The Hastings Banner — Thursday, August 12, 2021 — Page 5from our readers
The Hastings Banner welcomes letters to the editor from readers, but
there are a few conditions that must be met before they will be published.
The requirements are:- All letters must be signed by the writer, with address and phone
number provided for verification. All that will be printed is the writer’s
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person per month. - We prefer letters to be printed legibly or typed, double-spaced.
Write Us A Letter:
MICHAEL KINNEY
PLUMBING
Licensed Master Plumber
Licensed Journeyman Plumber
New construction, remodel, repair, drain cleaning.
BRADFORD WHITE WATER HEATERS
Same Day Installation
Office (269) 948-
Mobile (269) 838-License
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- Independent and Assisted Living
- Spacious one and two bedroom apartments available
- Providing the comforts of home including
housekeeping and laundry services
Family Owned and Operated since 1999
Call for details: 269-795-4972 • http://www.CarvethVillage.com
690 W. Main Street, Middleville, MI 49333
More than 50% of adults have a positive
perception of ads in print newspapers.*
Want to be next to trusted
content? Place your ad in this
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Call this paper
or 800-227-
*Kantar Millward Brown, Feb. 2018THIS AD FOR SALE!
http://www.cnaads.comCarveth Village
of Middleville
http://www.CarvethVillage.com
“Remember... if you can’t live alone... live with us!
690 W. Main Street, Middleville, MI 49333
269-795-Carveth Village
CAREGIVERS FOR THE
ELDERLY WANTED
Looking for professional and dedicated
caregivers for our community to provide
assistance with ADLs, med passing, charting,
and contributing to life enrichment activities.
Long term opportunities and benefits available
with full-time and part-time flexible hours.Apply in person at
690 W. Main St., Middleville, MI 49333
or online at http://www.carvethvillage.comQUESTIONS:
ASK US...Hulst Cleaners Pick-Up StationSisters Fabrics
218 E. State St., Hastings • 945-
OPEN: Monday-Friday 8 am-5:30 pm;
Saturday 9 am-3 pm
In God We Trust >
QUESTIONS:
ASK US...
Sisters Fabrics
218 E. State St., Hastings • 945-
OPEN: Monday-Thursday 8 am-5:30 pm;
Friday 8 am-7 pm; Saturday 9 am-5:30 pm- New 108" Cotton in many colors
- Wolves, Cats, Golf, Fish,
Solid Colors, Christmas, Panels,
Animal & Children's Prints in Cotton - Flannel, Fleece, Ripstop Nylon,
Marine Vinyl - Zippers, Threads, Tapers & Trims
HASTINGS HIGH SCHOOL
CLASS OF 198140 Year Class Reunion
Saturday, Aug. 28th 2021
Hastings Summerfest Weekend
HASTINGS ELKS
120 E. Woodlawn Ave., Hastings
3:00 to5:00 p.m.At 5:00 p.m. we will move our party down to
The Walldorf upstairs in the Ball Room for
“Back to the 80’s Party”
There is a Facebook page for this event.
Back to the 80’sIF ANY QUESTIONS - CONTACT
ROBIN (KELLER) CHASE at
[email protected] or on FacebookControl should remain
with local authorities
To the editor:
Externalities are the side effects or
consequences of an industrial or commercial
activity that affects other parties without
being reflected in the cost of the goods or
services involved. Of course, this does not
mean these aren’t real costs. It means society
will have to pay those costs; they just won’t
be counted in a timely manner as part of the
bottom line of the company responsible or in
the prices consumers pay initially.
There are countless examples of the costs
society will have to pay for these externalities
when we have to deal with the pollution,
health problems, environmental degradation
and impacts on the quality of our lives. The
Kalamazoo River is a Superfund site with
toxic PCBs in river sediments and banks
carelessly released into the river system by
paper companies. The results render the fish
too toxic to eat and cost hundreds of millions
of dollars to remedy. The ground and surface
waters near the Wolverine shoe company in
Belmont and many other sites in Michigan are
dealing with PFAS contamination and all the
health hazards that represents.
In both examples, there was plenty of
evidence that the manufacturing practices
involved might lead to threats to the
environment and communities in the area
around these businesses, but because the
calculated costs of those practices didn’t
include the costs of those damages, the sound
business decision based on the bottom line
was to proceed. Who then pays the costs of
those externalities?
It’s too late to include those costs in the
business plan after the pollution is in the
environment and, more importantly, in the
people affected. The Superfund Law
(CERCLA act of 1980) and other federal and
state laws may give the government the power
to make those polluters clean up the
environment after the fact. But who pays for
the health damage once people have cancer or
hormonal, reproductive or immune problems?
The patients and their families, the health
insurance companies and, of course, the
taxpayers who fund the necessary medical
programs.
And what about costs that can’t be counted
easily in dollars and cents, such as the mental
anguish, family and societal disruption and
losses to our economy from damaged health
and lost lives?
Extraction industries have the potential to
create other kinds of externalities. The
Michigan Legislature is considering Senate
Bill 429-431 right now, a measure that would
remove all local control of permits requested
for mining operations. Under current Michigan
law, a local municipality cannot deny mining
operations if a permit applicant can
demonstrate that economically natural
resources are located in that municipality. The
primary agency that may grant the permits is
the Oil, Gas and Minerals Division of the
Department of Environment, Great Lakes and
Energy. But, under current law, local zoning
departments do have the authority to review
the site and operations to make sure problems
are prevented. SB 429 and 431 would
eliminate that authority.
There is a certain sound logic in the
principle that natural resources of economic
value will be found in specific locations and
that we should not prohibit all access outright.
Barry County is rich in sand and gravel
resources – called aggregate by the industry
- which can be used for road building and
other construction.
Like many other industrial practices, the
extraction of aggregate can result in problems,
in this case, excessive noise, dust, road
damage, degradation of ground and surface
waters and other environmental damage, plus
reduced property values in the vicinity. The
extraction industry would like to avoid having
to deal with these external costs.
Ideally, EGLE will regulate these operations
in such a manner that these problems would
be avoided, minimized or at least accompanied
or followed by restoration.
EGLE, however, has limited staff and
resources to conduct oversight and they would
visit the site of a mine infrequently. I do not
question the integrity of EGLE’s staff, but I
have extensive experience in environmental
activities, and I was the planning commission
chairman of Prairieville Township for 14
years.
In my experience, problems can be created
and go on for years in many cases before
adequate attention is given to a problem and,
even then, corrections are after the fact – if
they occur at all.
Some people argue that we should have a
statewide set of rules so extraction companies
know what to expect. I believe state regulations
should establish a minimum level of
protection, not a maximum. SB 429 would
explicitly prevent a municipality from having
more stringent controls.
Conditions at any mining site are unique to
that site. I contend that local authorities may
be more aware of local conditions and
concerns and willing to prevent problems.
Some people argue that placing limitations
on mining operations would increase the costs
of the materials obtained and, therefore,
increase the costs of construction. This may
be true, but remember there are those external
costs to the local community that are not
unusually factored in. The mining company,
construction companies and, eventually, the
consuming public would be the ones to pay
for preventing damage to the community
where that damage could occur.
Senate Bill 429 passed by a one-vote
margin. The senator representing Barry
County, John Bizon, R-Battle Creek, proposed
an amendment to Senate Bill 429 to exempt
Barry County. This was a cynical and
hypocritical attempt to look as if he was
trying to protect his constituents. That
amendment was never going to pass. He knew
the Senate would not give one county a pass
while enacting a bill that would apply to the
rest of the state.
After his amendment failed, Bizon voted
for SB 429. If it was a bad bill for Barry
County when he introduced that amendment,
it was a bad bill after his amendment failed.
He should have voted no. I sent him an email
telling him so.
The Senate Bill has been referred to the
House Local Government and Municipal
Finance Committee, which is chaired by state
Rep. Julie Calley, R-Portland, who also
represents Barry County. I have sent her an
email patterned on this letter to the editor. You
might want to let her know what you think
about SB 429, which would forbid local
governments from having any control over
mining.
The entire text of Senate bills 429 the 431
can be found at legislature.mi.gov.Dr. Kenneth M. Kornheiser,
Prairieville TownshipFacing an energy-efficiency quandary
To the editor:
While I commend Consumers Energy for
trying to get residential electric consumption
lowered between the hours of 2 and 7, I must
say one size does not fit all. First, as a retiree,
this means those of us who don’t go to a job
are paying more simply because we are at
home during the “summer peak hours.”
I have no clothes dryer, air conditioner or
fans. I don’t use the dry cycle on my dish-
washer, nor do I have an ice maker due to the
waste of energy required to release the cubes.
Almost every appliance is unplugged whennot in use, such as the TV, DVD player and
washing machine.
Since I have a tankless water heater, I guess
I’m not supposed to wash my hands in hot
water during peak hours since it will kick on
to warm up the water – not good during a
pandemic. And, due to the fact that I don’t
have a dryer and must depend on the sun to
dry clothes, I’m simply hoping it doesn’t rain
on the weekend since that’s apparently when I
need to do laundry, not after seven weekdays,
as the website suggests.
Recently in a doctor’s office, I could see thethermostat was set at 69 degrees. And most
businesses are so cold, I take a jacket in with
me. Are they being charged extra?
I use, on average, 3 kWh of electricity per
day. I honestly don’t know how I could use
any less energy. I’m tempted to have
Consumers Energy do an audit for me just to
watch them scratch their heads as they look
around the home that should be their poster
child of what energy efficiency is all about.Chris Lukasiewicz,
HastingsCall any time to place your
Hastings Banner classified ad
269-945-9554 or 1-800-870-City works through details of another
amendment to downtown development
Benjamin Simon
Staff Writer
When interim City Manager Gregg
Guetschow took the podium at Monday’s
Hastings City Council meeting, he started by
acknowledging the feeling in the room.
“I will preface my remarks by saying I’m
sure, to you, this seems like a project that will
never come to an end,” he said.
Guetschow was talking about the project
with AJ Veneklasen, a Grand Rapids-based
contractor planning to develop the property
at 128 N. Michigan Ave.
The city initially purchased the former
Moose Lodge in 2014 and had the building
razed in 2018, but, three years later, there’s
nothing on the land except for a sign. Instead,
the project continues to exist only in the city
council chambers, where the city worked
through the particulars of a sixth amendment
to its real estate agreement with AJ Veneklasen
Monday.
AJ Veneklasen plans to build a three-story
structure with 21 market-rate apartments and
2,630 square feet of retail space on the
ground level.
At the July 26 council meeting, the city
agreed to sell the property to AJ Veneklasen
at a lower price with the proviso that the
company complete the entire project by Nov.
13, 2022. The city would hold about $58,
in escrow, meaning that, if AJ Veneklasen
completed the building on time, the developer
would have to pay about $77,000. If they did
not finish on time, they would lose the
money in escrow and pay the complete
$135,000 they had previously agreed upon.
Monday, AJ Veneklasen representatives
returned with editing to the wording of the
sixth amendment – but that included two
additional adjustments to details they’dagreed upon at July 26 council meeting.
While one adjustment made minor changes
to the wording of the escrow funds, the other
shifted the terms of the deadline.
AJ Veneklasen representatives said they
could commit to finishing the residential
portion of the building by Nov. 13, 2022, but
not the retail space. They do not have anyone
lined up to fill that retail space, and expressed
concerns about being able to do so by that
deadline.
City council members agreed to the
changes with the condition that the wording
of the amendment be revised to more clearly
state the desires of both parties involved.
“The council was willing to be lenient.
They’re mostly interested in getting the
residential component done – that’s their
primary interest,” Guetschow said. “The
other is kind of a side benefit of having the
additional space in the downtown. But that
wasn’t the most important part, so the council
was willing to cut down a little bit of slack as
it relates to that portion of the project.”
For many council members, however, it
marked just one more bump in a long and
frustrating process.
“My opinion is that we need to take this
one last step,” Councilmember John
Resseguie said, “and, if they come back to us
again with some other change, we’re done.”
Although many members expressed
concern with the delayed construction, Don
Bowers was the only council member who
voted against the proposed changes.
“They keep reducing the amount, reducing
the amount,” Bowers said. “I don’t think
you’re doing this in good faith. And I
personally don’t like this because I think that
they are going to screw us around again.”
The next steps will include the two partiesclearing up the phrasing in the latest
amendment.
“The language that’s been proposed is a
little bit sloppy,” Guetschow said. “And so
we want to make sure that it passes muster
with our attorneys, so that there’s no question
about exactly what the parties intend.”
The real estate agreement should be
finalized by the closing deadline of Sept. 15,
with the hope of AJ Veneklasen starting
construction shortly after.
“ Can I guarantee that they won’t come
back for any more amendments?” Guetschow
said. “And the answer to that is I can’t
guarantee that either. I hope not.”
In other business:- Guetschow announced that they have a
signed agreement with Sarah Moyer-Cale to
become the next city manager. Moyer-Cale
will begin her role Sept. 13. Guetschow’s last
day as the city’s interim manager will be
Sept. 12. - The city approved a request from the
Elks Lodge to ban the sale of alcohol during
Summerfest in the social district. In a letter to
the council, Elks officials wrote, “As part of
our liquor license with the State of Michigan
it requires that we have written confirmation
from the local municipality that the Social
District permit holders will not sell or serve
alcohol for consumption in the Social District
during that period of the Summerfest Event,”
adding specific times of midnight Aug. 27
through 2 a.m. Aug. 29. - The city purchased Neptune small water
meters from Ferguson for $60,000, awarded
a $258,400 contract to Fedewa Inc. for the
rehabilitation of the north and south storage
tanks and approved the closing and capping
of underground storage tanks at the Hastings
City/Barry County Airport for $19,685.