The Sun and News

Your Hometown Newspaper Serving Middleville and Caledonia Areas

No. 47/November 20, 2021 Published by J-Ad Graphics, Inc. • 1351 N. M-43 Highway, Hastings, MI 49058 143rd year

Greg Chandler
Staff Writer
Five applicants for two
available marijuana retail
licenses in Middleville
cleared the first round of
their application process
Thursday night, as the vil-
lage’s planning commission
approved special land uses
and site plans for their pro-
posed businesses.
Now, the applicants must
complete their license appli-
cations and have them scored
by Village Manager Patricia
Rayl, who will make the
final determination which
applicants will be awarded
the licenses.
“The torch has been
passed,” Village Trustee and
planning commission mem-
ber Mike Cramer quipped.
But the applicants will
have to wait a few days
before they can begin the
license applications.
“We have to get the letters
from the zoning administra-
tor, and then people can start
applying for their business
license,” Rayl said after the
meeting.

“Once Glorimar [Ayala,

village clerk] determines that

each application is complete,

then I have 21 days to score

them from there.”

Brian Urquhart, assistant

village manager and planning

and zoning administrator,

said the letters will be sent out

after Thanksgiving.

Applicants must pay a $5,

fee, which is allowed under

the Michigan Regulation and

Taxation of Marijuana Act to

defray application, adminis-

trative and enforcement costs.

The applications are the

first to be accepted since the

village council voted Aug. 24

to approve two ordinances

allowing marijuana-based

businesses in Middleville.

Applications will be

scored on such criteria as

background of the applicant,

including past compliance

with state business licensing

requirements; residency in

the village or Barry County

for at least one year; number

of employees residing in the

village; investment in the

business; impact on the sur-

rounding area; having busi-

ness, financing and market-

ing plans; design of the

establishment; energy effi-

ciency; infrastructure impact;

and having a security plan

and a Good Neighbor plan

that outlines community or

civic involvement, according

to village documents.

All five applicants are seek-

ing licenses to offer marijuana

for adult recreational use,

while one applicant also is

seeking to be a provisioning

center for medical marijuana.

The applicants are:

• Ron Schafer of Wayland-
  based BS Rison, which is
  proposing to open an adult-
  use business at 402 Thornton
  St. under the name KKind.


• John Abbo of Troy-based
  LUME, which has proposed
  an adult-use business at 4611
  M-37, on the site of the for-
  mer Middle Villa Inn. The
  business would be one of
  three proposed retailers
  along the highway as part of
  a mixed-used development
  being considered by village
  planners that also would
  include apartments and pos-
  sibly senior housing.


• Jarred Biggs of Mitten
  Meds LLC, based in
  Middleville, which has pro-
  posed an adult-use business
  and medical provisioning
  center at 640 Arlington
  Court. The business would
  operate under the name The
  Botanical Co. The location
  currently is home to TTS
  Fitness.


• Marvin Karana, of
  Southfield-based DNVK1,
  which is proposing an adult-
  use business at 314 Arlington
  St., which would do business
  under the name Middleville
  Provisioning. The site is the
  current location for
  Thornapple Floral.


• Jason Gyorki, of MI
  Craft Cannabis, based in
  Alto, who proposes to open
  an adult-use business at 4695
  M-37.
  The five applicants pre-
  sented plans for their busi-
  nesses at a public hearing
  Nov. 3. Initially, a planning
  commission meeting was
  scheduled for the next night,
  but that meeting was pushed
  back to Nov. 18 to allow time
  for applicants to make revi-

sions to their site plans and

commissioners to review the

proposals.

Even after the two retail

licenses are awarded, three

licenses will still be available

for marijuana-based busi-

nesses in the village. That

may include growing opera-

tions, secure transport or a

safety testing facility.

“Grower is the most likely

one that we’ve seen interest

in,” Urquhart said.

The passage of the mari-

juana ordinances followed a

two-year process and exten-

sive study by the planning

commission. A majority of

village residents in 2018

voted in favor of Proposal 1,

the ballot initiative that legal-

Greg Chandler

Staff Writer

Caledonia Community

Schools are mourning the

loss of a beloved music

teacher.

David Sowerby, who was

an orchestra teacher at Kraft

Meadows and Duncan Lake

middle schools for the past

16 years, died Nov. 13. He

had battled Crohn’s disease,

primary sclerosing cholangi-

tis and colorectal cancer. He

was 50.

A memorial service for

Sowerby will take place at

11 a.m. today at Cornerstone

United Methodist Church,

1675 84th St. SE in

Caledonia.

Sowerby’s death affected

students, alumni, staff and

the Caledonia community.

“He helped me find my

true love for music and I’m

so thankful for him every

day for being the human he

was and making everyone

else’s day better,” said

Alexander Le, a 2021

Caledonia High School

graduate. “Whether he was

having a good or bad day,

him showing up to class

showed the devotion he had

for his job to teach students

music. My love goes out to

him and his family for allow-

ing me to have such a great

bond with them.”

Kraft Meadows Principal

Steve Uyl said that Sowerby

had a “huge impact” on his

students and the Caledonia

community as a whole.

“David had a tremendous

way of inspiring his love for

music in his students and had

a unique talent for developing

first-time orchestra students,”

Uyl said. “He had the perfect

demeanor in the classroom

and always pushed his stu-

dents to do their very best. He

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

• Caledonia expecting $1.4M hit
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• Middleville pumps up number
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• Snow falls and so does CHS
  football team in regional final


• Max Effort Field house brings
  athletes inside in Caledonia

See MARIJUANA, page 2

David Sowerby with wife Rebecca, who teaches

at Kraft Meadows. His death last Saturday was a

blow to the Caledonia schools community. (Photo

provided by Caledonia Community Schools)

Caledonia mourns loss

of school music teacher

See SOWERBY, page 2

Greg Chandler

Staff Writer

The Michigan Department

of Transportation has nar-

rowed its options for the

planned upgrade of the M-

corridor between 76th Street

and 92nd Street in Caledonia

Township.

Township Supervisor

Bryan Harrison and Trustee

Tim Bradshaw met via con-

ference call with representa-

tives from the Michigan

Department of

Transportation’s Grand

Region Wednesday morning

to discuss the project, which

is tentatively planned for the

2025 construction season.

Harrison provided an update

on the project at the town-

ship board meeting that eve-

ning.

Eight design concepts

have been under consider-

ation. That list has largely

been narrowed down to three

basic concepts, with varia-

tions of each concept still

possible, according to

Dennis Kent, MDOT’s

transportation planner for

the Grand Region. The three

are:

• Preservation of the pres-
  ent road configuration on
  M-37, with a short boulevard
  and intersection reconfigura-

tion at 84th Street to include

so-called “Michigan left”

turns on either side of 84th

Street.

• A five-lane concept with
  a center turn lane between
  76th and 92nd streets, again
  with the Michigan turn lanes
  at 84th Street.


• A boulevard concept
  between 76th and 92nd
  streets with a grassy median,
  again with the Michigan turn
  lanes at 84th Street.
  Harrison has spoken open-
  ly in favor of the boulevard
  design, but is aware of the
  financial challenges of mak-
  ing the project happen.
  “The reality is that the
  boulevard option is substan-
  tially more expensive, and
  MDOT doesn’t currently
  have that in their budget,”
  Harrison said Wednesday
  night. “So, we are appealing
  to Lansing with the idea that
  when this initially started, it
  literally was a pavement
  project, to preserve what’s
  there. We said a lot has
  changed since then.”
  Preliminary cost estimates
  range from around $30 mil-
  lion for the preservation con-
  cept to around $45 mil-
  lion-$50 million for the bou-
  levard concept. The boule-
  vard option will include costs

for right-of-way acquisition,

Kent said in an interview

Friday.

“In order for this to occur,

there will need to be agree-

ment on the scope of the

proposed improvements and

financial participation by all

involved, assessment of the

impacts and public involve-

ment.  We are in the initial

stages of the project develop-

ment process, and there will

be more activity in 2022,”

Kent wrote in an email.

Among the potential part-

ners who may be involved in

financially supporting the

project include the Kent

County Road Commission,

Grand Valley Metropolitan

Council, Caledonia Township

and the Village of Caledonia,

Kent said.

Design plans for the proj-

ect are expected to be com-

pleted by 2024 with con-

struction planned for 2025,

Kent said.

Harrison remains optimis-

tic about the boulevard con-

cept.

“I think we have one shot

at it,” he said. “It’s not a sure

thing, but we’re going to

work hard to see if we can

get an expanded road that is

built for pleasantness, not

just purpose.”

MDOT officials reduce M-

design plans in Caledonia

Middleville approves marijuana business site plans, land uses