The Sun and News

Your Hometown Newspaper Serving Middleville and Caledonia Areas

No. 10/ March 9, 2024 Published by J-Ad Graphics, Inc. • 1351 N. M-43 Highway, Hastings, MI 49058 146th year

• Planners in Caledonia Twp. propose
  changes to sign ordinance


• Site plan for new Caledonia allergist
  office approved


• Scots’ Hayden pins her way to
  second state championship


• Last one, best one for TK cheer
  team at Division 2 State Finals


• FHC beats Caledonia at buzzer in
  boys’ D1 District Championship

IN THIS ISSUE...IN THIS ISSUE...

Dutton Elementary recognized by

business group for promoting literacy

Greg Chandler

Staff Writer

Dutton Elementary School

in the Caledonia school dis-

trict is getting recognition

from a West Michigan busi-

ness consortium for its com-

mitment to encouraging its

students to read.

Dutton is one of five

West Michigan schools to

receive the Literacy Leader

Award from TalentFirst, an

alliance of West Michigan

chief executive officers.

The school on 68th Street

received the award and a

$1,000 check from the alli-

ance at a ceremony, attend-

ed by Dutton third-and-

fourth graders, Monday

afternoon.

The award is based on

the performance of Dutton’s

third-grade students on the

reading portion of the

Michigan Student Test of

Educational Progress

(M-STEP), in which the

school far outperformed the

statewide average during

the 2022-23 school year, as

Middleville council

reviews draft ORV

ordinance language

Greg Chandler

Staff Writer

The Middleville Village

Council Tuesday got its

first look at ordinance lan-

guage that would allow

off-road vehicles to oper-

ate on most village streets.

Village Attorney Mark

Nettleton crafted the draft

ordinance language, which

draws largely from an

existing ordinance that

allows the use of ORVs on

most Barry County roads.

The proposal would allow

ORVs to be operated on

the far right side of most

village streets, with the

flow of traffic, at speeds of

no more than 25 mph. It

would not require vehicles

to be insured.

Middleville’s current

ordinance, which has been

in existence since 2001,

only allows ORV use on

private property, unless the

vehicles have proper regis-

tration or insurance.

The Village Council last

November voted 4-2 to

direct its legal counsel to

draw up ordinance lan-

guage that would legalize

ORV use on local streets,

as long as the operator is at

least 16 years of age and

holds a driver’s license.

More than 50 business

owners signed a petition in

February 2023 calling for

the village to legalize the

use of ORVs on village

streets. Supporters of the

change say the current

ordinance is unenforce-

able.

Among the issues debat-

ed at Tuesday’s committee

of the whole meeting is

whether parking should be

addressed in the new ordi-

nance language. Council

Trustee Makenzi Peters

said that businesses should

have the right to allow

ORVs in their lots, wheth-

er they’re insured or not.

“If they choose to bring

Veteran commissioner won’t seek

re-election to Kent County board

Greg Chandler

Staff Writer

A Kent County commis-

sioner who has represented

Gaines Township for nearly a

decade has decided not to

seek re-election.

Emily Post Brieve, who

represents the 10th District

on the county board, repre-

senting the entirely of Gaines

Township, announced

Wednesday that she would

not seek another term in

office. She said in a press

release that it has been an

honor to serve the residents

of the township on the board.

“It has been a privilege to

work alongside my fellow

commissioners and commu-

nity members to address the

important issues facing our

county,” Brieve said.

“However, after careful con-

sideration, I have decided

not to seek re-election so

that I may dedicate more

time to support the extracur-

ricular activities and busy

social lives of my teenage

sons. I also look forward to

focusing on the continued

growth of my family’s con-

struction supply business,

FastoolNow.com. I am

grateful for the unwavering

support of my husband and

our family.”

Brieve was first elected to

the Kent County board in

2014. In 2022, she fended off
      a Republican primary chal-
      lenge from former County
      Commissioner Bill Hirsch,
      2,733 votes to 2,194 votes.

She then defeated Democrat

Julie Humphreys in the gen-

eral election, 5,259 to 2,920.

Brieve currently serves as

chairwoman of the county

board’s Finance & Physical

Resources Committee and

chairwoman of the Board of

Public Works. She’s also a

member of the West

Michigan Sports Commission

and the Gerald R. Ford

International Airport Board.

Brieve also served as vice

chairwoman of the county

board and chairwoman of the

Legislative & Human

Resources Committee.

Brieve’s term will end on

Dec. 31, 2024.

See DUTTON SCHOOL, page 2

Doug Powers, planning and zoning adminis-

trator for the Village of Middleville, shows a map

of which streets in the village would allow for

ORV traffic if the proposed changes go through.

See ORV, page 2

Emily Post Brieve

Dutton Elementary is one of five West Michigan schools to receive the Literacy Leader Award from
TalentFirst, an alliance of West Michigan chief executive officers. (Photos provided)

Dutton Elementary Principal Shawn Veitch speaks

during a ceremony on Monday afternoon, where the

school was honored for its commitment to encourag-

ing students to read.