VOLUME 167, No. 16 Thursday, April 22, 2021 PRICE $1.

1

THE

HASTINGS

Devoted to the Interests of Barry County Since 1856

Gun Lake Casino announces

new megamillion expansion

Hotel, domed pool,

more dining options

and luxur y spa will

comprise $300-million

resort complex

Taylor Owens

Staff Writer

Gun Lake Casino announced plans Monday

for a 250,000-square-foot, $300-million

expansion, which will include adding a hotel,

domed pool, more dining options and a luxury

spa.

It will be the largest project, to date, for the

10-year-old casino, which is still finishing up

its current development – a $100 million

expansion involving a 72,000-square-foot

addition of slot machines, game tables, dining

areas and entertainment space.

That current expansion is set to open at the

end of this summer.

At that point, they will immediately begin

design work on the new project which is

intended to transform the casino into a hotel

resort.

“We are proud of the continued growth of

Gun Lake Casino which is directly connected

to the outstanding effort of our team mem-

bers,” Tribal Chairman Bob Peters said. “The

Tribe remains steadfastly committed to rein-

vest in our collective future – for the benefit

of tribal citizens, team members and the local

community.

“This will provide even more employment

opportunities and enhance Gun Lake Casino’s

position as a tourism driver for western

Michigan.”

The casino currently employs 1,100 peo-

ple, and it is not yet known how many more

employees will be added with the next expan-

sion.

A 10-year impact study released by the

tribe in January reported economic benefits

by employing local residents and stimulating

businesses that supply goods and services to

the operation.

“It is with great pride that we reveal the

largest expansion in Gun Lake Casino’s histo-

ry,” Sal Semola, president and chief operating

officer of Gun Lake Casino, said Monday.

“Today’s announcement demonstrates our

commitment to maintaining the reputation as

a leading entertainment and gaming destina-

tion in Michigan.

“As a vital business in Allegan County, we

recoagnize our ability to invest in our local

community. The elevation of our offered ame-

nities drives our economy through tourism

and directly impacts the livelihood of local

citizens through the development of new job

opportunities.”

Included in the project will be a 250-room,

four-diamond hotel, full-service spa, three-

meal restaurant and glass-domed pool with

hot tubs and private cabanas. After dark, the

pool area will feature live music, DJs, danc-

ing and more.

This hotel will be have about half the num-

ber of rooms of Soaring Eagle Casino &

Resort or Firekeepers Casino Hotel.

“I think it will have a huge impact on the

economy of Barry County, and it will go a

long ways to our tourism as well,” Barry

County Chamber of Commerce and Economic

Development Alliance President and

Executive Director Jennifer Heinzman said.

“Any time we can promote the county and

bring more people in, it benefits all of the

businesses.”

The business community has sought to

bring larger attendance events to the county,

but a lack of hotel rooms for large numbers

has hampered that goal, she said.

Heinzman said she also hopes to work with

the casino to create tourism packages, which

could be built around visiting area lakes and

parks or other attractions, such as the Gilmore

Car Museum and MOO-ville Creamery.

“The push toward getting people to visit

here would be a lot more effective if we were

able to create packages,” she said. “It brings a

lot of people into the county. They buy gas,

they eat and, hopefully, they’re shopping.”

“Any kind of hotel development like that

has far-reaching economic impact in the

area,” Tim Perrigo, Allegan Area Chamber of

Commerce executive director, said.

Further details on the expansion will be

announced in the coming months. Renderings

of this latest expansion are not yet available.

Hope Township eyes gravel mine;

Orangeville considers operation there

Sean Bradley

Staff Writer

Less than five miles from the Wilkinson

Lake site of a controversial gravel pit proposal

in Hope Township, a Grand Rapids-based

company is pitching a project for Orangeville

Township.

JMK Realty LLC has plans to mine gravel

on 76 acres at 9650 Keller Road in Delton,

according to company owner Jeff Kresnak.

That limited liability company owns the

land and leases it back to Kresnak’s other

business, Superior Asphalt, which would do

the actual mining, Kresnak said.

An additional 40 acres next to the property

on Keller Road, which is owned by JMK

Realty, would be mined in the future, he said.

“Superior Asphalt has a manufacturing

facility in Caledonia. The stone will be mined,

crushed and trucked to the manufacturing

facility where it can be turned into an asphalt

product that will be used to pave roads,

parking lots and driveways,” Kresnak said.

A majority of the gravel reserves that are

mined likely would be used by Superior

Asphalt to pave roads in Barry, Kent, Ottawa

and Allegan counties, he said.

“I think everything from around the Grand

Rapids metropolitan area – all of the gravel

pits that were once closer to Grand Rapids,

like the ones closer to Kent County – most of

the stone reserves have all been depleted,”

Kresnak said.

They hope to be mining for gravel within

the next few months, he said.

In December 2020, JMK Realty submitted

a soil erosion and sedimentation control

permit to the Barry County Planning

Commission. It was approved by James

McManus, the county’s planning director and

zoning administrator.

Kresnak estimated mining could occur at

the Keller Road property for as long as 30

years.

The company will use the mined materials

for its own use, he said.

“Each cell has a few years of a shelf life,”

Kresnak said. “Each cell could be anywhere

between three and six years. Let’s say you

have five cells, you’re in there a long time. Us

being the main user of this product means

we’ll have less trucks on the road and mining

at a slower pace.”

In this case, a cell can be as much as 10

acres wide to be mined for gravel at one time.

“That way, you can contain the area well,”

Kresnak said.

As for residents in the area of their

operation, he said, “I would like them to

know we intend to come down here and be

good stewards of the land and to be great

neighbors and to do business. We plan on

employing people in the community. We’ll

create a handful of jobs.”

Their permit indicates the area needs to be

graded for future use as an equipment staging

area. Next, engineers will submit drawings of

the project to McManus. After this, the

proposal will undergo a public comment

period.

Once the public comment period is done,

the Barry County Planning Commission will

review the public’s concerns and make a

determination whether the proposal meets the

State of Michigan’s definition of having any

“serious consequences.”

As part of the permitting process, a

reclamation plan also will be submitted with

the application, Kresnak said.

After this, the county planning commission

will vote on whether to allow the mining

permit.

The next meeting of the county planning

commission will be at 7 p.m. Monday at the

Tyden Center community room, 121 S.

Church St., in Hastings.

The project in Orangeville Township

comes at a time when opposition is high

against a proposed gravel mine on Wilkinson

Lake in neighboring Hope Township.

Some Wilkinson Lake residents are

fighting a special-use permit application from

Allegan-based excavating contractor R. Smith

and Sons, which seeks permission to mine

gravel on 139 acres of a 153-acre property it

owns at 8409 Miller Road.

A portion of that gravel pit would be on

Wilkinson Lake.

In this case, the property is not zoned for

mining and, since the township has its own

planning commission, that body must decide

whether to approve the company’s special-use

request.

Given the number of residents who have

attended the township’s recent planning

commission meetings, the next meeting may

have to be moved to a larger venue.

“There’s no reason to not think the number

‘Reluctant workforce’

jeopardizes recovery

See Editorial on Page 4

Delton spring sports

teams previewed

See Stories starting on Page 14

Cloverdale drain fix

price tag at $2.2 million

See Story on Page 10

See GRAVEL PITS, page 3

In its latest announcement, Gun Lake

Casino announced plans to create a lux-

ury resort at its Wayland location on U.S.

131. (File photo)

Tony Riley, along with other protesters, line South M-43 Highway in front of the Hope

Township Hall last Thursday before the planning commission meeting. (Photo by Scott

Harmsen)

Committee delays decision on driveway for new Culver’s restaurant

Greg Chandler

Staff Writer

Plans are in the works for a new Culver’s

fast-food restaurant just west of the Hastings

city limits.

One big question remains, though: Will

local officials allow an entrance and exit to

the eatery off of M-37 and M-43?

The M-37 Corridor Committee Friday

reviewed plans for the new Culver’s, to be

built at the southeast corner of M-37/M-

and Green Street, just south of Walmart. The

Rutland Township Planning Commission

earlier this month approved a site plan for the

project, contingent on approval by the corridor

committee of the entrance and exit off the

highway, and will consider a special land-use

request May 5.

“What we are looking to do is to have a

right-in, right-out [driveway] out of the north

side of this proposed development on M-43,

just to improve flow and disperse the traffic

between the intersection with Green and onto

M-43,” project manager Mikel Currier told

the committee.

The township planning commission already

has approved a driveway off Green Street to

the restaurant as part of the site plan approval.

Currier commissioned a traffic study he says

supports allowing an additional driveway off

M-37/M-43.

However, Rutland Charter Township

Supervisor Larry Watson expressed concerns

about the proposed driveway.

“We just got one problem fixed at Walmart

[by having a traffic signal installed].

Hopefully, it’s resolved. It’s better than what

it was,” Watson said. “Now we’re creating

another one ... We do want Culver’s here,

don’t misunderstand me. But we have to make

this safe for the people driving down that road

and exiting that road.”

Michigan Department of Transportation

engineer Jason Cole noted that the proposed

entrance to Culver’s off M-37/M-43 would be

between two signalized intersections – one at

Green Street and one leading into Walmart –

that are less than 800 feet apart.

See DECISION, page 2

Stimulus means millions

for local schools

Taylor Owens

Staff Writer

The American Rescue Plan package

could infuse as much as $9.1 million into

Barry County school districts.

While the specific amounts announced

by the Michigan Senate Fiscal Agency may

change by the time the funding is disbursed,

school administrators do not expect many

surprises.

“I suspect the amount should not change

significantly,” Hastings Area Schools

Director of Operations Tim Berlin said.

The funding is decided by the federal

Title 1 formula, which gives more money to

districts with families who have lower

incomes.

According to the agency, Hastings will

receive $977 per student, for a total of

$2,491,579.

“We believe these funds will be very

helpful,” Berlin said. “We anticipate using

some of these funds to improve our technol-

ogy and its availability to all students.

“We also anticipate using it to enhance

our curriculum to fill any learning gaps that

may have occurred. Summer school and

credit recovery programs will also be avail-

able to help in this process.”

Delton Kellogg Schools is set to receive

a total of $1,338,453, based on $1,143 per

student.

“It’s certainly, for our district, it’s a pretty

good sum of money,” Finance Director

Andrew Nuremberg said.

The funding the district has already

received in previous federal COVID-

packages has helped pay for most, if not all,

of the district’s pandemic expenses up to

this point.

The stimulus money will help the district

with credit recovery programs and interven-

tions to help students get back on track, as

well as pay for additional COVID expenses

next year, Nuremberg said.

According to guidelines released by the

Michigan Department of Education, 20 per-

cent of the stimulus funding must address

the loss in learning students have had

during the pandemic. The rest of the money

can be used to address a wide range of

COVID-impacted issues.

“We generally believe that decisions are

best made at the local level with fewer fed-

eral strings attached,” Berlin said. “With

that being said, we are extremely grateful

for the funds and don’t feel the strings are

overly onerous.”

Of all Barry County area school districts,

Maple Valley School officials expect to see

the most money from the stimulus, with

$2,494 per student for a total of $2,394,168.

“The stimulus funds will be a tremendous

help to us as we get through the reorganiza-

tion years following COVID,” Maple Valley

Superintendent Katherine Bertolini said.

“The impacts to learning and social emo-

tional outcomes have been significant, and

we intend to address them directly with our

expanding social work and counselling

staffers in every building, continued support

from ERESA, and a new arm of curriculum

and instruction focus that will be created

this spring for full implementation next

year.”

The district laid off its high school prin-

See STIMULUS, page 10