Sunday, September 30, 2012

A look ahead: Trash talk, Art-A-Loan and Oktoberfest

The first week of October has lots of meetings and events:

Douglas: The city council meets at 6 p.m. Monday for a special workshop on bids for a single trash hauler. The meeting is at city hall, 86 W. Center St. Here’s the preview story: http://www.hollandsentinel.com/news/x833735845/Douglas-council-will-look-over-trash-bids-at-workshop

For more background on the issue, check out:

-- http://www.hollandsentinel.com/news/x764809623/New-trash-rules-in-Douglas-expanded-to-include-businesses

-- http://www.hollandsentinel.com/news/x1405828718/Proposed-ordinance-opens-up-Douglas-to-single-trash-hauler-option

The regular meeting is at 7 p.m.

Laketown Township: The board’s workshop meeting is 4 p.m. Wednesday at the township hall, 4338 Beeline Road. The agenda is not available until the meeting.

The planning commission meets at 7 p.m. Wednesday at the township hall.

There is a flu shot clinic at the township hall from 8:30 to 10:30 a.m. Tuesday. For more information, call the township at (616) 335-3050.

Saugatuck Township: The board meets at 6 p.m. Wednesday at the township hall, 3461 Blue Star Highway. The agenda includes:

-- Appointment of Pat Knikelbine to the Interurban board.

-- Discussion of proposed rules and bylaw changes for the Saugatuck Township Fire District board.

-- Corrections of residential street names along 130th Avenue, Wiley Road and Riverside Road along with Blue Star Highway. The changes will help maintain accurate public records and benefit emergency services.

For more details, visit saugatucktownship.org and, under “Notices,” click on “Township Board Meeting — October 3, 2012.”

Saugatuck City: The council normally has a workshop at 4 p.m. Thursday at city hall, 102 Butler St. The agenda comes out the day before.

Fennville City: Meets at 7 p.m. Monday at city hall, 222 S. Maple St.


Palisades Nuclear Power Plant in near South Haven on the shores of Lake Michigan.

Nuclear Regulatory Commission

 A Nuclear Regulatory Commission webinar Monday will discuss the preliminary results of the a special inspection of a leak from a control rod drive mechanism at the Palisades Nuclear Power Plant near South Haven.

Federal officials will report the findings and answer questions during the online event.

The webinar will be 2-3 p.m. People must register at https://www2.gotomeeting.com/register/977718426.

The agency dispatched a three-person team to the plant Aug. 15 to better understand the circumstances around the leak from the control rod drive mechanism that moves the rods in the reactor to control reactor power levels. Regulations prohibit any leaks in this equipment. Inspectors made sure the leak was fixed. The leak did not impact public health.





Art A Loan

Art work from Saugatuck Public Schools students will be on display and open for bid at Art A Loan from 6:30-8:30 p.m. Wednesday at the Saugatuck Center for the Arts, 400 Culver St.

For more information, visit http://www.hollandsentinel.com/news/x833736414/Community-gets-chance-to-bid-on-student-art

 
 
 
 
Oktoberfest

The Douglas Oktoberfest is noon to 6 p.m. Saturday at Beery Field, Center and Main streets in downtown Douglas. Admission is $3; $10 for a family. Proceeds benefit downtown Douglas and the installation next spring of dinghy docks at Wade’s Bayou on the Kalamazoo River.

Oktoberfest kicks off with a parade at noon starting at DeMond’s Super Valu, heading down Center Street to Beery Field to the tapping of the keg ceremony.

Food vendors are the United Church of Christ serving chicken, the Hickory Pit serving barbecue and Cookies on Call with desserts.

Other events include horsedrawn carriage rides for $5 and displays by the West Michigan Corvair Club and Lakeshore Corvette Club. Music by the Hark Ups will be under the tent at Beery Field.

Children’s games run through 4 p.m.

The grown-up games follow with  a stein-holding competition at 4 p.m., hot dog eating contest at 4:30 p.m. followed by the keg toss.

Saturday, September 29, 2012

Week in Review

Here are some of the top area stories from The Sentinel in the past week:



Saugatuck Indians on the line of scrimmage.


-- Saugatuck Indians snap four-game losing streak: http://www.hollandsentinel.com/sports/footballfever/x264121519/Saugatuck-crushes-Martin-62-6

-- State Rep. Bob Genetski, R-Saugatuck, found guilty of drunken driving: http://www.hollandsentinel.com/news/x833736556/Genetski-guilty-of-drunken-driving



Cells arrive as pre-fab pods at the Allegan County Jail on Thursday.

-- New jail taking shape as pre-fab cells arrive: http://www.hollandsentinel.com/news/x833738093/Jail-cells-stacking-up-at-new-Allegan-facility

-- Emergency workers train for nuclear problems: http://www.hollandsentinel.com/news/x833738632/Only-a-test-Allegan-trains-for-problems-at-nuclear-plant



Colors are changing.
-- Fall color tours: http://www.hollandsentinel.com/news/x833737634/Stressed-trees-could-mean-short-fall-color-tour-season

-- New plans for Blue Star Highway: http://www.hollandsentinel.com/news/x833735849/Plan-gives-Blue-Star-Highway-in-Douglas-a-makeover

-- New park in Casco Township: http://www.hollandsentinel.com/news/x833735997/Trails-in-new-park-lead-to-Lake-Michigan

-- Khnemu gallery in Ganges gets grant to go solar: http://www.hollandsentinel.com/news/x833737477/Ganges-Township-art-studio-farm-will-be-fueled-by-the-sun

Saturday, September 22, 2012

First day of fall at Lake Michigan

Some images from Oval Beach on Saturday, Sept. 22, the first day of fall.

You can see the wooden pilings of the old piers that were replaced in the early 1900s with the current piers — the waves are hitting the breakwaters with the red and green markers. Holland's Big Red lighthouse is visible as are the smokestacks from the J.H. Campbell power plant in Port Sheldon.