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After that date, the village

can begin accepting applica-

tions for special land uses

and business licenses,

Assistant Village Manager

and Planning/Zoning

Administrator Brian

Urquhart said.

Council Trustee Mike

Cramer said he wasn’t com-

fortable with the idea of the

ordinances going into effect

Sept. 11, which is the 20th

anniversary of the terrorist

attacks on the United States.

“I’m all for [the ordinanc-

es], I just don’t want it to go

active on Sept. 11,” Cramer

said.

Village voters in

November 2018 supported

Proposal 1, the statewide bal-

lot measure that legalized the

use of marijuana for recre-

ational purposes. Sixty per-

cent of the village voters in

that election – 793 voters in

total – voted to approve the

proposal, while 528 voters

voted no, according to coun-

ty election records.

In April 2019, the village

council voted to hold off on

legalizing marijuana estab-

lishments in the village, with

the planning commission to

revisit the ordinance once the

state had finalized its regula-

tions. Commissioners began

crafting the ordinance lan-

guage in January 2020 at the

direction of the council. A

public hearing June 28 at

Thornapple Kellogg High

School drew fewer than 20

people, only four of whom

spoke.

“It’s been a long journey,”

Urquhart said.

He said he expects interest

in licenses to set up marijua-

na businesses in Middleville.

“I anticipate that we will

get several applications in,”

Urquhart said.

Several individuals have

expressed interest in estab-

lishing marijuana businesses

in the community. One is

Shawn Benner, who last year

launched Lumberjack’s

Provisioning Center, a medi-

cal and adult use facility on

M-37 in Baltimore Township,

which was the first munici-

pality in Barry County to

allow for marijuana busi-

nesses. Benner also has an

adult-use marijuana growing

facility in the township.

“I’m going to try to work

my way with you people and

hopefully do something in

Middleville,” Benner said,

after congratulating the

council on adopting the ordi-

nances.

Cascade Township resi-

dent Jason Gyorki, who said

he often visits Middleville

and frequents its businesses,

also has an interest.

“I’m looking to start a

business, and I think

Middleville would be a great

place,” said Gyorki, who has

a professional background in

facilities management.

“Unfortunately, my township

has not opted to take the

voice of the people that voted

for it, which is a pretty good

percentage ... it’s kind of

fallen on deaf ears.”

Scoring criteria for appli-

cants will include back-

ground, including past own-

ership experience; number of

full-time employees in the

business and employees from

within the village; presenta-

tion of a business plan,

financing plan and marketing

plan; physical investment in

the property; a security plan

to deter and prevent unautho-

rized entrance into the busi-

ness; design of the business;

impact on neighboring prop-

erties, including residences;

impact on infrastructure and

energy efficiency, village

documents show.

Council Trustee Mike

Lytle was the lone “no” vote

on both ordinances. He cited

a negative experience with

marijuana at a party years

ago as the reason for his

decision.

“I know what it did to me.

I just don’t want to make it

easier for somebody to get

marijuana, and go down and

get a six-pack or a case of

beer,” Lytle said.

It’s likely to be at least a

couple of months before the

first applications for special

land uses will be addressed

by the village, Urquhart said.

“The way our submittal

deadlines have already been

established by the planning

commission, the soonest you

would be heard would be at

the November planning com-

mission meeting,” Urquhart

said.

Middleville

TOPS 546

The Aug. 23 meeting

opened with roll call and the

secretary’s report.

One fish jumped back into

the fishbowl.

Chris talked about how get-

ting eight hours of sleep each

night can help with weight

loss. A sleepy body is a hun-

gry body. Less than seven

hours of sleep a night may

lead to health problems.

Weight loss improves sleep

quality and quantity.

Chris won the Ha-Ha box.

The meeting ended with

the KOPS and TOPS pledges.

TOPS, a weight loss group

meets every Monday at

Lincoln Meadows in

Middleville. (Press Apt. 205

for entrance.) Weigh-in is

from 4 to 4:15 p.m., and

meetings begin at 4:15. A

mask must be worn when in

the building for those not vac-

cinated. Social distancing is

practiced.

Anyone with questions

may call Chris, 259-953-

5421. The first meeting is
      free.

EEE-positive mosquito

pool found in Barry County

Residents urged

to take

precautions

Michigan residents are
being reminded by the
Michigan Department of
Health and Human Services
to protect themselves from
mosquito bites following the
detection of the first Eastern
Equine Encephalitis-positive
mosquito pool of the year in
Barry County.
The discovery in Barry
County follows a report by
the Michigan Department of
Agriculture and Rural
Development of an EEE-
positive horse from
Livingston County and
underscores the need for both
Michigan residents and horse
owners to take precautions.
“These discoveries indi-
cate that the EEE virus is
here in Michigan and pro-
vides warning that residents
could also become infected
by a mosquito,” said Dr.
Joneigh Khaldun, MDHHS
chief medical executive and
chief deputy director for
health. “Michigan residents
are urged to take precautions
and protect themselves from
mosquito bites as EEE is one
of the most dangerous mos-
quito-borne diseases in the
U.S., with a 33-percent fatal-
ity rate among humans who
become ill.”
EEE has a 90-percent
fatality rate in horses that
become ill, and infection in
both people and animals
occurs through the bite of an
infected mosquito. EEE is

not spread from per-

son-to-person.

Signs of EEE include the

sudden onset of fever, chills,

and body and joint aches.

Illness can eventually devel-

op into severe encephalitis,

resulting in headache, disori-

entation, tremors, seizures

and paralysis. Permanent

brain damage, coma and

death also may occur in some

cases.

This is the first year the

MDHHS Bureau of

Laboratories has been per-

forming testing on mosqui-

toes collected by local health

departments and academic

partners. To date, over 43,

mosquitoes have been tested.

Residents can stay healthy

by following steps to avoid

mosquito bites:

• Apply insect repellents
  that contain the active ingre-
  dient DEET, or other U.S.
  Environmental Protection
  Agency-approved product, to
  exposed skin or clothing, and
  always follow the manufac-
  turer’s directions for use.


• Wear long-sleeved shirts
  and long pants when out-
  doors. Apply insect repellent
  to clothing to help prevent
  bites.


• Maintain window and
  door screening to help keep
  mosquitoes outside.


• Empty water from mos-
  quito breeding sites around
  the home, such as buckets,
  unused kiddie pools, old tires
  or similar sites where mos-
  quitoes may lay eggs.


• Use nets and/or fans over
  outdoor eating areas.
  “For horses, EEE is a seri-

ous but preventable disease,”

said State Veterinarian Nora

Wineland, DVM. “Positive

mosquito pools can help to

identify areas of risk. Horse

owners should work with

their veterinarian to develop

a plan to protect their ani-

mals.”

To safeguard their horses,

owners could take the fol-

lowing measures:

• Talking to a veterinarian
  about vaccinating horses
  against EEE.


• Placing horses in a barn
  under fans (as mosquitoes
  are not strong flyers) during
  peak mosquito activity from
  dusk to dawn.


• Using an insect repellant
  on the animals approved for
  the species.


• Eliminating standing
  water on the property-i.e., fill
  in puddles, repair eaves, and
  change the water in buckets
  and bowls at least once a day.


• Contacting a veterinarian
  if a horse shows signs of the
  illness: mild fever and stum-
  bling, which can progress to
  being down and struggling to
  stand.
  In addition, health depart-
  ment officials are reporting
  that West Nile virus activity
  in Michigan has increased in
  wildlife and mosquito popu-
  lations.
  Health officials have iden-
  tified 11 positive mosquito
  pools and 10 infected ani-
  mals in the Lower Peninsula.
  No human cases of West
  Nile virus have been reported
  to date; however, a case has
  been reported in a horse from
  Midland County.
  Mosquito-borne illness
  will continue to be a risk in
  Michigan until late fall when
  nighttime temperatures con-
  sistently fall below freezing.
  For more information
  about mosquito-borne dis-
  eases, visit Michigan.gov/
  emergingdiseases.

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