The Hastings Banner — Thursday, March 23, 2023 — Page 3and so we will be communicating now every
board meeting (through) a financial presenta-
tion from here on out.”
Tim Berlin, assistant superintendent of
operations for the district, gave a short pre-
sentation about the district’s finances and
answered questions from board members.
Board member Brad Tolles highlighted the
importance of bond funding as another ave-
nue for the district to raise funds.
“Is it fair to say to run a district well (the
district) needs a combination of all the funds
to really make it work?” Tolles asked. “To
have an effective district in-budget (that runs
well), you really need to have availability of
sinking funds, general funds and bond funds.”
“You really do, Brad,” Berlin said. “You
really do need all of those to have an effective
school district.”
The district’s taxpayer-supported sinking
fund was also a topic of the discussion, with
the current fund set to expire next year. The
sinking fund is flexible but not generally suit-
able for big-ticket projects like those listed
out in bond proposals. The board did vote to
use $1 million from the fund, which is two
years worth of the fund’s revenue, to replace
the roof at Star Elementary School last year.
Goebel highlighted the importance of pass-
ing the August bond proposal to pay for large
projects in the district, with a renewal of the
sinking fund next year supporting the ongo-
ing maintenance and upkeep.
“If we could pass this (August bond pro-
posal) and then support it with a sinking fund,
we would not necessarily have to go back to
the public (to ask for another bond proposal)
for an extended period of time,” Goebel said.
Goebel and Haywood emphasized, if the
district could pass the August bond proposal
and renew the sinking fund next year, the
district would be financially stable for an
extended period of time.
“Just to reiterate, we will be asking for a
proposal in August, and then a year from now
we will be asking to renew our sinking fund,”
Haywood said. “Those are the two big ticket
items that we are going to be seeing, and if
we can get those approved, we will be in very
good shape.”
“We will be in excellent shape,” Goebel
said. “And I’d say (we will be in excellent
shape) for an extended period of time in this
district.”
In other business, the school board:
- Voted to accept a settlement of $43,
from Juul Labs, Inc. The district joined other
schools across the state in a lawsuit filed by
Thrun Law Firm, which specializes in repre-
senting educational institutions in Michigan,
against Juul, an e-cigarette manufacturer. The
lawsuit alleged the company marketed its
product to minors despite the sale of nicotine
products to minors being illegal. After legal
fees, the district will receive just over
$28,000, with half of the funds being deliv-
ered in 30 to 60 days, and the other half being
paid in monthly installments over the next
five years.- Approved a bid for $41,562 from Ameri-
can Home Fitness for new weight room equip-
ment in the Community Education and Recre-
ation Center (CERC). Goebel said the district
would be selling the old equipment to interest-
ed school staff or community members. - Approved a district contribution of
$7,250 to the athletic department for the pur-
chase of two golf carts. The district was able
to defray the overall cost of $25,650 through
donations from Hastings Athletic Boosters,
Corewell Health Pennock, and First Rehab &
Sport Physical Therapy as well as concession
stand profits.- Accepted a donation in the amount of
$1,900 from Co-Dee Stamping to go toward
the purchase of a pop-up shade and rain tent
for the tennis program. - Entered a closed session to conduct the
district’s annual superintendent evaluation.
Haywood said the results of the evaluation
would be discussed at the district’s next board
meeting. - Scheduled the district’s next board meet-
ing at 7 p.m. on April 17 in the Hastings
Middle School commons.
Richland woman cries foul play after
husband sentenced to a decade in
prison in embezzlement case
Jayson Bussa
Editor
A Richland woman who saw her husband
sentenced in a Barry County courtroom to a
decade or more in prison is speaking out pub-
licly over what she believes were wrong-do-
ings throughout the process.
On Jan. 12, Rita Williams was the lone
member of the gallery in a sentencing hearing
involving her husband, Ryan Williams, who
previously served as a desktop architect for
Hastings-based manufacturer FlexFab. Ryan
Williams had pled no contest to embezzle-
ment of $100,000 or more, which is a felony
punishable by up to 20 years.
The case was an extraordinary one because
of both the amount embezzled and how it was
done. Ryan Williams had access to both Flex-
Fab’s Amazon Business account and a compa-
ny credit card. Through those avenues, he
made personal purchases of up to $565,922,
Curry pleaded no contest to the embezzle-
ment charge on Dec. 20 of last year. She
could have received up to 15 years in prison
and been fined up to $25,000. Schipper told
Curry at her plea hearing that he would likely
sentence her to no more than a year in jail
plus probation under a Cobbs agreement.
That provision allowed Curry the option to
withdraw her plea if the court determined that
it would exceed that likely sentence.
Bradford White is the largest employer in
Barry County. The theft occurred between
December 2018 and July 2019, while Curry
was employed as a maintenance, repair and
operations buyer/planner for the company,
Assistant County Prosecutor Chris Ells-
worth said.
“She used Bradford White’s account to
order items that Bradford White did not
need,” Ellsworth wrote in an email to the
Hastings Banner at the time of Curry’s plea.
“Bradford White received the bill for those
items and paid for them. She picked the items
up from the supplier. She did not deliver them
to Bradford White. She instead sold them
herself, keeping the money.”
During Wednesday’s hearing, Ellsworth
requested that Curry’s probation be extended
beyond three years if she does not pay off the
full amount of the restitution. He told the
court that Curry had a gambling problem.
“There was a lot of money spent at the
casino,” Ellsworth said. “Whether that’s why
she did it or not, only she can say. But there
was a lot of money being spent at casinos.
She doesn’t need to be doing that. Any money
she has should be spent toward paying resti-
tution back.”
Ellsworth recommended the court ban
Curry from any gambling activities.
At one point during the hearing, Curry
expressed regret for entering the no contest
plea.
“Against mine and my family’s better judg-
ment, I took the plea, rather than going to
trial,” she said. “It was probably the best thing
to do, but I’ve never been in this position
before. I didn’t know what to expect. This was
a lot of money, there was a lot going on.”
Curry broke down shortly thereafter, and
Schipper expressed concern about her state-
ment.
“If you, in fact, didn’t embezzle the money,
I don’t want you to plead to something you
didn’t do,” Schipper said. “But also, if you
did it, how are you ever going to improve and
get past something unless you admit you did
something? I get it that it’s hard. It’s hard for
me to admit when I make mistakes ... You
either did it or you didn’t.”
“I did it, sir,” Curry said.
Schipper adjourned the hearing for about
15 minutes to hear another case, allowing
Curry to meet with her attorney, Ryan Mae-
sen of Wyoming.
When the hearing resumed, Maesen restat-
ed his client’s admission that she did steal
from Bradford White.“She is clear, she took stuff as a purchasing
agent and did not turn them (into) the compa-
ny, she sold it and used the proceeds for ...
her own benefit,” Maesen said.
Remaining at issue is the amount that was
embezzled. Curry has 60 days to challenge
the amount of restitution she is to pay back to
Bradford White. Maesen called the amount of
restitution “quite a tall order.” He says his
client never meant for the situation to end up
where it did.
“(Gambling) alters people’s thinking. You
(gamble) a little bit and ‘I’ll stop this time,’ you
do a little bit ... (the debt) builds up,” Maesen
said. “I don’t think anybody would walk into a
room and take 200,000-some dollars in a mil-
lion years. It’s a non-violent offense.”
“She is a veteran, she has worked her whole
life. This is just a really bad thing that got out
of control. She wants to make it right. She is
aware that this is serious,” Maesen added.
Maesen asked Schipper to not sentence his
client to jail. Curry also appealed to the court
to avoid jail time, citing the fact that she is
guardian to her 15-year-old granddaughter.
“At this point I don’t have an alternative
person for her to go live with,” she said.
But Schipper said Curry should have
addressed that issue before she was sen-
tenced.
A charge of using a computer to commit a
crime was dismissed in exchange for the
embezzlement plea. Curry must also pay
court costs tied to the case.utive Director Forbes put them in the proper
order, all to the applause from the crowd that
gathered for lunch.
“The community came together and raised
over $100,000 more than what the goal was
to invest in the programs and services in our
community,” Forbes said. “And, it’s because
of you. You did this. You made this difference
in our community and we just want to cele-
brate you and be so thankful for you.”
Forbes told the Banner that the organiza-
tion will have to decide how those funds are
allocated into next year’s budget.
“It will be determined but I think it’s really
fair to say that it will increase the amount of
programs and services available throughout
our community, whether that’s this year or
next year,” she said.
The United Way provides 34 programs and
services for the community and supports a
laundry list of local organizations. The gener-
ous outpouring of funds not only allows the
United Way to fuel those efforts, but also to
have cash on hand for unanticipated needs,
like when COVID-19 struck and personal
protection equipment was needed, just as one
instance.
Forbes and campaign chair Rich Franklin,
who is also Superintendent of the Barry ISD,
spent much of Thursday’s lunch handing out
awards to both businesses and individuals
that contributed to the campaign.
The Barry County United Way is especial-
ly fortunate with healthy participation by
private donors, who give to the campaign. A
total of 139 donors achieved Live United 365
status, donating a total of $365 throughout
the course of a year. The Live United 365
group featured 45 new donors this year and
20 donors that increased their giving from
previous years. The Live United 365 group
contributed over $70,000 in total.
The United Way also handed out 100
Leadership Awards, which are individuals
that gave between $1,000 and $9,999. Of
those award recipients, 20 of them were new
donors to this year and 19 increased their
giving from previous years for a total of
$169,543.
Forbes said that much of the success of the
United Way is fueled by individual donations- and not just monetary donations each year.
“Look at our Day of Caring – we had 500
people for Day of Caring,” Forbes said.
“That’s 500 employee that are out in the com-
munity working on projects. Whether it’s
volunteering time or giving of the dollars, all
of those things combined to make our com-
munity very different in its engagement with
the United Way.”
Courtney Ziny, the Executive Director of
the Barry County Commission on Aging,
spoke and provided the perspective of an
organization that benefits from the contribu-
tions of the United Way. This includes help-
ing to fuel the county’s Meals on Wheels
program, which hands out 4,000 meals a
month to residents and their caretakers. The
routes for the program are expanding, too.
“Your support means we can continue to
function without a waiting list and I think
that’s important for you guys to know....other
counties aren’t so lucky.”
Businesses that were honored for their con-
tributions to the campaign included:
FLORENCE TYDEN-GROOS AWARD
(For extraordinary engagement with the
United Way): Thornapple Credit Union.
JOHN FEHSENFELD AWARD: Brad-
ford White and Local #1002.
ALEXIS DE TOCQUEVILLE AWARD
(Giving of $10,000 or more): Dave Cole-
man; Jeff & Barbara Arnold; Cassie
Augustein; Bradford White; Gloria & Kevin
Brushwyler; Doug & Margaret DeCamp;
Flexfab/FHI; Elisabeth French; Florence
Goodyear; Hastings Mutual Insurance Com-
pany; Highpoint Community Bank; Ken &
Beth Pechumer; Viking Corporation.
AWARD OF EXCELLENCE (71 to 100
percent participation): Barry Community
Foundation; Barry County 911; Barry County
Administration; Barry County Commission
on Aging; Barry County Farm Bureau; Barry
County Mental Health; Barry County Transit;
Barry County United Way; Barry ISD; Brad-
ford White; Buckland Insurance; Commercial
Bank; Family Support Center of Barry Coun-
ty; Flexfab/FHI; Green Gables Haven; Hast-
ings Fiberglass; Hastings Mutual Insurance;
Highpoint Community Bank; Pierce Cedar
Creek Institute; Southside Pediatrics; Thor-
napple Credit Union; Thornapple Kellogg
Student Council; Walker, Fluke & Sheldon;
YMCA of Barry County.
GOLD AWARD (51 to 70 percent partic-
ipation): Barry County Real Estate; Barry
County Sheriff’s Posse; Bright Start Pediat-
rics; Campbell Enterprises; Coleman Agen-
cy; Delton Kellogg Schools; Evans Electric;
Fifth Third Bank; Hastings Car Club; John-
son & Company P.C.; Michigan State Police;
Munn Manufacturing; PADNOS; Thornapple
Garden Club; Thornapple Manor; Troy Dal-
man Agency; Union Bank; Viking Corpora-
tion; Village of Middleville; Williams-Gores
Funeral Home; Woodlawn Meadows.
SILVER AWARD (Up to 50 percent par-
ticipation): Barry County Court System;
Barry County Lumber; Barry County Road
Commission; Barry County Telephone; Barry
Township Police Department; City of Hast-
ings; Delton Rotary; Family Tree Medical;
Hastings Area Schools; Hastings Elks Lodge;
Hastings Masonic Lodge; Hastings Piston
Ring; Hastings Rotary; HPS; J-Ad Graphics;
Kiwanis Club of Hastings; Lake Trust Credit
Union; LJ Fluid Power; Quality Aluminum;
RJK Construction; The General Store; Thor-
napple Kellogg Schools; Thornapple Town-
ship; Walmart; Westen’s Carpet.196813Help Wanted
Hastings Mutual is currently looking for a friendly and energetic
person to join our Employee Cafeteria team on an on-call basis.
This role will provide general support as needed to cover vacations,
illnesses, or special company events. This is a great opportunity for
retirees, stay-at-home parents, or those looking for extra income!
General work would entail light food preparation, serving, stocking,
and kitchen / dining room clean up. When called, shifts would gen-
erally be no earlier than 6:30am and end no later than 3:00pm,
Monday-Friday.Interested? Email your resume or forward any questions to
[email protected]. No visits or in-person inquiries to
our corporate offices, please.-NOTICE-
To Members of Hastings Mutual Insurance Company,
Hastings, Michigan:Notice is hereby given that the Annual Meeting of Hastings
Mutual Insurance Company will be conducted on Wednesday,
April 12, 2023 beginning at 9:00 a.m., at Hastings Mutual In-
surance Company, 404 E. Woodlawn Ave, Hastings, MI. The
annual meeting agenda includes a ballot for the election of the
following Directors: Christopher J. Fluke, John R. Kerschen
and John L. Ward. For more information contact Michael W.
Puerner, Secretary, 269/948-1532.
196312UNITED WAY, continued from page 1 ––––––––––––––––
Rich Franklin, Chairman of the Barry
County United Way campaign, presents
the Florence Tyden-Groos Award to Amy
Beyers of Thornapple Credit Union. The
award is presented to organizations that
go above and beyond to engage with the
United Way.CURRY, continued from page 1 –––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––
SCHOOL BOARD, continued from page 1 –––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––
Tim Berlin, assistant superintendent of operations, gave a presentation of the
school’s finances and answered questions from board members.Rita Williams (center) is joined by son Andrew (left) and Hastings resident Amber
Holtrust (right) as they stage a demonstration outside of the Barry County Courthouse
See WILLIAMS, page 6 on Wednesday morning. (Photo by Jayson Bussa)