11 road work a skinner by Oceana's Herald-Journal

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Temporary Oceana Drive work to start mid spring

Andrew Skinner • Oceana’s Herald-Journal

A silver car travels north along a pothole riddled Oceana Drive in Hart Township Tuesday morning, March 7. Repairs to the crumbling roadway will be priority one, Oceana County Road Commission Manager Mark Timmer said, as the road commission plans full-out repairs, beginning in 2018.

Troubled road giving area motorists ‘rough ride’

John Cavanagh Herald-Journal Writer

Temporary repairs to Oceana Drive north of Hart are expected to begin in late April or early May. Repairs to the crumbling roadway will be priority one, Oceana County Road Commission Manager Mark Timmer said, as the road commission plans full-out repairs, beginning in 2018. The road commission is expected to receive $1.8 million over the next three years for improvements. Timmer expects to reconstruct the section between the south branch of the Pentwater River and Lever Road in 2018; the section between Lever and Jackson roads in 2019; and the section between Jackson to just north of Monroe Road in 2020. The road commission cannot repair the entire road section in just one year as it will only receive so much money from state and federal sources each

year. Timmer said an engineering company will survey and develop specifications for improvements this summer so the project will be ready to go out for bids. In the meantime, Timmer said road commission crews have been patching the worst parts almost daily. He said roads throughout the county will likely continue to break up as temperatures exceed the freezing mark during the day and drop below freezing over night. The Oceana Drive section has been posted as a bumpy road with speed limit signs advising drivers not to exceed 35 mph. Once the weather breaks, Timmer said the road commission will use its paving machine to “skim patch” over the worst sections, adding that because it is scheduled for reconstruction, they don’t want to

M-20, other work on MDOT’s radar in 2017

Andrew Skinner • Oceana’s Herald-Journal

Oceana County Road Commission employees fill potholes along Oceana Drive Tuesday, March 7. The road commission hopes to temporarily fix the troubled road later this spring and have plans for a full-out reconstruction of the roadway in 2018.

OCEANA DRIVE continued on 6a

Andrew Skinner • Oceana’s Herald-Journal file photo

Sap drips from a spout and into a collection bucket during a recent syrup season.

EXTREME WEATHER THREATENS SYRUP INDUSTRY

“The extreme

weather we are experiencing here in Michigan puts a lot of stresson the maple syrup industry,”

— Kirk Hedding President of the Michigan Maple Syrup Association

continued on 7a

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MDOT REPAIRS continued on 6a

Bizon appoints new chief assistant prosecutor

Extreme weather threatens Michigan’s maple syrup industry LANSING, Mich. – Extreme weather is having a negative impact on the Michigan maple syrup industry, the fifth largest in the country. “The extreme weather we are experiencing here in Michigan puts a lot of stress on the maple syrup industry,” said Kirk Hedding, President of the Michigan Maple Syrup Association. “The extreme weather leads to lower yields and opens the door to new invasive species and disease. If this trend continues, it could have a severe impact on the industry as a whole, which will in turn impact the economy and tourism in Michigan.” The Associated Press reported recently on the impact of climate variability on maple syrup production in the Northwest region of the United States. According to the article, warmer weather

Commuters in and around Oceana County should expect travel delays during various parts of the summer as the Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT) has a number of road improvement projects lined up. Work on the east side of the county near Hesperia is expected to commence in June and continue into July. MDOT is scheduled to resurface M-20 from Winter Street to Greenback Street. The $239,000 project includes sidewalk ramp upgrades to be compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act. A second project to the east includes M-20 work on both sides of Hesperia. MDOT is scheduled to chip seal 20.5 miles of M-20 from 144th Avenue in Oceana County to Winter Street then in Newaygo County from Greenback

Oceana County Prosecutor Joe Bizon announced Monday the appointment of Chad A. DeRouin of Ludington as the new chief assistant prosecutor for Oceana County. DeRouin’s starting salary will be $60,000 annually. A Muskegon native, DeRouin earned his bachelor’s degree from Western Michigan University in 2010, and his law degree from Thomas M. Cooley Law School in 2013. DeRouin started his private practice, Law Office of Chad A. DeRouin, PLC in 2015 and has since argued cases in several Michigan counties, including Oceana, Mason, Manistee, Lake and Muskegon. DeRouin During his time in private practice, he has gained invaluable experience that he believes will allow him to thrive in his new position, Bizon said. DeRouin is a US Army veteran and credits his time in the Army, and his family, for giving him the mental strength, integrity and motivation to get him where he is today. He replaces former chief assistant Prosecutor Jeffrey Kabot, who was dismissed in late January.