The Sun and News, Saturday, November 20, 2021/ Page 13kind of around Covid time,
but it is not anywhere near
that. It is just for softball
primarily. It is not for all
the different sports [like
Max Effort]. Florida could
use it. We get plenty of rain
and plenty of heat. It would
be nice to be indoors.
“It is unbelievable. As an
athlete and now as a coach
and seeing my kids as ath-
letes, it is an incredible safe
environment. If I’m going to
have my kids into anything
extra, they are into art and
music and things like that
too, athletics and pushing
your body to its best poten-
tial and having the ability to
keep working on your game
is amazing.”
Bloemers is far from the
only coach/trainer with an
impressive resume spending
time at Max Effort Fieldhouse
which is located at 8280
Broadmoor Ave. SE.
It is taking a bit longer
than planned to have every-
thing operational at the
multi-sport facility for youth
and adult activities, but
Pranger, Kyle Thompson and
Whitney Bell were working
Thursday afternoon to finally
get some late-arriving weight
room equipment set up in the
massive facility.
“The partners came up
with this plan last spring. We
started construction in July
and we officially opened the
doors in September,” Abid
said. “We had our open
house October 2. It has been
really exciting. We’re kind of
hammering out a couple of
final things. It is interesting
opening a business during
this market that we’re in. Our
weight room equipment,
which Nate ordered in May,
just arrived last week. Not all
of it is here still yet. Some of
that stuff has been kind of
interesting.
“That was the last piece of
the puzzle. The weight room
is all assembled and we’re
ready for the snow to start
flying and drive people
indoors. We’re excited for
snow this year for the first
time ever.”
The puzzle is nearly
complete now inside the
30,000 square foot build-
ing. It took a couple
attempts at it, but the com-
pany installing the court
that will be used for basket-
ball, pickleball, volleyball,
tennis and the like has fin-
ished its curing process.
The turf fields have been
ready for some time,
already hosting football
quarterbacking camps, soc-
cer practices and softball
and baseball lessons. There
is a golf simulator along the
edge of a turf field as well.
“This last week was our
first week of what I’ll call
our rental season,” Abid said.
“We had, every night this
week, we have had a soccer
team practicing on the turf
and in fact I think we had
three different teams at a
time for about five hours
[Wednesday] night.
“We’re busy.”
“We have a lot of soccer
going on. We have been
doing quarterback camps
with [former Michigan State
quarterback] Ryan Van Dyke
on Sundays. Kimmy
Bloemers, who is Gary
Carter’s daughter, is our soft-
ball trainer. She has been
doing a couple of softball
camps. We have got some
baseball and softball teams
that have been in on Sundays
renting the place out too.
“It is about half and half
between a team or a club
rental and then we have also
got memberships. We have
got spin classes in the morn-
ing. We have yoga which is
actually moving from [Max]
Performance here in two
weeks. The first week of
December we will have yoga
here.”
Pranger, an owner of Max
Effort Performance gym on
the south side of Caledonia,
owns the new Max Effort
Fieldhouse along with Jason
Russell and Kelly Russell,
and Abid said he also has a
small share of ownership in
the business.
Individual memberships
are currently available for
just $25 per month, which
allows access to all of Max
Effort Fieldhouse’s facilities.
Family memberships are just
$75 per month.
Max Effort Fieldhouse isopen to members beginning
at 5 a.m. Monday through
Friday and beginning at 8
a.m. on Saturdays and
Sundays. Through the rest
of 2021 Abid said he can
guarantee that the facilities
will be open until 4 p.m. to
members during the week
and 1 p.m. on Saturdays and
Sundays. The facility may
be available after 4 p.m.
during the week, but the use
of some amenities may
depend on which things are
being rented out by teams
and leagues.
The Davenport University
Men’s Baseball program
will begin afternoon practic-
es in the facility after the
first of the year, and live
baseballs flying throughout
the facility will limit avail-
ability a bit.
“We will keep people
updated on that,” Abid said.
“The big thing is, mem-
bers can always come in and
see what we have available.”
He is also expecting the
Davenport University Track
and Field program to move
some pole vaulting equip-
ment inside before too long.
Abid said there has been a
lot of interest in winter pick-
leball leagues. Work is
already underway to get a
12-team adult basketball
league going, which would
have a season ending tourna-
ment playing games on
Sunday, Monday and
Tuesday evenings. There are
other group fitness classes as
well as the spin and yoga
classes. There are expecta-
tions for 3-v-3 soccer com-
petitions.
A second session of for-
mer Michigan State
University quarterback Van
Dyke’s “Building QB’s
Camp” starts Dec. 5 and runs
the first three Sundays in
December for quarterbacks
ages ten and up. The first
session is just finishing up
this weekend.
“Ryan is the quarterback
guru of the state of Michigan.
His resume from his last
football season was pretty
impressive. He had 15 or 16
[high school] guys under his
tutelage and all but one of
them had a playoff team, andthey put up some pretty
impressive stats,” Abid said.
“He takes a different
approach to the game. He
does all the normal funda-
mental stuff like footwork
and all of that, but he talks a
lot about field vision com-
pared to a lot of other guys
who are just all mechanics.
He wants the quarterback to
slow down and see the game
a little bit as it is coming
along.
“That is what comes from
a guy who sat in the film
room with Nick Saban at
Michigan State and was on
NFL rosters. In a room with
Eli Manning you pick up
some stuff. We’re pretty
lucky that he is bringing
those things here to this
facility as well.”
The facility has already
been booked for one May
day for a graduation open
house. Plans are in the works
for the Max Effort Fieldhouse
to host a corn hole tourna-
ment as a fundraiser for the
Caledonia lacrosse program
in January.
“We’re trying not to be
one specific thing,” Abid
said. “We also want to be
part of the community as
well.”More information on all
the things happening and
available at Max Effort
Fieldhouse can be found onthe MaxEffortFieldhouse
Facebook page as well as the
maxeffortfieldhouse.com
website.GAINES CHARTER TOWNSHIP
COUNTY OF KENT
8555 KALAMAZOO AVE., SE
CALEDONIA, MI 49316171665COUNTY OF KENT, MICHIGAN
STREET LIGHTING SPECIAL ASSESSMENT DISTRICT
PRESERVATION LAKES #NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that the Township Board of the
Charter Township of Gaines, Kent County, Michigan, having received
petitions to make certain pubic improvements consisting of installa-
tion, operation, and maintenance of street lighting within the develop-
ment of Preservation Lakes #4, from record owners of land constitut-
ing more than 50% of the land area in the special assessment district
described below, has resolved its intention to proceed on the petitions
and, pursuant to Act 188 of the Public Acts of Michigan of 1954, as
amended, to make said improvements in the Township.
The Township Board has tentatively determined that the cost of said
improvements shall be specially assessed against each of the follow-
ing described lots and parcels of land which are benefited by the
improvements and which together comprise the following proposed
special assessment district:
The Preservation Lakes #4 Plated Subdivision (Lots 92
through 120), in Part of the SW ¼ of Section 29, T5N,
R11W, Gaines Township, Kent County Michigan
Hearings on Petition, Improvements, District and Special
Assessment Roll
TAKE NOTICE, THAT THE Township Board of the Charter
Township of Gaines will hold a public hearing on December 13, 2021
at 7:00PM at the Township Offices, 8555 Kalamazoo Avenue, SE, with-
in the Township to hear and consider any objections to the petitions
filed, the proposed improvements, the proposed special assessment
district, and all other matters relating to said improvements.
TAKE FURTHER NOTICE that the Township Board shall hold a
second public hearing on the December 13 2021, at the Township
Offices immediately after closure of the public hearing provided for
NOTED ABOVE. The purpose of the hearing being to hear and consid-
er comments and objections to the Special Assessment Roll.
Persons with disabilities needing special accommodations should
contact Kim Triplett at 616-698-6640 one week prior to the meeting to
request mobility, visual, or any other assistance.GAINES CHARTER TOWNSHIP
NOTICE OF PUBLIC HEARINGThe Gaines Charter Township Zoning Board of Appeals will hold a public hearing
to consider the following request:Summary of Request: Request for a 10-foot Dimensional Variance to the 20-foot side
setback requirement for a non-illuminated monument sign.
Property Address: 6122 Division Avenue SE
Parcel Numbers: 41-22-06-100-
Applicant: CC Kentwood Property LLC
Date and Time of Hearing: December 8, 2021 at 7:00 pm
Location of Hearing: Gaines Charter Township Offices, Board Room
8555 Kalamazoo Avenue SE, Caledonia, MI 49316Any interested party may appear and be heard on said proposal. Information related to this
request may be inspected during regular business hours Monday through Friday, at the Planning
Department window located in the Gaines Charter Township Offices, or contact Dan Wells at
(616) 980-6188 or [email protected]. In order to be entered into the public record,
signed written comments must be received by 5 PM on December 8, 2021.
Persons with disabilities needing special accommodations should contact info@gainestownship.
org or (616) 698-6640 one week prior to the meeting to request mobility, visual or any other
assistance.171634Haley Bloemers gets some pointers from her dad
Kyle Bloemers on the golf simulator inside Max Effort
Fieldhouse in Caledonia Thursday. (Photo by Brett
Bremer)Continued from previous page