FREE Volume 66, Issue 3 · www.wilcoxnewspapers.com Extra Edition • Thursday, June 18, 2020 Theaters, gyms eagerly await next phase of reopening By Scott Sullivan Staff Writer In case you can’t tell what Gov. Whitmer is allowing to open, partially open and or still not letting be play- ers given COVID-19 spread reductions, here’s the latest scorecard. Now allowed are: • in-person dining and drinking, with occupancy capped at 50 percent in bars and restaurants • outdoor gatherings of up to 100 people • outdoor parks and recre- ational facilities, unless they cannot allow for social dis- tancing • shopping without an ap- pointment • libraries and museums • outdoor fitness classes, athletic practices, training Mask in my glory sessions and games, with minimum sharing and fre- The Iron Archer sculpture at Mayor Brooks Me- The sculpture keeps a watchful eye on the Plain- 49080; donations can also be dropped off at city quent cleaning of equipment morial Plaza in downtown Plainwell is practicing well Arts Council’s effort: a $10,000 fundraiser to hall, Joe’s Pizza or Bridge Street Gallery. and supplies some safe social distancing with his mask. Not purchase a memorial sculpture to honor the plaza’s Those who do will get a vote on which final de- • office work that cannot be the first time the figure has been adorned for the current namesake, the late Mayor Rick Brooks. sign will be commissioned for the memorial. The completed at home season, it has donned a mask since at least early Visit the group’s Facebook page to donate or send arts council donated the first $3,000. (Photo by n see COVID-19, Page A8 March. to PAC Sculpture, PO Box 383, Plainwell, MI, Ryan Lewis) Also Excavation begins for Otsego community pavilion By Ryan Lewis Editor Inside Excavation began last week to make way for Otsego’s Honoring community riverfront pavil- ion. The $300,000 project, fund- Otsego High ed in part by a crowd-fund- ing campaign last fall, has School’s been delayed like most con- struction projects due to the Class of 2020 COVID-19 crisis, but pros- --Page A6 pects are good for it to be completed this year anyway. Otsego Main Street director Honoring Joel Saukas said all bids for the work on the project were Plainwell accepted and came in some- what under estimates at ap- High School’s proximately $270,000. “The project is going well,” Class of 2020 Saukas said. “We had site plan approval by city council June 1, --Page A7 and that helped us break ground the middle of last week.” The 6,000-square-foot, INDEX open-air structure was de- Classifieds .............. B7 signed to provide shelter This view of newly excavated earth along Otsego’s south riverfront shows the Otsego police building at left and the Otsego His- for the local farmers market torical Museum at right. (Photo by Ryan Lewis) Crossword .............. B6 during warmer months, the Happenings ............ B5 community ice rink in the With the many donors to ager Bryan Winn said the since it avoids the need for a me feel comfortable it will For The Record ...... B6 winter and any number of the project and so many in schedules of each contractor retaining wall, Saukas said, be close to the $300,000 other public gatherings. the community looking for- to fit into first. explaining that engineering budget,” he said. “A 10-per- Obituaries .............. A2 Cripps Fontaine Excavating ward to it, Saukas said he “It’s a good-sized project firm Wightman finished its cent contingency for many Opinion ........... A4, B4 Inc. is donating its labor for was happy the project will but it’s uniquely simple for detailed designs in March. projects, and you’ll be fine. Bookworm Sez ...... A4 that excavation work; they live up to its promise to be it is,” Winn said. The struc- “They helped us rotate Something will always come are also working the expan- completed this year. ture has limited electrical and about 90 degrees and move up or something that will Public Notices ...B3-5, sion project for nearby USG. “We’re very excited it’s plumbing. I would guess that it 60 to 80 feet further east,” need to be changed.” ............................... B7 “As luck would have it, started; it’s awesome to see by September we should have Saukas said. “It was original- Saukas said more an- Sports .................B1-3 USG’s work is back on, so they work begin. I’m confident a building people can see.” ly going to be in the parking nouncements about when the Sudoku ................... B7 brought in their equipment,” he we’ll be able to finish before lot area next to the kayak project would be completed said. “They’ve done the initial end of 2020.” Changes launch; now it’s further east were forthcoming. tear-up and now they’re just While originally expect- up on the hill “We’ll probably have a bet- bringing in some firmer topsoil Timeline ed to be situated parallel Winn said the engineering ter idea of that once more ex- to get the area ready for putting It’s still too early to tell to the nearby Kalamazoo price estimate was closer to cavation is finished,” he said. in the foundation. when different parts of the River, it’s now been rotated $340,000. Contact Ryan Lewis at “We’re on their schedule but project will be completed. approximately 90 degrees. “With bids coming in the Ryan.Lewis.Editor@gmail. Visit us not in a huge rush,” Saukas said. Volunteer construction man- That saved about $50,000 way they did, that makes com or (269) 673-5534. Online! Plainwell district passes budget with uncertain funding By Ryan Lewis ference in May, revenues to balance—a catch-all pot of has worked to maintain the Gelbaugh said a variety Editor the school aid fund are pro- money that provides the cash fund at the 12-percent level of spending cuts was used jected to be down by about flow leeway to pay most of as a way to make sure the to make up the remaining Same Quality Plainwell Public Schools $1.2 billion (statewide).” the district’s bills—down to district could weather future expected shortfall. She said has a budget in place for the Having secured permis- 11 percent of spending for financial difficulties. By the approximately is expected NEWS... coming school year—it’s just sion since May to develop the next budget, administra- end of this month, the end of savings of $288,000 as the not sure how much money it a budget that spends down tion presented exactly that. the current year’s budget, the n see Budget, Page A8 will have. the district general fund The board in recent years fund will be at 12.7 percent. The district’s director of fi- Not Just Paper nance Melissa Gelbaugh said the state funding cut is now Otsego cancels 2020 Gus Macker, mud volleyball widely expected to be $700 Anymore! per student. That equates to a By Ryan Lewis “Health and safety were the big rea- travels throughout the Midwest. nearly $2-million cut. Editor sons,” he said, noting the city and Main Saukas said the pandemic seemed “That’s the information Street did not want to be responsible for likely to limit the number of sponsors Otsego has officially canceled its 2020 possibly spreading COVID-19. for the event—as businesses big and we’re working with at this 3-on-3 Gus Macker Tournament. time,” she told school board The event, first started locally in 2015, small were hit by mandatory closures theunionenterprise.com Otsego Main Street director Joel Sau- typically draws thousands of fans and and limited service since March. Few- members at their Monday, kas said this week they recently made June 15, meeting. “Based on athletes each August, as three-person er teams were also expected along with the call for a variety of reasons. n see Macker, Page A8 the revenue estimating con- teams compete in the tournament that A2 n June 18, 2020 The Allegan County News & The Union Enterprise OBITUARIES (SEE ANOTHER, PAGE A5) Virtual hiring event Allen D. Wells, 49 Arthur Rudolph, 73 connects job seekers Allen D. Wells, 49, of Arthur “Al” Rudolph, age Otsego passed away Sunday, 73, of Hamilton, passed with employers June 14, 2020, at Borgess away Sunday, June 14, Medical Center in Kalama- 2020 at Appledorn Living West Michigan Works is hosting a virtual job fair on Wednes- zoo. He was born Sept. 23, Center in Holland. day, June 24, and Thursday, June 25. 1970, in Allegan, the son of Al served in the U.S. This is the third virtual job fair the agency has hosted since the Daniel and Dawn (Kingsley) Army during Vietnam and coronavirus pandemic, and each of the virtual events has featured Wells. was retired from Excello/ over 30 employers and hundreds of job openings. For many years, Al had Textron. He was an avid Registration for job seekers opens June 15. worked as a machine operator sports fan especially when “Our virtual job fair concept is a proven model to efficiently and at Hascal Steel and had also his children and grand- safely connect job seekers with companies who have immediate done roofing and installed children were involved. needs to increase their workforces to meet demand,” said Amy drywall. He enjoyed riding in his Lebednick, business solutions director, West Michigan Works. In his free time he enjoyed Jeep Wrangler and collect- Available positions range from entry-level to highly skilled.