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The Sun and News, Saturday, August 28, 2021/ Page 3

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After that date, the village
can begin accepting applica-
tions for special land uses
and business licenses,
Assistant Village Manager
and Planning/Zoning
Administrator Brian
Urquhart said.
Council Trustee Mike
Cramer said he wasn’t com-
fortable with the idea of the
ordinances going into effect
Sept. 11, which is the 20th
anniversary of the terrorist
attacks on the United States.
“I’m all for [the ordinanc-
es], I just don’t want it to go
active on Sept. 11,” Cramer
said.
Village voters in
November 2018 supported
Proposal 1, the statewide bal-
lot measure that legalized the
use of marijuana for recre-
ational purposes. Sixty per-
cent of the village voters in
that election – 793 voters in
total – voted to approve the
proposal, while 528 voters
voted no, according to coun-
ty election records.
In April 2019, the village
council voted to hold off on
legalizing marijuana estab-
lishments in the village, with
the planning commission to
revisit the ordinance once the
state had finalized its regula-
tions. Commissioners began
crafting the ordinance lan-
guage in January 2020 at the
direction of the council. A
public hearing June 28 at
Thornapple Kellogg High
School drew fewer than 20
people, only four of whom
spoke.

“It’s been a long journey,”
Urquhart said.
He said he expects interest
in licenses to set up marijua-
na businesses in Middleville.
“I anticipate that we will
get several applications in,”
Urquhart said.
Several individuals have
expressed interest in estab-
lishing marijuana businesses
in the community. One is
Shawn Benner, who last year
launched Lumberjack’s
Provisioning Center, a medi-
cal and adult use facility on
M-37 in Baltimore Township,
which was the first munici-
pality in Barry County to
allow for marijuana busi-
nesses. Benner also has an
adult-use marijuana growing
facility in the township.
“I’m going to try to work
my way with you people and
hopefully do something in
Middleville,” Benner said,
after congratulating the
council on adopting the ordi-
nances.
Cascade Township resi-
dent Jason Gyorki, who said
he often visits Middleville
and frequents its businesses,
also has an interest.
“I’m looking to start a
business, and I think
Middleville would be a great
place,” said Gyorki, who has
a professional background in
facilities management.
“Unfortunately, my township
has not opted to take the
voice of the people that voted
for it, which is a pretty good
percentage ... it’s kind of
fallen on deaf ears.”

Scoring criteria for appli-
cants will include back-
ground, including past own-
ership experience; number of
full-time employees in the
business and employees from
within the village; presenta-
tion of a business plan,
financing plan and marketing
plan; physical investment in
the property; a security plan
to deter and prevent unautho-
rized entrance into the busi-
ness; design of the business;
impact on neighboring prop-
erties, including residences;
impact on infrastructure and
energy efficiency, village
documents show.
Council Trustee Mike
Lytle was the lone “no” vote
on both ordinances. He cited
a negative experience with
marijuana at a party years
ago as the reason for his
decision.
“I know what it did to me.
I just don’t want to make it
easier for somebody to get
marijuana, and go down and
get a six-pack or a case of
beer,” Lytle said.
It’s likely to be at least a
couple of months before the
first applications for special
land uses will be addressed
by the village, Urquhart said.
“The way our submittal
deadlines have already been
established by the planning
commission, the soonest you
would be heard would be at
the November planning com-
mission meeting,” Urquhart
said.

Middleville


TOPS 546
The Aug. 23 meeting
opened with roll call and the
secretary’s report.
One fish jumped back into
the fishbowl.
Chris talked about how get-
ting eight hours of sleep each
night can help with weight
loss. A sleepy body is a hun-
gry body. Less than seven
hours of sleep a night may
lead to health problems.
Weight loss improves sleep
quality and quantity.
Chris won the Ha-Ha box.
The meeting ended with
the KOPS and TOPS pledges.
TOPS, a weight loss group
meets every Monday at
Lincoln Meadows in
Middleville. (Press Apt. 205
for entrance.) Weigh-in is
from 4 to 4:15 p.m., and
meetings begin at 4:15. A
mask must be worn when in
the building for those not vac-
cinated. Social distancing is
practiced.
Anyone with questions
may call Chris, 259-953-


  1. The first meeting is
    free.


EEE-positive mosquito


pool found in Barry County


Residents urged


to take


precautions


Michigan residents are
being reminded by the
Michigan Department of
Health and Human Services
to protect themselves from
mosquito bites following the
detection of the first Eastern
Equine Encephalitis-positive
mosquito pool of the year in
Barry County.
The discovery in Barry
County follows a report by
the Michigan Department of
Agriculture and Rural
Development of an EEE-
positive horse from
Livingston County and
underscores the need for both
Michigan residents and horse
owners to take precautions.
“These discoveries indi-
cate that the EEE virus is
here in Michigan and pro-
vides warning that residents
could also become infected
by a mosquito,” said Dr.
Joneigh Khaldun, MDHHS
chief medical executive and
chief deputy director for
health. “Michigan residents
are urged to take precautions
and protect themselves from
mosquito bites as EEE is one
of the most dangerous mos-
quito-borne diseases in the
U.S., with a 33-percent fatal-
ity rate among humans who
become ill.”
EEE has a 90-percent
fatality rate in horses that
become ill, and infection in
both people and animals
occurs through the bite of an
infected mosquito. EEE is


not spread from per-
son-to-person.
Signs of EEE include the
sudden onset of fever, chills,
and body and joint aches.
Illness can eventually devel-
op into severe encephalitis,
resulting in headache, disori-
entation, tremors, seizures
and paralysis. Permanent
brain damage, coma and
death also may occur in some
cases.
This is the first year the
MDHHS Bureau of
Laboratories has been per-
forming testing on mosqui-
toes collected by local health
departments and academic
partners. To date, over 43,
mosquitoes have been tested.
Residents can stay healthy
by following steps to avoid
mosquito bites:


  • Apply insect repellents
    that contain the active ingre-
    dient DEET, or other U.S.
    Environmental Protection
    Agency-approved product, to
    exposed skin or clothing, and
    always follow the manufac-
    turer’s directions for use.

  • Wear long-sleeved shirts
    and long pants when out-
    doors. Apply insect repellent
    to clothing to help prevent
    bites.

  • Maintain window and
    door screening to help keep
    mosquitoes outside.

  • Empty water from mos-
    quito breeding sites around
    the home, such as buckets,
    unused kiddie pools, old tires
    or similar sites where mos-
    quitoes may lay eggs.

  • Use nets and/or fans over
    outdoor eating areas.
    “For horses, EEE is a seri-


ous but preventable disease,”
said State Veterinarian Nora
Wineland, DVM. “Positive
mosquito pools can help to
identify areas of risk. Horse
owners should work with
their veterinarian to develop
a plan to protect their ani-
mals.”
To safeguard their horses,
owners could take the fol-
lowing measures:


  • Talking to a veterinarian
    about vaccinating horses
    against EEE.

  • Placing horses in a barn
    under fans (as mosquitoes
    are not strong flyers) during
    peak mosquito activity from
    dusk to dawn.

  • Using an insect repellant
    on the animals approved for
    the species.

  • Eliminating standing
    water on the property-i.e., fill
    in puddles, repair eaves, and
    change the water in buckets
    and bowls at least once a day.

  • Contacting a veterinarian
    if a horse shows signs of the
    illness: mild fever and stum-
    bling, which can progress to
    being down and struggling to
    stand.
    In addition, health depart-
    ment officials are reporting
    that West Nile virus activity
    in Michigan has increased in
    wildlife and mosquito popu-
    lations.
    Health officials have iden-
    tified 11 positive mosquito
    pools and 10 infected ani-
    mals in the Lower Peninsula.
    No human cases of West
    Nile virus have been reported
    to date; however, a case has
    been reported in a horse from
    Midland County.
    Mosquito-borne illness
    will continue to be a risk in
    Michigan until late fall when
    nighttime temperatures con-
    sistently fall below freezing.
    For more information
    about mosquito-borne dis-
    eases, visit Michigan.gov/
    emergingdiseases.


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