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Craft beer canning made easy thanks to West Michigan friends
2016 Oceana Conservation District Annual Report
For Land’s Sake Andy and Beth Snider, Zach and Priscilla Snider
Conservationists of the Year
Oceana Agricultural Banquet March 18, 2017 New Era Reformed Church
Page 2a
Thursday, March 9, 2017
Thursday, March 9, 2017
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Page B1
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.
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6a
• March 9, 2017 • Oceana’s Herald-Journal
MDOT repairs
from Page 1a
Andrew Skinner • Oceana’s Herald-Journal
Motorists drive around an Oceana County Road Commission crew as they fill potholes on Oceana Drive Tuesday morning, March 7.
Oceana Drive spend a fortune on temporary repairs. Timmer pointed out the road commission also now has two “Durapatch” machines which can be towed behind pickup trucks to apply hot tar and stone to poor road sections on other areas of the county. “It’s going to be a really nice tool
from Page 1a
for surface preservation maintenance,” Timmer said. Other work lined up for 2017 includes finishing Monroe Road starting at a point between 104 and 112th avenues in Weare and Crystal townships; crush and shape Water Road from approximately Garfield Road south the approximately
the Double JJ Resort in Grant Township; chip seal 192nd Avenue north of M-20 through the various roadways to Filmore in Newfield Township plus local township projects still being finalized.
“It’s going to be a
really nice tool for surface preservation maintenance,”
— Mark Timmer Oceana County Road Commission Manager
Pentwater Township Library to close for renovations Last day to check out books is March 10
The Pentwater Township Library will close its doors for nearly three months Friday, March 10 as the library undergoes it’s highly anticipated “Refresh” remodel. Renovations include a remodeling of the public restroom, upgrades to Wi-Fi, new furnishings, carpeting, and paint and the reconfiguration of the library layout. The last day the library will be open is this Friday, March 10. All books, DVDs, audio
books and magazines can be checked out until then and will be due date stamped for June 6. After March 10, all items are to be kept until the June 6 due date. The library’s drop box will not be available. The library remodel is expected to take place March 13 through May 31. During this time the library will be closed completely; Wi-Fi service will Interlibrary Loan will be susbe interrupted; computer, fax pended. Zinio and Overdrive Eand copies will be unavailable. Deliveries for MeLCat and materials will still be avail-
able online through the library The Hart, Shelby and Ludwebsite. Patrons will need their ington libraries are available 4-digit account number and for patrons. PIN to access.
Street to M-37. The work is scheduled for July and August at a cost of $1.5 million. Just to the south in Muskegon County MDOT plans to resurface 11.3 miles of the US-31 expressway from the C&O Railroad to Fruitvale Road. The project is slated for September and October and is estimated to cost $3.4 million. Another Muskegon County project includes $2.5 million in upgrades to BR-31 (Colby Road/Thompson Street) in the City of Whitehall. The resurfacing project will run from the White River bridge to Division street and reconstruction and widening to 11 feet between Division and Franklin streets and resurfacing from Franklin to east of Hall Street. Work also includes sewer replacement, water main upgrades and sidewalk ramp upgrades compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act. Still further south will be work to M-120 (Holton Road) in the City of North Muskegon and Muskegon Township. The $2 million reconstruction project will include reconstructing and widening M-120 (Holton Road) from Whitehall Road to the railroad bridge (just northeast of Russell Road). Lanes will be reconstructed and widened to accommodate two through-lanes and a center leftturn lane with storm sewer and water main replaced. During reconstruction, westbound M-120 traffic will be detoured on Giles and Whitehall roads. One lane will remain open for eastbound M-120 traffic. Residential and business access will be maintained from eastbound M-120 within the detour limits.
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