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The Hastings Banner — Thursday, March 21, 2024 — Page 5

Yankee Springs Township

Hall addition damaged when

struck by runaway car

Greg Chandler Staff Writer A little more than a year after construction was completed on a 1,700-square-foot addition to the Yankee Springs Township Hall, some cracks have been discovered in the addition’s north wall as well as the drywall inside the building. But township officials say it’s not because of poor workmanship or shoddy materials. They recently discovered the building was struck by a car that had been left running and was not in park after the driver got out of the vehicle to use the recycling bins at the north end of the hall property. “We had the construction company and the engineering company come out, and they looked at it, and it looked like it was impact (damage),” Township Clerk Mike Cunningham said at last Thursday’s Town- ship Board meeting. “We had no knowl- edge of anything hitting the wall.” The cracks were discovered in late Feb- ruary, Cunningham said. Cunningham found security video footage that provided the answers to the mys- tery. Video footage taken on Jan. 1 showed a car stopping about 50 feet from the north wall of the addition after using the recycling system, and the woman who was driving got out of the vehicle “with the intent to put something in the garbage can.” However, the car was apparently left running and was not in park, Cunningham said. “The car moved away under power towards the building with the driver in pur- suit. The driver fell, the car went over the curb, down the slope and hit the building with enough force to cause drywall crack-

ing inside and brick and mortar cracking in about a 15-foot-wide section of the exterior wall,” Cunningham said. The driver involved in the incident came forward about an hour before Thursday night’s meeting and spoke to Cunningham about what happened. The woman suffered a broken leg when she fell trying to get back in the car and the wheels ran over her leg, Cunningham said. “We know who did it. There’s no damage to that car. That person didn’t know there was damage (to the building),” he said. The driver got back in the vehicle and was able to drive back up the slope and go home before she was taken to the hospital for treatment of her injuries, Cunningham said. The accident has been reported to the Barry County Sheriff’s Office and a claim was filed with the township’s insurance carrier, with a claim estimated in the $5, to $10,000 range. Mugen Construction, the contractor that did the work on the addition and renovation of the township hall, says it has enough brick left over from the project to repair the brick damage, with the repair expected to take two days to complete. The wall framing will be inspected when the wall is opened up for drywall repair, possibly next week, Cunningham said. “We don’t know if there’s any significant framing damage, but I’m guessing not,” Cunningham said. The township moved into the expanded office space in January 2023, allowing Mugen Construction to then begin work on renovating the original township space, including the meeting room where the board meets.

Transparency is indeed

important – not just for

a select few

To the Editor:
I appreciated Fred’s column, “Withheld
news is a danger to freedom,” in the March
14 Banner. While he chose to focus his ire on
those in Lansing, he could easily have point-
ed the spotlight on the Barry County Sheriff.
Mr. Leaf continues to dangle his “very
serious investigation” in front of the public,
even tempting us with the promise of pre-
senting information on his “findings,” which
he has since walked back. Yet, Fred states in
his column that “(i)f we expect our elected
officials to be accountable, then transparency
is a must because it is fundamental to abol-
ishing corruption.”
“Our leaders have the responsibility to
keep their constituents informed,” he states.
When one promises to disseminate infor-
mation, shouldn’t one be held accountable to
their word? Again, Fred opines, rightly so,
that “(g)overnment transparency shouldn’t be
treated as a burden or avoided.”
I should not single out Mr. Leaf and his
office for lack of transparency and reticence
to disclose how our county tax dollars are
being spent. My understanding is that the
County Administrator’s Office, when
FOIA’ed for information about the costs
involved with Mr. Leaf’s witch-hunt – oops,
“investigation” – threw up their hands, claim-
ing that the information was either not easily
obtained or just wasn’t collected.
Per their response to that FOIA request,
“In general, county staff time and vehicle
mileage is not tracked and recorded relating
to specific issues, or civil/criminal investiga-
tion...I understand your frustration, but in
the public sector, employees are public ser-
vants, responsible for whatever tasks arise.
As such, we do not track the time employees
spend on each issue that arises as there is no
mechanism to ‘bill back’ time to specific
‘customers.’”
The County Administrator’s Office went
on to bemoan that they “would have to look
into whether time sheets are available” and
expressed concern that paycheck information
might include items protected by HIPAA or
other regulations.
Come on, folks – this is what FOIA and
redacting are about. I worked in the public
sector for nearly 20 years and had to keep
track of what hours were attributed to what
projects. With all the claims for how import-
ant this witch-hunt (oops, I did it again) was,
a smart manager, administrator or elected
official would have said, “Record your time,
travel and meals.” No? Hmm, I guess we’ll
just count that as a lesson learned. And, by
the way, a back-of-the-envelope estimate for

the minimum amount spent on this investigation came to $200,000. As Fred stated, “Newspapers have been variously described as watchdogs that hold our civic institutions accountable. They fur- nish the checks upon government that no constitution has ever been able to provide.” I hope I have helped out our local paper by “shedding some light on the conduct of public officials and the business of governing.” Thanks for the opportunity to use your words, Fred!

Chris Bush Nashville

Raccoons – How many

are too many?

Editor: Raccoons are omnivores. They eat almost anything, including ducks, eggs, turtles, mice, voles, rabbits, squirrels, fish, snakes and frogs. If you are like me, you may have noticed a reduction in the number of birds you see. On my 78-acre farm with 54 acres of grass, I have noticed a reduction in both the number of birds and the species of birds. In the past 25 years, gone are the ruffed grouse, ring- necked pheasant, bobolink, meadowlark, ves- per sparrow and grasshopper sparrow. Mal- lard and wood ducks along with the wood thrush, field and song sparrows are having trouble reproducing. Why is this? A large part of the answer, I believe, is raccoons. A few years ago, I started noticing lots and lots of raccoons in the pictures from my trail camera. In 2022, I attempted to trap raccoons to see how many inhabited the farm. That year in two months of trapping I caught

Wow! That was a lot more than I expect-
ed. The next year, I made a concentrated
effort and caught 55 raccoons. That’s a total
of 83 raccoons. My neighbor with a vegetable
garden captured 14 raccoons. Another land-
owner in Barry County harvested over 100
raccoons on his property.
Raccoon populations continue to rise and
the damage they cause to the ecosystem is
also on the rise.
A long time ago, when I was a kid (we are
talking the 50s here), there were not nearly as
many raccoons as there are today. Friends
who ran trap lines rarely caught these crea-
tures of the night. Traplines yielded muskrats
and mink but not many raccoons. Why was
this? First, the pelts were worth something
and there were more folks running trap lines.
Today, the pelts might be worth 6 bucks, and
most trappers out there do it as a hobby rather
than the funds produced.
Farms were smaller then and most had a
henhouse. Raccoons were not allowed, and a
shotgun was kept nearby to dispatch these
and other egg robbers.
Life was tough for a raccoon; sportsmen
had a great time running coon dogs, often
treeing a masked bandit after hours of late-
night sport.
The bottom line is that the raccoon popula-

tion was kept in check. But things have changed, and the raccoon population is out of control. For instance, take a drive out on a typical rural road and count the number of raccoons hit by vehicles. The count will sur- prise you. Coyotes, foxes and great horned owls prey upon young raccoons but they are not keep- ing the population in check. The number of raccoons has increased exponentially as the landscape has been fractured by an increasing population moving into the country. Their population has increased with improved access to garbage and additional food sourc- es. An interesting note is that the state of South Dakota has a limited bounty on raccoons during the nesting season of 10 dollars per raccoon. There are too many raccoons in Barry County and both game birds and songbirds are disappearing because of it. What can the landowner do to reduce the population of raccoons and help the birds? One option is to use a dog-proof trap. Baited with peanut butter, this tube-type trap catches the raccoon by the leg. Be careful dispatching the raccoons, as they can bite. You can also use a live trap but do not allow the raccoon to escape alive. The preferred method is to teach it to swim.

Jim Bruce Hastings Charter Township

SUBMIT A LETTER TO

THE BANNER

As the name implies, letters should be directed to the editor, not to any specific or broad audience. The Hastings Banner welcomes letters to the editor from readers, but a few conditions must be met before they will be published. The requirements are:

All letters must be signed by the writer,
with address and phone number provided for
verification. All that will be printed is the
writer’s name and community of residence.
We do not publish anonymous letters, and
names will be withheld at the editor’s discre-
tion for compelling reasons only.

Letters that contain statements that are
libelous or slanderous will not be published.

All letters are subject to editing for style,
grammar and sense.

Letters that serve as testimonials for, or
criticisms of, businesses will not be accepted.

Letters serving the function of “cards of
thanks” will not be accepted unless it is of
public interest, which will be determined by
the editor.

Letters that include attacks of a personal
nature will not be published or will be edited
heavily.

“Crossfire” letters between the same two
people on one issue will be limited to one for
each writer.

In an effort to keep opinions varied, there
is a limit of one letter per person per month.

We prefer letters to be printed legibly or
typed

Putnam District Library receives $10,

national grant for small and rural libraries

Putnam District Library has been selected
as one of 310 libraries to participate in round
two of Libraries Transforming Communities:
Accessible Small and Rural Communities, an
American Library Association (ALA) initia-
tive that provides community engagement
and accessibility resources to small and rural
libraries to help them better serve people with
disabilities.
The competitive award comes with a
$10,000 grant that will help the library provide
library services to residents who lack transpor-
tation to the library and purchase resources to
better serve people with disabilities.
“We are ecstatic to have this opportunity to
better serve people in our community through
new outreach and home delivery services,”
said Library Director Krista Vincent. “This
grant will cover the cost of mileage and staff
time to provide home delivery for people
with disabilities and mobility issues, and
additional funds to purchase resources and

learning tools for children with disabilities and other challenges.” Putnam District Library serves the village of Nashville and the townships of Maple Grove, Castleton and Assyria. “One of the greatest challenges in our service area is lack of transportation and access to library services,” said Vincent. “Since starting as director one year ago, I’ve met multiple individuals with a disability or other impairment that makes it difficult to get out, especially during the winter months. “And, due to the lack of local childcare options and the distance many families travel to work, homebound individuals are also caretakers of children. This provides a unique set of challenges. We are hoping to not only deliver reading materials but also learning toys and resources for children with a disability or the characteristics of a disability such as ADHD, autism and dyslexia.” As part of the grant, the library will be host-

ing community conversations with residents to ensure that the grant funds are put to the best possible use. These conversations will be scheduled in April and May and will involve multiple ways for people to provide input. Interested individuals may contact the library director at 517-852-9723 for more information. Since 2014, ALA’s Libraries Transforming Communities initiative has re-imagined the role libraries play in supporting communities. Libraries of all types have utilized free dialogue and deliberation training and resources to lead community and campus forums; take part in anti-violence activities; provide a space for residents to come together and discuss challenging topics; and have productive conversations with civic leaders, library trustees and staff. Libraries Transforming Communities: Accessible Small and Rural Communities is an initiative of the American Library Associ- ation (ALA) in collaboration with the Associ- ation for Rural and Small Libraries (ARSL).

Sunfield Township hears input from

community on TimberCreek tax dispute

Molly Macleod
Copy Editor
In the wake of last month’s ruling by
Michigan Tax Tribunal Judge Patricia L.
Halm in favor of TimberCreek Ranch, Sun-
field Township representatives have been
doing some soul-searching. The township
board invited residents on Monday to give
their input on whether they think the town-
ship should appeal the decision.
Halm’s ruling upheld TimberCreek’s assertion
that as a nonprofit the ranch is tax-exempt. Halm
set the taxable values for the seven parcels of
ranch property at $0 for the years 2022 and 2023.
That will also be the value moving forward.
Halm set the taxable value for the ranch’s prop-
erty at around $50,000 across the seven parcels
for Tax Year 2021, when the ranch transitioned
from Sunnycrest Youth Ranch to TimberCreek
Ranch. This was also the year the ranch lost its
child caring institution license. When shifting
from Sunnycrest to TimberCreek, the ranch
stopped serving boys under 18 and began target-
ing young men over 18 and in their 20s.
Because TimberCreek already paid its
taxes for Tax Years 2021 and 2022, last

month’s ruling means that the taxes already paid by the ranch must now be returned. Much of these tax dollars have already been disseminated to local entities including the schools and fire department. In all, nearly $76,000 will be paid back to TimberCreek, barring an appeal. Compared to other entities repaying Tim- berCreek’s tax dollars, the township’s budget will remain relatively unscathed. For the two years in question, the township will pay back just over $4,000. Lakewood Public Schools alone will pay over $45,000. “I think you oughta appeal this,” Sunfield resident John Fisher told board members on Monday. “I’ve been down this road personal- ly on tax tribunal issues and appeals. I had an appeal that was in the courts for six years before it was finally upheld. I think with all the tentacles that this particular issue rep- resents... I think we cannot not do anything.” Trustee Jeff Smith said his main reservation with going down the path of an appeal is whether it’s worth the time and money involved. “What can we accomplish? OK, we didn’t win. We did what we thought was right, but

here are some positive things that we can work on. How long do you keep spending time and energy on something when you can do something different?” said Smith. “We talked about supporting the fire department a little better... all these things. I’m with you, but at a certain point, when do we use your money better?” While several audience members gave their support for an appeal, Sunfield Town- ship Supervisor Selena Duits expressed her reservations about making a decision without more input from residents. Duits said that she and the board are waiting to hear back from the township’s lawyer, Donovan Visser, about the township’s chances for a successful appeal and how much time and money that could involve. Once more information is known, the board will hold a town hall-style meeting to hear direction from the community before deciding to appeal or not. “Our issue is it’s a huge financial decision. Before (when deciding to take on the case), it was a packed house, we had all kinds of support. And right now, we have four or five. I don’t think we have enough input to make that decision,” said Duits.

ORANGEVILLE TOWNSHIP^213731 2024 BUDGET PUBLIC HEARING NOTICE

The Orangeville Township Board will hold a Public Hearing on the Proposed Budget for fiscal year 2024 at the Orangeville Township Hall 7350 Lindsey Rd. Plainwell Mi. 49080: Tuesday March 27, at 7:00 P.M.

The Property tax Millage rate proposed to be levied to support the proposed budget will be the subject of this hearing.

Copy of the proposed budget will be available for public inspection at the Township office. The Orangeville Township Board will provide necessary reasonable auxiliary aids and services as required by the Disabilities Act.

Americans with Disabilities Act; stating that if those with disabilities notify the clerk within 10 days prior to the meeting, accommodations will be furnished to satisfy such disabilities and allow meaningful attendance. Individuals with disabilities requiring auxiliary aids or services should contact the Clerk: Mel Risner ; Home -672-2324 office- 269-664-4522.

Thomas Rook Supervisor Orangeville Township 616-299-

BALTIMORE TOWNSHIP

BUDGET PUBLIC HEARING NOTICE

The Baltimore Township Board will hold a public hearing on the proposed township budget for fiscal year 2024-25 at the Baltimore Township Hall located at 3100 E. Dowling Rd., Hastings, MI on Thursday, March 28, 2024 at 9:00am.

A copy of the budget is available for public inspection by calling the Township Supervisor, Chad VanSyckle, at 269-838- 0536.

This notice is posted in compliance with Public Act 267 of 1976 amended MCL 41.72a (2) (3) and the Americans with Disabilities Act.

The Baltimore Township board will provide necessary reasonable auxiliary aids and services, such as signers for the hearing impaired and audiotapes of printed materials being consid- ered at the meeting, to individuals with disabilities at the meeting upon ten (10) days’ notice to the Baltimore Township Board. NOTE: Individuals with disabilities requiring auxiliary aids or service should contact the Baltimore Township Clerk by calling Jana Bishop at 269-378-7280.

213482

Putnam District Library in Nashville received a $10,000 grant used to serve residents who lack transportation or are dealing with disabilities. (Courtesy photo)

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