2020 Year in Review

2020

w e i v e R n i r a e Y

A Supplement To The:

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Manistee News Advocate | 2020 Year in Review

Manistee County sports: 2020 Year in Review Dylan Savela dsavela@pioneergroup.com This isn’t a news flash, but COVID-19 dominated most of the headlines in 2020, even in the sports section.

But as the pandemic wreaked havoc on typical schedules and athletic tradition, sports were still played between lengthy pauses and through unprecedented procedures.

Looking back, local athletes and coaches achieved a great deal, especially given the circumstances.

While COVID-19 certainly created an interesting setting, the stories that stood out were still told by those hardworking and talented folks.

In chronological order, here are the Top 10 achievements of Manistee County’s athletes and teams in 2020: Portagers ski at the state finals The Onekama ski team put together another solid season on the slopes, and it was a pair of sophomores who highlighted the 2020 campaign.

On Feb. 24, Kylar Thomas and

Michayla Bell represented the co-op Portagers at the Division 2 state ski finals at Nub’s Nob of Harbor Springs.

Thomas placed 24th in the slalom in the time of 1:25.20. He also took 38th in the giant slalom in 56.60.

Thomas qualified for the finals on Feb. 10 during regional competition at Caberfae Peaks of Cadillac, where he placed third among nearly 70 skiers in the slalom (49.21) and 10th in the giant slalom (1:02.95).

In her state finals debut, Bell secured a 45th-place finish in the giant slalom in the time of 58.93. Bell qualified for the finals with a 10th-place finish in the event (1:03.69) in the regional round.

Chips crowned champs of Coastal Swim Conference When the dust settled on the final race of the Coastal Swim Conference championships in Manistee on Feb. 29, the Chippewas found themselves having won the conference title, as their 525 points gave them the edge over Ludington’s 521. Fremont finished

third with 305.

The Chippewas’ team of Ben Sullivan, Dylan Johnson, Jose Diaz and Griffen Antal won the deciding race — the 400-yard freestyle relay — with a time of 3 minutes, 22.52 seconds, while the Orioles’ 3:22.74 left them just short of a conference championship.

Including the victory in the 400 free relay, Manistee won six of 12 events in the conference championships.

The team title served as another feather in the cap for the Chippewas, who had already been putting together a season for the books.

Over the course of the winter, the Chippewas qualified for the Division 3 state finals in all three relays while Diaz and Zack Lee qualified for a number of individual events.

Onekama girls win district championship The Onekama girls basketball team came up short against Frankfort the two times the teams tipped off during the regular season, but the Portagers put it all together on March 6, when the stakes were highest, to take a 44-37 win over the Panthers in a Division 4 district championship game in Onekama.

It came as a collective effort as Ella Acton paced Onekama with 16 points, Hanna Hughes finished with eight, Colleen McCarthy scored seven and Sophie Wisniski and Madison Gutowski each finished with six points.

The Portagers’ postseason run came to a halt on March 10 in a 48-34 loss to Bellaire in a regional semifinal at Traverse City Central.

Bobcats crowned league champs, surge in district play

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The Brethren boys basketball team closed out its conference schedule on March 5 by clinching a share of the West Michigan D League title with a 52-42 win at Walkerville.

The win gave the Bobcats a 16-2 record in conference play, which left them tied with Pentwater for the WMDL crown.

The league championship was the program’s first since 2006. Before then, the last title was in 1962.

To add to the program’s banner year, the Bobcats were determined to claim a district title for the first time since 1997.

The Bobcats appeared well on their

way when they ousted rival Onekama on March 11 from the Division 4 district tournament in a thrilling 48-47 semifinal victory to earn a berth in the championship game against Frankfort, but fate would have other plans.

Saints lead the way back to competition, win postseason tourney As the MHSAA turned its attention to crafting procedures and guidelines for a hopeful return to athletics in the fall, the local summer sports scene was also carefully traversing its way through the pandemic.

In Manistee, the Saints baseball organization was in for an unusual summer, but pressed on to salvage a season for its players and fans.

The team canceled its original opening weekend at Rietz Park in late May, as the pandemic rippled its way through the country.

By mid-June, Manistee and its Great Lakes United Baseball League were ready to give a modified season a go. And the Saints kicked off their campaign on June 21-22 with a four-game sweep of Michigan Sports Academy at Rietz Park, which saw hundreds of fans swing through, one way or another, during the opening weekend.

Fittingly, the Saints were the first local team back on any field of play since the pandemic had put sports on pause in mid-March. And in that pursuit, the Saints carried a responsibility that they took seriously, with many safety protocols in place.

The Saints capped their season as champions too, as they put it all together over the weekend of Aug. 1-2, winning the first three games of the COVID-19 World Series tournament in Grand Rapids despite being the fifthseeded team in the bracket.

Manistee girls win first conference title in cross country The Manistee girls cross country team has certainly seen a wide spectrum of success throughout its history. But on Oct. 13, the Chippewas of 2020 put their own stamp on the program.

The Manistee girls captured their first-ever conference championship in the sport by completing a threemeet sweep of this season’s Lakes 8 Conference jamborees.

Manistee News Advocate | 2020 Year in Review

The final meet was on the Chippewas’ Chips claim program-first playoff win home course as they totaled 38 points to top Western Michigan Christian While certainly no strangers to the (44), Ludington (59) and Muskegon playoffs, the Manistee Chippewas had Catholic Central (78). just never won a postseason game as a program.

Manistee’s Danison makes That changed on Oct. 30. state finals debut Manistee finally captured that elusive Manistee junior Sara Danison made win in the state tournament and did her state golf finals debut on Oct. 17, so in convincing fashion with a 62-6 competing in the Division 4 field at drubbing of Kalkaska. the Forest Akers West golf course of The Chippewas (5-2) looked every bit Michigan State University. of the No. 1 seeded team in its Division Danison, who was the Chippewas’ 6 playoff district as they dominated lone representative in the finals after both sides of the ball while keeping qualifying individually in the regional their season alive and well. round, shot a 109 to place 76th in a “That’s something that this team field featuring more than 100 golfers. will always have: They’re the first Danison had been a steady No. 1 team in (program) history to win a for the young Chippewas throughout playoff game,” said Manistee coach the fall, which culminated with a solid Troy Bytwork. “You can look at it from regional round at the Wolverine course so many different perspectives, but of Grand Traverse Resort on Oct. 5. considering this year’s circumstances, There, she carded a 102 to qualify with maybe not having a season, then having a season, and now with more individually to compete at the D4 and more teams forfeiting in the finals. Earlier in the season, Danison playoffs because of COVID, you don’t broke 100 on an 18-hole round with a take anything for granted. personal-best 98.

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Portagers win district title, advance in regional

Brethren’s Tracy caps career with All-State finish

The Onekama volleyball team returned to district glory this season with a convincing run through the tournament that was played on its home turf.

The Portagers, who last won a district title in 2018, reclaimed the trophy on Nov. 5 with a sweep of Brethren in the championship match.

“We play really good when we have fun together, and I feel like that that is what we did,” said senior Kristin Bonecutter.

Onekama swept its way through the district bracket, ousting Bear Lake and Pentwater on its way to the championship matchup with Brethren.

The Portagers moved on to the regional round, where they would put another sweep in the books by cruising past Byron Center Zion Christian in a semifinal on Nov. 10. Onekama fell short of winning the program’s firstever regional title, however, when they met the end of the road against Fowler in championship.

Brethren senior Alexi Tracy made her fourth trip to the cross country state finals this season and put icing on the cake of her prep career.

Tracy finished fourth in her heat and 16th overall (20:39) at Michigan International Speedway on Nov. 7, which earned her Division 4 All-State honors for the second straight year.

Tracy’s finish highlighted the group of Manistee County representatives at the finals this season, but the rest of the runners certainly had plenty to be proud of.

Tracy’s freshman teammate Abigail Kissling finished 174th (24:22), as Bear Lake’s Kaden Forward and Hunter Bentley placed 61st (18:15) and 172nd (19:50), respectively, in the Division 4 boys race.

Manistee Catholic Central seniors Mateo Barnett and Henry Hybza also competed, running for Mason County Eastern in the co-op program. Barnett placed 83rd (18:39.91) while Hybza took 112th (18:57) in the D4 boys race.

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Manistee News Advocate | 2020 Year in Review

Development projects take shape in Manistee County Kyle Kotecki kkotecki@pioneergroup.com Despite many aspects of life being put on hold due to the coronavirus pandemic, Manistee saw a number of new developments both constructed and planned in 2020.

Between West Shore Community College’s Manistee Downtown Education Center and Spirit of the Woods Gateway Project on River Street, the Maple Ridge Manor assisted living facility located off Kemmer Road and the Hampton Inn and Suites planned for the former site of the Lake Shore Motel near First Street Beach, Manistee will have a number of new additions to look forward to in 2021.

Maple Ridge Manor The Barringer Construction Group broke ground on Maple Ridge Manor in June off of Kemmer Road in Manistee Township; the project is expected to be completed by later winter or early spring.

The facility will offer assisted living and money care services. Assisted living facilities differ from nursing homes in that they can provide aid with certain daily activities, but the residents do not necessarily require around the clock care. Memory care services are similar, but are specifically for residents with Alzheimer’s disease, dementia or other memory issues.

BCG constructed its first familyowned assisted living facility in Lowell before selecting Manistee as the perfect spot for a second location based on population and demographics.

Senior citizens make up 20.5% of the population of the City of Manistee,

according to CityTownInfo, an online almanac-like reference for city information.

Maple Ridge Manor’s amenities will include an on-site chapel, library, salon and movie theater room.

Spirit of the Woods Gateway Project CL Real Estate presented the Spirit of the Woods Gateway Project to Manistee City Council in September detailing the goals of how leaders wanted to develop a group of parcels on River Street.

Presenters said the first step in the process is submitting applications for permits and approval from the city before beginning construction in 2021.

Little River Holdings is also leading the project.

The project will create a “business incubator,” hotel, marketplace and welcome center on River Street. Development will take place on five parcels of land, all owned by Little River Holdings.

The renderings presented at the September meeting showed the former American Cleaners site at the corner of River Street and U.S. 31 is expected to be turned into a welcome center on the first floor and an office space area on the second floor.

The renderings also showed an area that would be a 97,000 square foot “upscale boutique hotel” with 100 units overlooking Manistee River with a rooftop bar, outdoor public plaza, indoor and outdoor pool and underground parking.

The project also includes what it calls a business incubator aspect for new startup businesses in a way that is low barrier to give them an

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The renderings presented to Manistee City Council show the Spirit of the Woods Gateway project development would take place on the southern block of River Street from the corner of Division Street to U.S 31. (File photo)

opportunity to try out new ideas short term.

Brant Cohen, Michigan development associate with CL Real Estate, said this will be “a series of small booths, a little opportunity with little barrier to entry for creating a business to try something out for a summer into winter so they can understand and create a business plan, a marketing plan, finances.”

Dublin General Store More than a year after a devastating fire, the Dublin General Store in Wellston reopened to customers on Sept. 23 following a ribbon-cutting ceremony at the new and improved facility.

The Dublin General Store has been in operation since 1935, owned by Greg Fischer and his wife, Bonnie, since 2002. Greg is the store’s third generation owner of the family business that was started by his grandparents.

The blaze broke out at the store after 2 a.m. on Aug. 31, 2019, in the front corner of the hardware section, leaving rubble in its place. No one was injured.

In a previous interview with the News Advocate, Greg said the community had been supportive of the Fischers while they worked to reopen

the store.

“Right after the fire we planned on rebuilding, so we went into the planning stages. Bonnie, and myself and our son Dean planned it out and it was just a matter of putting the plan together,” Greg said. “We put a lot of effort into it, but a lot of other people did too. We didn’t do it by ourselves.”

At roughly 43,000 square feet, the new store is significantly larger, and features a drive-thru pharmacy, hardware section, walk-in cooler and industrial-sized meat smokers.

WSCC Manistee Downtown Education Center In May 2019, WSCC’s Board of Trustees took action to purchase the former Glik’s building at 400 River St. for $470,000, with plans to use the space for holding classes and other college activities and events, while also assisting the community in economic development.

This spring, work on the project was delayed due to a construction ban put in place to mitigate the spread of the coronavirus, but in May workers finally got the green light and the project was underway.

The Christman Company of Grand Rapids served as the construction manager for the project and Kendra

Manistee News Advocate | 2020 Year in Review

Thompson Architects P.C. of Manistee handled the design.

The building will host WSCC classes, as well as office space for the Manistee Area Chamber of Commerce and Networks Northwest (Michigan Works!), making it a collaboration between education, economic development and community use.

In a previous interview with the News Advocate, WSCC president Scott Ward said having a facility in Manistee will help mitigate some barriers to education and make it accessible to more people.

“Some of the major roadblocks to success are housing, transportation and lack of childcare,” he said. “By moving some of our classes (to Manistee), it helps reduce at least some of those — not just for residents in Manistee, but in the northern part of the county. It might shorten the amount of time childcare is necessary, or certainly reduce some of the transportation efforts.

“From our discussions with our school districts, I’m also hoping and very optimistic that this might be a good way to have some robust programming for dual

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enrolled students and shorten that transportation to the main campus.”

Hampton Inn and Suites A new Hampton Inn and Suites is planned for the former site of the Lakeshore Motel, near First Street Beach.

Suburban Inns, a Michigan hotel company with properties in Holland, Grand Rapids and Midland is taking on the site. CEO Peter Beukema and vice president of development Tom Welling presented their proposal to Manistee City Council during a work session on Dec. 8.

The proposal is for a five-story hotel with 108 rooms, an indoor pool with an indoor and outdoor hot tub, a fitness center, a lobby bar and a beach bar looking out over Lake Michigan.

“From an economic standpoint, the property should bring approximately $4 million worth of economic development into the community through the spending by the guests of the property,” Beaukema told council at the meeting.

He added that the hotel will create 35 new jobs with hourly wages ranging from $11 to $17.

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Manistee News Advocate | 2020 Year in Review

New housing projects move forward Michelle Graves

mgraves@pioneergroup.com

The state of housing in Manistee County has been the topic of discussion for years, but in 2020 some progress has been made.

In 2019, “Young Professionals Housing Survey” conducted by Project Rising Tide found that nearly 74% of respondents felt locating suitable housing in the Manistee region is difficult, and many said they have considered leaving the area due to a lack of options.

Early in the year, the city planned to fund a position for a person who would be a leader to spearhead needed neighborhood housing initiatives in the area. However, by May, as uncertainties persisted with revenue sources for the city due to the pandemic, city staff reworked the proposed budget to cut all appropriations by 10% and eliminate the $20,000 that was to go toward Housing North for the position.

However, not all hope is lost as a few projects already in the works continued to move forward and a few new ones took shape in 2020.

Hillcrest Apartments In August, Manistee City Council approved an extension for Hillcrest Apartments, a project that began in 2019. In February of that year, council adopted an ordinance to allow for the construction of the 45-unit project.

Part of the ordinance required that it be completed within two years from the time it went into effect.

The project was delayed this year

due to a backlog of construction jobs created by the COVID-19 pandemic.

The extension gives developers until Aug. 17, 2022 to complete the project.

Though work began at the site in early October, Hollander Development Corporation and Little River Real Estate Management held an official groundbreaking ceremony on Oct. 14.

The project will be a mixed-income housing units for households earning between 30% and 80% of the area’s median income. It is located at the site formerly occupied by Washington Elementary School on Ford Street, bordering Short Street and Third Avenue in Manistee.

Sibben Street Project In early November, Manistee City Council approved a tax exemption for a building on Sibben Street that paves the way for the property to become apartments and community gathering spaces.

With the approval of the Obsolete Property Rehabilitation District and certificate of exemption for 314 Sibben St., owner Stephen Glagola hopes to turn it into three apartments, a coffee shop and delicatessen, and a community event space by December 2022. The 6,848 square foot, two-story building was originally constructed in the late 1880s and has been vacant for decades.

Senior Housing Kittie Tuinstra, executive director of the nonprofit Oceana County Housing Commission, and developer Allan Martin, presented a senior housing

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Hollander Development Corporation and Little River Holdings hosted a groundbreaking ceremony for Hillcrest Apartments on Oct. 14. (File photo)

project to Manistee City Council in early December.

The organization is partnering with the Manistee County Council on Aging and the Little River Band of Ottawa Indians while Kendra Thompson is the architect for the development planned for the parcels at 443 Water St. and 451 and 457 River St. The building currently at 443 Water St., formerly the location of Amor Signs, would be demolished and a new four-story building built in its place.

The River Street properties will be renovated.

The developers plan to have one bedroom and two-bedroom units meant for single people and couples.

The rent for the one-bedroom units will range from $360 to $850, according to Tuinistra’s presentation.

The two-bedroom units’ rent will range from $430 to $1,030.

“We’ve talked with quite a few seniors who’ve expressed their needs and concerns. A lot of them are looking for housing that is affordable on fixed incomes, but also that is more maintainable,” Tuinstra told council at the December meeting.

However, the Monroe Cottage project, a 46-unit housing project planned for 260 St. Mary’s Parkway,

has been put on hold because it was not awarded low-income housing tax credits from the Michigan State Housing and Development authority earlier this year.

A planned unit development application for the cottages had been approved by the Manistee Planning Commission in February. City council had planned to have city staff draft a payment in lieu of taxes ordinance and municipal service agreement.

Housing Commission Projects In February, Clinton McKinvenCopus, executive director of the Manistee Housing Commission, updated Manistee City council on plans for Century Terrace and Harborview housing to transition from the current U.S. Housing and Rural Development to the RAD program.

In October, the Michigan State Housing Development Authority announced that it was awarding more than $1.4 million in Low-Income Housing Tax Credits to Century Terrace and Harborview Apartments as part of $17.8 million that was awarded to 17 projects in the state. The amount awarded to Century Terrace and Harborview Apartments was the second-largest on the list.

Manistee News Advocate | 2020 Year in Review

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Manistee County saw changes in leadership Kyle Kotecki

kkotecki@pioneergroup.com

Manistee County saw a number of changes in leadership in 2020.

Onekama Consolidated Schools superintendent After serving as Onekama Consolidated Schools’ principal for 19 years, Gina Hagen assumed the role of superintendent/principal on July 1.

Mark Parsons served one year as a part-time interim superintendent following the retirement of longtime superintendent Kevin Hughes in June 2019. When Parsons notified the Onekama school board he would be leaving at the end of his contract on June 30, the board decided to opt for a superintendent/principal position.

In a previous interview with the News Advocate, Hagen said she was excited to take on the new challenge.

“First and foremost it is superintendent position, and you run the school and report to the

board of education,” she said. “The superintendent needs to follow the policy and procedures set forth by the board of education and you essentially run a business.”

However, the new position has Hagen wearing two hats.

“The principal position you normally report to the superintendent and you are the educational leader,” she said.

“So you are in charge of educational curriculum, the discipline and the ins and outs of everyday school life, including the teachers.”

Police, fire chiefs When Tim Kozal resigned as Manistee’s public safety director to work as the Ludington Police Department’s chief of police, City Manager Thad Taylor said the police department would be headed by Det. Sgt. Josh Glass and the fire department would be led by Deputy Chief Mark Cameron while Taylor sought a replacement.

During a July 7 meeting, however,

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the Manistee City Council voted to replace the former role that oversaw police and fire with the two chiefs who each focus on their respective departments.

During the meeting, Taylor said he had previously sat down with Kozal and had discussions on what they should do for the transition.

“His first recommendation was to appoint Det. Sgt. Glass as the acting police chief during his GLASS absence and then secondarily to appoint Deputy Cameron to take the reins of the fire department,” Taylor said.

Taylor said he met with Kozal on more than one occasion to discuss the topic of replacements.

“I said ‘If we want to go from public safety director position to police chief,

fire chief — what’s your position?’

First of all, he endorsed that,” he said.

“Secondly he ... endorsed both of those candidates for chiefs on a permanent basis. … And he was quite confident obviously that they could do it but more importantly he felt at this time, there was only one candidate in each department that he could recommend for chief. It was that simple.”

Glass had been with the department for 16 years and previously told the News Advocate that more than half of that time was spent as an investigator and detective. He has lived in Manistee since 2004.

“I have loved every minute of it,” Glass had said. “I have lived here with my wife and two young kids, and we feel very blessed to be part of a community like Manistee.”

Cameron had worked for the department for about 17 years and previously told the News Advocate that he was looking forward to serving the community and helping to grow the department any way he can.

Continued on Page 08

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Manistee News Advocate | 2020 Year in Review Continued From Page 8

He has served as a firefighter, driver engineer, as well as captain.

He previously had worked in Traverse City but said “My dream was to move back to Manistee and be a career firefighter. ... In 2003, I was given that opportunity after testing and being hired into the department.”

Manistee County administrator/controller After the Manistee County Board of Commissioners accepted the resignation of county controller/ administrator David A. Kieft Jr. during an emergency meeting on April 14, Lisa Sagala, who was serving as the county’s human resources manager and assistant administrator, assumed the additional responsibilities of controller/administrator on an interim basis until a replacement could be found.

On Aug. 28, the county board of commissioners voted to appoint

Sagala to the position fulltime.

During the meeting, Sagala laid out why she felt she was a good fit for the role.

“I don’t think I can sit here and say that I am the most qualified, but I feel that I am qualified (based on) my four or five months as interim.

I am invested in this community,” she had said. “I was born and SAGALA raised here (and) I have no plans on moving. I like the people here. I have built a lot of good relationships with employees within Manistee County.”

In her brief time as interim controller/administrator, Sagala was responsible for crafting the county’s official coronavirus preparedness plan as mandated by the state and has also began work developing the county’s budget for fiscal year 2020-21.

Under the general direction of the board of commissioners, Manistee County’s controller/administrator carries out directives and implements policies of the board related to research and policy development, personnel and employee relations, budget and financial management, purchasing, data processing, grant funding and other areas as directed.

Manistee County sheriff There’s a new sheriff in town.

Brian Gutowski won the Manistee County sheriff race with 7,570 votes to incumbent Ken Falk’s 6,296 in the Nov. 3 election.

In an email following the election, Gutowski said as sheriff, he plans to work with community members and the office’s community partners “to make Manistee (County) a safer place to live, work and visit.”

Gutowski was hired at the Manistee County Sheriff’s Office as a road patrol deputy in 2007 before being promoted

to sergeant in 2014 and lieutenant emergency management coordinator in 2017. When Falk was selected by a three-person panel to fill the final year of former sheriff John O’Hagan’s term as sheriff upon O’Hagan’s retirement in December 2019, Gutowski was appointed undersheriff.

Following the election, Falk announced he FALK would be retiring after the end of his term after 29 years of working in law enforcement. Thursday was his final day as sheriff.

“I’ll miss the fellow employees the most. There’s a good group of people that work out here in both corrections and on the road,” he said in a previous interview with the News Advocate.

“It’s those things that I’ll miss the most.”

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Manistee News Advocate | 2020 Year in Review

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High water threatens coastal communities Scott Fraley

scott.fraley@pioneergroup.com

A year marked by unusually high water levels, strong winds and waves meant millions of dollars in damages for coastal communities along the Great Lakes.

The record high water levels this spring and summer accelerated erosion which caused shorelines to recede, threatening lakeside residences and recreational areas alike.

In many ways, the story of erosion in Manistee County can be seen as a culmination of trends stemming from 2019, when already high water began impacting the area’s coastal infrastructure and residences.

Here are some of Manistee County areas most heavily impacted by the high water this year: Manistee Riverwalk The retaining wall along Manistee’s Riverwalk collapsed in March, when

high water levels combined with strong winds eroded the wall and the soil beneath it.

The deteriorating wall had collapsed just two days before the Manistee Department of Public Works (DPW) had planned to remove portions of the structure.

DPW director Jeff Mikula told the News Advocate in March that he expected to see more damage continue throughout the area from the unprecedented high lake levels, especially when combined from high winds coming off Lake Michigan.

This was the third time in as many years that the Riverwalk had been damaged by storms.

The city filed an insurance claim for funding to make repairs, as it had done twice previously. This time, however, the insurance company denied the claims, classifying the Riverwalk as a bridge and the retaining wall as a dam.

The historic shelterhouse at Orchard Beach State Park was moved from the shore in December The city then decided to bundle

Continued on Page 10

to prevent it from collapsing into Lake Michigan. (Courtesy photo/Michigan Department of Natural Resources)

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Manistee News Advocate | 2020 Year in Review

Work crews demolish a Filer Township home overlooking a Lake Michigan bluff in August. (File photo)

Continued From page 9

Homeowners

their capital improvement projects and use the sale of capital improvement bonds — along with funding from a federal grant — to raise the $1.5 million necessary to complete the projects.

In addition to repairing the Riverwalk and retaining wall, the DPW plans to place armor stones, a durable kind of natural rock that protects riverbanks from erosion, along the shoreline near First Street, the News Advocate reported in September.

Repairs to the Riverwalk and retaining wall are expected to wrap up in spring or summer 2021.

In late 2019, the News Advocate reported on a pair of residents whose coastal homes were at risk of being swept into Lake Michigan.

Rochelle Radlinski and Rita Alton, each with property overlooking the lake, faced the real possibility of losing their homes to high water levels and erosion.

While Radlinski’s home near Orchard Beach State Park was saved from being washed into Lake Michigan, Alton was not as fortunate.

Alton told the News Advocate that she was unable to move her house away from the shore and could not afford to have a bulwark constructed against the erosion. She was not

The retaining wall near a section of the Riverwalk along First Street in Manistee was damaged by erosion in 2020. It is scheduled to be repaired by spring or early summer. (File photo)

alone.

“It’s all along here, down at the end of Fox Farm Road there’s probably four or five houses in danger,” Alton had said.

In the end, Alton lost her family home in tax foreclosure to the county, after pleading her case before local and state representatives.

The home was demolished at the county’s expense in August 2020 before it could topple over the 80foot bluff into the lake.

The remaining property was auctioned for $36,500.

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By 2019, it was clear that something had to be done to protect the shelterhouse at Orchard Beach State Park, or risk losing the historic structure.

With previous efforts to bolster the shoreline already failing by 2020, the decision was made early in the year to pick up the 850-ton lumber and limestone structure and move it away from its precarious placement overlooking an encroaching cliffside.

With funding from the Department of Natural Resources capital outlay

fund, and the park’s own savings, the building was prepared for its move across Orchard Beach State Park early in 2020.

Since it was built in 1948, the shelterhouse has been a popular venue for weddings, family reunions and other get-togethers. Both the shelterhouse and park were added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2009, which called the pavilion “one of the finest examples of rustic park found in Michigan’s state parks.”

Orchard Beach State Park is no stranger when it comes to erosion, as its namesake beach had washed away over the years, but rising water levels and resulting wave action accelerated the process in recent years.

Work crews slowly moved the shelterhouse over a 10 hour period in December to its new location on the far end of the park.

Park supervisor Doug Barry told the News Advocate that with the current rate of erosion, the move may provide over 100 years of lifetime to the shelterhouse.

“What we’re doing is saving the community’s history — Manistee’s history,” Barry had said.

Manistee News Advocate | 2020 Year in Review

11

Manistee County saw increasing new Covid cases, deaths as year closes Arielle Breen

Spring

Summer

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The nation saw its first case in late January and by late March, Manistee County had officially been introduced to COVID-19.

There was an 11-day gap between Manistee County’s first case and second case, according to the District Health Department #10 COVID-19 case tracking timeline.

The county’s best month was May when there were no reported cases. For comparison, Manistee County saw 10 confirmed cases in April.

The county saw increasing cases over the summer going from five cases in June, to 15 in July and then 19 in August.

Manistee had a drive-thru screening event at the Manistee High School parking lot from June 25-26 hosted by the District Health Department #10, Michigan State Police and U.S. National Guard.

A steady stream of vehicles could be seen going through the high school parking lot for the event as people underwent testing.

Kevin Hughes, health officer for

arielle.breen@

On March 23, the first Manistee County resident was confirmed to have tested positive for COVID-19.

Since then, there have been 562 cases cases and 13 deaths as of District Health Department #10 numbers on Monday.

There have also been 344 recoveries for the county.

But looking back over the last 10 months shows the area has seen highs and lows as well as aspects where the county has fared better than its neighboring counties.

A member of the National Guard could be seen collecting a sample during the Manistee COVID-19 screening from June 25-26 at Manistee High School’s parking lot. (File photo)

DHD#10, said at that time that “When we took a look at our counties and the number of tests that had been performed at each county, Manistee was on the lower end of tests that had been completed.

“So, we saw this as an opportunity to provide an opportunity

for people who may not have symptoms or be sick but are interested in being tested,” he had said.

Over the summer, the DHD#10 was also conducting contact tracing and issuing public exposure notices after incidents where someone who tested positive was known

to have been at places like public spaces or businesses where not all the people who may have come in contact with the person were able to be traced and notified.

Then the first Manistee County COVID-19 related Continued On Page 12

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Manistee News Advocate | 2020 Year in Review

Continued From page 11

death was reported on Aug. 14.

The individual was a woman in her mid-50s who was not hospitalized prior to her death, according to a previous email from the district Health Department #10.

Compared to its neighbors, Manistee County was better off than most neighboring counties but had more cases than two surrounding counties by the end of summer.

• Manistee County had 48 cases and one death as of Aug. 28.

• Grand Traverse County reported 303 cases and six deaths.

• Wexford County reported 80 cases and four deaths.

• Benzie County had seen 43 cases and two

deaths.

• Lake County had seen 28 cases.

• Mason County had seen 104 cases.

Fall/Early Winter Fall’s numbers continued to increase with some days seeing between three and four cases at a time but other days seeing no new cases earlier in the season.

By Sept. 17, the county had a second COVID-19 death listed and there had been a total of 63 cases for Manistee County.

By Oct. 27, Manistee County had three deaths total and 128 cases since the start of the pandemic.

But by late autumn, cases per day tended to range from five to 16 newly confirmed COVID-19 cases each day.

Some days there were no cases, other days there were only a few.

November brought the largest case count of the fall with 217 new cases for the month, compared to previous months that stayed below 80 new cases each month.

On Nov. 23, the DHD#10 announced it would no longer publish potential COVID-19 public exposure sites.

“We did not come to this decision lightly,” said Hughes of DHD#10 said in a news release.

“The decision was made because we can no longer extend our limited resources to investigating potential exposures.

Being that we are now eight months into this pandemic, and cases are significantly on the rise, we must focus our efforts

on case investigation and contact tracing.”

On Nov. 23, Manistee County had seen 314 cases of COVID-19 and five deaths total.

While spring cases in the county skewed toward people who were over the age of 70, by October, 21.7% of Manistee County’s cases involved people aged 50 to 59.

According to the DHD#10 county profile for November, 16.9% of Manistee County’s cases involved people aged 60 to 69.

The county is nearing the end of the year with 562 cases total and 13 deaths, per DHD#10 data as of Dec. 28. Manistee County is also listed as having the lowest case rate in the 10-county coverage area for DHD#10.

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MANISTEE COUNTY COVID-19 CASES BY THE MONTH • January: None reported • February: None reported • March: 1 • April: 10 • May: None reported • June: 5 • July: 15 • August: 19 • September: 27 • October: 71 • November: 217 • December (as of Dec. 28): 218 The total of cases as of the DHD#10’s Dec. 28 numbers above tally 568 based on the department’s COVID-19 timeline for Manistee County.

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