banner 2-24-2022

Page 2 — Thursday, February 24, 2022 — The Hastings Banner

bly angry. He then got down from the table and left, all the while repeating that he was disap- pointed in her. When she told the medical assistant what had happened, the assistant said Bizon also had touched her arm while she was taking his vital signs, and told her his blood pressure was high because she was in the room. The medical assistant later repeated that encounter to the police. The nurse practitioner reported the incident to the clinic’s human resources department, which recommended she contact police. She did so and told police she wanted to press charges. Barry County Prosecutor Julie Nakfoor Pratt, whose office was assigned the case after the Calhoun County Prosecutor David Gilbert recused himself, said they analyzed the incident before deciding on the appropriate charge. Bizon’s actions did not fit the definition of sexual assault, but based on where, physically, contact was made, it did meet the definition of assault and battery as “offensive touching,” she said. It was intentional and against the other per- son’s will, Pratt added. During last week’s hearing, Bizon’s attorney, Martin Crandall of Detroit, asked him about the incident to establish a factual basis for the plea. “While you were attended did you inappro- priately touch any female medical attendant who was attending to you at that day?” Cran- dall asked as Bizon stood beside him facing the judge. “I thought of it as more as a friendly gesture

depending on which lady you are talking
about,” Bizon replied. “Are we talking about
the apparent victim?”
“Yes,” his attorney said.
“Then I was reaching down to get her atten-
tion, yes, and I did touch her,” Bizon said.
District Court Judge Michelle Richardson
asked Barry County Assistant Prosecutor
Christopher Elsworth if the plea was satisfac-
tory.
Elsworth pointed out that Bizon himself had

not yet pleaded guilty, only Crandall had stated a plea. “Mr. Bizon, I do need to make clear, today, what is your plea?” the judge asked him. “I am guilty of the battery,” Bizon replied. In later questioning, Bizon said the nurse had done nothing at the time to indicate his action was offensive to her. She had stepped away and left the room to check on his test, he said. “Let me ask you this question, have you since found that this was considered to be an offensive touch?” Richardson asked. The judge told Crandall he could confer with his client. “Is it fair to say, Mr. Bizon,” Crandall asked. “Going though discovery, was it apparent that she thought it was offensive at the time?” “Yeah, I found that out when the police arrived,” Bizon said. In a written statement released after his guilty plea, Bizon blamed COVID for his behavior. “Without question, this entire situation is regrettable,” Bizon said. “As a doctor who has spent decades caring for those in need, I am deeply distressed that I unintentionally caused someone to feel unsafe.” “I was very sick at the time of the incident and did not behave as I normally would have,” he added. “Nevertheless, I take this situation very seriously and have learned from it.” His statement did not contain an apology. Senate Majority Leader Mike Shirkey, R- Clark Lake, said Bizon will not face legislative discipline. “With this misdemeanor being addressed by the court and Sen. Bizon taking responsibility for his actions, I do not plan to take further action at this time,” Shirkey said in a written statement. Pratt said her office would have further comments at Bizon’s sentencing. Bizon was elected to the state senate in 2018, representing Barry, Calhoun and Ionia counties. According to his website, he has been practicing medicine for more than 40 years.

‘Rickety’ jail, ARPA projects at top of county’s to-do list

Rebecca Pierce
Editor
The Barry County Jail, “a rickety old struc-
ture that is way past its prime,” will return to
the public spotlight soon, Barry County
Board of Commissioners Chairman Ben Gei-
ger promised.
“We still have a county jail that is falling
apart,” Geiger said during Tuesday’s board
meeting.
County commissioners are in the early
stages of setting the groundwork for what he
called “Round Two” in determining how to
spend the next American Rescue Plan Act
funds it will be receiving $5,977,683 in
ARPA money this summer.
“But ARPA’s not the only thing we need to
be thinking about now,” Geiger said.
Next week, he’s hoping to discuss how to
proceed with ARPA funding, with the inten-
tion of implementing those plans later in the
spring, he told fellow commissioners.
While it doesn’t appear, under rules set
forth by the federal government, that ARPA
money could be used for the jail, Geiger said
it’s time to address the jail issue.
“I plan on having a discussion amongst the
board of what we want to do this year if we
want to go for a millage for a new jail ‘cause
the jail’s not getting any better.”
County voters decisively rejected a $
million tax request for a new jail in the
November 2020 election.
“Even though we failed in our last millage
attempt, we can learn from our mistakes in
the last one and give the taxpayers a facility
they expect from us,” Geiger said.
“That’s just a sneak peek of what’s to
come.”
As for ARPA, Barry was among the state’s
83 counties that are receiving a total of $1.
billion in ARPA funds, which must be allocat-
ed by 2024 and spent by 2026.
Stephan Currie, executive director of the
Michigan Association of Counties, offered an
update on MAC activities at the commission-
ers’ meeting Tuesday and encouraged them to

act soon, especially if any ARPA projects involve infrastructure upgrades. “We in Barry County are ahead of the game,” Geiger replied, calling on Commis- sioner Catherine Getty to explain the process that was used to pick the top seven projects. “We reached out to leaders in the community to head a task force,” Getty told Currie. Metrics were developed, applications were sought, and a scoring process weighed wheth- er the local projects met the requirements that were established by the federal government, she said. Community Foundation President and CEO Bonnie Gettys led the task force of sec- tor experts who represented a swath of the community and industries: Lani Forbes, Barry County United Way; Jennifer Heinzman, Barry County Chamber and Eco- nomic Development Alliance; Carla Wilson Neil, health care industry; Greg Moore, Con- sumers Energy; Cindy Vujea, economic development industry; Robert Geyer of Gun Lake, business and industry; and Craig Jen-

kins Jr., Delton Kellogg Schools Board of Education. These task force members reviewed 19 project applications that were submitted for consideration by the Sept. 17, 2021, deadline and, weighing them against the restrictions and requirements set by the federal government, scored each one. From that list, seven were chosen to receive funds. Currie said his organization is developing a “best practices” document and asked if the commissioners would share their process for inclusion on that list. The idea, he said, is for local governments to “match their way up,” pooling the money from townships to counties to the state so that “these dollars are transformational.” But several Barry County citizens have not viewed this process as a best practice; instead, they have decried the use of a task force not governed by the Open Meetings Act and whose discussions are not part of the public record. During public comment Tuesday, Larry Bass of Carlton Township pointed to this issue, saying the board has a communications problem – and this is an example of that problem. In other action, commissioners:

heard from Charles Hertzler of Hastings,
who told them he is seeking election to the
county’s District 8, a new seat that was added
to the board to represent the City of Hastings.

heard an update from Commissioner Viv-
ian Conner on progress at the Courts and Law
Building construction project after a walk-
through of the site.

discussed the Hastings Charter Township
placing county-owned property at the Har-
vest Pointe at Thornapple Manor on township
tax rolls.
Commissioner Howard Gibson told the
board that “this item was brought up (during
a township board meeting) and it wasn’t on
their agenda. (Thornapple Manor Administra-
tor) Don Haney ... was there, but he didn’t
know they were going to be discussing that

issue.” “It’s county property. It’s not taxable,” Geiger remarked. Gibson replied that he doesn’t know what township officials intend to do.

approved the server infrastructure solu-
tion, as recommended by the county’s infor-
mation technology coordinator David Shina-
vier and presented in a quote from Dell, Inc.,
for $213,576.24 (including hardware, and
software licensing).

approved a new easement agreement with
Consumers Energy at the Thornapple Manor
campus, which will add the Harvest Pointe
assisted living facility this summer. The new
easement is limited to the area of the property
that contains the actual high pressure gas line
already in place.

met Hastings native Angela Rigas of
Alto, a Republican seeking election to the
79 th state House District, which includes
Rutland, Thornapple and Irving townships in
Barry County.

approved $140,073.11 in claims.

Middleville council puts off decision on residential development

James Gemmell
Contributing Writer
The Middleville Village Council isn’t making any hasty
decisions on the Flats at Mid-villa residential develop-
ment proposed for the site of the former Middle-Villa Inn.
The restaurant, bowling alley and banquet rooms com-
plex closed in 2014, and the land has been vacant since

Property owner and developer Nate Heyboer with
Grandville-based Dutch Developers LLC is proposing to
build a 144-unit apartment development on the 22-acre
site. The overall project cost has been estimated to be at
least $20 million.
Following a public hearing Tuesday night, the village
council decided to hold off approval of a final develop-
ment plan for the property at 4611 and 4691 N. M-37.
Instead, the council voted 6-0 to send the project back to
the site-plan committee for review, and to schedule a joint
meeting between the village council and the planning
commission to discuss potential amendments to the plan.
The planning commission had voted conditionally Jan.
4 to approve the final planned unit development for the
Flats at Mid-villa, but only after the site-plan committee
got a chance to review the plans. The site-plan committee
then made some adjustments to the proposal at its Jan. 26
meeting. The concept had been to build the development

out in three phases, but one of the phases – senior assisted-living – has since been removed from the project plan. It now calls for two residential phases only. The first and second phases each would entail construction of three apartment buildings. Each of the six buildings would contain 24 apartment units. The three-story buildings would be set back at least 1,000 feet from the road. Three com- mercial outlots and a private road on the site also are proposed. Chuck Hoyt is a project manager with the engineering firm that would be working on the development, Grand- ville-based Nederveld Inc. He said, if a green common space in the middle of a parking area on the development were eliminated, it would provide room for at least 25 additional parking spaces. “That would change the total spaces, 234, which gets you a ratio of 1.6 parking spaces per unit. Right now, we’re at about 1.45,” Hoyt said, adding that the open park space nearby could lend itself to “unprogrammed” uses, such as a fitness or picnic area or kids’ games. He also noted the site is adjacent to Wildwood Trails Park, with trails that can be used for mountain biking. Hoyt acknowledged the proposed 8.6 apartment units per acre is more than the village master plan recommends for maximum density. But he asked the council to consid-

er that the developer would have to foot the cost for a private on-site lift station to be built and to relocate a high-pressure gas line on the property. Nine people spoke during the public hearing. Andrew Beck, a Middleville DDA board member, talk- ed about the potential impact the project would add to area traffic congestion. “I know that, if you try to go up Main Street during the school day, you’ll come to a complete stop ...” Beck said, adding that the village’s water towers are at 80 percent capacity already, and 144 apartment units could burden the water system even more. Resident Jason Boersma, in addressing the council, asked, “What are we? Are we a rental community, or are we a community that is going to continue with people with ownership opportunity? This doesn’t fit what I have in mind.” Brian Nicholson said he would prefer to see homes being built in the village, as opposed to apartments. He also mentioned the open-space amenities Hoyt refer- enced. “I’d hate to see anyone pull out a section of grass to put in more parking lot.” Barry County Commissioner Catherine Getty, who also is zoning administrator for Thornapple Township, addressed the village council.

“Middleville has spent decades putting the right building blocks into place for a desirable community, where our residents want to live, work and play. I hope you read the Sun and News last week about what happened in Gaines Township. Township officials listened to their residents and denied a PUD rezoning request [for the Prairie Wolf Station development] that wasn’t consistent with the vision for their community.” Getty said local schools are not in a position to ask for another round of bond issuances to pay for more expan- sion in order to accommodate more residential growth in the community. She also noted the three-story buildings proposed for the development will be 44 feet tall at their peak. Local business owner and DDA board member Johnny DeMaagd said he supports the proposed apartments. “They are perfectly suited for new teachers just coming out of college ..., individuals who work at Bradford White, with 130 new jobs proposed, people looking to live close to a city while they remotely work, and so many others.” Middleville Planning Commission Chairman Jason Holzhausen said planning commission members feel the development is compatible with the “spirit and intent” of the master plan.

Thornapple Players will hold open auditions (high school seniors and up) on March 10, 2020 beginning at 7PM in the Dennison Performing Arts Center - 231 South Broadway (Use door on the Center Street side.)

If you are unable to attend the audition or have questions, please call Norma Jean at 269 945 2332 or Doug at 269 945 9249 to set up an alternate time BEFORE the scheduled audition date. Rehearsal dates and times 7-9:30 PM (longer as show time approaches) Rehearsals Every Monday, Tuesday and Thursday Tech Rehearsal is Saturday, May 2 from 2-8PM. May 6 is open to the public dress rehearsal Curtain at 7PM Show Dates May 7,8,9 Curtain at 7PM May 10, Sunday matinee 2PM. Director-Julian Kratochvil Music Director-Doug Acker Producer-Norma Jean Acker

Book by Mel Brooks Music and Lyrics by Mel Brooks and Thomas Meehan Presented by special arrangement with Music Theatre International

Eight principal roles Diverse and active Ensemble We are also looking for "strong" dancers. Tap dancing is a plus.

Open Auditions!Open Auditions!

Auditions • Auditions

Auditions

The Thornapple Players will be presenting the comedy

By Mel Brooks There are 8 roles plus ensemble. Those auditioning for the ensemble/chorus must sing at auditions. Auditions will be held on

Tuesday, March 1, 2022, at 7:00 PM in the Dennison Performing Arts Center located at 231 South Broadway in Hastings. Rehearsals are 7-9:30 PM on Mondays, Tuesdays, and Thursdays. Tech Rehearsal is Sunday, May 1, 2022. Show dates are May 4-8. Questions? Call Norma Jean Acker at 269 945 2332 or text 269 908 0870. If you cannot audition on that date, please contact us in advance to make other arrangements.

The Thornapple Players is a non-profit organization providing theatrical opportunities to the Barry County area. For more information call 269-945-

Members of the Community Theatre Association of Michigan

176358

SEASONAL HELP

2022

The Barry County Road Commission is hiring for temporary seasonal general laborer positions. Starting hourly pay range will be $12-14 per hour, no benefits. Applicant must be at least 18 years of age, have a valid Driver’s License, and be able to pass a drug test. Start date negotiable, hours Monday-Friday 6 AM- 4 PM. Application & job description can be picked up at the Barry County Road Commission office located at 1725 West M-43 Highway, Hastings between 6 AM – 3:45 PM, or on our website at http://www.barrycrc.org. The Barry County Road Commission is an Equal Opportunity Employer.

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 # & Insured

QUESTIONS: ASK US...

Hulst Cleaners Pick-Up Station

Sisters Fabrics 218 E. State St., Hastings • 945- OPEN: Monday-Friday 8 am-5:30 pm; Saturday 9 am-3 pm

Pray For Our Country >

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

Annual February

Sale

20% Off Fabrics Excludes sale items

* Sale ends February 28th*

SENATOR, continued from page 1 –––––––––––––––––

Thornapple Township Assessor Dan Scheureman responded to a question from Trustee Tom DeVries about the economic impact of the project. “It goes not on a cost basis, but on val- ue-added,” Scheureman said. “So, they’re going to have some retrofitting costs as any project would. If you add on to your house, it’s the same thing. It won’t be dollar for dollar. We won’t know the total impact until the project is done, because it may stretch out over a year or two or three.” One citizen, Jason Boersma, spoke during the public hearing portion of the meeting. He said one of the government’s goals in making tax abatements available was to retain manu- facturing in the United States. “So, in all fairness, it’s give and take,” Boersma said. “If they don’t live up to their commitment, you take back ... if they want to expand, let them expand.” After the public hearing, Trustee Mike Cramer said he is “all for” the tax abatement. “They’re employing our residents, they’re building great products, and they’ve been excellent stewards of the community.” “They’re perfectly within their rights to request an IFT,” Village Manager Patricia Rayl said after the meeting. “And they’re committing to bring in new employees, and it’s up to council to evaluate that against the tax abatement.” On an unrelated matter, the village council voted 6-0 to approve a change to the marijuana business ordinance. It originally was designed to allow the village manager to authorize the transfer of a license. But the council recently decided to request a change to the ordinance to remove the option for license transfers. That came after a business licensee had contacted the village about doing a transfer. The change allows the license holder to return the license to the village at any time, rather than waiting for the annual renewal deadline to expire. “Council was very clear that they wanted to not allow transfers,” Rayl said.

BRADFORD, continued

from page 1 ––––––––––

Charles Hertzler of Hastings plans to run in District 8, a new seat added to the Barry County Board of Commissioners to represent the city of Hastings. (File photo)

Stephan Currie, executive director of the Michigan Association of Counties, offers an update on MAC activities at the commissioners’ meeting Tuesday.

banner 2-24-2022

Get our desktop app

Company

Features

Documentation

Resources