County audit results in solid numbers
Did we truly celebrate real meaning of Memorial Day?
DK boys, HHS girls win county track titles
See Story on Page 3
See Editorial on Page 4
See Story on Page 24
THE HASTINGS
VOLUME 159, No. 22
BANNER Devoted to the Interests of Barry County Since 1856
PRICE 75¢
Thursday, May 31, 2012
City’s new budget adds staff in three departments NEWS BRIEFS Free hearing and vision screening available The Barry-Eaton District Health Department will offer free hearing and vision screening clinics Monday, June 4, and again Monday, Aug. 20, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Approximately 3 million children reside in Michigan, more than 1 million of whom will need eye care by the time they reach high school graduation age. About 10,000 Michigan students enter school each year with inadequate vision. Vision and hearing screening is available through the Barry-Eaton District Health Department free of charge for infants through school-age children. Hearing and vision screening is required before entering kindergarten. The health department provides vision and hearing screening for all children of this age at school organized kindergarten roundups as well as at monthly clinics at the health department. Call 269-945-9516 to schedule an appointment.
Fridays at the Fountain concerts return next week The summer concert series Fridays at the Fountain is set to begin June 8 and continue throughout the summer. The series is a joint venture of the Thornapple Arts Council and the City of Hastings which offers free outdoor concerts on the Barry County Courthouse lawn near the fountain from noon to 1:30 p.m. every Friday. In the event of rain, concerts will be in the community room on the lower level of Hastings City Bank, 150 W. Court St. The artist lineup for summer includes both the familiar and the new and features a wide variety of musical styles from bluegrass to steel drum, jazz to pop, and more. The first band to play at the concert series will be Sweet Grass, and new band comprised of familiar faces on the local music scene. Sweet Grass mixes traditional up-tempo bluegrass sound with gospel, country and folk music.
Gull Lake area part of Kanoe the Kazoo The Four Township Water Resources Council will participate in Kanoe the Kazoo Saturday, June 9. The council will lead a guided nature tour of Three Lakes in Richland Township. These lakes are part of a tributary branch of the Gull Lake/Creek system. Participants will meet at the Three Lakes parking area on west side of 35th Street southwest of the village of Richland between 8 and 9 a.m. for registration and orientation. The paddle should be between 9 and noon. Participants must provide their own canoes or kayaks and gear. Sunscreen, insect repellent and personal floatation devices are recommended. Bottled water will be provided, but participants should bring their own snack, soft drinks or other food. To register or for more information email ftwrc@aol.com or call Kornheiser, 269-664-4426, during weekday work hours.
by Sandra Ponsetto Staff Writer Last year, the Hastings City Council approved the reduction full-time staff at the Hastings Fire Department and leaving a position in the Hastings City Police Department vacant to reduce costs. This year, the council was able to approve a budget that allows the city to fill the vacant position at the police department, add 16 hours for part-time personnel in the assessing department and add 20 hours a week for a part-time code enforcement officer position. Monday evening, the council held a public hearing on the proposed budget, during which no comments were received from the public, before it unanimously approved the 2012-13 budget. The approved budget will allow the city to maintain or exceed its minimum fund balance of $500,000 through 2013-14 and support the budget at the current 16.0174-mill levy. In his memorandum to the council, Hastings City Manager Jeff Mansfield said the 2012-13 budget and capital improvement plan will allow the municipality to provide and sustain its spectrum of services as it has
done in the past, with no expected budget overages. “The pro-active steps taken by the city council in the past years to control costs are bearing fruit and allowing the city to live fairly comfortably within our means,” he said. In other business, the council: • Held a first reading on a ordinance that would amend regulations applying to handicap-access ramps. The proposed ordinance would rescind previously adopted general law access ramp ordinances and allow new ramps to encroach into yards under some conditions and would require an initial permit from the zoning administrator. City staff was directed to make some minor language changes in the proposed ordinance. The council will hold a second reading on the proposed ordinance during its next regular meeting scheduled for 7 p.m. Monday, June 11. • Held a public hearing on and then unanimously approved the 2012 downtown parking special assessment district to fund a portion of the maintenance cost for the downtown municipal parking lots. The Hastings Downtown Development Authority has again agreed to pay a portion of the cost of mainte-
nance of the lots to keep the amount assessed to the property owners in the district at the same level as in previous years. • Approved a request from the Hastings Summerfest Committee to allow annual activities at various locations around the city Friday, Aug. 24, through Sunday, Aug. 26. Summerfest committee chairman Mike Hallifax said the only change from previous years would be the route for the grand parade, which will be one block shorter due to the construction on Broadway. • Heard from Matt Spencer about an injury his son received while riding his bike on one of the ramps at the city’s new skate park in the 1st Ward. The injury, which occurred in April, resulted in 17 stitches and was reportedly due to a screw sticking out of the ramp. Spencer said city employees agreed that the screw only protruded from the ramp when the metal was depressed by the weight of a biker or skateboarder. City officials said playground equipment in municipal parks is inspected once a month. However, since the incident in April, inspection sheets have been improved to be more specific to the type of equipment found in each park and the construction of the ramps is
being improved to ensure that screws can be more securely fastened. • Approved a request from Hastings American Youth Soccer Organization representative Charles Ziny to allow the organization to use the soccer fields at Fish Hatchery Park during the fall soccer season. • Amended the fiscal year 2011-12 budget to allow the purchase of a replacement laptop computer for an employee at a cost of $2,500. • Approved the concept layout for the splash plaza as recommended by the DDA. The proposed splash plaza will be constructed on the vacant lot east of Hastings 4 Cinema. • Awarded a bid to Fillmore Equipment Inc. for a four-wheel drive compact utility tractor in an amount not to exceed $37,345, as recommended by public services director Tim Girrbach. • Approved payment of $13,800 for a directional bore to complete the watermain project on Thorn Street. • Approved a resolution allowing dogs on leashes to be within 20 feet of the Riverwalk Trail within Tyden Park.
Crowd packs meeting on fracking in Yankee Springs by Fran Faverman Staff Writer A large crowd filled the Yankee Springs township community hall to capacity on Tuesday to hear more about the controversial use of horizontal hydraulic fracturing, more commonly referred to as fracking, to release natural gas and oil from shale. The Payne Lake Homeowners Association along with members of various environmental action groups hosted the meeting at the invitation of Yankee Springs Township Supervisor Al McCrumb who had realized the amount of time that could be devoted to the topic at the township’s regular board meeting on May 10 was inadequate. Also at the meeting, representing the Orangeville Township Board of Trustees, was Robert Perino. The meeting format provided 20 minutes for each of three speakers with 10 minutes of
followup questions from the audience. Thirty minutes was provided for a general question and answer period at the conclusion of the presentations from Mike Shelton, a field geologist with the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality, Christopher Grobbel, Ph.D., an environmental professional who has participated in clean-up programs, and James Olson, an attorney who specializes in environmental law. Shelton provided a brief overview of local geology likening it to a “cereal bowl," with the shale layer at the bottom of the bowl. He observed that vertical fracking has been practiced in Michigan for 60 years. According to Shelton, there are 29 or 30 such wells currently in operation in Barry County. Shelton commented on the Antrim shale layer which lies very close to the surface in Barry County, so close that the one-quarter mile
distance needed for horizontal hydraulic fracking makes it financially infeasible at present prices for gas. In another shale layer, the Utica layer, the quality of the gas is very low making it even less feasible. Shelton said he has no idea why companies had bought leases in Barry County. The land is classified as nondevelopable, but companies can apply for drilling permits. State parks and certain natural areas are excluded. The state game area is under the jurisdiction of the Michigan Department of Natural Resources and may have different rules. Responding to a question about where the revenues from leases go, Shelton said the current fund for grants is capped at $5 million and the remaining funds go to the state park funds. Shelton said there is no empirical evidence that fracking causes problems. Rather, the problems are caused by poor regulation. He
cited West Virginia as a prime example where drilling is allowed at a distance of 100 feet from a residence. He noted that Michigan has much more stringent regulations limiting the amount of water that can be drawn down to serve the drilling process. Grobbel, mentioned that he is a former DEQ employee who works now with, primarily, environmental protection groups. Supplying statistics, Grobbel said there are 15,000 oil and 13,000 gas wells in Michigan with 20 percent of the gas mined used here while 80 percent goes elsewhere. The greatest number of leases sold in the recent auction were in Barry County. He supports banning fracking in the county. Grobbel believes that part of the permitting
See FRACKING, page 7
Middleville teen pulled from fiery vehicle by David DeDecker Staff Writer A Middleville teen is recovering in a Kalamazoo hospital due to the quick action of bystanders after the vehicle in which she was riding caught fire Sunday afternoon. Jessica Eckhoff was in the back seat of a 1994 Jeep Cherokee when it was rear-ended by a man driving a 2008 Dodge Dakota pickup truck Sunday, May 27, around 12:45 p.m. on M-37 near Shaw Lake Road in Yankee Springs Township. The Jeep had reportedly been stopped to make a left turn onto Shaw Lake Road, when it was struck and soon burst into flames Two others in the Jeep, Liz Rogers and Tori Roth — all sophomores at Thornapple Kellogg High School — were able to escape the fiery vehicle, but Eckhoff reportedly was trapped. Karen Barnes was in her backyard weeding, and her husband was working in the garage when they heard a loud noise and then, according to Barnes, blood-curdling screams. “We came around the corner to see the Jeep engulfed in smoke and flames,” she told the Banner in a telephone interview. “Two girls were screaming there was still someone in the car, but there was so much smoke, you could hardly see her.”
See CRASH, page 18
Wreath laying in Hastings Boy Scout Charles Surratt (foreground) prepares to lay a wreath on a monument at the Barry County Courthouse lawn during the Hastings Memorial Day parade. Also taking part in the ceremony are Girl Scout Madison McMasters (center) Cub Scout Leader Jason Flohr with son and Cub Scout Jeremiah (background). The ceremony was part of the parade in Hastings Monday morning. (Photo by Sandra Ponsetto) For more on the parade, see 2