Page 8 — Thursday, March 2, 2023 — The Hastings Banner
New Delton Elementary building takes
form as community looks on
Karen Turko-Ebright
Contributing Writer
When Charity Hicks drives by the
construction of the new Delton Kellogg
Elementary School that is taking shape
on the corner of Grove Street and Delton
Road, memories from her childhood
inside the old school come flooding
back.
“I loved it,” said Hicks, a Delton
native who remembers her young life at
Delton Kellogg Elementary School. “I
was in a classroom that had a stage
upstairs. Back then, we always went
upstairs because that’s where the library
was, and that was where the big fourth
graders were, and it was really cool. So,
I hope they go back to that for the kids.”
Like Hicks, most in the Delton com-
munity can see the rapid changes to the
exterior of the new building as it prog-
ress. However, the work inside the new
facility is entirely invisible to onlookers.
The original, 87-year-old elementary
school building – demolished in summer
of 2022 – has additions that will connect
to the new structure.
Delton Kellogg Elementary School
Principal Karmin Bourdo is now getting
a more vivid picture of what the new
classrooms will look like.
“Seeing the classrooms start to take
shape is when my vision of students in
these new spaces started to materialize,”
Bourdo explained. “The fourth grade stu-
dents will be housed on the second floor
of the new building, just as in years past.”
After his many peeks inside the new
facility, Superintendent Dr. Herman Lar-
tigue, Jr. said he is excited for future
generations attending the new elementa-
ry school.
“I think the community is really going
to be wowed with the craftsmanship that
they have done with a lot of the stuff that
was existing from the old building,”
Lartigue said. “They are trying to keep a
lot of that character in there by adding
the old with the new.”
Bourdo said there’s a lot of progress
happening every day, including crucial
decision-making.
“The combination of meetings with
the engineers, design team and technol-
ogy group has been very exciting, but
meeting with the teachers and the
designer from Gordon Marvin Buiten-dorp Associates (GMB) to order furni-
ture is when the excitement started to
really build,” Bourdo said.
Fourth-grade teacher, Sara Mast,
agreed with Bourdo.
“The anticipation among the fourth
grade teachers is mostly excitement,”
Mast said. “It was very exciting to meet
with the design team and talk about
what furniture we would like in our
classrooms. I can’t wait to see the final
product.”
With new construction in full swing
on the new school comes mixed reac-
tion from some who live and work in
the community, like Cynthia Ross.
For 46 years, Ross has lived in
Delton. She has three kids that went
through the Delton Kellogg school dis-
trict. Now, her grandchildren are carry-
ing on the tradition.
Ross has a special attachment to the
old DKES building because she remem-
bers her life in the early ’90s when she
began working as a custodian for 20
years.
“It was a beautiful building,” Rosssaid. “I knew every single inch of that
building.”
She remembered her favorite rooms
in the old school.
“The old library upstairs, the stage,
and I’ve been up on top in the belfry
because I worked there, and it was full
of bats and birds,” Ross laughed. “It was
kind of creepy – but fun.”
Although Ross said she can’t help but
feel a loss now that the old school is gone,
she knows future generations, including
her grandchildren, will benefit signifi-
cantly from the new elementary school.
“It’s kind of sad. I just think it’s a
shame they tear down those old build-
ings,” Ross said. “You know everything
(has) got to change and everything (has)
got to be new, but I guess this will be
really nice.”
Like Ross, Christy Tigchelaar did not
want the old school torn down or any of
the trees removed. Tigchelaar owns
Katie & Christy’s Mid-Lakes Screen
Printing and Monogramming in Delton.
In addition, she has vintage merchandise
she sells inside her store.“My vote would have kept the old
school and cleaned it up, so it was safe
for the children, teachers and staff,” Tig-
chelaar said. “I admire countries that
save all their old architecture. I lean that
way. I like to save our old. I don’t like to
throw it away.”
On the other hand, Delton native Ash-
ley Wendland, who has three kids – one
in middle school and two in high school- going through the Delton Kellogg
Schools District, said sometimes change
is good.
“I don’t think I mind it because of
how they’re doing it,” Wendland said,
referring to the construction team. “It is
going to kind of replicate, and we des-
perately needed it anyway because of
not being able to use the wing.”
Like Wendland, Special Education
teacher Heather Oom looks forward to
the new changes, especially moving into
her new classroom.
“It has been fun to watch the progres-
sion of the building. My students loved
watching the frames go up. They ask a
lot about what is happening in the build-
ing,” Oom said. “I have felt some antic-
ipation and excitement as it gets further
along among the staff.”
Oom said her classroom will have a
sensory room accessible for her students
but also for other students in the build-
ing who may need that break. She said
she had contributed a lot of input to her
special education classroom and the
other two special education classrooms
in the new half.
“We have thought about storage needs
and the needs of the different students in
each room,” Oom explained. “It’s fun to
talk about what it’s going to look like
when it’s finished.”
The new building is paid for with
money from a millage passed in 2019.
Earlier reports state the new building
could be completed sometime in the fall
of 2023.
March 9-12, 2023
Thursday, March 9, 1-8pm
Friday, March 10, 12-8pmSaturday, March 11, 10am-8pm
Sunday, March 12, 10am-5pmDATES & TIMES- Fishing Tackle, Fishing
Boats, Fishing Trips & Fishing
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Food Plot equipment! - Book fishing & hunting trips!
Meet the guides and
lodge owners!
- Hunting and Archery gear,
UltimateSportShow.com
Michigan’s longest running Sport Show
HASTINGS AREA SCHOOL SYSTEM
We are inviting community members to discuss facility
and security improvements throughout the district.
Please join us, we would love to hear from you!
BOARD OF EDUCATION WORK SESSION
Date: March 14, 2023
Time: 7pm
Location: Hastings Middle
School Commons
232 W. Grand Street
City council looks over plans for ice rink, pickleball courts at Tyden Park
Hunter McLaren
Staff Writer
Hastings city council members took a look
at plans for a potential ice rink and pickleball
courts at Tyden Park.
The plans called for an ice rink covered by
a pavilion on the south side of the park, near
where the tennis courts are currently located.
Eight pickleball courts would replace the cur-
rent tennis courts and a four-season restroom
facility would be placed in front of the rink.
The project was first proposed four years
ago by former city councilman Bill Red-
man, who died from COVID-19 complica-
tions in 2021 while serving on the council.
The plans were presented by members of
the Hastings Area Recreational Corporation
and MCSA Group, the architectural firm
involved with the project.
The project has an estimated cost of $4.
million. HARC also aimed to raise a $1 mil-
lion endowment fund through the Barry
Community Foundation, which was projected
to allow the facility to be self-sustaining with
no additional operational costs to the city.
Mike Moyle, HARC board member, said
the group had $174,800 in community foun-
dations at the Barry Community Foundation,
with another $1 million pledged to be donated
as a matching donation when $1 million was
raised. HARC would be fundraising for the
program with help from The Hodge Group, a
non-profit fundraising firm based in Ohio.
Moyle said sustainability was a priority forthe project, and the group would be looking
to secure the endowment fund alongside
funding development of the project.
“What we don’t want to do is dump an
unfunded liability on the city,” Moyle said.
“So as we go into this, we will be looking for
an operating endowment in the fundraising.”
Council members seemed cautiously opti-
mistic, supporting the project but expressing
they’d like to make sure it will be self-sus-
taining before giving it the green light.
“I’ve been in support of this project since
day one. My only concern is we want to make
sure this is going to be self-supporting like
(Thornapple) Plaza is now,” Mayor Dave Tos-
sava said. “If you really think that you have the
people that are going to donate the money tobuild this and you can generate an endowment
fund to run it, I’m still in favor of it. But I think
you’ve got a long way to go yet, I assume.”
Moyle said it was estimated the project and
endowment fundraising could be completed
in 180 days if the project was approved, with
construction starting shortly after and pro-
jected to be complete in a year. Although the
project could be completed in phases, council
members expressed an interest to see all of
the funding and development done up front.
“I love the project and I think it would be
great for our community,” council member
Jacquie McLean said. “I’m sure our constitu-
ents would use it to the fullest, but the phas-
ing in based on funds is questionable.”
Council members voted to continue mov-ing forward with the project, with City Man-
ager Sarah Moyer-Cale and staff ensuring
there would be no prior grants or other obli-
gations at the park preventing the project
from proceeding. Another workshop would
likely be schedule in about two months,
Moyer-Cale said.
In other news, the city:- Accepted the resignation of Lyndy Bolt-
house from the Downtown Development
Authority. Council members approved the
mayor’s appointment of Levi Bolthouse for a
partial term expiring Dec. 31. - Scheduled a public hearing for DDA
Development and Tax Increment Financing
plan updates at the city council meeting at 7
p.m. on March 27.
Progress continues on the new Delton Kellogg Elementary School building, taking shape on the corner of Grove
Street and Delton Road. (Photo by Karen Turko-Ebright)Pictured here is the cupola that was placed on top of
the new Delton Kellogg Elementary School this week.
School officials say progress is moving along smoothly
on the new structure. (Photo provided)
A proposed ice rink, pickleball courts and restroom facility would be placed on the south side of Tyden Park. The two tennis
courts currently at the park would be replaced by eight pickleball courts. (Courtesy rendering)
Hastings Area Recreational Corporation board member Mike Moyle presented
plans for an ice rink and pickleball courts at Tyden Park to council members Monday.
(photo by Hunter McLaren)