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Todd Overhuel, 44, was sworn in
on Monday, November 24 as Plainwell's newest city council member.
Plainwell is not new to Todd, who has lived here all his life, but is
excited to serve the city in this new capacity. Todd sees numerous
opportunities where his occupation at the local radio station, Cool 101 FM
in Otsego will serve the city well by promoting and enhancing marketing
efforts of community events, such as festivals and the concerts in the
park. As a steward of the community, Todd thinks the greatest challenge he
and his fellow council members will face in the future is seeing the paper
mill's redevelopment through, but he knows the potential is within reach.
Todd is "proud" to call Plainwell home, and promises to try his hardest at
helping make the city grow and prosper. Todd's council term will expire
in 2012. He and his wife, Crystal, who is a local artist, have three
children: Kayleigh, 18, Kelsey, 16, and Donn, 15. Todd also has a
step-daughter, Meagan, a senior at WMU. | ||||
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An 18-page Request for Qualifications has culminated after consolidating the results of a developer's forum (held in January 2007), as well as the ideas that percolated from a series of public meetings about the Plainwell Paper Mill. The "RFQ" is essentially a calling for a development partner to work with the city on transforming the mill site into what is envisioned as a destination featuring green, commercial, residential, civic and retail space. The complexity of the mill's redevelopment will ideally exemplify a public-private partnership as outlined in the RFQ, although the developer will be responsible for project design and completion. The city has created a schedule
as follows for the RFQ : February 9, 2009: Proposal submission deadline February 9-13, 2009: Committee to review qualifications February 16, 2009: Selection of firms to interview Week of March 9, 2009: Presentation to review committee March 20, 2009: Recommendation of developer by review committee April 14: Consideration by BRA board April 27: Consideration by city council The RFQ was sent to several state, regional and national developers and is download-ready on the City of Plainwell's website, as well as the Urban Land Institute and Michigan Planning Association's websites. | ||
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The Plainwell Chamber of
Commerce is starting the new year off right with a clean slate and
engaging in a strategic planning process inviting members and non- members
to weigh in on the focus and direction the organization should proceed in.
Answers to questions such as "what do you and your business need" will be
sought and will help reveal which programs and activities conducted by the
Chamber are meaningful to businesses and should therefore take funding
priority. Chamber board members will be
paying personal visits to businesses while distributing a short survey.
They encourage respondents to share comments, ideas and constructive
criticism whether your business is a member or not. In addition to a
survey, the Chamber will be holding two Town Hall meetings where everyone
is invited to give their input. These Town Halls will be: 9 am on February 10, 2009 at the Plainwell Community Center 6 pm on Wednesday, February 11, 2009 at the Plainwell Community Center If you have questions about the Chamber's strategic plan or want to get involved, call the Chamber at (269) 685-8877. | ||
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Two prominently
located retail buildings are looking for a new owner: 130 N. Main Street
and 119 N. Main. These buildings, formerly owned by Sue Cooper who passed
away this autumn will be auctioned on Friday, January 23, 2009 at 5:00 pm.
The auction will be coordinated by Spaul-Ding Associates, LLC of Bellevue,
MI. There are no minimum bids on the buildings and they can be viewed
beforehand on Wednesday, January 14 and Monday, January 19 from 3:30 pm to
5:00 pm. 130 N. Main Street is 5 stories with 3,600 square feet and 119 N. Main Street is a three story building with 1,900 square feet. Both of these
buildings happen to be eligible for State of Michigan Tax Credits in the
amount of 20%. The personal property, which includes several contents with historical significance related to Plainwell, will also be auctioned on Friday, January 23, 2009 at 1 pm and Saturday, January 24 at 10 am. If you have questions about the auction, please call Doyle Dingman of Spaul-Ding Associates at (269) 763-9494. | ||
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Galesburg muralist, Conrad
Kaufman, will be setting up shop over the next several weeks at the Ransom
District Library while transforming the walls of the children's area from
a blank canvas into the newest mural installation in Plainwell. Conrad's
work can be found in Plainwell in the Gilkey Elementary School and the
Comfort Inn, but this mural aims to awe and inspire library patrons by
bringing fictional books and characters to life with the strokes of
Conrad's paint brushes. The $3,120 project is completely supported by
donations and was spearheaded by Pat Davis, a member of the library board.
The library will be open and accessible during the project, and the public is encouraged to stop in to watch and observe the artisit in action, ask questions, and watch the mural take shape day-by-day while they patron the library. On Friday, January 16 from 3 pm to 5 pm, Conrad will be available to answer questions. Conrad will be there everyday except Wednesdays until the project's completion. Conrad's other work can be
viewed on his website: http://www.fencerows.com/.
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If you think you own a
"brownfield" site, a site whose "expansion, redevelopment, or reuse may be
complicated by the presence or potential presence of a hazardous
substance, pollutant, or contaminant," you will want to attend a meeting
on Monday, January 26, 2009 at City Hall to see if you might be eligible
for funds from the EPA to help clean up the property. The cities of Plainwell, Otsego and Allegan have received a $200,000 U.S. EPA Hazardous Substances Assessment Grant that over the next three years, may be used to identify brownfield sites suitable for clean up and redevelopment. The goal of the meeting on
Monday, January 26 at 6 pm will be to acquaint all interested citizens,
organizations and other stakeholders in the city with the $200,000 grant
and identify any potential brownfields in the city based on public
input.
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This fall, the City of
Plainwell's Parks and Trees Board started a "Beautificaiton Awards
Program" to recognize all of you businesses, residences and organizations
in the city that continue to amaze and inspire us all by keeping the city
attractive through your beautification efforts in landscape design,
building improvements, holiday decorations and overall curb appeal. We
just wanted to let you know your efforts don't go unnoticed through this
program! The first winner of the
Beautification Award is the "Circle Drive Island Garden" at Gilkey
Elementary School. Pat Davis nominated the site for its constant
"inspiration to students, teachers and community people." We agreed, and
as the winner of the Beautification Award, we will recognize the garden
during the City Council meeting on January 12, 2009 with an acknowledgment
sign that can be placed on the site temporarily, and a framed certificate.
The garden's beauty is attributed to its many loving caretakers including
students, Pat Davis, Sharon Pendola and Brian Robbyer. If you would like to nominate someone for the upcoming beautification award, please call Emilie Schada at (269) 685-6821. Nomination forms will be available on-line on the city's website soon. | ||
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No it's not Easter yet, but
don't worry if you see rabbits on US-131. The Calico Rabbit Craftmall, in
anticipation of their opening date of February 1, 2009 at 102 N. Main
Street in downtown, will be installing a billboard on northbound US-131 on
January 26, 2009. The craft mall will feature hundreds of dealers selling
their wares including furniture, floral arrangements, hand-painted items,
jewelry, scrap book items, wonderfully scented candles and soaps, and
knitted items.
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Looking for a great place to
buy or lease property for your business? Well, look for further--Plainwell
has a number of hidden gems available right now! As you make your way
through town, be sure to look for these unique properties.
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Seniors in Action would like to
announce that they are co-sponsoring a "Spelling Bee" for seniors on
Tuesday, January 27 at the Plainwell Community Center at 2:00 pm, and they
are looking for contestants. Brush up on your spelling skills and call
685-9531 to sign up by Tuesday, January 20. There will be prizes,
T-shirts, and food. And of course, they need an audience to cheer on the
contestants. Seniors in Action is also taking reservations for "The Baker's Wife" at the Civic Theater in Kalamazoo for the Thursday, February 5 show. Reservations are extended to Monday, January 12. Cost is $23.00 which includes admission and transportation from the Auxiliary Parking Lot (720 E. Brigham Street at 6:45 pm) to the Theater and back. Refunds are available only if you're able to find someone to take your place. Call 685-9531 for more information and to make your reservation. Come and explore the art of rubber stamping using the latest techniques from Stamp' Up on Friday, January 16 at the Plainwell Community Center at 1:00 pm. You can make two beautiful cards for $5.00. Call 685-9531 by Monday, January 12 to sign up. Seniors in Action is an
advocacy group for older adults in the Plainwell area that sponsors fun
and affordable events and activities. To learn more, contact Cathy Johnson
at:
Plainwell Community Education 422 Acorn Street Plainwell, MI 49080 (269) 685-9531 cjohnson@plainwellschools.org | ||
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Sincerely,
Emilie Schada, Economic Development Manager City of Plainwell email: webmaster@plainwell.org
phone: 269-685-6821
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