SN 3-2-2024

Page 2/The Sun and News, Saturday, March 2, 2024

Middleville DDA hosting Small Business Week

Greg Chandler Staff Writer Downtown businesses in the village of Middleville are looking for a spark to get visitors to their shops. Sixteen local businesses are taking part in the Downtown Development Authority’s Small Business Week celebra- tion, which began Feb. 28 and will run through March 5. Small Business Week comes at a time where there’s a typical lull for most small businesses between the holi- days and summer months, Middleville DDA Director Gretchen James said. “It’s just to encourage the community to get out and sup- port their local businesses — at least check them out, see the new things that maybe they haven’t seen,” James said. The DDA has put in a fun way to get area residents and visitors alike to visit as many shops as they can during the week. Visitors can pick up a punch card with a list of the participating businesses “Patrons can visit the businesses on the punch card, receive their punch or stick- er, and then at the end of the week they have to turn in the card s with it filled out as much as they can, to one of the participating businesses,” James said. A drawing will then take place among all punch cards that are turned in for a gift basket containing merchan- dise, gift cards and donations from participating businesses as well as event sponsors,

James said. One of the participating businesses in Small Business Week is the Apothecary on Main. Owner Ann Williams says the event is a great way for businesses to get know more of their customers. “We need more awareness of downtown. The DDA is amazing at trying to help small businesses bring awareness,” said Williams, who is also a trustee on the Middleville Village Council. “I think of one of our biggest (challeng- es), besides being small, being off M-37 ... (people) just drive past. They don’t even know there’s a downtown dis-

trict down here.” Williams says she loves the collaborative nature of the business community in Middleville. “We all work together to encourage each other’s suc- cess. I love that,” she said. James expressed optimism that business activity will pick up downtown during the week. “Everyone’s doing okay, and they’re just excited to keep working and keep growing and serving the community,” she said. Punch cards for Small Business Week are available at the following shops: Dearly

Bridal, My Sister’s Closet Thrift, The Hive Mercantile, Apothecary on Main, Riverdog Tavern, Opus Artisan Boutique, Kindred Shop & Studio, Thornapple Eyecare, Grimsby Hollow Meadery, Pixel Perfect Video Games, Thornapple Credit Union, Studio 37 Salon, White Oak Counseling and Recovery (formerly Hoxworth Counseling Services), NTA Property Management — Redhill Farm and Highpoint Community Bank. They can also be found at sponsors Carveth Village, RainMakers Carwash and POUND Rockout Workout.

meeting Feb. 21, but took
no action on the request at
its regular meeting Monday.
“There was no motion
(made to approve an amend-
ment), so nothing has
changed, which means the
original agreement still
stands,” Board President
Marcy White wrote in an
email to the Sun and News
Tuesday.
The district and JTB had
reached original agreement
on the sale of the property
in September 2022, and the
agreement was amended in
May and December 2023,
according to district docu-
ments.
In its present form, the
agreement called for JTB to
buy the land from the
school district at a base cost
of $750,000, plus an addi-
tional $10,000 per home
over 30 homes that were to

be built on the site. JTB had proposed a planned unit development zoning desig- nation for the property that would have allowed for 42 single-family homes,

according to a letter from the developer to the district. But CCS Superintendent Dirk Weeldreyer received a request from JTB to change the agreement in December 2023 after the developer was presented with a condi- tion from Caledonia

Township that either JTB or the schools must pay for a non-motorized path across the school property in order for the township to extend a sewer line to serve the

property. JTB asked the schools to strike from the agreement the provision of paying the district the extra $10,000 per home if more than 30 homes are built on the site, basically reducing the purchase price by $120,000.

“The entitlement process is capital intensive, and we will spend dollars on per- mits, review fees, engineer- ing, soil borings and envi- ronmental studies through- out its duration,” JTB land development manager Howard Hehrer wrote in a letter to Weeldreyer dated Dec. 20. “It is important that a reasonable path for- ward be established before we proceed with a submit- tal.” In addition to the bike path, the developer would pay for the extension of a 12-inch water main required by the township along the property’s 1,300 feet of frontage along Patterson, Hehrer wrote. But board members showed no interest in mak- ing any changes to the agreement, and Weeldreyer

said at the committee of the whole meeting that he didn’t feel “pushed” to accept the change. “A purchase agreement was made, and financial decisions were made based on the idea that the south- ern half of the property was going to be able to recoup costs for the district,” Weeldreyer said at the committee of the whole meeting. “Land around here isn’t going to get cheaper. It’s not going to lose value. So if this particular agreement doesn’t work out, I don’t think the district is out anything. A development area right next door to a school is always going to be highly attractive to a developer.” “I feel for the developer, the things that are being

thrown on them, but out first and foremost responsi- bility, in my opinion, is to the district and to all of our taxpayers, and therefore, our students that are going to benefit from the resources that we have,” Weeldreyer added. A final decision on whether the purchase will go through is expected by this summer. The Sun and News called JTB Homes seeking com- ment on the district’s decision to stand pat, and did not receive a call back. Construction on the new 60,000-square-foot Dutton building got underway last fall, made possible by voter approval of a $61 million bond issue in May 2023. The school is scheduled to be ready to open in time for the 2025-26 school year.

DUTTON SCHOOL, continued from page 1

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Land around here isn’t going to get cheaper. It’s not going to lose value. So if this particular agreement doesn’t work out, I don’t think the district is out anything.” — Dirk Weeldreyer, Superintendent, Caledonia Community Schools

CORRECTION:

Earlier this month, the Sun and News reported on two individuals who were voted on as new members of the Middleville Downtown Development Authority. This included Derek Dean, who we identified as the owner of the Farm Bureau Insurance Agency in Middleville. This is incorrect. Jason Parks is the owner of that agency, not Dean. We apologize for the error.

Apothecary on Main is one of 16 local businesses participating in the
Middleville Downtown Development Authority’s Small Business Week event.
Middleville-based establishments like Grimsby (Courtesy photos)
Hollow Meadery look to drum up business during a
traditionally slow time through the DDA’s Small
Business Week event.

SN 3-2-2024

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