SN 3-9-2024

Page 2/The Sun and News, Saturday, March 9, 2024

Township board approves temporary trail closure during M-37 construction

Greg Chandler

Staff Writer

With plans to widen M-

through the Caledonia com-

munity continuing to be

developed, the non-motor-

ized trail that runs along the

highway to the east will

have to be temporarily shut

down while construction

takes place.

The Caledonia Township

board Wednesday voted 5-

approved a request from the

Michigan Department of

Transportation to close

down the trail while the

project is in progress.

“As part of the project,

MDOT is federally required

to look at different ways to

maintain all types of traffic

... In this particular case,

it’s cost-prohibitive to find a

temporary trail during the

construction period,” said

Township Trustee Tim

Bradshaw, who presided

over Wednesday’s board

meeting in the absence of

Supervisor Bryan Harrison.

“They’ve looked at poten-

tial alternatives, and we

agree that there’s really no

way to maintain the trail

during the construction

phase of the project.”

Township Manager

Alison Nugent said because

the project is federally fund-

ed, the township had to take

action on the trail issue to

allow MDOT to continue to

work on the project design.

“If we don’t approve this,

then the project is on hold

until it is approved,” Nugent

said.

The trail will be closed

only during the construction

period, not before or after,

Nugent said.

“I believe they have to

reconstruct it on the site

because of the expansion.

Once it’s done, it will be

open to the public again,”

she said.

The $40 million project to

widen M-37 from its present

two-lane configuration to a

four-lane boulevard from

just north of 76th Street to

just south of 92nd Street

was to have started next

year, but is now more likely

to take place in 2026.

“I continue to press them

as the design comes a little

further along,” Bradshaw

said. “I’m personally uncom-

fortable that they can do the

whole project in one year. I

think that they may need to

do some work in the fall of

2025, but they haven’t really

been far enough along in the

design process to know that

for sure yet. As they continue

to figure out those details,

we’re going to want to tight-

en that understanding of

what the true (construction)

schedule is ... and ensure

that it does all get done,

because there is a hard dead-

line to the funding.”

The M-37 project is slat-

ed to include median cross-

overs for left turns at 76th,

84th and 92nd streets.

While MDOT officials say

the project will significant-

ly reduce traffic congestion

and crashes on M-37, some

critics in the community

say the project will only

push the problem of con-

gestion and traffic backups

further south to 100th

Street.

The project is part of a

$4.8 billion infrastructure

bill known as the Building

Michigan Together Plan

that was signed into law by

Gov. Gretchen Whitmer in

March 2022.

their ORVs or ATVs down to

visit their loved ones (at

Carveth Village), I’m not

prohibiting them,” said

Peters, who is administrator

of the assisted living facili-

ty. “I don’t think any pri-

vate business owner should

not have that choice.”

But Village President

Mike Cramer, who has

opposed any change to the

current ordinance, said in

its current form, ORVs

aren’t allowed in parking

lots, whether they’re public

or privately-owned.

“They’re not licensed

and insured. If you’re in the

parking lot, you’re in traf-

fic,” Cramer said.

The Village Council in

June 2021 passed an ordi-

nance change that requires

any ORV operators who

wish to drive on village

streets to have proof of

no-fault insurance, property

installation of safety equip-

ment, a valid Michigan reg-

istration and a license plate.

Planning and Zoning

Administrator Doug Powers

proposed that any changes

dealing with parking be

addressed separately from

the ordinance language, but

rather addressed in the vil-

lage’s parking regulations.

It was recommended that

Crane Road, from M-37 to

Grand Rapids Street, be

struck from the proposed

map where ORVs could

operate because it has bike

lanes on the road surface.

Also proposed is requiring

child restraints in ORVs, as

well as specifications for

what qualifies as an

approved roof for ORVs.

The council voted 6-0 to

seek attorney input on

changes to the draft ordi-

nance language. The new

ordinance would have to go

through a public hearing

before it is adopted.

well as the practices the
school has taken to improve
literacy among its students.
The alliance compared
Dutton to other schools
with similar economic
backgrounds.
“They’ve analyzed the
data, they talked about the
systems and the structures
that we have here at Dutton
Elementary, to help incorpo-
rate our early literacy skills,
to help make sure that you
kiddos have the best skills
possible to be great read-
ers,” Dutton Principal
Shawn Veitch said at the
ceremony.
While 40.9 percent of
Michigan third-graders
scored at a “proficient” or
“advanced” level for reading
on the 2022-23 M-STEP,
66.7 percent of Dutton
third-graders achieved a
level of “proficient” or
“advanced” on the assess-
ment. That’s an increase
from the 2021-22 M-STEP,
when 64.6 percent of Dutton
third-graders scored at a
“proficient” or “advanced”
level, according to mischool-
data.org, which provides
information on academic
performance of students
across the state.

Among Dutton third-grad-

ers from economically chal-

lenged backgrounds, 43.

percent achieved a level of

“proficient” or “advanced”

on the 2022-23 M-STEP, an

increase from 37.5 percent

on the 2021-22 M-STEP,

according to data from

TalentFirst.

“We’re celebrating

Dutton Elementary and all

of your hard work, the work

that has been poured into

all of you as readers, so that

other schools and other stu-

dents follow in your foot-

steps and become outstand-

ing readers like you,”

TalentFirst President Kevin

Stotts said.

“We care deeply about lit-

eracy, because of what it

means for the long-term suc-

cess of students. A quality

West Michigan starts with

kids learning how to read.

We’ve supported educators

over the years, advocating

for increased funding for stu-

dents, for implementing best

practices, evidence-based

strategies, things that work,”

Stotts added.

The awards program is

sponsored by TalentFirst

members Autocam Medical,

AMDG Architects, 42 North

Partners, Metal Flow

Corporation, Lorin

Industries, MKO Holdings,

Key Bank and Meijer. Metal

Flow Chairwoman Leslie

Brown said schools around

West Michigan can learn

from Dutton’s example.

“When we prepare chil-

dren to read proficiently by

third grade, we are setting

the stage for their academic

and lifelong success,” Brown

said. “That’s how we ensure

a strong and vibrant future

for West Michigan.”

State Rep. Angela Rigas,

R-Alto, presented an award

to the school from the state

recognizing Dutton’s accom-

plishments.

“When we see people

doing things well, we always

want to reward success, and

we also want to reward hard

work,” Rigas said.

Other recipients of

TalentFirst’s Literacy Leader

Awards include Washington

Street Elementary School in

Otsego; Riverview

Elementary School in Big

Rapids; Meadow Ridge

Elementary School in

Rockford and Lincoln

Heights Elementary School

in Greenville.

The Dutton award is the

latest in a series of awards

the school has received over

the years. The school was

named a Reward School by

the Michigan Department of

Education in the 2018-

school year and was named

a National Blue Ribbon

School by the U.S.

Department of Education in

September 2021 for being

an Exemplary High

Performing School.

Construction is underway

on a new Dutton Elementary

building at the southeast cor-

ner of 76th Street and

Patterson Avenue. The

60,000-square-foot building,

which is being made possible

by voter approval of a $

million bond issue by

Caledonia voters in May of

last year, is expected to open

in time for the 2025-

school year.

ORV, continued from page 1

DUTTON SCHOOL, continued from page 1

We’re celebrating Dutton Elementary and all of

your hard work, the work that has been poured

into all of you as readers, so that other schools

and other students follow in your footsteps and

become outstanding readers like you.”

— Kevin Stotts, President, TalentFirst

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Dutton Elementary received a $1,000 check to go with its Literacy Leader

Award.

A non-motorized trail that runs along M-

Highway will be shut down during an upcoming trans-

formational construction project on the road between

76th and 92nd streets. (Photo by Jayson Bussa)