Activity around the Keewatin

The Keewatin lifeboats.

The Keewatin closed down to public tours last weekend as the 104-year-old ship gets ready for a move to Port McNicoll in Canada in June, but a few folks got a guided tour earlier this week.

Douglas Elementary School students got to walk the decks of the Great Lakes steamship one more time.

Besides the work on the ship itself, a dredging spoils area just south of the parking lot is coming along. Plans are to put the dredging material from around the ship into that spot before the ship is rotated 180 degrees in preparation to be pulled out of the harbor.

R.J. Peterson, who sold the vessel to Skyline International Development Inc., said the owners are looking at a dry dock to help raise the ship out of the water so they won’t have to dredge as much material to get the ship to Lake Michigan.

Skyline will donate it to the R.J. and Diane Peterson Great Lakes and S.S. Keewatin Foundation, which will operate and maintain the vessel as a  museum.

The Keewatin, built in 1907, will be moored in a park in Port McNicoll, its home port when it carried cargo and passengers for the Canadian Pacific Railway. The park will feature a replica of the town’s original train station and gardens.





 The ship's lifeboats are stacked in the parking lot outside the Keewatin and you can really see what desperate shape they are in. Peterson earlier said the lifeboats are heading out to be restored.

The other Douglas council actions

Several people in the audience waiting for the Douglas City Council meeting to start Monday all asked the same question: How many Douglas council members does it take to fix a video camera?

One. As long as the clerk has the remote.

Greg Harvath checks out the camera Monday.

Before the council got going, Clerk Jean Neve noticed the image for the video recording of the meeting wasn't quite right. The camera was trained in on the torso of Mayor Renee Waddell. So council members moved the tables backwards and forwards, trying to get the entire city body in the TV picture. The scene was reminiscent of a Vaudeville act or a great silent movie comedy bit.

Councilman Greg Harvath began to climb up on a chair to fix the camera mounted on the wall, but stopped after warnings from the mayor to remember OSHA laws and insurance costs. So a ladder was brought and Harvath began working on the camera as people below shouted for him to move to the left, to the right and back again. Another great Vaudeville shtick.

Luckily, the clerk found the remote and adjusted the camera so the entire council, not just the mayor's midsection, was recorded for people to watch at home.

Comedic start notwithstanding, the council did tackle many serious issues, including:

• Possible land purchase for a sledding hill: http://www.hollandsentinel.com/newsnow/x1199433368/Douglas-group-afraid-sledding-hill-slipping-away-wants-to-buy-site

• Changes to roads around the Blue Star Highway bridge: http://www.hollandsentinel.com/newsnow/x268457632/More-detours-around-Blue-Star-Highway-bridge

Other actions included:

• Honoring with proclamations of appreciation four community members for their contributions: Gerry Bekken, Bill Schumacher, Alexa Urquhart and Tarue Pullen. Gerry Bekken, who has been a fightfighter since 1948 and was post master from 1983-1990, started the tradition of hugging the mayor after receiving the award. He then deadpanned, "Do I get a break on my taxes?"

• Setting trick-or-treat hours from 4 to 8 p.m. Monday, Oct. 31. A ghoulish outcry arose when one of the council members suggested changing the candy-seeking hours to Saturday. Some Douglas traditions are not to be tampered with.

• Changing its first meeting in January from Monday, Jan. 2, to 7 p.m. Tuesday, Jan. 3. City hall is closed Jan. 2 for the holiday.

An odd meeting place

Do you remember in school, when a beautiful spring day would make you long to have class outside? Fillmore Township put an adult spin on that adolescent dream Tuesday when the board held its regular business meeting under the gazebo in its newly dedicated Cottonwood Park.

Keith Potter, Ken DeWeerdt and Janella Hop meet Tuesday.

The township board hosted the dedication earlier in the evening. Treasurer Janella Hop, with the help of Graafschap firefighter Wayne Mokma, cooked up the hot dogs as children ran around the playground and the adults toured the 20-acre wooded lot. After the ribbon-cutting, the board gathered or the business end of the evening.

The sun was setting behind the trees when Supervisor Kieth Potter called the meeting to session at 7 p.m. The board members didn't have all the paperwork with them, but they managed to get through it OK. In fact, the meeting lasted 8 minutes.

About the park

Trustees Robert Yonker and Chuck Schaap at the meeting.

Here's how the dedication ceremony went:

Karyl Mulder looked around the newly dedicated Cottonwood Park on Tuesday: The leaves were turning their fall colors, children played on the swings, people grilled hot dogs over hot coals.

“It’s been quite a journey,” she said, reflecting on her son Ron who inspired the name of Fillmore Township’s only park. “The rest of the story can be tonight.”

More than 50 people participated in the ceremony that included free food and snacks, tours of the 20 acres and a ribbon-cutting.

The park is on 143rd Avenue near 54th Street and took about five years to complete. It cost about $286,000. Fillmore received a $201,000 grant from the Michigan Natural Resources Trust Fund for the project.

The name was requested by the family of Ron Mulder.

Mulder was a member of the Fillmore Township Board of Appeals and worked on renovations at the park. He died Sept. 30, 2010, of an apparent heart attack.

Mulder’s sister Any Kole suggested the park be named Cottonwood Trails, Cottonwood Park or Whispering Woods Trails because of comments Mulder made on Facebook about a cottonwood tree. Kole had said she disliked them because of their messiness.

“Ron responded, ‘I like cottonwoods. The wind blowing through their leaves sounds different than it does through any other tree. Does anyone notice that or are they too busy?’” Kole said.

Kole and other family members wore shirts with Mulder’s image on them and the words, “Ron Mulder Forever Loved,” as they mingled with the crowd at the dedication.

“I love it, I think it’s awesome,” Karyl said about the park. “I only wish Ron could see it.”

He’d like the park, township Supervisor Keith Potter said.

“He’d be happy with it.”

Serving dinner at the park dedication.

Link

Check out more pictures from the event:

http://www.hollandsentinel.com/photo/x1742683813/Fillmore-Township-park-dedication?page=0

Medical marijuana questions

Legal concerns were one of the issues in the minds of Saugatuck Township board members when they were considering what to do about a proposed medical marijuana ordinance, a series of questions to the township attorney show.

The questions from trustees Jim Hanson and Chris Roerig, sent by Supervisor Bill Wester to township attorney Ron Bultje, were talked about at the Oct. 5 board meeting but were not released to the public. Wester cited attorney-client privilege in withholding the documents.

The questions were released after a Sentinel Freedom of Information Act request. The written answers were still withheld. Clerk Jane Wright also cited attorney-client privilege.

At its Oct. 5 meeting, the board decided not to enact a proposed medical marijuana ordinance.

A moratorium on new dispensaries has expired and the two facilities already in the township on Blue Star Highway can continue to operate unless they are shut down by the Allegan County prosecutor.

The board can bring back an ordinance if the state further clarifies what is allowed under the medical marijuana laws.

The planning commission recommended an ordinance that allows the sale of the drug from homes, not from commercial districts or traditional storefronts.

Many questions

Wester sent questions about medical marijuana to the attorney before the board made its decision.

“We need direction here, however bear in mind it is my belief the state needs to clear this up rather than at the local level. The other dilemma being I am very much in favor of an issue the voters overwhelmingly voted in,” Wester wrote to attorney Bultje.

“Bear in mind we want to avoid any litigation as well as do what is right for our voters,” Wester said.

Hanson asked more than two dozen questions ranging from why the ordinance treats medical marijuana as a home occupation to whether the existing dispensaries are legal or illegal.

His last question: “What course of action will most protect the township against possible legal action?”

Roerig focused his five questions on the existing dispensaries. 

“Are we in jeopardy of a legal challenge by the existing dispensaries if we change the zoning now, or are they grandfathered?” he asked.

“How long can we have a moratorium on this issue without legal challenge? Can a longer moratorium be justified based on the court findings?” was his last question.

Clerk Jane Wright and Treasurer Pat Knikelbine did not have questions attributed to them in the document.

The concern about lawsuits is not new to the township. It has spent thousands of dollars on legal bills linked to developer Aubrey McClendon. A federal judge is now considering a proposed consent agreement between the township and McClendon.

What was asked

Here are the questions, as provided by the township:

Ron,

Below are multiple questions to the MMA issues we tabled, as well as extending the moratorium 30 more days.
We need direction here, however bear in mind it is my belief the state needs to clear this up rather than at the local level. The other dilemma being I am very much in favor of an issue the voters overwhelmingly voted in.
Possibly we could have a dual meeting next month. 1 meeting an hour earlier to have an open meeting in regard to Charter Township, then the normal 6 pm meeting to address MMA again.
Bear in mind we want to avoid any litigation as well as do what is right for our voters

JIM HANSON THOUGHTS
some of the following would probably be good questions:

What choices does the Board have now?
Are they limited to adopting this ordinance draft or doing nothing? 
If we don’t adopt this ordinance draft, should we extend the moratorium?
What does the moratorium prevent, anyway?
If we do extend the moratorium, how long can we continue to extend it?
I have heard some jurisdictions have refused to adopt zoning rules on medical marijuana because the state law that makes it legal conflicts with federal law, is that a reasonable approach to take? 
Is it likely that the entire medical marihuana state constitutional amendment and law will be declared illegal?
Did the recent McQueen decision make dispensaries illegal? 
If it didn’t, then what did it do?
What are the issues currently before the courts regarding the MMMA?
What kind of court decisions on these issues would require the township to take additional regulatory action in its zoning ordinances? 
Did the recent McQueen decision make any township regulation of medical marihuana unnecessary? 
What was the status of the existing dispensaries with regard to township ordinances before the moratorium was passed — were they legal or were they illegal? 
What was the status of the existing dispensaries with regard to township ordinances after the moratorium was passed — were they legal or were they illegal? 
What would be the status of the dispensaries with regard to township ordinances if the ordinance draft were adopted — will they be legal or will they be illegal? 
What should the township do about enforcement with regard to the dispensaries if the ordinance draft is adopted? 
Are the existing dispensaries legal or illegal under state law? 
If the existing dispensaries are not legal under state law, why isn’t the law being enforced at this time?
Why does the ordinance draft treat medical marihuana caregivers as a home occupation? 
What are the differences between home occupation caregivers and dispensaries? 
What does the MMMA say about home occupation caregivers and dispensaries, and what distinctions does it make between the two? 
If marijuana is a legal drug, shouldn’t it be sold through the same methods that other legal drugs are sold? 
What do we say to township residents who do not want medical marihuana caregivers in their neighborhood? 
Why don’t we treat medical marihuana caregivers as a special approval use and decide, when they wish to open a facility, whether the location is appropriate for that use or not?
As our township attorney, what course of action would you recommend at this time?
What course of action will most protect the township against possible legal action?   

CHRIS R
Do we still need a zoning regulation if the courts have determined that the dispensaries are illegal?
Are we in jeopardy of a legal challenge by the existing dispensaries if we change the zoning now, or are they grandfathered?
 If the existing dispensaries are grandfathered, does it make sense to zone future dispensaries to home occupational use or keep them in only where they exist now?
 Should we be doing anything right now or waiting for the courts and state to determine if dispensaries can exist?
 How long can we have a moratorium on this issue without legal challenge? Can a longer moratorium be justified based on the court findings?

William W. Wester Sr.
Saugatuck Township

Window for awareness

The display at With Our Hands, corner of Butler and Hoffman streets.

Wendy Wise of the shop With Our Hands, 303 Butler St. in Saugatuck, has joked that people call her the "mannequin lady." She changes the display in the large front window of her shop every month to reflect the season.

Through Friday, Oct. 14, the display is turning heads to help raise awareness and money for breast cancer research. The display is decked out in pink with two bra-clad mannequins posing around signs saying, "October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month" and "Big or Small Examine Them All."

Inside the hand-crafted and artful goods shop, Wise is selling a special earrings, bracelets and necklaces she designed to raise money for research.

"For every purchase of breast cancer jewelry, half of that purchase price goes to breast cancer research," she said.

The jewelry is made from pink rose quartz, the stone of gentle love, Wise said.

Wise's dedication to fighting cancer isn't new.

She has a four-part collection of jewelry based on healing stones entitled “Gratitude,” “Believe,” “Courage” and “Ponder Grace.” Part of the proceeds from the “Courage” collection are donated to cancer research.

The shop, which opened this summer, is at the corner of Butler and Hoffman streets and is connected to the Saugatuck Woman’s Club and was the town’s public library from 1935 to 1969.

And the next window display? Halloween.

Lines in the sand

A new sign at Oval Beach explains what the fencing does.

The fencing at Oval Beach went up a little early — the day after Labor Day, in fact — and now people know why.

Saugatuck city has posted a new sign at the beach explaining why the wooden-slatted barriers crisscross the shore. The erosion fence helps keep the sand from blowing away.

One resident recently questioned the city council about the sudden appearance of the erosion fence. The city did place the barrier a week or so earlier than usual, said City Manager Kirk Harrier. It was a matter of when the department of public works had the time to do it.

The new sign directs beach-goers to unobstructed entrances.

Without the fencing, the strong winds off Lake Michigan push the sand across the parking lot.

The fence keeps the sand on the beach. "If it's gone, it's gone," Harrier said about the beach sand.

A lot of that sand has, over the years, built up the dune that now divides the two parking areas.

"That's our beach sand," Harrier said.

 The fence will come down before Memorial Day and the beach patrol, along with volunteers, will pick up litter.

Bridge work

On Blue Star Highway in Douglas looking north.

The cars started backing up yesterday afternoon on the Blue Star Highway bridge between Saugatuck and Douglas as work began to repair the span over the Kalamazoo River.

Michigan Department of Transportation crews placed concrete barriers on the bridge, reducing it to one lane controlled by traffic lights at both ends of the construction area. Work will continue through winter.

This was no surprise to local drivers. The plan has been in the news for almost 2 years. Last week, lighted warning signs appeared on both sides of the bridge telling drivers what was ahead.

“It’s inconvenient and likely to stay inconvenient for quite a while,” said Douglas City Manager Bill LeFevere.


What is a surprise was how difficult it is to get from Main Street in Douglas across the bridge. The traffic lights are positioned so Main Street traffic can't see them. LeFevere will be talking with MDOT officials about making that intersection safer — and that might mean closing Main Street.

Alternates

In Saugatuck looking south.

Signs out on I-196 give drivers good advice about avoiding the bottleneck: If you're going to Saugatuck, take Exit 41. If you're going to Douglas, take Exit 36.

It's obvious now why Saugatuck pushed MDOT so hard to delay the work on I-196. MDOT wanted to close the northbound Exit 41 ramp and funnel all the traffic to Blue Star Highway and over the bridge while it was still just one lane. A strong letter and support from the Douglas council helped persuade the state to delay that exit closure until the local bridge work is done.

Saugatuck City Manager Kirk Harrier, who got caught in the delays yesterday as well, said local drivers will quickly learn to avoid the river crossing.

"People are pretty smart," he said.

Deer 2

A quick deer update:

I drove out to Oval Beach yesterday afternoon and, while driving along Park Street, had to dodge a few deer! Three of the animals were stopped along the side of the road. They didn't move as I swerved around them, but when I pulled over to get out my camera for a shot, they took off.

Camera shy, I guess.

The Allegan County Sheriff's Office handled seven car-deer related incidents between 7 and 8:30 a.m. yesterday, including vehicle-deer crashes, deer kill permits and a wounded deer that had to be put down.

Oh, deer!

The curves and hills along Park Street can hide deer.

Fall's a great time of year to get out and enjoy the changing colors or go apple picking, but you're going to have to keep an eye out for deer. Between now and through November, the chances of a car-deer crash increase substantially.

The auto insurer State Farm reports Michigan dropped to fifth place in the car-deer crash rankings, behind No. 1 West Virginia, then Iowa, South Dakota and Pennsylvania.

Michigan had 55,867 reported car-deer crashes with 1,277 injuries and 11 deaths, according to State Farm.

In the state, Allegan and Ottawa counties don't event make the top. The most crashes are in Oakland County, followed  by Jackson, Calhoun, Lapeer, Montcalm, Genesee, Clinton, Sanilac and Eaton.

But don't be complacent. Just this morning, I passed a vehicle on M-89 east of Fennville that struck a deer. No one in the vehicle was hurt. I see deer all along 62nd Street from the Kalamazoo River to Fennville.

And in the city Saugatuck.

The stretch by the former West Shore Golf Course, down Ferry Street in Douglas to Park Street in Saugatuck is like deer alley.

"At dusk, they're all over there," Saugatuck City Councilman Henry VanSingel said at a Sept. 8 city workshop. Mix in people speeding down the winding road and you get what Councilman Bill Hess called a "worst case scenario."

There were two car-deer crashes the week or so after that workshop, police records show. No one in the vehicles were hurt. For towns the size of Saugatuck and Douglas, those two reported crashes stand out.

City Manager Kirk Harrier said he has received several complaints about the growing deer population and is checking with the state Department of Natural Resources about ways to cope with it.