Belding City Council members voted to bid out a construction project budgeted at $30,000 to repair the sidewalks along the Ashfield Street Bridge in Belding at Tuesday night's Belding City Council meeting. The bridge, constructed in 1995, has several areas such as the one pictured above that are not considered safe for pedestrian traffic. — Daily News/Cory Smith

BELDING — Members of Belding City Council officially adopted a balanced budget for the 2012-2013 fiscal year during Tuesday night’s Belding City Council meeting.

After being first proposed in April and having gone through several revisions, the final version of the budget was presented to council members by City Manager Randy DeBruine Tuesday night and voted through by council members with a 5-0 vote.

“This budget is balanced,” DeBruine said. “We have some healthy fund balances that enable us to do this. The city is in compliance with the city’s budget ordinance and maintains a higher percentage than 10 percent of fund balance ratio, as is required.”

Recent changes to the budget included a transfer to the library fund of $14,039. That transfer was made in order to assist with the costs for the events that transpired earlier in the month with the reinstatement of a library employee. $30,000 was also transferred from the capital improvement fund for work on local streets.

The adoption of the budget did not come without argument from board members, however.

Councilman Joe Feuerstein was displeased with the amount budgeted to spend on attorneys, $75,000, dealing with the Electrolux lawsuit involving the Gibson buildings and site cleanup on the corner of Bridge and Main streets.

“It seems to me all lawyer funds are going toward saving the buildings and not too much is going to the cleanup of the environmental part,” Feuerstein said. “Everyone wants to spend money on that tower, but when I look around, I never hear of any of them.”

Feuerstein then motioned that $50,000 of the $75,000 budgeted for attorney fees be transferred to city street improvements.

Without support from a second council member, the motion died.

Councilman Mike Scheid said he understood where Feuerstein was coming from on the issue, but couldn’t support his motion.

“I would like to see that $50,000 moved over, but we’re still going to have the legal fees no matter what we do,” Scheid said. “We have spent way more money on this than I ever envisioned we would, but I’m afraid if we let them tear down everything, then they are going to run and leave it unusable. If they tear down the buildings, they are going to run, and they are going to run fast.”

Councilman Jon Bunce said if the money was transferred out of the budgeted fund, then Electrolux will have already won.

“I like to see money go for the streets too, but we’ve got legal fees coming up too,” Bunce said. “We’ve still got issues. Electrolux isn’t going to go away. They are going to do everything they can to keep us in court and I don’t want to see that happen.”

Board members also voted 5-0 to approve a request for bids on construction of the Ashfield Street Bridge.

According to DeBruine, the city has submitted a grant to the Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT) for several years with no luck of it ever being accepted.

DeBruine said in response to the deteriorating sidewalks on the bridge and no support from any grants, the city has budgeted $30,000 to repair the bridge.

Twenty-four inches of the west sidewalk face of the bridge will be removed and replaced, as well as 18 inches on the east facing. The new concrete will be anchored down to the deck of the bridge every four feet.

“The goal is to keep the water from getting under the concrete,” DeBruine said. “We really want someone that has bridge experience on this project.”

According to DeBruine, the bridge was constructed in 1995 and the current state of the sidewalks can only be blamed on the standards that MDOT used at the time to construct the bridge.

The Hubbardston Fire Department responded to a mobile home fire at 607 N. Washington St. in Hubbardston around 5:30 p.m. May 9. The Carson City Fire Department assisted.

Eric and Jasmine Elliott lived in the home with their four children, Owen, 7, Dayton, 4, Cheyenne, 14 months old, and Damion, 8 months old. Jasmine Elliott is expecting a fifth child in November.

Eric and Jasmine Elliott are pictured with Eric's mother, Deb Elliott (at far right), the Elliott children Dayton, 4 (holding his mother Jasmine's hands), Damion, age 8 months old (being held by grandmother Deb) and Kaytlynn, 3 (Deb's granddaughter). Eric is holding the family dog, Shotty. - Daily News/Elisabeth Waldon

Jasmine Elliott, her children and Eric’s mother, Deb Elliott, returned from a fun afternoon at Anderson’s Orchard in Stanton that Wednesday afternoon to find smoke billowing out from underneath the home. When Eric Elliott arrived home, he saw flames coming out of the windows.

The family lost everything.

The Elliotts are now living in the basement of Deb Elliott’s parents (Eric Elliott’s grandparents), Larry and Shirley Crouse, next door. The Crouses lost their own home in a fire in April 2011. They have since built a new home in the same location.

While the Elliott family is reeling from losing their home and all their belongings, they are also in awe of how community members immediately responded to help.

“Starting the night of, things just poured in,” Jasmine Elliott said. “We got so many donations.”

Deb Elliott calls everyone who helped, an “army of angels.”

“From young to old, everybody’s been helping,” Deb Elliott said.

“It feels awesome,” Eric Elliott added.

The Elliott family's home at 607 N. Washington St. in Hubbardston was destroyed in an electrical fire on May 9.

Organizations that have helped include the American Red Cross, the Crystal Food Bank, Mount Hope Church of Hubbardston, Bible Wesleyan Church in Sheridan, an Ionia County pregnancy crisis center, along with countless friends, family and out-of-town people who read about the fire on Facebook.

The family is in need of the following items for anyone wishing to help: unisex baby clothes (newborn to 12 months), a baby changing table, boys clothes (size 6 and 6-8 shirts, size 6-7 and 7-8 pants), dish towels and wash clothes, blender, toaster, microwave, children’s toys, queen-sized bed, blankets and food.

Donation cans are available at Carson Village Market, Herald’s Dairy Delight and Main Street Pizza, all in Carson City, and Hubbardston Market.

Michigan State Police Trooper James Yeager responded to a malicious destruction of property complaint Sunday in the 11000 block of Jessup Road.

Yeager discovered numerous windows and doors of a vacant residence were damaged.

Yeager recovered evidence from the scene. One of the items left at the scene was a Michigan State University baseball cap.

Anyone with information is asked to contact the Michigan State Police Lakeview Post at (989) 352-8444 or Silent Observer at (616) 527-0107.

But it’s no less important to understand that it is also a time of conclusion, an ending.

The ending, for youths at the high school level, means no more free schooling. Scholarships are plentiful for those who have earned them, and even for those who have not but have something to show. Whatever you do, scrounge and scuffle, but don’t stop believing. People less interested in traditional academics but looking for schooling in technical skills can usually find starting jobs with a lucrative future. Hence the word: commencement.

Schools, elementary through high school, technical school and to college as undergraduates mean for most people obviously varying degrees of exemption from the ultimate responsibilities of a career challenge. Nevertheless commencement, at each level, brings a new stage and new responsibilities to your life.

The great thing about our modern education system is that the opportunity is open and freely available to people well above high school age to pursue higher education. Their tenacity not only reflects well on them, but on our area education systems.

Graduates are investors. Whatever you decide to spend your time pursuing, you are investing the days of your life. You also can make investments in your future by your participation in government, your community, and involvement in the decisions of your state and your country. So be heavily invested in all.

To all the graduates, we congratulate you. You are helping to make our area, our state, and our country a more well-informed and educated nation.

A Howard City auto repair shop was destroyed in a fire Tuesday afternoon. The Howard City Fire Department responded to Mot's Motors at 20021 Howard City-Edmore Road (M-46) north of Howard City shortly before 5 p.m. — Courtesy photo/Ken Kool

HOWARD CITY — A Howard City auto repair shop was destroyed in a fire Tuesday afternoon.

The Howard City Fire Department responded to Mot’s Motors at 20021 Howard City-Edmore Road (M-46) north of Howard City shortly before 5 p.m. According to Fire Chief Randy Heckman, the owner of the store was doing grind work in the back of the building, then went up front to help a customer.

The owner smelled smoke and went to the back of the building where he found a fire. He used a fire extinguisher on the flames, but the fire flared up again due to flammable liquids in the building. The owner was able to safely exit the building. Firefighters from Amble, Morley and Sand Lake assisted Howard City with water backup.

Firefighters cleared the scene around 6:30 p.m.

A view north from the M-82 overpass just west of Howard City. — Daily News/Elisabeth Waldon

A $15 million road construction project on U.S. 131 is well under way.

The Michigan Department of Transportation is resurfacing 12 miles of U.S. 131 from Cannonsville Road north to M-46. Traffic is being maintained on U.S. 131 at all times using crossovers, which were constructed last year.

Northbound traffic will be reduced to one lane throughout the project, while southbound traffic will remain at two lanes. Ramp closures with posted detours will be used at M-46 and M-82. Bridges over Tamarack Creek and Kendaville Road will be improved and widened.

The park-and-ride near M-82 also will be widened to make room for additional spaces. Interstate Highway Construction Inc. in Owosso is the project’s contractor.

The road work is expected to be completed by Nov. 3.

During the Greenville’s regular scheduled meeting Tuesday night, the council approved to have no-parking signs placed on streets around United Hospital to address safety concerns.

“I think it’s a good idea,” Mayor Pro Tem Jeanne Cunliffe said.

The first section of no-parking signs approved by the council is for the east side of Ruth Street from W. Oak and W. Benton streets.

City Manager George Bosanic said although United Hospital built a new parking lot, people are still parking in this section of the roadway, making it difficult for people to safely merge from the parking lot onto the road.

Also, with vehicles being parked on both the west and east sides of the streets, the Greenville Department of Public Safety has expressed concerns about vehicles being able to safely maneuver through the street.

“Eliminating the street parking will funnel those cars into the parking lots, which is what they were created for,” Bosanic said.

The second section of no-parking signs approved by the council is for the east side of Marvel Drive between W. Judd and W. Oak streets.

This locations is similar to the Ruth Street situation with safety being a concern. There are many homes that have become offices in this location resulting in a lot of in-and-out traffic.

“Cars are parked on both sides of the road right up to the intersections of the streets and driveways, which is posing a safety concern,” Bosanic said.

This issue has been discussed with United Hospital, and Bosanic said United Hospital is in favor of the solution.

Suzanne Hoseth Kreeger

The 8th Judicial Circuit Court’s drug court is going strong in Ionia and Montcalm counties.

Judge Suzanne Hoseth Kreeger obtained a $20,000 one-year planning grant from the Michigan Supreme Court in the fall of 2010. The grant allowed Kreeger to hire Kristi Jeffrey to coordinate drug court. When the grant ex-pired, Jeffrey continued to donate her time.

Kreeger’s drug court recently recieved a $50,000 grant from the Office of Highway Safety Planning, making it possible to re-hire Jeffrey. Kreeger will also be hiring a part-time case manager soon to assist probation agents in both counties with case management.

“We are very thrilled and thankful for the grant funds,” Kreeger said.

Candidates for drug court are assessed for drug dependence in order to qualify. Recommendations are made after a criminal conviction and during the pre-sentence investigation. The county prosecutor is required by law to approve each participant. The court also must consult with treatment providers and a defense attorney representative. Drug court board members then decide who qualifies.

Thanks to the $50,000 grant, Kreeger also was able to implement a random drug testing program in March with the help of the village of Sheridan, where testing occurs.

Drug court participants are assigned a color that determines the frequency that they must report for testing. Each day, participants call a phone hotline to learn whether their color has been called. If their color has been called, they must report for drug testing within a certain time frame. The same drug testing company used by the court in Ionia County sends agents to Sheridan to do the tests. The majority of test costs are funded by the grant, but participants have a $3 co-pay per test.

“If an individual does not stay clean from all drugs and alcohol, the recovery process cannot begin,” noted Bev Shepard, a Montcalm County drug treatment provider. “If the participant knows when the drug test is going to occur, they can estimate the time they have to continue using a drug and the time it will take to ‘clean out.’  By providing random drug testing, our participants are much less likely to relapse and have to start the recovery process over.”

Kreeger said she hopes the random drug testing program and new case manager will lead to less relapses for participants.

“Relapse is discouraging for the participant as well as the drug court teams,” she said. “And, unfortunately, in those instances where the participant despite the court-imposed sanctions and incentives does not get back on track, termination from the program occurs. But the progress we are seeing for so many of our participants is exciting.”

Drug court has had two graduates successfully complete the program — one from Ionia County and one from Montcalm County. The drug court program currently has nine participants from Ionia County and eight from Montcalm County.

One of those participants, a man from Ionia, recently wrote a letter to Kreeger and her drug court team, explaining why he should  be able to advance to level four of the program.

“When I first came into drug court, I came in with the mindset of all I need to do is get through this and I will not have a felony on my record,” the man’s letter stated. “I also thought it would look good to go through the motions so my parents would get off my back. Little did I know that this was a program to change my life, my mindset, my friends and my normal, everyday habits.

“My biggest eye-opener when I thought I could hang with the same friends, do what I used to do, but just stay clean. But I was wrong. Thankfully I had the drug court looking over me and they saw a problem and addressed it. No matter how hard life gets for me in the future, I feel very firm in saying that I will not revert back to drugs, reasons being that I when I was using I was so disconnected from my family, they didn’t know who I turned into. I also was so disconnected with myself I didn’t know who I had turned into. When I was using drugs, I was in a very lonely state of mind. I felt like life was so dark and gloomy. I had nothing to show for myself and at the rate I was going I never would. People didn’t want to me around me because they thought I was going to lie, cheat or steal to get a fix.

“After being clean, I felt like my life has come back around. I have my family that backs me up in whatever I do. I have real friends again. I have a wonderful job where I enjoy working and the list goes on,” the letter stated.

Each county’s drug court team includes volunteers from substance abuse treatment agencies, community mental health agencies, sheriff’s department, children’s protective services, Michigan Works, prosecuting and defense attorney representatives and probation officers as well as members from the faith community.  The teams meet every other week. A steering committee, comprised of representatives from each drug court team, meets every month to review program structure and best practices.

Kreeger said drug court is a rewarding experience for everyone involved.

“Seeing the participants reclaim their lives, mend family relationships, find housing and employment and embark upon a healthy course of living and problem solving, is so gratifying and encouraging,” she said. “It brings into clear focus all that is possible when we unite as a community, lend a hand and make a positive difference.”

Kim Hagerman — 1 p.m., Lux and Schnepp Funeral Home, Carson City.

Friday

Bernard Williams — 11 a.m. Friday, First Congregational Church, Stanton. (Simpson Family Funeral Home, Stanton)

Saturday

Dean Emmons — 2 p.m., Evergreen Cemetery, Sheridan.
Billy Houghton — 3 p.m., Brigham Funeral Chapel, Lakeview.

Sunday

Dr. Stuart Anderson — 2 p.m., First Congregational Church, Greenville.
Larry Piper — 2 p.m., Sheridan VFW Hall.

Belding’s Cody Christensen winds up to tee off on the first tee during the Redskins’ match with Lowell Tuesday.

BELDING — A stiff wind that was blowing around Candlestone Golf and Resort didn’t help Belding’s golf team beat Lowell.

The Red Arrows shot a team score of 165 to the Redskins’ 190 at Candlestone Tuesday.

But coach Doug Anderson wasn’t willing to blame the wind.

Belding’s Conor Wisman watches his putt from just off the first green during the Redskins’ match against Lowell Tuesday.

“Probably not as much as them playing with classmates,” Anderson said. “They typically, in a jamboree setting, play with someone from the other team. That makes them focus that much more. When you’re playing dual matches your focus may not be as intense and I think that may have played a role (Tuesday).”

The best score for Belding was Conor Wisman, who carded a 40.

“That was a good score,” Anderson said. “Conor this year has been our best player. He’s been consistent and it’s a great round. The adversity of playing with a friend or teammate he overcame very well.”

Nick Badder added a 47, Cody Christensen shot a 49 and Zach Johnston shot a 54.

“Cody Christensen averages 42 or 43 in the (O-K Blue) conference,” Anderson said. “It’s totally unlike him to shoot a 49 from the white tees at Candlestone.”

Lowell got a 38 from Brandon Poll, a 40 from Isaac Brenner, a 43 from Ben Hart and a 44 from Aaron Anderson.

“Lowell’s a very good team,” Anderson said.

The competition won’t get any easier for Belding, as they go to Cedar Springs today in an O-K Blue jamboree.

“We’re one point ahead of Coopersville in the conference standings for last place,” Anderson said. “This is one difficult conference of schools. (Today) is going to be competition within competition. We beat them (Coopersville) Monday at Moss Ridge by one stroke which broke the tie. We’re going to try to knock them off again. We shot 169 and finished sixth. That’s a pretty good score.”

Anderson said there’s one big facet of the game of golf that the Redskins will have to master.

“Being a PGA professional myself, it’s always going to come down to the short game,” he said. “It’s something we try to work on when we can. The guys need to work on it on their own time outside of practice. It comes back to get them one way or another.”