Z EELAND R ECORD THE
Vol. 129-No.41
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Zeeland, Michigan
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Serving Western Michigan for more than 128 Years
• August 10, 2023
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Cost$1.00/copy $30/year
Zeeland’s Chalk Fest Returns Friday Sidewalks, streets and the Splash Pad Park along the Woonerf (Elm Street between Cherry Street and Main Street) will be decorated with art this weekend as Zeeland hosts its fourth Chalk Festival on Friday, Aug.11, from 4 pm to 8 pm. “The public is welcome to stroll the street to watch the artist actively working on their pieces from 1 pm to 4 pm. From 4 pm to 8 pm the event will include the finished products, an opportunity to speak with the artists, live music, food truck, outdoor games as well as the ability to vote for your favorite. The event will include entertainment for all ages,” said Downtown Events Coordinator Kerri VanDorp. Artists will be using chalk as their medium and the streets as their canvas. They will be creating pieces that are 6’ x 6’ large along the street. Event goers can vote for their favorite Friday night and watch social media
for the winner to be announced on Saturday. “This is a great way to expose young children to appreciate art in a different form! The artists for the event range from teens to adults as well as professional training and self-taught,” she said. The artists being featured at the event are Mary Bent-Buist – Hudsonville MI, Tahleez Bartels – Zeeland MI, Carly SchaubPierson, MI, Danae Wilson- Caledonia, MI, Emily Miller – Grand Rapids, MI, Rachel Murry- Grand Rapids, MI, Gwendolyn Russel- Zeeland MI, Ella Pettit- Byron Center, MI, Jonathan Buggs – La Porte, IN, Esther Heethuis – Grand Rapids, MI, Elisha MayesBattle Creek, MI. This event is sponsored by: Zeeland BPW, Zeeland Ace Hardware, Rachel Karhoff – State Farm Insurance, 4Front Credit Union and Don’s Flowers and Gifts.
Zeeland Township to Host Community Day Zeeland Township’s annual Community Day at the Drenthe Grove, 615 68th Ave., has been a highly anticipated event for over 50 years, with its games, fellowship and chicken BBQ. But a decline in the number of volunteers resulting in the township board managing the event has led to some changes. “We tried to host it last year but struggled to get volunteers. We ended up with nearly 600 chickens that were not purchased, partly because of the weather – we had a thunderstorm roll through, but also poor attendance,” said Township Supervisor Tom Oonk This year the annual Community Day will be held on Wednesday, Aug. 16, from 4
– 7 p.m. and will feature food trucks, animals from the Critter Barn, and free ice cream from Mooville. There will also be emergency vehicles from the Zeeland Township Fire Depart and the Ottawa County Sheriff’s Department. “We still want it to be a family friendly event. With the food trucks they hopefully will have several options if they are looking for something to eat, or they can bring their own food. We still will have games and activities for everyone to enjoy,” he said. The Drenthe Grove is located on 68th Avenue south of Adams Street and a ½ west of the 64th Avenue intersection.
Preliminary Analysis Calls for Returning Centennial and Main to Two-way Traffic A draft report from the City of Zeeland’s traffic engineering firm Progressive AE presented to the City Council during their work session on Monday evening calls for return to two-way traffic for Centennial Street between Main and Central avenues and Maple Street between Lincoln and Central avenues. The City Council plans to hold a public hearing in September to hear residents’ concerns before any changes are made. “Both conversions are sought in part to provide a more consistent circulation systems for all users and bring back the original benefits of a standard grid street system,” said engineer Pete LaMourie in his report. Since early April, Centennial has had two-way traffic between Central and Main as part of a pilot project to see the impact of returning to two-way street. The study focused on peak periods in April and May during school periods. In the morning all bus traffic occurred on the south side of the building, only in the afternoon were five buses queued on Centennial. The study also showed that only three parents picked up students in the afternoon and none were dropped off in the morning. “The low two-way traffic volumes on the sections of Centennial between Main and Central easily support the current pilot program and a reversion to two-way traffic. The peak southbound volume over an hour
is 21 vehicles, which translates to only one vehicle every three minutes on average during the ‘peak’ period,” he said. Regarding Maple the engineer feels that returning to two-way traffic would have little impact. The street has a daily volume of 434 vehicles that travel north bound. At peak times in the morning 88 vehicles drove the section of Maple between Lincoln and Central and that dropped to 43 during peak periods in the afternoon. “Given the existing relatively low northbound peak hour volumes it can be expected that a conversion allowing southbound traffic would likely double the overall volume. But the resulting combined volume of +/- 130 vehicles during a peak time is still well within typical residential collector street norms. In addition, the recent closure of Maple Street north of Main will reduce the volume of southbound traffic if the conversion is implemented,” he said. Another issue that the city would face with making Maple Steet two way is the removal of traffic bump outs at the entrance and exit of the street, along with curb and gutter improvements. “That is something that we are working with engineers to develop costs for the council to consider as they deliberate returning Maple to two-way traffic,” said Asst. City Manager Kevin Plockmeyer.
Construction workers are busy installing cement form for the crosswalk on Main Avenue at the Maple Street intersection as part of the downtown snowmelt project. The project is currently running ahead of schedule, and the south side of Main will be completed in time for the start of the school year. Work on the north side of Main will continue into September.
Council Denies BZA Appointment The ongoing dilemma for local leaders, whether city elected or appointed officials should be held to a higher standard, came down to a vote on Monday evening. The City Council on a 3-4 vote denied the reappointment of Board of Zoning Appeals Chair Doug Barense. Voting to reappoint were Mayor Kevin Klynstra, and councilmen Jim Broersma and Phung Lam. Voting against the reappointment were Mayor Pro-tem Sally Gruppen and council members Glenn Kass, Rick VanDorp and MaryBeth Timmer. Back in June Zeeland City Council members tabled the reappointment of Board of Zoning Appeals Chair Doug Barense due to concerns that a residence that he owns at 134 E. Central has been partially demolished and in a state disrepair since 2017. “The city loses credibility when a member of the Planning Commission and Board of Zoning Appeals, which creates and enforces city ordinances, has glaring violations on his own personal property,” said VanDorp during a June 12 City Council meeting.
“Doug does a great job serving the city on various boards. He is well prepared, knowledgeable, and asks great questions,” said Mayor Kevin Klynstra at the same meeting. Over the years the City’s Community Development Office has been in contact with Barense regarding vehicle and construction debris, pealing paint, and a deteriorating roof. On May 17, the Community Development Office sent him a letter stating that by July 31, 2023, that the dwelling must be reroofed so that the roof covering is good, free from vegetative growth, broken of deteriorated materials and weather tight. Barense was also instructed to fix the exterior of the structure to make it completely sided and weather proof. He was also instructed to install appropriate finish material to the front porch ceiling that he removed to protect the structure against decay from the elements and prevent the nesting or entry of animals. Lastly the city required that all wood surfaces including trim, cornices and decorative features where paint is missing, (Continued on page 5)
Circuit Court to Hear Recall Appeal August 18 A challenge to a recall petition for Ottawa County Commissioner Lucy Ebels will be heard in Ottawa County Circuit Court on Friday, August 17, according to Ottawa County Clerk Justin Roebuck. “Basically, we received paperwork on Monday, (Aug. 7) that granted Sarah Howard the right to intervene on the half of the petitioner and set the hearing for Aug. 17,” he said.
Park Township resident Larry Jackson filed language for a recall petition for Lucy Ebels on July 3, that focuses on the board’s attempt to Health Officer Adeline Hambley, with Nathaniel Kelly, during the Jan. 3 meeting. Hambley, who was appointed by the previous board and approved by the State, has been demoted Hambley while a lawsuit is heard challenging her removal. (Continued on page 5)