still coming in, it is still expected to collect $498,127 for this first year. The money can carry over into multiple years if the district needs to save up for bigger-ticket items.

The Dawson roof project isn’t technically the first time the district has spent from the fund. As planned, the district used some of the funds to pay off the first year of a three-year payment plan on the 1,230 Chromebook notebook computers the district purchased last year for students. The computers are part of the district’s goal to have each student using their own computer at school.

Harness said there are several other projects planned for the money this year.

“We’re also redoing the main control panel for the fire alarm system,” Harness said. “And the (heating and cooling) control system for all the buildings—that’s very old and getting glitch. These aren’t really high-profile type things. But it’s much-needed.

“We probably won’t spend all of it this year.”

Carns said, “It’s just nice we have this sinking fund available now so we can take care of this (roof) without having to stress our already over-stressed budget.”

New officers

At their January meeting, school board members elected new board officers.

Elected in 2011, Carns is president. Lane Sturman is the new vice president, having taken office in 2015. Nathon Kelley, now treasurer, was appointed to fill a partial term in 2017 and was elected in 2018. KD Lake is board secretary and was first elected in 2017

Other board trustees include Mary Kasprzyk, Vicki Knuckles and Jennifer Nicholson.

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