Laketown News Fall 2014

Terry Hofmeyer, Laketown Township Supervisor

Volume 27, No. 4

Laketown Calendar

November

4 - Election Day

5 - Board Workshop, 4:00 p.m.

5 - Planning Commission

12 - Township Board

19 - Parks and Recreation

24 - ZBA

27 - 28 - Township Office

Closed for holiday

December

3 - Board Workshop, 4:00 p.m.

3 – Planning Commission

10 – Township Board - at The

Felt Estate

24, 25, 26 - Township Office

Closed for holiday

Dec 31 - Jan 2 - Township

Office Closed for holiday

January

7 - Board Workshop, 4:00 p.m.

7 - Planning Commission

14 - Township Board

21 - Parks and Recreation

26 - ZBA

28 - DDA

All meetings at 7:00 p.m. at

the township hall unless

otherwise noted

How Do You Fund A Patrol Officer – And Keep Everyone Happy? Probably one of the first things that you will notice in this month’s newsletter is that it contains a return postcard for you to give some direction to the township board regarding continued funding for patrol services within the township. At our September board meeting we heard from a small but very vocal group of township residents objecting to a township wide special assessment district to fund patrol services (over and above what is provided by the Sheriff’s Department). Some residents suggested that the question be placed on the ballot as a millage question. Filling out and returning the postcard will give the board your input and direction on how to proceed and attempt to provide the level of service you feel the township needs for the future. In previous newsletters I’ve outlined the need for the township to move the funding of our current officer from the general fund. The reasons for this, in my opinion, are as follows: 1. Patrol services are expensive and with only 1/2 mill for all township general services, we have been drawing from our reserves (fund balance) on a regular basis to fund the position. I am well aware that requests for a voted millage have failed in the past as well as a request for a Headlee over-ride. We have now reached the point that, in our most recent financial audit, our auditors recommended we take action as soon as feasible to accomplish the goal of improving the general fund balance. Very frankly, we cannot continue with this situation and we are faced with the fact that our contracted patrol officer will not be funded from general fund revenues in future years. 2. We are limited in the ways we may raise additional funds for this service and felt that, since millages have been soundly defeated in past elections, that a township wide special assessment could be acceptable to our residents and taxpayers. The 50+ persons who spoke at the public hearing clearly stated that this was not acceptable to them and that a millage question should be placed on the ballot for a future election. 3. The question posed at the special assessment hearing in September was: what

are you going to be doing with the $100,000+/- that would then be available in the general fund? My answer was that our primary goal would be to re-build our fund balance to a more suitable level to prevent cash shortages and to have available dollars for matching state and federal grants. Costs for all services are rising and we need reserves to meet these needs as well. I am not personally aware of or would encourage the hiring of additional staff. We have a beautiful park system and recreational facilities available to our residents and they also need maintenance and improvements. 4. We are coming out of an extended recession which curtailed both residential and commercial growth as well as depressed taxable values. We need tax dollars to maintain the quality of life in Laketown Township that we have grown to expect and enjoy. 5. Patrol services by the county have, in fact, been cut and many of the townships (including Laketown) have contracted with the county for a total of nine additional patrol officers. In the absence of a county wide push for additional patrol officers on a county-wide basis we are faced with the fact that we will have less patrol coverage or we will be forced to pay local raised revenues to maintain a reasonable level of service. Counties in Michigan are not mandated to provide patrol services and if not provided, local units of government (townships) will be forced to provide funding. In our case, we do not have excess funds available. In terms of millage, it would take a levy of approximately 1/3 of a mil to fund one patrol officer or 2/3 of a mil for two officers as some have suggested. The proposed special assessment district option would have had a cost of $35.00 per parcel to fund one officer or $70.00 per parcel for two officers. Millages are calculated by this formula: one mill will raise $1.00 for each $1,000 of taxable value. So, we need, want and solicit your input as we try to fairly consider all options which may be available to us for consideration. I honestly believe that each Board Member wants to do what is the best for each and every resident and taxpayer and keep our annual budget in balance and available to meet future needs.

GENERAL ELECTION – NOVEMBER 4,

2014

Tuesday, November 4, 2014,

you will be voting for State, Congres-

sional, Legislative, State Boards, Coun-

ty Commissioner, Judicial, (2) State

Proposals, and (1) Township Proposi-

tion. Precincts 1 & 3, will also include

Local School Board Members while

Precinct 2 will include Local School

Board Members and a Local School

Operating Millage Proposal. A sample

of the ballot is enclosed. You may ob-

tain an exact copy of your specific pre-

cinct at the township office or online at

www.laketowntwp.org. The polls are

open from 7 a.m. until 8 p.m.

Absentee ballots can be ob-

tained at the Township Hall. Applica-

tions for absentee ballots are also avail-

able online at www.laketowntwp.org or

from the State of Michigan at Michi-

gan.gov/elections. If you want an ab-

sentee ballot mailed to you, your appli-

cation must be received by 2 p.m. the

Saturday before the election, Novem-

ber 2. Make your request early to allow

for delivery time. All absentee ballots

must be received by the Clerk’s Office

no later than 8 p.m. on Election Day.

Military and Overseas Voters -

A Federal Postcard Application can be

used to register and vote. The Federal

Postcard Application can be used to

register and/or obtain an absentee bal-

lot if you are a member of a uniformed

service on active duty or their depend-

ent; member of the Merchant Marine

or their dependent; or a civilian voter

living overseas. The law also permits

such voters to receive their ballot elec-

tronically via email or fax. For more

information visit the Federal Voting

Assistance Program at fvap.org.

Just a reminder that when you

arrive at your polling place to vote,

state law requires you to either show

picture ID or sign an affidavit attesting

that you are not in possession of pic-

ture ID.

Please contact the Clerk’s

Office at 616-335-3050, if you have any

questions regarding the upcoming No-

vember 4, 2014, General Election.

GIBSON CEMETERY

Before the arrival of cold weather and

snow, we ask that all flower baskets

and mementoes be removed from the

gravesides in the cemetery.

Clerk’s Corner Wendy VanHuis, Clerk & Jenifer French, Deputy Clerk Page 2

From the Fire Department Fire Chief , Cal Haverdink

Every year there are 6,600 garage fires reported

resulting in an average of 30 deaths, 400 injuries and $457

million in property loss. 93% of the reported garage fires

occurred in one and two family homes. The leading cause of

these fires has been an electrical malfunction. This could

range from shorts in wires, damaged electrical wires or

overloading electrical outlets.

There are things you can do to prevent garage fires.

Store oil, gasoline, paints, propane and varnishes in a shed

away from your home (not in your basement). Keep items

that can burn on shelves away from appliances. Plug only

one charging appliance into an outlet. Don’t use an

extension cord when charging an appliance, plug the

charger directly into a hardwired outlet. Other factors that

can help prevent the spread of a garage fire to your home

include opting for fire prevention building design such as a

20 minute fire rated door that is self- closing and self -

latching between the garage and home, A ceiling made with

5/8ths inch gypsum board (or the equivalent) and installing

a heat alarm (not a smoke alarm) in your garage. The heat

alarm will sound if the temperature in the garage rises too

high.

Heat alarms (detectors) are designed to respond to

fire, not smoke. While smoke alarms get most of the

attention, heat alarms are another useful

part of any home fire detection system.

Smoke detectors are no designed for use

in garages, but heat alarms can prove very

effective in giving warning of a fire.

In closing I would like to remind

residents that Graafschap Fire Department is continuing the

smoke alarm install program. We have installed around 500

alarms so far, but remind residents it is not too late! We

have more at the Station to be installed. The requirements

are; it must be an owner occupied home in the Graafschap

Fire response area. The target population is elderly or young

children, but we will not turn down residents in need of

alarms. The alarms we install have the 10 year lithium ion

batteries so there is no need to change the batteries. At the

end of 10 years it is time to replace the alarm itself.

A final note, if you or someone you know is hearing

impaired the Department also has a few smoke alarms

available for those persons who might not be able to hear a

smoke alarm sounding at night. These alarms have a feature

that will vibrate the bed or pillow to alert a sleeping person

to smoke alarms that are sounding. If interested please

contact myself at the fire station at 616 -396-4060.

Treasurer’s Trove Laketown Township Treasurer, Gary Dewey

Summer along the Lake Michigan

shoreline enchanted us as usual. Although

temperatures were cooler than usual with ample

precipitation we still could

enjoy being outdoors and doing

a lot of different outdoor

activities. We are now well into

autumn and enjoying the

natural beauty around us.

On a personal note, I

had esophageal cancer surgery

in mid-August and have been

declared cancer free. More than

ever I realize how precious life

is, how important it is to enjoy

nature and every part of life, and

how blessed we are.

Many new homes are being built in Laketown and

more building permits have been drawn. We have more

construction going on now than we’ve had for the past five

years. Laketown continues to be one of the most desirable

places to live in the area.

Our summer taxes have been collected and

distributed to schools, the county, the state, the township,

the community pool, and other community organizations.

If you did not pay your taxes by September 15th a late fee

of 1% was added to the base amount on September 6th

and will be added again on the first of each month. Please

call the township office at (616) 335-3050 for

current payoff amounts before mailing your

late payments.

Winter tax bills will be mailed in

early December and are due on Tuesday,

February 17, 2015 due to the weekend and

federal holiday. We look forward to prompt

payment. Please remember that postmarks

are not honored. A 3% penalty is added to

any unpaid balance on February 18, 2015.

The last day to pay taxes at the

township office is March 2, 2015. All unpaid

taxes as of March 3, 2015 are sent to the

Allegan County Treasurer for collection and addtional

interest and penalties will be added at that time.

If you want your winter tax payment to fall in the

2014 calendar year, please remember the last business day

of the calendar year is Tuesday, December 30, 2014.

Requests for tax deferment must be filed annually

for both summer and winter tax seasons. Forms are

available at the township office, the township website, or

the county website.

Hello Laketown residents.

It has been an eventful summer/fall thus far in the

township and I wanted to share some of the cases and

incidents that I have been involved with since I started

working as your Township Deputy in June of this year.

Included in this are misdemeanor and felony arrest statistics

that I have made as a result of dispatched complaints and

self initiated activities:

9 owi/ouid arrests, 3 misdemeanor warrant arrests, 1

felony warrant arrest, 3 drug related arrests, 17

misdemeanor traffic arrests, 2 felony home invasion arrests,

178 traffic stops.

On 8/15/14 I assisted another unit with a traffic stop

on 60th St., in which the driver was found to have a felony

warrant. Located within the vehicle, we also discovered

components and chemicals associated with the production

of methamphetamine.

On 8/31/14 I was dispatched to a residence on the

lakeshore in reference to a home invasion in progress. The

homeowners reported that they found four subjects in their

household, upon returning home and that a substantial

amount of cash was taken from within the home as well as

an IPod. Two suspects were apprehended at the scene and

the other two suspects were identified while at the scene.

After checking the surrounding area with the assistance of

the State Police and a Sheriff’s Department K-9 unit, the

other two suspects were unable to be located.

Continued on page 4…

Deputy Round-Up Deputy Aaron Hobbs Page 3

Photo courtesy of Mike Lozon

The Township Office will be closed December 24 - 26

and December 31 - January 2 for the holidays.

Page 4

Once again, a big thank you to all of the residents of Laketown for your ongoing support of the Friends of the Felt Estate and Felt Estate Restora-tion Project in 2014. You, through your financial and in-kind contributions to Friends of the Felt Estate, make our work possible. As we embark on new work for the Shore Acres Farm area and apply for new grants, your financial support and volunteer efforts have nev-er been more crucial. As many of you have seen, we have begun the restoration of the car-riage house and the adjacent founda-tion. We added a brick veneer and lighting to the foundation so that it can be used as a performance stage and in the future as a patio for rentals and events. This work was done, in part, using a grant from the Michigan Coun-cil for Arts and Cul-tural Affairs. We are applying again for a grant to continue this work, and again we will need to ask for matching fund. Please give generously! Both cash and in-kind gifts qualify for matching funds, as do volunteer hours. We would love to have you join us and

use your gifts for the good of our community. To give, go online to www.feltmansion.org and go to the “shop” page to become a member. If you are interested in seeing the interior of the carriage house in its current “before” state, please attend our Winterfest. We will have it open on that day for viewing free of charge. Speaking of Winterfest – we have another great holiday season coming up this year. As always, check the online calendar at www.feltmansion.org/events for all of the dates, times, details, and prices. Here is a brief listing: Saturday, December 6: Winterfest.

Noon-2 -- free

Sundays, Dec. 7, 21, 28: Sunday After-

noon Guided Tours, 2-4 p.m.

Saturday, December 13 -- Taste and

Tour Event, 6-8 p.m. $20/person

Sunday, December 14: Downton Abbey

Tea Party, 2-4 p.m. $30/person

December 19, 20, 26, 27: Weekend

Guided Tours, 6-8 p.m.

Self guided tours are available during

the week. Consult the online calendar

at www.feltmansion.org for dates and

times.

Prices for tours:

Friday, Saturday, and Sunday guided

tours-

$15.00 per adult

$10 for seniors

$10 for students

Children 12 and under free

Monday – Wednesday self-guided

tours:

$12.00 per adult

$8.00 for seniors and students

Children 12 and under free

For more information, see the website, or email Patty Meyer, the pro-ject manager, at patmeyer@patmeyerrestoration.com . She will be happy to send you the re-cent edition of Preservation Matters – the official newsletter of the Felt Estate.

Great Winter Events Planned At The Felt Estate

Deputy Round-Up continued….

Felony warrants have been issued for the two

suspects who were unable to be located and we are currently

working with our Detective Bureau and other law

enforcement agencies to apprehend them.

Some areas of increased traffic enforcement include

60th St, 64th St, and W. 32nd St. If anyone has any concerns

or would like to request an increase in traffic enforcement, I

would encourage you to contact the township office.

In better news, due to increased traffic enforcement

and cooperation with the DeVos property managers, there

has been a significant reduction in larcenies from motor

vehicles and destruction of township property at the

township parks over this past summer. With the assistance

of several Allegan County Reserve Deputies, working in

conjunction with the DeVos property managers, they were

able to periodically patrol the parks and lakeshore

throughout the course of the summer when these types of

crimes were generally occurring. Hopefully this type of

cooperation will continue in the years to follow and

continue to benefit everyone in the Laketown community.

I would encourage anyone to contact either Allegan

Central Dispatch or the Laketown Township Office if they

have any concerns or problems that they would like to see

addressed going forward.

See You In The Parks Michelle Sall Page 5

Day of Caring a success in the parks The parks received a huge boost of support on

Thursday, September 18, 2014 for the 14th annual Greater Ottawa United Way Day of Caring campaign. Over 50 vol-unteers, many dressed in white T-Shirts with the words “Live United” spent the day with shovels, rakes, handsaws and wheelbarrows making improvements at multiple loca-tions.

Projects included: hauling bark and trimming the trails at Farview; weeding the gazebo at Huyser Farm and improving access to the blueberry rows by removing trees and invasive vines and thorny bushes; cutting back over-grown vegetation and clearing at the old township hall building; and improving trails at Wolters Woods.

Special thanks to the following companies who pro-vided work teams throughout the day: Herman Miller, the Holland Board of Public Works, and Macatawa Bank.

Work has been completed at the township hall rec-reation complex and the softball field will be open and ready for play next spring. Several comments have been received regarding the slope of the ball field. The field has been sur-veyed and the slope is only a 2% drop which is in keeping with the sight plans despite the optical illusion you may see. In addition to the field, a gazebo was constructed on the

grounds for groups to gather and enjoy time out of doors. The major source of funding for this project was provided through grants from the Michigan Department of Natural Resources Trust Fund and the Land and Water Conserva-tion fund, which also included a matching donation of soil from the Holland City Board of Public Works. Future plans for this site include: tennis courts, walking trails, a play-ground, and more.

If you have a question, concern, or request for fu-ture parks and recreational opportunities, please contact the township hall. We appreciate your input and your feedback helps design the recreation plan, which is updated every five years.

One of the most positive accomplishments of the year for the Felt Estate was the summer Third Thursday Concert Series, held the third Thursday of each month May through September. These concerts represented the very best of creative place-making – taking a neglected un-derused site and transforming it into a place of community through the power of live music. We hope all of you who attended enjoyed yourselves as much as we did.

We created this series as a free concert series so that music would be accessible for all people, all families regard-less of income. And it worked! Our concerts were filled with children, youth, and those who are “seasoned to perfection,” said Patty Meyer, Operations Director of The Felt Estate.

What a joy to see our community coming together, enjoying the summer in the beautiful setting of the Felt Es-tate and the new Carriage House Stage.

Next year, we hope to expand our concert series --- and YOU can help. To keep our series free, affordable to all, we are applying for two grants: one for $25,000 from Levitt Pavilions; and one for $25,000 from the Michigan Council for Arts and Cultural Affairs (MCACA). The MCACA grant is decided by a panel of judges – but the Levitt Pavilion first round is decided by VOTES—YOUR VOTES.

Voting begins on November 1, 2014 and it is a very simple process. First, go to: http://amp.levittpavilions.org/ . About half-way down the page, you will see a spot to “sign

up to vote.” Then, it will walk you through the very simple registration process. (Believe us; it’s simple!)

Here’s what you need to know: Online public vot-ing opens November 1, 2014 and ends November 30, 2014 at 11:59 p.m. PST.

An individual voter may cast only one vote for each venue. (Naturally you’ll want to vote for Saugatuck: Friends of the Felt Estate!)

After public voting determines the Top 20 final-ists, Levitt Pavilions will then select the 10 winning Levitt AMP grant recipients. Winners will be an-nounced on December 15, 2014.

We know that you will want to help us become the next Levitt AMP Saugatuck Music Series Grant recipient so that we can continue to bring you great music at the Felt Es-tate. Thank you! Thank you to Mike Lozon for the fantastic photographs of our concerts!

VOTE For The Felt Estate The Felt Estate Levitt AMP [Saugatuck] Music Series Voting begins November 1, 2014

Laketown Township 4338 Beeline Road

Holland, Michigan 49423 Phone: (616) 335-3050

Fax: (616) 335-5459

www.laketowntwp.org

Office Hours: Monday - Friday 7:30 a.m. - 5 p.m.

Laketown Township Board

Township Office - (616) 335-3050

Supervisor - Terry Hofmeyer

Treasurer - Gary Dewey

Clerk - Wendy Van Huis

Trustee - Linda Howell

Trustee - Ed Stielstra

Planning Commission Chair - Bob Cook

Zoning Board of Appeals Chair - David Weishaar

Parks and Recreation Acting Chair - Michelle Sall

Township Staff

Manager - Al Meshkin

Assessor - Paul Smith

Administrative Assistants: Kathy Stoike, Charlene

Fields, Jenifer French, Diane Ybarra, Staci Veldt

Facilities Operations - Dan Williams

Graafschap Fire Department - (616) 396-4060

Building Inspector - Al Ellingsen - (269) 214-2382

Mechanical Inspector - Bob Modreske

(616) 477-4940

Electrical Inspector - Gordon Bosch - (616) 396-1448

Plumbing Inspector - Gary Raak – (616) 399-6924

Allegan County Directory

County Commissioner - Dean Kapenga -

(616) 218-2599

Animal Control – (269) 673-0519

Central Dispatch – (269) 673-3899

County Clerk – (269) 673-0450

Drain Commissioner – (269) 673-0440

Health Department – (269) 673-5411

Register of Deeds – (269) 673-0390

Road Commission – (269) 673-2184

Senior & Veterans Services – (877) 673-5333

County Treasurer – (269) 673-0260

Streets Lights – contact Consumers Energy 800- 477-5050 or email at customer@consumers.engery.com

State Representative Bob Genetski - (517) 373-0836

State Senator Rick Jones - (517) 373-3447

U.S. Congressman - Fred Upton – (269) 982-1986