SN 11-20-2021

The Sun and News, Saturday, November 20, 2021/ Page 3

COVID cases keep going up

Taylor Owens
Staff Writer
There were 367 cases of
COVID-19 in Barry County
on Tuesday, according to the
Barry-Eaton District Health
Department.
Two more people are
reported to have died from
the disease, with a total of 95
deaths since the pandemic
began in March of 2020.
The most recent sev-
en-day average for the num-
ber of COVID-19 tests
which were positive was
27.55 percent.
Barry County set a new
record for single-day positiv-
ity rate on Nov. 6. According
to the state, 35.37 percent of
the 164 tests that were con-
ducted that day came back
positive.
According to the state
reporting, Spectrum Health
Pennock currently had eight
COVID patients in the hospi-
tal on Monday, with two in
the intensive care unity.
The hospital was at
95-percent bed occupancy.
The health department is
continuing to offer free rapid
COVID testing at its Hastings
office at 330 West Woodlawn
Avenue in Hastings.

Tests are conducted every

Monday, Wednesday and

Thursday from 10:30 a.m.

until 5:30 p.m. until Nov. 29,

with no testing done on

Thanksgiving. Appointments

are available at barryeaton-

health.org/test.

COVID vaccine clinics,

including booster shots,

doses for kids age five to 11

and sensory friendly clinics

also are available for appoint-

ments at barryeatonhelaht.

org.

At least 29,590 Barry

County residents have

received their first dose of

the COVID-19 vaccine,

which is 59.5 percent of all

residents age 12 and up.

The goal is to vaccinate at

least 70 percent of residents,

officials have said.

Caledonia Fire Department

creates fire inspector post

Greg Chandler
Staff Writer
The Caledonia Fire
Department has created a
new fire inspector position
within the department.
The township board
Wednesday approved a rec-
ommendation from Fire
Chief Scott Siler to appoint
Capt. Brad Bender, who has
been a full-time firefighter
with the department since
2019, to the inspector’s posi-
tion.
“It’s definitely, for our
community, the right thing
to do right now,” Siler said.
“I also have a vision for a
fire prevention program, and
again, in a lot of communi-
ties, that’s what the fire
investigator/fire marshal’s
office works on. Not only

will it help us catch up [with

inspections], but also to look

into all the places we hav-

en’t been in that are exist-

ing, that we need to preplan

and look into what they have

and do our annual walk-

throughs.

“It’s much needed. We

thought we could try to get

on top of it while carrying on

with everything else.”

Siler added that having

Bender available adds an

extra person during the day

to handle overlapping

calls.

Bender joined the

Caledonia Fire Department

in 2018 as a paid on-call fire-

fighter after 16 years with

Thornapple Township

Emergency Services. He also

owns a construction compa-

ny.

“He has served us well,

not only as a firefighter, but

has also grown up into the

officer ranks,” Supervisor

Bryan Harrison said.

Bender’s hiring as fire

inspector now opens up a

full-time firefighter position

within the department.

In a separate action

Wednesday, the board voted

to create a three-member

committee to conduct an

internal search among paid

on-call firefighters to fill the

position.

Siler, Township Treasurer/

Administrator Richard

Robertson and Trustee Greg

Zoller, who chairs the town-

ship’s public safety commit-

tee, will serve on the com-

mittee.

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Village seeks volunteers for

Christmas in Caledonia

Greg Chandler

Staff Writer

The village of Caledonia

is looking for people who

want to participate in its

“Christmas in Caledonia”

celebration on Saturday,

Dec. 4.

A full evening of activi-

ties is planned on Main

Street, starting at 4 p.m.

“Wood-burning outdoor

fireplaces will be placed

throughout the downtown,

providing warmth and ambi-

ance, inviting all to congre-

gate and visit with one

another,” Village Manager

Jeff Thornton wrote in a

message that was sent out

this week. “Choral and

musical groups have been

invited to wander the streets,

spreading joy and well wish-

es.”

In addition, food trucks

have been invited to set up

shop on Main Street, along

with local restaurants.

A light parade will begin

at 6 p.m., with Santa Claus

ushering in the parade.

Dancers from the Caledonia

Dance & Music Center will

preform, allowing for Santa

to return to the village

Christmas tree for the light-

ing ceremony. Village

President Jennifer Lindsey

will assist Santa in lighting

the tree.

A photo session with

Santa will take place after

the tree lighting.

Forms for performers are

available at the Village Hall,

250 S. Maple St. They can

be returned in person to the

Village Hall, submitted

online at vilofcal@villa-

geofcaledonia.org or faxed

to (616) 891-9730.

The Caledonia Women’s

Club will have a table on

Main Street that night to

collect donations of chil-

dren’s hats, mittens and

gloves. Monetary dona-

tions also will be accepted.

All donations will go to

children who attend

Caledonia Community

Schools.

Orangeville Township looking to stop trucks from ‘Jake braking’

Greg Chandler
Staff Writer
Orangeville Township has
asked the Barry County Road
Commission to put up signs
along Keller Road, encour-
aging semi-truck drivers to
avoid engine braking, or
“Jake braking,” as it is com-
monly called.
But the road commission
has questions for the town-
ship, such as how many signs
it wants and where the signs
should be installed.
The term “Jake brake”
comes from a product
named  the Jacobs Engine
Brake that’s used by truck
drivers to slow their rigs. The
compression release it uses

causes a loud noise like a

jackhammer.

The township board voted

to have the signs installed

after receiving calls from

several residents complain-

ing about loud noise from

trucks braking in the area of

Keller between Norris and

Lindsey roads. That area is

near a planned 75-acre sand

and gravel mining operation

that received approval from

the Barry County Planning

Commission in late

September.

“The road commission

will put up signs,” Township

Supervisor Tom Rook said at

the Nov. 2 meeting. “We

didn’t want to get into an

ordinance because we’d then

have to enforce it. It’s a civil

[infraction], so we would end

up paying the cost for

enforcement for something

that isn’t a county ordinance

... [the sheriff’s department]

will come out and help us,

but we have to pay for all the

fines any time we pursue a

violation.”

But road commission

Operations Director Jake

Welch said he sees

Orangeville’s request as

problematic. If signs get

installed along Keller Road,

he said, it could lead to

requests for additional sig-

nage on nearby roads and

possibly even on state high-

ways such as M-179 and

M-37.

He also said he sees a

problem with enforcement.

“It’s really a slippery

slope,” Welch said in an

interview.

“We’ve been trying really

hard to keep our right-of-

ways clear of extra stuff –

extra signs, extra junk – so

that the signs that we have

really stand out.”

Concerns about noise were

raised by some township res-

idents when JMK Realty

went before the county plan-

ning commission with its

plan for the sand and gravel

mine that would be operated

by Grand Rapids-based

Superior Asphalt at 9650

Keller Road.

The county planning com-

mission approved a special

land use and site plan for the

project.

An Orangeville Township

couple, Karen and Glenn

Hayward, say they own a

strip of property that Superior

Asphalt would have to cross

to get to the site, and are

seeking to use that to block

the project. The Haywards

live across the road from the

proposed mining site. Karen

Hayward said Monday she

has not heard any instances

of “Jake braking” at or near

the site.

County Planning Director

Jim McManus said there has

been no action on developing

the site. He said JMK has a

soil erosion permit.

Superior Asphalt is plan-

ning a five-cell operation,

with cells ranging in size

from 7.5 to 10 acres, to be

mined in three-year incre-

ments, according to plans

presented to the county.

Welch said the road com-

mission has asked the town-

ship for more details on what

it wants to address the noise

concerns.

“We don’t have a firm pol-

icy on [signage],” he said.

“To be honest, we would

prefer not to have a policy.”