Page 8 — Thursday, August 12, 2021 — The Hastings BannerRutland officials review plans for M-37 housing
Jean Gallup
Contributing Writer
The Rutland Planning Commission last
week discussed a proposed 36-unit housing
development across from the Barry County
fairgrounds on M-37 between Hastings and
Middleville.
Township Zoning Administrator Les
Raymond asked for time to talk about it on
agenda Aug. 4, stressing that the issue was not
a site plan review of the subdivision, but a
preliminary look to give commissioners’
developer Carl Algera’s basic concepts.
Planning commission Chairman Larry
Haywood said it was “a very good sketch.”
The drawing shows what Algera is plan-
ning to do in the medium-density residential
zone as a site condominium development.
Planning commission members do not con-
sider the houses in a condo land division, just
the lots, typically called units, to make sure
they meet township ordinances.
The development will not have condomini-
ums, Algera said, but there will be a home-
owners association with dues based on snow
removal of the 22-foot-wide private road.
“We’ll use the normal guidelines on main-
taining the yard and so on,” Algera said.
The homes will be built in one or two
phases, hopefully with a three-stall garage for
each.
“I don’t like to see a 10-by-10-foot shed in
every back yard,” Algera said.
The third bay could hold the normal things
a shed would; they also could build in a six-
by-six-foot area that would allow entry ofbikes and such from the front of the bay.
Algera is the general contractor of the proj-
ect. He intends to build each house himself
and landscape it since he is a licensed land-
scaper. His father owns an excavating busi-
ness and will do the excavating for the on-site
sewer systems. Each home would have brick
or stone on it, and Algera said he would like
to have sprinklers if the water wells are strong
enough. Utilities will be water, sewer, drains,
gas, electricity and cable.
“I’d like to build them all at once,” he said,
“but 10 a year would be awesome ... I’m
thinking of a two-story ranch-type, adequate
for a family. If we get approval, and it looks
like we will, I’ll build a website so people can
look at what we have.”
Algera resides on the property, on “Parcel
A” of about 10 acres. The parcel fronts M-
and is not part of the project, leaving 24.
acres of property for development.
He outlined several more ideas for what he
would like in the project, saying, “This is my
dream ... I don’t know how long this will last.
My goal is just to get going ... some of my
dreams may not happen.”
“This step was not [technically] necessary,”
Raymond told commissioners. “I just wantedto get a step up on it. He was just explaining
what he wanted; you won’t have to deal with
all of this.”
In other business, the commissioners and
planning consultant Rebecca Harvey contin-
ued working on details of a township marijua-
na ordinance. They discussed using the spe-
cial land use permit as the best way to control
marijuana facilities, and felt there was no
need to open up light industrial zoning areas
to marijuana facilities when so much agricul-
ture zoned land is available. They will consid-
er operating hours for marijuana operations
and agreed they should set safety standards of
1,000 foot buffers between any marijuana
facility and recreation areas, churches, schools
and parks.
In his monthly report, Raymond said he
and fellow commissioner James Blake and
township Trustee Gene Hall visited a large
marijuana operation in Pinconning Township
in Bay County. The security at the
140,000-square-foot facility was exceptional,
Raymond said, and its cleanliness put it in the
same league as a hospital.
They were given tours and treated very
well, and he said he thinks the operators, “are
well versed in what they’re doing.”Lake Odessa
Call 269-945-
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Review your IRA, 401(k)
beneficiaries
If you’ve had an IRA and a
401(k) for many years, you may
occasionally ask yourself some
questions: “Am I contributing
enough?” “Am I still funding
these accounts with the right mix
of investments for my goals and
risk tolerance?” But here’s one
inquiry you might be overlook-
ing: “Have I used the correct
beneficiary designations?” And
the answer you get is important.
It wouldn’t be surprising if
you haven’t thought much about
the beneficiary designation – af-
ter all, it was just something you
once signed, possibly a long time
ago. Is it really that big a deal?
It could be. For one thing,
what if your family circum-
stances have changed since you
named a beneficiary? If you’ve
remarried, you may not want
your former spouse to receive
your IRA and 401(k) assets or the
proceeds of your life insurance
policy, for which you also named
a beneficiary.
However, upon remarrying,
many people do review their es-
tate plans, including their wills,
living trusts, durable powers of
attorney and health care direc-
tives. If you’ve revised these
documents, do you have to worry
about the old beneficiary desig-
nations? You might be surprised
to learn that these previous des-
ignations can supersede what’sin your updated will and other
documents. The end result could
be an “accidental” inheritance in
which your retirement accounts
and insurance proceeds could
end up going to someone who is
no longer in your life.
Furthermore, your retirement
plans and insurance policy may
not just require a single benefi-
ciary – you may also be asked to
name a contingent beneficiary,
to whom assets will pass if the
primary beneficiary has already
died. As you can imagine, the sit-
uation could become quite mud-
dled if stepchildren are involved
in a remarriage.
To avoid these potential prob-
lems, make sure to review the
beneficiary designations on all
of your accounts at some point –
and especially after a significant
change in your family situation.
If you see something that is out-
dated or incorrect, contact your
retirement account administrator- or your insurance representa-
tive, in the case of life insurance - to request a change-of-benefi-
ciary form.
And if you really want to be
on the safe side, you may want to
enlist a legal professional to help
you with this review to make
sure the beneficiary designa-
tions reflect your current family
situation and are consistent with
what’s in your estate plans.
In fact, if you’re already
working with an experienced
estate planning attorney – and
you should – you might also
pick up some other suggestions
for dealing with beneficiaries.
Just to name one, it’s generally
not a good idea to name minor
children as beneficiaries. Be-
cause children can’t control the
assets until they become adults,
a court would likely have to
name a guardian – one that you
might not have wanted. Instead,
you could either name your own
custodian to manage the assets
designated to the minor or estab-
lish a trust for the benefit of the
minor, which can distribute the
money in several disbursements
over a period of years – which is
often a good move, since young
adults aren’t always the best at
managing large lump sums.
If you’re like many people,
you have a strong desire to leave
something behind. But you’ll
want to do it in the right way. So,
pay close attention to your bene-
ficiary designations – when you
first create them and throughout
your life.This article was written by Ed-
ward Jones for use by your local
Edward Jones Financial Advisor.
Edward Jones, Member SIPCJim Lundin
Financial Advisor
2169 W. M-43-Hwy., Suite A
Hastings, MI 49058
(269) 818-Financial FOCUS
Provided by the Barry County
offices of Edward JonesJeff Domenico, AAMS®
Financial Advisor
450 Meadow Run Dr. Suite 100
Hastings, MI 49058
(269) 948-Member SIPCElaine Garlock
The municipal parking lot on Fourth Avenue
between the dental building and the medical
building of Dr. Richard Barnett is having
major work done this week. This space, in
the early 1960s, was occupied by five wooden
store buildings left from an earlier era. They
had been occupied by a ladies’ dress shop
and a pool room in the later years of their
occupancy. One or more may have been
occupied for family living quarters.
The new parking lot provided a much
needed service to the village. Remember when
Richard Doane had the blank south wall of his
building painted with the motto, “Go Vikes?”
Fellowship Hall held a joyous event Monday
midday when United Methodist Women
of the host church gathered for their annual
salad luncheon with many guests from other
churches. Kathy Dobie of Potterville was the
guest speaker/singer with an entertaining,
uplifting program with music and the spoken
word. She is the daughter-in-law of the late
Gerald Dobie (wife Marcie) of Ottland
Shores. Guests were treated to a variety of
salads, vegetables, rolls and cool beverages
along with coffee. Among the guests were
three clergy persons.
Well after the crime scene crisis was past,the Mobil gas station east of Woodland was
still marked with police tape to prevent
anyone from entering the premises. Pity the
station owner manager who loses income
every day the drives are closed. One can only
hope that in the days that followed, there
was an influx of business, even the curiosity
seekers, to compensate for the loss of income
immediately following the episode.
Tomatoes are ripening fast. The vines are
showing signs of their maturity with yellowing
leaves. This seems early for such a happening.
Sunflowers are at their best. Certain varieties
now tower above everything else in the
gardens of those who planted this spectacular
flower in the spring. Some of the tall stalks
have already collapsed from the weight of the
heavily loaded heads.
Work continues on the Emerson Street
project. Because of this, all the incoming
traffic of semi-trucks loaded with green beans
have to approach Twin City Foods by other
routes instead of having a straight route from
Jordan Lake Highway to the plant at the west
end of Emerson Street. Those trucks take up
a lot of room at the intersections with Fourth
Avenue and Tupper Lake Street. Its best for
drivers to give those bean trucks a wide berth,
allowing them to make the turn safely.The Family Support Center of Barry CountyThe Family Support Center of Barry CountyThe Family Support Center of Barry County
&&&
The General StoreThe General StoreThe General Store
are collaborating to supportare collaborating to supportare collaborating to support
Child Abuse Prevention Month!Child Abuse Prevention Month!Child Abuse Prevention Month!
(^)
ReceReceive a Pinwheel with every purchase made on April 20,Receive a Pinwheel with every purchase made on April 20,ive a Pinwheel* with every purchase made on April 20,
202120212021
Be sure to mention the FSC and The General Store willBBe sure to mention the FSC and The General Store wille sure to mention the FSC and The General Store will
donate 10% of all sales to the Family Support Center.ddonate 10% of all sales to the Family Support Center.onate 10% of all sales to the Family Support Center.
(^)
(^)
The Family Support Center of Barry County would like to thank the
following Sponsors for their support of the 20th Annual Elk’s Sponsored
Family Support Center Golf Outing. In addition, we want to thank the
staff at The Legacy of Hastings for their great customer service and
support.
Title Sponsor
Hastings Elk’s #
Platinum Sponsor
Murray’s Asphalt
Diamond Sponsors
Barry Associates, Inc.
Burnips Equipment
Coleman Agency
Flexfab, LLC
Highpoint Community Bank
Law Offices of Carol Jones Dwyer
Munn Manufacturing
Gold Sponsors
Converse Family
Edward Jones Investments –
Andrew Cove
Stacey Garrison, DDS
Key Cleaning Services
Mullenhurst Golf Course
Other Sponsorships & Donors
Amanda Castelein
Advanced Eyecare Professionals
Barnes Dental
Char and Larry MacDonald
Trilander Multi Sport Club
Hastings NAPA Auto Parts
Hungry Howie’s
Inspiration Studio Designs
J-Ad Graphics
Kiwanis Clb of Hastings
Les’s Sanitary Service
Connie McMillian
Mexican Connexion
Mid-Michigan Insurance Group
Progressive Graphics
Southside Pediatrics
Storrs Family
The General Store of South
Jefferson Street
The Legacy at Hastings
Thornapple Credit Union
Traveler’s Protective Association
Walker, Fluke and Sheldon
Thank you to all the golfers and volunteers for their continued
support in helping us with our mission to “eliminate and prevent child
abuse and neglect through awareness, advocacy and education”.
Congratulations to our First Place Winners “Tossy’s Team” sponsored by
Munn Manufacturing.
SOCIAL SECURITY
MATTERS
Retirement planning
tips for women
Vonda VanTil
Public Affairs Specialist
One day in 1939, Ida May Fuller stopped
by the Social Security office in her hometown
of Rutland, Vt., to inquire about Social
Security benefits. She had been paying into
Social Security and wanted to learn more. The
following year, she received the first Social
Security benefit payment – $22.54 – arriving
as check number 00-000-001. Ida’s story still
holds lessons for women today, and it started
with her getting the information she needed.
Today, signing up for a personal My
Social Security account at ssa.gov/myaccount
can help you get information tailored for you
to plan for your retirement. It’s never too late
to start planning. Ida was 65 years old when
she started receiving benefit payments, but
she lived well beyond her life expectancy of
65 years, 4 months. In fact, Ida lived to be 100
years old, and received Social Security benefit
payments for 35 years.
It’s important to create your personal My
Social Security account as soon as possible.
With your account, you can view estimates of
future benefits, verify your earnings, and view
the estimated Social Security and Medicare
taxes you’ve paid. Verifying earnings is
important because your future benefit is based
on your earnings history.
Your Social Security benefit payments
will provide only a portion of your pre-
retirement income. You may have to save
more to have adequate income for your
desired lifestyle in retirement.
Savings need to be an active part of your
plan to take care of yourself and your family’s
financial future. Ida never married. She
supported herself. However, you may find
yourself widowed or divorced – and having to
provide for yourself for several more years.
Unlike in Ida’s day, you can go online to see
if you’re eligible at ssa.gov/retirement to
receive a current, deceased, or former spouse’s
benefits. It might make financial sense to
claim those benefits instead of your own –
since the payments could be higher based on
the individual’s own earnings history.
We encourage you to follow Ida’s example
and plan for your financial future. Share this
information with your friends and family and
help us spread the word on social media.
Vonda VanTil is the public affairs specialist
for West Michigan. You may write her c/o
Social Security Administration, 3045 Knapp
NE, Grand Rapids MI 49525, or via email to
[email protected].
Shelby Lynn Chodyniecki, Middleville and
Ryan Daniel Byxbe, Middleville
Robert Michael Jordan, Nashville and
Christine Ann James, Nashville
Angela Christine Willing, Chicago, IL and
Daniel Lewis Rabbitt, Chicago, IL
Leeann Michelle Shaw, Delton and Alex
Gregory Lowe, Delton
Wendy Kay McCracken, Delton and
Russell James Scobey, Delton
Kenzie Nicole Brummelhoff, Delton and
Ghabriel Richard Domeier, Grand Rapids
Daniel John Holman, Hastings and Kendra
Marie Mitchell, Hastings
Andrea Kay Hartman, Lake Odessa and
Robert Raymond Bond, Lake Odessa
Kaylyn Rae Armstrong, Hastings and
Steven George Bolo
Ashley Elizabeth Lennon, Hickory Corners
and Christine Stephanie Stefanic, Hickory
Corners
Bailey Ann Yonkers, Woodland and Devon
Jacob Kim, Hastings
Michael Mouch, Freeport and Kristina
Welton, Freeport
Doug Allen Eicher, Hastings and Alexandra
Kaitlin Mesecar, Hastings
Jennifer Sue Hurst, Toledo, OH and Joseph
Richard Hessling, Toledo, OH
Donna Kay Oostema, Middleville and
Randall Lee Goodrich, Middleville
Steven Timothy Miller, Shelbyville and
Kimberly Lynn Totzke, Springfield
Ashley Elizabeth Ulberg, Hastings and Ty
Matthew Van Alstine, Hastings
Brie Lovina Brubaker, Wayland and Travis
Michael Burton, Wayland
Ronald Curtis Vander Linden, Grand
Rapids and Krynn Briana Feutz, Middleville
Rosemarie Ann Poulson, Shelbyville and
Brett David Marsh, Shelbyville
Zachary Grant Wyman, Delton and Maggie
Jo Spencer, Hastings
Paul James Hines, Ashland, WI and Kelsey
Judith Frieberg, Saint Paul, MN
Dylan Eugene Dunklee, Hastings and
Stephanie Greg Bumford, Hastings
Audrey Francis Bartus, Denver, CO and
Alexander Scott Whittier, Denver, CO
David Dwayne-Vern Irwin, Wayland and
Rose Marie Leblanc, Wayland
Jared Dennis Ballard, Hastings and Addy
Atreides Willard, Hastings
David Dale Deweese, Hastings and Megan
Ruth Richards, Hastings
Matthew Webster Morse, Hickory Corners
and Bianca Marie Williams, Hickory Corners
Lester J. Mullet, Nashville and Susann D.
Hershberger, Nashville
Eric Bradley Hall, Marshall and Emily Sue
Brecht, Battle Creek
James Jeffrey Wilber, Hastings and Emily
Sue Brecht, Battle Creek
Amy Joy Miller, Hastings and David Lynn
Ockerman, Dowling
Pamela Jill Gross, Palm Springs, CA and
Lucas Adam Rosencrans, Los Angeles, CA
Jacob Paul Piotrowski, Delton and Alyson
Kristine Huver, Delton
Marie Hannah Hendrickson, Lake Odessa
and Connor Lloyd-Jackson Blough, Lake
Odessa
High winds take
down trees – and stairs
High winds tore through mid-Michigan Tuesday night, knocking down trees and
cutting power to more than 250,000 Michigan residents. According to the National
Weather Service, wind gusts reached between 60 and 70 mph in several areas of the
state. Parts of an old stairway landing outside the Walldorff Brewpub & Bistro in
downtown Hastings were nearly ripped off the side of the building during the storm.
The area around the building was blocked off with cones and caution tape to protect
passers-by. (Photo by Taylor Owens)