The Hastings Banner — Thursday, April 14, 2022 — Page 3City approves $70,480 bid for tree care
Council finalizes date for cutting retiree healthcare
Hunter McLaren
Staff Writer
Hastings City Council members Monday
unanimously approved a proposal for tree
trimming, removal and stump grinding with
an estimated price of $70,480.
This bid came after an estimated $123,
proposal for tree trimming was rejected at the
March 28 meeting. Council members said
they were concerned with the high price of
the bid and asked city officials to find a lower
option.
Along with the approved bid from Front-
line Maintenance & Service LLC for an esti-
mated $70,480, the city received a bid from
Highpoint Tree Service for an estimated
$74,550. Both bids cover 47 tree removals,
107 stump grindings and 23 tree trimmings.
Director of Public Services Travis Tate rec-
ommended the approved bid because it
offered stump grindings at a significantly
reduced cost.
“I’m very happy that we looked at other
places to get a better price,” council member
Don Bowers said.
While the city did receive the two lower
bids Tate said DPS could potentially find
even lower bids if the city desired. It was just
a matter of how much money the city wanted
to budget and how many trees it wanted to cut
or trim.
“I just need direction on how much you
want to spend,” Tate said. “Is the limit
$40,000? What is the limit?”
Council member Brenda McNabb-Stange
said it was hard to pick a budgeted amount of
city funds for tree removal services when the
city council didn’t know for sure how many
trees could cause potential problems. She
expressed worry about trees with falling
limbs she had seen that could cause injuries
or damage to property, she said.
“Whatever the number of trees that need to
be cut down need to be budgeted for,”
McNabb-Stange said. “I don’t know how
many trees we have out there that are a dan-
ger to the public.”
Tate recommended having an arborist
added to the budget. The arborist would be
able to better assess if trees are in need of
immediate attention or if they could be dealt
with at a later time, which could help the city
council make a more informed decision
regarding the budget allocated toward tree
care.
City Manager Sarah Moyer-Cale said city
officials had found that Hastings was remov-
ing many more trees than other communities,
and for that reason it was worth looking into
the city’s tree care budget. The city is inter-
nally discussing adding an arborist to the
budget, she said.
“It could very well be the case that we’re
cutting down trees that might be unneces-
sary,” Moyer-Cale said. “If we had an arbor-
ist review it, they might feel that the trees
don’t need to be removed, or we could have a
tree disease or something else that’s affecting
our trees to a greater extent than some other
places.”
The city also approved changes to its per-
sonnel policy. The changes involved modify-
ing the policy to reflect changes made to the
corrective action plan for the city’s pension
liability. The plan involved the removal of
post-employment healthcare coverage forMedicare-eligible retirees, as well as spouse
and dependent health care coverage for retir-
ees effective July 1.
The city had previously approved the plan in
order to fix a deficit after discovering the city’s
contributions to the Michigan Employment
Retirement service were not making their esti-
mated return on investment. The city’s pension
was only 44 percent funded, down from 68
percent in 2006. The state requires municipali-
ties that drop below 60 percent funding to
submit a corrective action plan or risk the state
taking over the city’s finances.
The city estimates the cuts will save an
estimated $423,000 per year that can be put
back into the city’s pension fund, potentially
fully funding it in 10 years if nothing goes
wrong.
Other changes to the personnel policy
included updated information technology
policies regarding passwords and the creation
of a safety committee for employees to sub-
mit and review reports regarding concerns.
The personnel appeals board, which exists
to process city employee complaints regard-
ing the personnel policy, was struck from the
policy since the board had never been formed
despite existing in the policy for more than a
year, Moyer-Cale said. The policy now advis-
es employees to file complaints to the city
manager.
In other business, the city council:- Purchased two-heavy pickup trucks from
the Todd Wenzel dealership through MIDeal
for $98,004. They are replacing the current
vehicles, which the department of public ser-
vices intends to sell. - Set a workshop for 6 p.m. Monday, April
25, to review the 2022-23 budget.- Approved sidewalk closure from A.J.
Veneklasen on Michigan Avenue and Apple
Street at the site of the construction of the
Lofts @ 128. The closure is expected to con-
tinue until construction is complete. - Approved a public utility easement from
Ravenna Holdings. The easement is being
granted to allow the city to access the water
main for repairs and maintenance at 600 E.
Woodlawn Ave, where a townhouse is going
to be constructed. - Pushed back a vote approving events at
Hammond Hills Disc Golf Course. Council
members expressed a desire to receive more
information on the course.
Thornapple Township to seek tax increase
for fire, ambulance service
Greg Chandler
Staff Writer
Rising costs for both equipment and labor
for Thornapple Township Emergency Ser-
vices have led township officials to ask voters
to raise taxes to support the service.
The township board Monday night voted
unanimously to place on the August ballot a
request to levy 2.25 mills for a period of four
years to support TTES.
Township voters in August 2020 approved
a renewal of a 1.75-mill levy to support TTES
through 2023, but that amount has been
rolled back to 1.6969 mills because of the
Headlee amendment. The new levy would
replace the current tax, Township Supervisor
Eric Schaefer said.
“After reviewing the rising costs of sup-
plies, insurance, salaries, utilities at the sta-
tion, the increased number of calls, the
expanded number of households being served,
the need for an additional firefighter/para-
medic and the spreadsheet of equipment aging
out, it has become more than obvious that
additional funding is needed in order to prop-
erly run the TTES department,” Schaefer said.
“Due to the Headlee rollback of the current
millage, the funding is lacking. The [emer-
gency services] committee reviewed costs
and weighed this with the additional tax this
would impose upon its residents, and felt that
2.25 mills would be appropriate at this time.”
The tax levy supports equipment and per-
sonnel for TTES, which serves both Thornap-
ple Township and the village of Middleville.
TTES also contracts with neighboring Irving
Township for ambulance service.
TTES Chief Randy Eaton told the board his
department is facing the prospect of having to
make several large apparatus purchases in the
near future, the result of a past pattern of pur-
chases under a previous chief. It started with the
purchase of a fire engine in 1998, Eaton said.
“A couple of years later, we bought a tank-
er, and a couple of years after that, we bought
a big rescue truck,” Eaton said. “We spent a
lot of money in six years, seven years, and
that isn’t how you want to operate a fire
department. You need to spread those pur-
chases out so that they’re every eight to 10
years ... so that you’re not [paying for] two
major purchases in a row.
“What we’re up against now is we have
two aging pieces of equipment that we need
to replace, sooner rather than later, and
Engine 56 would be the first.”The original purchase price of Engine 56 in
1998 was $460,000. Replacing that unit in
2023 would cost an estimated $588,000, and
holding off on the purchase would bring on
additional costs of roughly 6 to 8 percent a
year, Eaton said.
“If we put it off until 2030, it’s going to be
just a little under $400,000 more [than if we
buy in 2023],” he said.
Eaton spoke to representatives from Spar-
tan, a firetruck manufacturer based in Char-
lotte, on the rising prices for new firetrucks.
Spartan recently built a new truck for Caledo-
nia Fire Rescue, which will soon be delivered.
“Right now, their prices are 20-25 percent
higher than they were 18 months ago – partly
due to the pandemic, I’m sure,” Eaton said.
“They’re also charging now a $6,000 sur-
charge just to put you in line to get it built.”
Eaton said tht if TTES were to place an
order for a new engine now, it would be about
18 months before the truck would be avail-
able for service.
The current Engine 56 has a 35-foot-high
ladder to handle taller structure fires, but TTES
has no other trucks with a ladder that tall.
“The new truck would need to be outfitted
so that 35-foot ladder could go on that truck,”Eaton said. “That still only gives us one
35-foot ladder on one piece of equipment, so
that next vehicle that’s purchased, if it were a
tanker, would probably get a 35-foot ladder
because tankers are typically a water supply
unit and not a unit that arrives with a two- or
three-ply ladder.”
The issue of ladder height was a subject of
concern during the Village of Middleville’s
recent discussion on the proposed Flats at
Mid-Villa mixed-use development along
M-37, which would have included 144 apart-
ments in six buildings roughly 35 feet in
height. The developer has since withdrawn
his request for a planned unit development
rezoning for the site, although he may come
back with another plan in the future.
In addition to the rising costs for equip-
ment, the township has raised wages for
TTES employees in order to remain compet-
itive with other departments. The board unan-
imously approved a $3-per-hour wage
increase in August 2021. The increase boost-
ed the pay for full-time staff members to
roughly $21 to $24 per hour, while the top
pay level for medics increased to $22 per
hour, and top pay for emergency medical
technicians rose to about $20 per hour,according to township documents.
TTES employees, as well as all other
township employees, received a 5.9 percent
cost-of-living increase at the start of the new
fiscal year April 1, Eaton said.
At its current level, the EMS levy gener-
ates about $635,000 for TTES, Township
Treasurer Deb Buckowing said.
Township voters overwhelmingly approved
the last TTES millage renewal in August
2020, with 1,151 yes votes compared to 469
no votes. A 2016 renewal election was much
closer, passing by a margin of 648-501,
according to county election records.
If the levy does not pass in August, Schae-
fer recommended the proposal be put back on
the ballot in the November election.Barry County commissioners opt for rules
to encourage civility during public meetings
Rebecca Pierce
Editor
Barry County Board of Commissioners
OK’d a rules change Tuesday that they’ve
been considering for months.
Their action amends the county board’s
procedure and regulation and places some
new
The proposal, which has been in the
works for two years, was approved in a 5-
vote with Jon Smelker and Howard Gibson
voting against it.
“If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it,” Gibson
said.
Smelker pointed out that the rules are
already in place and no additions or revi-
sions are required.
The proposal, which had come before
the board several times, was updated after
discussion at meetings on Feb. 15, March 1
and April 5.
The intent of it is to more clearly estab-
lish and define the rules pertaining to pub-
lic comments at an open meeting as permit-
ted by the Open Meetings Act.
The OMA provides that “a person shall
be permitted to address a meting of a pub-
lic body under rules established and record-
ed by the public body.”
Upon consultation with the county’s
attorney, the amendment established some
rules relating to public comment, including
the following:
- Limited Public Comment, shall be lim-
ited to no more than 3 minutes per individ-
ual and at times designated..., except where
extended privileges are granted by the
chairperson. - Each person who speaks shall direct
his/her comments to the chairperson. - The chairperson shall call to order any
person who is behaving in a disorderly
manner, such as, but not limited to, speak-
ing or otherwise disrupting the proceeding,
by speaking longer than the allotted time,
by speaking vulgarities, by making com-
ments that are intimidating, threatening orharassing or by making comments directed
at a member of the public, which conduct
substantially interrupts, delays or disturbsGilmore Piano Fest artist
to join HHS Senior
Spotlight concert
After the 9-foot Steinway grand piano
was delivered to the Hastings Performing
Arts Center in October 2019, Patti LaJoye
contacted the Gilmore Piano Festival hop-
ing organizers would consider adding
Hastings as a partner.
A representative from the festival toured
the auditorium with LaJoye, a retired
Hastings teacher and musical director, and
was impressed with the space and the spe-
cial care set up for the grand piano.
Approval was sought and granted. Then
the pandemic hit, and the festival had to
be postponed.
Now after two years, the festival is
back. Hastings and the Steinway piano
donated by the Baum Family Foundation
will be featured beginning at 7 p.m. Tues-
day, April 19, at the performing arts cen-
ter, which was provided by the Hastings
community. The concert is free.
“We are thrilled to have a Gilmore Art-
ist in Hastings,” LaJoye said, extending
special thanks to the National Endowment
for the Arts and Arts Midwest for its finan-
cial support of this program.
The Gilmore Artist is American pianist,
Alpin Hong, who made his orchestral
debut with the Kalamazoo Symphony at
just 10 years old. He moved to Los Ange-
les soon after and garnered competition
victories at a young age with wins at the
1989 Stravinsky Piano Competition. He
completed his master’s degree at The Juil-
liard School.
During two whirlwind American toursand performances across the globe, Hong
earned a reputation for opening the ears,
eyes and imaginations of hundreds of
thousands of Americans, his combination
of stunning technique, emotional range,
and rare humor continues to bring audi-
ences young and old to their feet, accord-
ing to a press release.
In July 2005, Gramophone magazine
declared Hong’s first CD “a debut that
enhances this young pianist’s reputation,”
praising his “strong finger-work and keen
ear for voice-leading.” The release of his
second album in January 2007 sold out of
its first run within weeks and garnered
critical acclaim. The New York Times
called Hong “a pianistic firebrand” in a
review of his standing-room only New
York recital debut at Carnegie Hall, the
result of his winning first prize in the 2001
Concert Artists Guild International Com-
petition.
Hong’s ability to connect to people of
all ages, experiences and backgrounds
distinguishes him and shapes his evolving
performance style, according to the press
Gilmore Piano Festival press release. His
extensive classical training – matched
with his background in skateboarding,
snowboarding, martial arts and videog-
ames – forms a creative force unmatched
in its youthful vivacity and boundless
energy.PUBLISHER’S NOTICE:
All real estate advertising in this
newspaper is subject to the Fair Housing
Act and the Michigan Civil Rights Act
which collectively make it illegal to
advertise “any preference, limitation or
discrimination based on race, color,
religion, sex, handicap, familial status,
national origin, age or martial status, or
an intention, to make any such
preference, limitation or discrimination.”
Familial status includes children under
the age of 18 living with parents or legal
custodians, pregnant women and people
securing custody of children under 18.
This newspaper will not knowingly
accept any advertising for real estate
which is in violation of the law. Our
readers are hereby informed that all
dwellings advertised in this newspaper
are available on an equal opportunity
basis. To report discrimination call the
Fair Housing Center at 616-451-2980.
The HUD toll-free telephone number for
the hearing impaired is 1-800-927-9275.QUESTIONS:
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Bicyclist
struck by
pickup
Greg Chandler
Staff Writer
A 30-year-old Hastings woman suf-
fered minor injuries Friday when she
was struck by a pickup truck while rid-
ing her bicycle in the downtown area.
The accident occurred shortly before
4 p.m. at the intersection of North Mich-
igan Street and Apple Street.
The victim was crossing the intersec-
tion on her bicycle, headed south on
Michigan, when she collided with the
pickup, driven by a 51-year-old Hast-
ings woman, which was turning north
onto Michigan, Hastings Police Chief
Dale Boulter said in a news release.
The victim, whose name was not
released, was taken to Spectrum Health
Pennock Hospital with minor injuries.
The accident remains under investiga-
tion at this time, Boulter said.
Assisting Hastings Police at the scene
were the Hastings Fire Department and
Mercy Ambulance.Barry County Service Awards were awarded Tuesday to Deputy Marti Horrman for
25 years with the Barry County Sheriff's Office; Shannon Pinkster for 10 years with
Historic Charlton Park where she is curator; and Tammy Pennington for 35 years with
the Commission on Aging, where she is the executive director. In congratulating
Pennington, Chairman Ben Geiger noted that Pennington is planning to retire this
year. (Photo by Rebecca Pierce)See PIANO FEST, page 8
See RULES, page 8