The Hastings Banner — Thursday, October 7, 2021 — Page 5KCC Lifelong Learning offering
classes in Hastings this fall
with a
SAXON SPIRIT
... let it show!
Celebrate the
SAXON SPIRIT
Homecoming Pre-Game
TAILGATE PARTY
FRIDAY, OCT. 8
TH
To show community support for our football team
and the spirit of being a Saxon,
is sponsoring a tailgate party with free grilled hot dogs,
chips and a drink to anyone before the homecoming game
with Northwest High School at the main entrance to
Baum Stadium at Johnson Field.NOTE: START TIME FOR THIS WEEK'S GAME WILL BE 7 P.M.
highpointcommunitybank.com
1-888-422-I-94 to Exit 104 | 11177 Michigan Avenue | Battle Creek, MI 49014
Must be 21 or older. Tickets based on availability. Schedule subject to change.TYLER HENRY • HOLLYWOOD MEDIUM
THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 18
KENNY G • THE MIRACLES HOLIDAY & HITS TOUR
THURSDAY, DECEMBER 9
DICK FOX’S GOLDEN BOYS
FRIDAY, MARCH 25, 2022THE HOTTEST
STARS
Tickets available now at the FireKeepers Box Office
or FireKeepersCasino.com.RANDY
HOUSER
SATURDAY,
OCTOBER 16FK-39145_Oct_MPA__EntBW_3.22x4.indd 1FK-39145_Oct_MPA__EntBW_3.22x4.indd 1 9/24/21 3:49 PM9/24/21 3:49 PMBUSINESS BRIEFS
HCB earns five-star rating
Highpoint Community Bank, headquar-
tered in Hastings, has earned another top rat-
ing from BauerFinancial Inc., a national
bank-rating firm. This marks the 48th consec-
utive quarter that Highpoint Community
Bank has earned this top rating and an even
higher designation as an “Exceptional
Performance Bank.” That designation is for
banks that have earned a 5-Star rating for 10
straight years or longer.
To earn a 5-Star rating, a bank must excel
under a rigorous, independent analysis of its
financial condition.
“The bankers at Highpoint Community
Bank know their customers, whether business
or consumer, and are ready to help them over-
come the financial hurdles of life, even
amidst a pandemic,” Karen Dorway, presi-
dent of BauerFinancial, said in a press release.
“And Highpoint Community Bank’s financial
strength gives them the resources to do it –
for the benefit of the whole community.”
Established in 1886, Highpoint Community
Bank has served the community for 135
years. More information is available at high-
pointcommunitybank.com.Union Bank
names new
vice presidents
Union Bank, now based out of Grand
Rapids, has announced the appointments of
Janet Torres as vice president of retail bank-
ing and deposit operations and Robert
Kowalewski as vice president and director of
business development.
Cortney Collison, president and chief
executive officer of Union Bank, announced
Torres’ appointment Oct. 1.
Torres brings a career in banking, recruit-
ing and talent management, project manage-
ment, and change leadership in the Greater
Grand Rapids area, including more than 19
years of diverse experience in the finance
industry. She is an innovative strategic leader
with local knowledge and a true understand-
ing for the banking needs of the communities
Union Bank serves, Collison said.
Torres lives in Byron Center with her hus-
band, Antonio, and five children.
Tim Doyle, executive vice president, chief
lending officer, announced the addition of
Kowalewski Oct. 5.
In his new role, Kowalewski will focus on
strategic initiatives to support and build the
bank’s brand in the various markets it serves.
He joins the organization with more than
30 years of diverse business development and
finance experience in the Greater Grand
Rapids area. He earned his undergraduate
degree from the Kramer School of
Management at Purdue University and grad-
uate degree from the University of Notre
Dame, graduating with honors. He and his
wife, Julie, have three children and reside in
East Grand Rapids.
Union Bank operates full-service banking
offices in Hastings, Lake Odessa, Ada,
Mulliken, Dimondale and Westphalia. More
information can be found at ubmich.com.
Janet TorresRobert KowalewskiLake Trust Credit Union moves to new Hastings location
Lake Trust Credit Union, a communi-
ty-based credit union serving nearly 200,
members and businesses throughout
Michigan, opened a new branch location on
M-43 Highway in Hastings.
The new branch, formerly a branch office
of Mercantile Bank of Michigan, was formal-
ly inaugurated with a special ribbon-cutting
ceremony at noon Sept. 28. The office, at
1500 West M-43 Highway, features a 4,
square-foot space to provide enhanced tech-
nology via drive-through video teller
machines with extended service hours, adrive-through 24/7 ATM with deposit capa-
bilities, night depository and a meeting space
designed to support community needs.
“Lake Trust is thrilled to continue our long-
standing relationship with the Hastings com-
munity and unveil this new location that will
allow the opportunity to connect with members
and support their path to financial wellbeing,”
Lake Trust CEO David Snodgrass said. “We
look forward to welcoming longtime members
and new faces to our Hastings branch.
“In celebration of our grand opening, Lake
Trust will donate $10 to Hand 2 Hand forevery new account opened from Sept. 29 to
Oct. 9 to support programs combatting week-
end food insecurity for West Michigan kids.”
Lake Trust Credit Union has 22 branches
across Michigan, from Detroit to Grand
Haven.
The Lake Trust Hastings branch is open
from 9 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Monday through
Thursday; from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Friday and 9
a.m. to 1 p.m. on Saturday.
For more information and a list of branch
locations, ATMs and shared branches, visit
http://www.laketrust.org.Lake Trust Credit Union's new branch office location on M-43 in Hastings offers drive-through video teller machines.
(Photo provided)Music or
mayhem?
To the editor:
Any goal should include purpose and
action, as well as unity of thought. However,
to carry through and achieve that goal, we
must agree on the course of action to get it
done.
It is also very important for everyone to
have their own opinion and point of view, as
our differences do add value and insight to
the situation at hand.
It’s like a symphony orchestra with many
different instruments. Separately, they all
have their own unique sound.
But, played together, produce music that
none could ever do alone.
Jim Brown, supervisor
Hastings Charter TownshipCounty ignores planners’ advice –
to the detriment of the county
To the editor:
The Barry County Board of Commissioners
totally ignore the recommendations of their
planning and zoning board and waste taxpayer
money paying for the work this board tries to
do. This comes about after the planning and
zoning board had two meetings, did site visits,
researched the issue and, by a 6-1 vote, came to
the conclusion to deny a rezoning request from
rural residential to mixed use for Bay Pointe’s
expansion of more “cottages” at Bay Woods.
Ignoring the issues of congested traffic,
pedestrian traffic safety and noise, county
Commissioner Bruce Campbell stated, “The
grounds of Bay Woods are immaculate with
beautiful white fencing” before he voted ‘yes’
to approve expansion of five more two-story
cottages.
He admitted that he doesn’t know a lot
about planning and zoning, so why then are
county commissioners voting on something
for which they are not qualified to make
informed decisions? In 10 minutes they dis-
cussed the issue and voted to rezone thesetwo parcels when it took the planning and
zoning board two meetings and several hours
of site review, questions and answers, plus
discussion at two meetings amongst them-
selves, to fully understand the detrimental
impact of the area if rezoning was allowed.
County residents should not be paying for
the total waste of taxpayer money that the
commissioners have entrusted the planning
and zoning board to do and then overrule
them in 10 minutes of discussion – all for the
sake of money.Bay Corp makes more money; the town-
ship will get more tax revenue money, but
ignore the safety and adverse impact on the
immediate area.
I’ve attended many planning and zoning
meetings and these board members are
well-informed, do their individual research
on issues before them, and I’m pleased with
their conscientious efforts to make Barry
County better for everyone.
Linda Ribble,
Orangeville TownshipChamber launches broadband
connectivity survey
Millions of Americans across the country
lack access to reliable, high-speed internet
connections. According to the U.S. Census
Bureau as of January, at least 3.8 million
households with school-aged children report-
ed infrequent or no access to the internet from
their homes.
Officials with the Barry County Chamber
and Economic Development Alliance say
they are committed to expanding access to
broadband service for homes and businesses
throughout local communities.
“Reliable and accessible broadband access
is critically important in our ever-connected
world,” Jennifer Heinzman, president/CEO at
Barry County Chamber and Economic
Development Alliance, said in a Sept. 27
press release. “Our goal is to expand access
for broadband service to all homes and busi-
nesses in Barry County.”
To identify and prioritize the needs, the
chamber and EDA staff have announced a
partnership with Chicago-based consulting
firm Antero Group to develop a comprehen-
sive assessment for strategic expansion of
broadband throughout the county for overall
improved internet access.
In support of this coordinated effort, offi-
cials have launched a set of surveys individu-
ally designed for households and businesses
and are asking the public to take a few min-
utes to complete the surveys.
The results of these surveys will be used to
determine the demand for internet service and
support efforts to address gaps in services
throughout Barry County. Responses are
being collected through Oct. 30. Responses
are limited to one survey per home or busi-
ness.
The home survey can be found at https://
bit.ly/BCMIhomebroadband.
Businesses can access the survey by visit-
ing https://bit.ly/BCMIbizbroadband.
All data collected will remain strictly con-
fidential and will solely be used to identify
critical eligible broadband expansion areas.Among the dozens of personal-en-
richment classes available through
Kellogg Community College’s Lifelong
Learning Department this fall are nine
classes offered on the College’s
Fehsenfeld Center campus in Hastings.
The new fall schedule – available
online at kellogg.edu/lifelong – includes
popular favorites as well as brand-new
classes, including the following:
September
Cryptozoology of North America,
1:30-3:30 p.m. Wednesdays, Sept.
29-Oct. 13.
Exploring Michigan Counties, 1:30-
3:30 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 30.
October
Barry County Civil War Soldiers, 10
a.m.-noon Monday, Oct. 4.
Retirement Planning, 6-9 p.m.
Wednesdays, Oct. 6-13.
Aviation at the Air Zoo, 1:30-2:
p.m. Thursday, Oct. 7 (discussion); 10
a.m.-noon Thursday, Oct. 14 (trip)
America’s First Ladies: Part 2, 1:30-
3:30 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 21.
Beatlemania, 10 a.m.-noon Monday,
Oct. 25.
Contemporary Christianity and
Culture, 1:30-3:30 p.m. Wednesdays,
Oct. 27-Dec. 15
November
Learn Magic Tricks for Adults, 1:30-
3:30 p.m. Monday, Nov. 15.
All Hastings classes will be offered
at KCC’s scenic 95-acre Fehsenfeld
Center campus, 2950 W. M-
Highway just west of Hastings.
Registration for all Lifelong
Learning classes and activities can be
completed online at kellogg.edu/life-
long. Registration also can be complet-
ed by calling KCC’s Lifelong Learning
Department, 269-965-4134, and regis-
tering with a credit or debit card; in
person at the Lifelong Learning office
in Room 305 of the Lane Thomas
Building on KCC’s North Avenue
campus in Battle Creek.
More information or assistance can be
provided by sending an email to ll-info@
kellogg.edu or calling 269-965-4134.