Page 2 — Thursday, October 28, 2021 — The Hastings Banner
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Candy, Cider, Donuts
FRIDAY, OCTOBER 29TH
Time: 5:30 until 7:
First Presbyterian
Church
Parking Lot
405 N M-37 Hwy.
Hastings, MI 49058
(event will move inside if weather
is inclement)Health department welcomes
new medical director
The Barry-Eaton District Health
Department has announced Dr. Julie Kehdi as
the department’s new medical director. Dr.
Kehdi succeeds Dr. Daniel Woodall, who
announced his resignation in the summer and
worked with the department through most of
September.
Dr. Kehdi, a Michigan native, completed
medical school and residency through
Michigan State University. Her fellowship
was in infectious diseases at Rush University
Medical Center in Chicago where she treated
many people with difficulty accessing care in
highly diverse cultural and clinical popula-
tions.
Dr. Kehdi has been practicing in Michigan
since.
As an infectious disease specialist, she has
a passion for antimicrobial stewardship and
the long-term positive effects careful pre-
scribing can have on a person and population.
Dr. Kehdi said in a press release that she is
drawn to the infectious disease field because
it is full of new developments and challenges,
which the local health department has become
familiar with over the past 20 months through
the COVID-19 pandemic response.
“Much of what we do in [infectious dis-
ease] ties into public health seamlessly, both
currently and historically,” Dr. Kehdi said.
“This includes everything from administering
immunizations to environmental monitoring
for public health risks, such as with zoonotic
infections.”
“The Barry-Eaton District Health
Department is thrilled to welcome Dr. Kehdi
in her new position as our medical director,”
said Colette Scrimger, BEDHD health officer.
“As we continue to respond to the COVID-
pandemic, we look forward to utilizing Dr.
Kehdi’s extensive expertise in the realm of
infectious disease. Dr. Kehdi offers a fresh
perspective to our community, which benefits
the health and well-being of all Barry and
Eaton County residents.”
Although Dr. Kehdi is new to public health
in a formal setting, she said she is looking
forward to growing and learning within the
department and helping the local health
department achieve its vision of creating a
community where everyone has the opportu-
nity to live a long, healthy, and active life.Area groups, churches host Halloween events
This weekend will bring all sorts of
Halloween and fall events in the area.
Youngsters will be out in the neighbor-
hoods in local communities Sunday evening.
However, other events are planned Friday
and Saturday as well, including:- First Presbyterian Church of Hastings
will have candy, cider and doughnuts avail-
able during its trunk-or-treat event, 5:30-7:
p.m. Friday, Oct. 29. Activities will take
place in the parking lot of the church, 405 N.
M-37. However, the event will be moved
indoors if weather is inclement. - Historic Charlton Park will host All
Hallows Eve from 3 to 6 p.m. Saturday, Oct.
30, with trick-or-treating, an autumn-themed
maze and more. The cost is $5 for anyone age
13 and up. (See separate story.) - Hastings Free Methodist Church will host
trunk or treat from 5 to 7 p.m. Sunday, Oct.
- Costumes are encouraged. The church, at
2635, N. M-43 Highway, will have free
candy and kid-friendly games.
Delton
- Delton Moose Lodge will host a Kids
Halloween Party beginning at 1 p.m. Saturday,
Oct. 30. Activities will include a costume
contest, a magician and pumpkin painting.
Free hot-dogs will be available. The lodge is
at 5420 Moose Lodge Drive, two miles north
of Delton on M-43.
Dowling area - Pleasantview Family Church is preparing
for its Trunk ‘n’ Treat event Friday, Oct. 29.
Activities will be from 6 to 7:30 p.m. The
church is at 2601 Lacey Road, Dowling, - Country Chapel will host its Fall Bash
from 5:30 to 8 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 30.
Costumes are optional, but games, candy and
chili are planned. The church is at 9275 S.
M-37 Highway, Dowling.
Gun Lake area - Gun Lake Community Church will host a
harvest party from 5 to 7 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 31.
Youngsters are invited to dress up in costumes
and trick or treat indoors on the “Halloween
Trail.” Free hot dogs and chips will be provid-
ed, along with candy. The church is at 12200
W. M-179 Highway, Wayland.
Nashville - Grace Church will host a trunk-or-treat
event in the Highpoint Community Bank
parking lot, 310 Main St., from 5:30 to 7 p.m.
Sunday, Oct. 31.
Hatfield followed up by expressing con-
cern, especially without a streetscape plan to
offer solutions.
“If staff is so interested in taking the trees
down, what’s their plan for replacing?” she
asked. “Cement in a hole isn’t a replace-
ment.”
Hatfield requested that city officials wait
until the DDA talks further about the subject,
suggesting they reach out to tree experts.
“Do we want to be the community of no
trees?” she asked.
This is another example of why the city
needs to move forward with the streetscape
plan, said Moyer-Cale, who plans to meet
with an urban forestry expert Friday to deter-
mine the urgency of removing the trees.
“While you’re going through this [streets-
cape] process, downtown is not staying the
same. It is deteriorating,” she said.
She noted the benefits of having trees, but,
if torn down, the city would have to wait for
the finalized streetscape plan to replace them.
Dan King, the city’s community develop-
ment director, pointed to a number of reasons
for the delayed streetscape plan, most notably
the COVID-19 pandemic limiting in-person
meetings. Some committee members
expressed concern about the current streets-
cape plan that was drafted by McKenna, a
planning company.
“[McKenna Planning Consultant Rebecca
Harvey] gave us 100 suggestions with no
clear plan,” Denton said. “So, we can do
hanging baskets and this or we can make the
streets wider and this or the sidewalks wider.
“She gave us 100 ideas, but no real plan.
We haven’t narrowed that down.”
During Thursday’s DDA meeting, commit-
tee members revisited the streetscape plan in
hopes of determining the next steps. They’re
still in the drafting phase.
Moyer-Cale said she would work with
King to find a time, whether through a special
or regularly scheduled meeting, for the DDA
to finalize its vision for the streetscape plan.
“We can sort of disassemble the documentand categorize it into various pieces and then
make decisions about each one of those to
create something more cohesive,” she said.
As they move forward, Moyer-Cale, who
worked on the Paw Paw streetscape plan
before coming to Hastings, said she hopes to
solicit more community feedback. Although
the DDA hosted a community workshop
before drafting the plan, she wants to recon-
nect with the people of Hastings as the final
draft is solidified.
“The downtown belongs to everyone,” she
said.
One of the most important questions will
be how to fund the project. The 75-page
streetscape plan focuses on improvements
from “building face to building face” in the
downtown district, Moyer-Cale said. That
will include streets, sidewalks, crosswalks,
plants, lighting, street furnishing and parking.
Even with grants, Moyer-Cale warned the
DDA it would not be able to cover the cost of
the project, which will run close to $14 mil-
lion.
“There has to be buy-in from the commu-
nity as a whole, not just from the DDA board,
but also from the entire Hastings community,
residents and businesses, as well as probably
the planning commission, to ensure that
whatever the streetscape plan is, it’s in line
with the master plan,” she said. “And certain-
ly city council, because that’s where the
majority of the funds are probably going to
come from.”
In other news from the meeting:- Following the discussion of the streets-
cape plan, King provided an update on the
Royal Coach Apartments that will bring 54
rental units and 19 townhouses to the city.
King said the contractor, General Capital,
submitted its Phase 1 foundation plan to
Professional Code Inspectors, ensuring that
the ground is prepared to support a building.
General Capital is still finalizing the engi-
neering and architectural plans. - The DDA held its annual informational
meeting to review where the board spent tax
increment financing money.- The board approved arts and events coor-
dinator Maiya Merrick to attend the Michigan
Festival and Events Conference for $899. - Board members reviewed the September
and quarterly report on the electrical vehicle
charging station. The city received $27 in
September and $37 during the quarter.
“It’s an additional draw for economic
development,” King said. “It’s a service, but
people are using it. The cost is not prohibitive
so far.” - During the board comment section, Lynn
Denton brought up the idea of building a
parking garage in the downtown area. He
pointed to a free parking structure in Marshall
as a model for Hastings.
“We have all these ideas, but we never
really have a plan,” he said. “... We’re just
sitting here spinning our wheels.”
With the future housing developments
coming to the city, Hatfield agreed that the
city needed to consider additional parking.
She suggested making a priority of complet-
ing Parking Lot 8, at Apple and Jefferson
streets, which still has a gravel surface, by the
time the apartments go up on 128 N. Michigan
Ave.
“We need to focus really hard,” Hatfield
said of future parking. “Even if we only have
100 units, what if it’s just 100 cars? I just
don’t know where 100 cars are going to park
right now.” - King announced that a local resident has
made a bid to buy the vacant former gas sta-
tion, which is a privately owned property on
South Michigan Avenue. This is believed to
be the only bid, Moyer-Cale said, and it is not
clear what the bidder plans to do with the
property. Moyer-Cale said she does not know
the identity of the bidder or the amount that
was offered for the property.
“After maybe 30 years of [being] a derelict
site, it’ll be cleaned up, whether it’s going to
be used for parking or maybe some type of
housing component, that site finally will be
brought back,” King said.
King said he expects the project to finish
sometime during the summer of 2022.
When the project does begin, it will cause
closure along Michigan Avenue from State
Street to Apple Street for about a week.
In other business, during the public com-
ment portion of the meeting, Adam Heikkila,
the owner of iGeek Repair & Gaming in
downtown Hastings, questioned why his
phones were seized by the Hastings Police
Department.
During the Sept. 23 Barry-Eaton County
Board of Health meeting, Heikkila said, he
made a citizen’s arrest of the Barry-Eaton
District Health Officer Colette Scrimger.
“We have individuals in this community
that are going to be requesting every single bit
of information for why my cellular devices
were taken under warrant and why I am being
so hardly prosecuted and come after,” Heikkila
said, referring to the health board meeting.
“I did activities that are lawful and just,”
Heikkila said. “The police department has notonce reached out to me and asked me one
thing about the lawful private-person arrest
that I did.
“When I did that, it was a lawful activity.”
In other action at Monday’s meeting, the
council:- Approved a request to host Veterans Day
ceremonies at 11 a.m. Nov. 11 at the veteran
plaza in Tyden Park. - Appointed Moyer-Cale to the Barry
County Solid Waste Oversight Committee. - Approved adoption of commercial facili-
ties exemption certificate on the property at
128 N. Michigan. - Accepted tree planting bid of $13,
from County Line Nurseries. The trees will
be placed in various locations across town. - Approved the purchase of a new
heavy-duty pick-up truck for $33,367. - Approved $12,000 for large water heater
testing and repairs. - Adopted a special-assessment district
for public parking in the downtown area.
The district will cover parking lot mainte-
nance.- Set a public hearing for its Nov. 8 meet-
ing to approve the final tax roll for the special
assessment district. The city will determine
which businesses will be charged and how
much. - Set a workshop for 6 p.m. Nov. 8 to dis-
cuss a corrective action plan regarding pen-
sion liability. - Approved signing the construction code
administration contract with Professional
Code Inspections.
Also, Mayor David Tossava presented an
official proclamation to the Hastings Public
Library to honor its 125th anniversary.
Police Chief Dale Boulter announced that
the police department will have new pants in
the coming weeks since its current style has
gone out of production. The pants will now
be navy blue with a French blue stripe.
Boulter said he does not know when they
will officially change the pants.
Charlton Park hosting ‘All
Hallows Eve’ Saturday
Area youngsters are invited to don their
favorite costume and join the staff and vol-
unteers at Historic Charlton Park for an
afternoon of family-friendly fun during the
annual All Hallows Eve event Saturday,
Oct. 30.
From 3 to 6 p.m., visitors (who should
bring their own bags or containers) can enjoy
trick-or-treating in the historic village, walk
through an autumn-themed maze on the
Village Green, visit stops throughout the vil-
lage, and more.
The cost is $5 for anyone 13 years or older.
Children 12 and younger can take part for
free, but must be accompanied by an adult.
“During All Hallows Eve, our goal is to
provide fabulous fall fun for all ages in a safe
environment,” Park Director Dan Patton said.
“If you love Halloween and costumes of all
sorts, we hope to see you this Saturday.”
“Community outreach events are one of the
park’s strategic initiatives, and we look for-
ward to hosting an afternoon of celebration
for our local residents.”
Families can enjoy the village, free from
the worry of vehicles and traffic, while get-
ting a small glimpse of local rural heritage.
Additional information can be found online
at charltonpark.org.
Historic Charlton Park is between Hastings
and Nashville, north of M-79 at 2545 Charlton
Park Road.COVID cases dip after last
week’s peak
Taylor Owens
Staff Writer
The Barry-Eaton District Health
Department confirmed 205 cases of COVID-
19 in Barry County on Tuesday.
That’s a drop from 259 last week, which
was the highest number since the spring.
But four more deaths were attributed to
COVID-19 in the last week, BEDHD
reported.
The most recent seven-day average for the
rate of COVID-19 tests that were positive
was 17.8 percent, down from 20.89 percent
last week.
Also, as of this week, at least 29,316 Barry
County residents have received at least their
first dose of a COVID-19 vaccine. The num-
ber represents 58.9 percent of all residents of
the age 16 and older.
A total of 21 Barry County residents were
hospitalized with COVID-19 this month, and
seven have died, a BEDHD report stated.
A total of 6,946 cases have been confirmed
in Barry County since March 2020, while
there have been 833 probable cases. Since the
department began tracking these cases, the
deaths of 83 Barry County residents have
been attributed to COVID-19.T.J. MAXX, continued from page 1 ––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––
DELAYS, continued from page 1 –––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––
free professional portrait, courtesy of
Highpoint Community Bank.
“This award offers a special chance for the
community to single out that one special
older person, and present a token of their
admiration and appreciation,” COA Director
Tammy Pennington said. “There are other
community awards, but this award specifical-
ly highlights the achievements and talents of
our senior citizens.”
Nominees for the award should be 60 or
older and residents of Barry County.
Consideration should be given to the contribu-
tion each nominee has made to the local com-
munity. Examples could include the types of
activities the nominee has been involved in,
how his/her involvement has benefited the
community, and the number of people who
have been affected by those contributions.
Nomination forms for the award are avail-
able at the Commission on Aging office and
on the COA website, barrycounty.org.
Nominations can be from individuals or
groups.
Nominations should be sent to the
Commission on Aging, 320 W. Woodlawn
Ave., Hastings, 49058. All nominations must be
received no later than 5 p.m. Friday, Nov. 12.He’s been an officer for much of his life.
Chasing down suspects is his specialty, and
he’s very good at it. He’s heard words of
praise before. But the word “retirement” just
isn’t in his vocabulary. Even so, he’ll have to
get used to it.
Officer Grizzly, who has been serving the
county sheriff’s office since he was 15 months
old, is going to be retiring in the spring.
His handler, 22-year department veteran
Deputy Travis Moore, said retirement for K-9s
typically happens after age 7. Grizzly is 8.
The plan is to start training a new dog so
Grizzly can spend his retirement years as a
pet in Moore’s household.
Boy, do people love that dog. His presence
in the commissioners’ chambers Tuesday
brought smiles to faces that had been frown-
ing just moments before.
And his deeds are the stuff of legend
around the sheriff’s office.
He’s the one who nabbed David Krebs of
Vermontville in September 2019. Krebs was
later convicted in a jury trial of slitting a
man’s throat and stabbing him multiple times.
The violent attack occurred near Freeport,
then Krebs fled.
Officer Grizzly is the one who tracked
Krebs to a patch of bushes. After Krebsrefused police orders to come out, Grizzly
ran into the bushes, clamped his jaws on
Krebs’ leg and wouldn’t let go. When Krebs
finally gave up and came out, Moore called
Grizzly off.
Grizzly is a 78-pound German shepherd, a
breed that can bite with a force of 250 pounds
per square inch – more than enough to break
human bones.
Many smaller departments don’t have K-
units because of the work and expense
required, Moore said, but the county has the
community support to make it work. Local
veterinarians donate services and Tractor
Supply provides dog food at cost. Grizzly
eats six cups of high protein food every day.
The department also has anonymous
donors who give money or donate gear to the
K-9 unit.
Jack Ward, representing the county sher-
iff’s posse, told commissioners Tuesday, “We
need to find a way to fund a new canine unit.
If you’ve never had a chance to see this dog,
a demonstration... is just amazing.”
Ward said posse members voted to donate
$1,500 to help fund a new K-9 unit and, in
making a formal presentation of the monetary
gift during the board meeting, he encouraged
others to consider donating as well.NEWS BRIEFS,
continued from page 1
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