The Sun and News

Your Hometown Newspaper Serving Middleville and Caledonia Areas

No. 12/ March 23, 2024 Published by J-Ad Graphics, Inc. • 1351 N. M-43 Highway, Hastings, MI 49058 146th year

Yankee Springs planning

commissioner honored for 55

years of public service

Greg Chandler
Staff Writer
Rich Beukema had just
retired from the Grand
Rapids Police Department in
1992 after 28 years as an
officer.
An avid sailor, Beukema
was looking to move to a
community that was near the
water. He and his wife,
Maxine, decided to move to
Gun Lake in Yankee Springs
Township. They found a
vacant lot near the lake and
had a home built on that lot,
which the couple still lives in
three decades later.
“When we got here, we

discovered how nice of a

place it was,” Beukema said.

“I’m very happy with it. The

crime rate is really low, we

have good neighbors, people

get along here. Everything’s

kind of easy-going...

Everything I need here is

within two miles. I always

say everything I need is two

stop signs away — the doc-

tor, the bank, the store, what-

ever.”

Once established in

Yankee Springs, Beukema

set out to try to get to know

some of the people there, and

Caledonia Township board OKs

changes to sign ordinance

Greg Chandler
Staff Writer
The Caledonia Township
Board Wednesday approved
an amendment to the town-
ship’s sign ordinance, but not
before making one final
change affecting signage in
windows.
As part of its decision, the
board voted 6-0 to pass a
change that will require 70
percent of the total area of
windows in a building to be
unobstructed by signs. Two
weeks earlier, the board had
debated whether to require
90 percent of a window to be
unobscured, even though the
township Planning
Commission had never dis-
cussed a percentage before-
hand in making its recom-
mendation to the board.
“When it came out of the
Planning Commission, it was
blank, and it was anticipated
that something would be in
there, where it said blank
percent shall be allowed to
be covered,” Township
Supervisor Bryan Harrison
said. “A number was dropped
in by our planner (Lynee
Wells) before we said let’s
bring it to (the board), she
put in 10 percent (as the pro-
posed limit for sign coverage
in a window).”
Harrison looked to bring
the township in line with
similar signage requirements
in the village of Caledonia,

which makes a distinction

between temporary and per-

manent signage – allowing

up to 30 percent coverage in

a window for temporary

signs and 15 percent for per-

manent signs.

“The 10 percent (recom-

mendation) that came to us

from our consultant, I believe

that’s too restrictive. It’s also

not consistent with what the

village has,” Harrison said,

recommending allowing 30

percent sign coverage in a

window.

Tom Purdy of Caledonia

Rent-All called the 30 per-

cent allowance “reasonable,”

but did raise other issues.

“There’s a few businesses

that already have potentially

more than that (coverage),

and they’ve had it for years.

To me, that’s kind of their

right, and that’s the way they

do business,” Purdy said.

Stephen Smith, a district

manager for AutoZone Inc.,

said that some of the current

signage at the retailer’s loca-

tion on Cherry Valley Avenue

covers more than 30 percent

of the window, and proposed

allowing a greater percentage

on some windows if other

windows in the building have

no signage so that the total

overall signage at the busi-

ness does not exceed the 30

percent limit. He says the

retailer typically changes its

signs every four weeks.

“The signs do pay for

themselves (in generating

increased sales), and they’re

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

See SIGN ORDINANCE, page 2

See BEUKEMA, page 2

Postcard display and

sale underway at

Caledonia KDL branch

Greg Chandler

Staff Writer

A collection of postcards

created by artists from the

Caledonia community is

now on display and avail-

able for sale at the Kent

District Library Caledonia

branch.

A total of 295 postcards,

created by 43 artists, are

part of the display that’s

been put together by Art In

Caledonia. It’s the seventh

year for the event, which

runs through Monday, April

15.

“They’re all on the pillars

(throughout the library),”

said Lulu Brown, regional

manager for the KDL

Caledonia and Cascade

branches.

“It’s like a mini-ArtPrize,

just for Caledonia, high-

lighting the talent that’s

here.”

One of the participating

artists in the display is Sam

Holland, who is an assistant

branch librarian at the

Caledonia KDL branch.

Several other artists are

branch volunteers, Brown

said.

Some of the postcards

depict scenes from the

Caledonia community,

Brown said.

Art In Caledonia was

founded 10 years ago by

Jane Heiss, who was the

first manager of the

Caledonia library when it

opened in 2011.

“We are always looking

for opportunities and ven-

ues for artists to share their

The Caledonia Township Board amended the township’s sign ordinance, issu-

ing a change that will require 70 percent of the total area of windows in a building

to be unobstructed by signs. (Photo by Greg Chandler)

Rich Beukema with his planning certificate from

Michigan State University. Rich recently marked 55

years of public service — 28 years as a police officer

in Grand Rapids and 27 years as a Yankee Springs

Township planning commissioner. (Photo by Greg

Chandler)

A total of 295 postcards, created by 43 artists

throughout the Caledonia community, are part of

the display at the Kent District Library Caledonia

branch. (Photos by Greg Chandler)

See POSTCARD, page 3