Fall 2014 Newsletter

Fall
2014
ZEELAND TOWNSHIP NEWSLETTER
CALENDAR of EVENTS
WHAT’S NEW...
MONTH OF OCTOBER
Use the newsletter coupon to dispose of one load of trash free of charge
at Autumn Hills landfill.
RIBBON CUTTING for PUBLIC SAFETY BUILDING
Construction on the new Public Safety Building is progressing rapidly.
Located next to the township office it will house the fire, EMS and sheriff
departments. The building should be complete by January 2015. Look for
an invitation to attend a ribbon cutting ceremony and open house sometime in February. Notification of date and time will appear in the newspaper and on our web page once we get closer to the buildings’ completion.
2014 ROAD PROJECTS
The Road Committee approved these roads for repaving:
North Wind Drive: 96th Ave to East Wind Dr. – 2520’
South Wind Drive: North Wind Dr. to East Wind Dr. – 2474’
West Wind Trail: South Wind Dr. to N of North Wind Dr. – 498’
East Wind Trail: South Wind Dr. to North Wind Dr. – 305.’
South & East Maple Court: 84th Ave to North Maple Ct – 1388’
North Maple Court: 84th Ave to East Maple Ct – 1175’
Bennigan Lane: east of 84th Ave to cul-de-sac – 1409”
Sun Place: Sunburst Dr. to Gordon St – 741’
Nine sections of gravel roads received additional gravel and ditch work.
Newly paved: 3/8th of a mile on Quincy St. west of 64th
LEAF DISPOSAL—FREE at AUTUMN HILLS LANDFILL
There will be a dumpster for leaves at the entrance of the landfill. Please
remove the leaves from plastic bags. You can dispose of your plastic bags
in a nearby container.
OCT. 6
DEADLINE TO REGISTER FOR NOV. 4 ELECTION
New residents of Zeeland Township and new voters must register to vote
by Oct. 6 in order to participate in the Nov. 4th General Election. You can
register online, at the Secretary of State Office or at our office.
Out of town college students may request an Absentee Ballot by submitting an Application to Vote Absentee form. You may request the form from
our office or print the form from www.michigan.gov/vote.
OCT. 14
PUBLIC HEARING: MASTER PLAN at 7PM
Location: Township Office, board room. Residents are invited to attend
and hear the proposed changes the Planning Commission would like to
make to the Master Plan.
NOV. 1
DEADLINE FOR WINTER P.R.E. EXEMPTION
If you purchased a home after June 1, 2014 you should check if you are
receiving the Principal Residents Exemption. Residents claiming a
“homeowners” exemption are exempt from paying 18 mills on their tax
bill for Hudsonville and Zeeland Schools Operating budget. Call the office
or go to our website: zeelandtwp.org to check your P.R.E. status.
NOV. 4
GENERAL ELECTION POLLS OPEN 7AM—8PM
Voting takes place at all three precincts. Please take your photo ID with
you to vote. Cell phones may not be used in the precinct.
NOV. 27 & 28 THANKSGIVING HOLIDAY—Office closed
DEC. 9
BOARD OF REVIEW
The December Board of Review meets to correct “qualified errors” and to
consider appeals related to PREs, qualified agricultural exemptions and
poverty exemptions. The December board cannot hear appeals of assessment.
DEC. 24
CHRISTMAS EVE—Office closes at noon
DEC. 25 & 26
CHRISTMAS HOLIDAY—Office closed
DEC. 31
NEW YEAR’S EVE—Office closes at noon
Treasurer Myaard will be available until 4:30 pm to receive property tax
payments.
JAN. 1 & 2
NEW YEARS HOLIDAY—Office closed
FEB. 10
PERSONAL PROPERTY AFFIDAVIT DUE
Commercial and Industrial businesses with personal property totaling less
than $80,000 may file form 5076 for a tax exemption.
FEB. 16
FINAL DAY TO PAY WITHOUT PENALTY
Due to the 14th falling on a Saturday, winter 2014 tax bills may be paid
without penalty as late as Monday, Feb. 16th. We will continue to receive
tax payments through Saturday, Feb. 28th; late payments include a 3%
late fee. There is a drop box beside the township hall front door.
After 2/28, tax bills are due to Ottawa County. Please call the Ottawa
County Treasurer for tax amount owing.
ELECTION INFORMATION
This November we elect governor, lieutenant governor, secretary of state,
attorney general, congressional senator and representative, state senator and representative, state boards, county commissioner, supreme court
justice, judges, and school board members.
Also appearing on the ballot are two state proposals and one county proposal.
If you’d like to see a copy of your specific ballot you may view it online at
www.michigan.gov/vote > Public Ballot > enter county, township and
precinct information. Call the office ,772-6701, if you’d like a photocopy of
your precinct’s ballot to review before Election Day.
Absentee Ballots are always available if you are unable to make it
to the polls on election day. Call or stop in the office for assistance.
NEW LOTS ON BYRON ROAD
Construction will begin on Phase 2 of Black Creek Ridge subdivision on
Byron Road. The second phase will provide 59 new home building sites.
Lots range from 75’ to 80’ wide and include water and sewer utilities.
Copper Ridge Condos will have 22 condominium units built on the NE corner of Byron Rd and 72nd. Some units will have walkout basements with
the remaining having daylight windows.
As of August, the number of new home building permits is down from last
year. This may be due to the decreased number of available vacant subdivision lots. With the addition of Black Creek Ridge Phase II and Copper
Ridge Condos we may see an increase in new home building next year.
TOWNSHIP CEMETERIES
In July, Jim Timmer took over the sexton responsibilities for all Zeeland
Township Cemeteries. If you would like to purchase a grave, Jim can be
reached by calling 616-405-4989. The township office has maps of all
three cemeteries and burial records available to the public during office
hours.
NEW LIGHTS FOR DRENTHE GROVE
M.C. Smith submitted a grant on our behalf to replace the lights for the
ball diamond. We received the grant and the new lights will be installed
this November.
visit us on the web at zeelandtwp.org
PRSRT STD
U.S. POSTAGE PAID
ZEELAND, MI
PERMIT NO. 47
6582 Byron Road
Zeeland, MI 49464
Supervisor, Glenn Nykamp
Clerk, Marilyn Evink
Treasurer, Al Myaard
Trustee, Tim Barkel
Trustee, Ron Brink
Trustee, Tom Oonk
Trustee, Ed Zylstra
Zoning Adm., Don Mannes
Assessor, Steve Hansen
Fire Chief, Gordon Van Haitsma
Sexton, Jim Timmer
Election Day is NOVEMBER 4 “The future of this republic is in the hands of the American voter.”— Dwight D. Eisenhower
FIRE DEPARTMENT
The fire department purchased two 2015 Chevy Silverado Heavy Duty
pickup trucks to use as quick response vehicles for medical calls. The
trucks are getting outfitted with a topper, slide-out box, emergency
lights and fire and EMS equipment. They should be ready for use toward the end of this year.
Congratulations to the Fire Academy graduates: Cody Dykstra, Howard
Bradford, Jonathan Uitvlugt, and Lori Stoike.
Zeeland Charter Township Fire Department requests Zeeland Charter
Township citizens interested in becoming paid on call volunteer firefighters to contact the fire chief at [email protected]. Additional information about requirements for the firefighter position can be viewed at
the ZCTFR Website at http://zeelandtwp.org/ scroll down to “Fire Department” then go to “the department” and click on “Becoming a Firefighter”.
MACATAWA GREENWAY CONSTRUCTS PATH
This summer, Ottawa Co. Parks will finish the bike path through the
Greenway. This will connect the Fred Meijer Trail ending at the bridge
on Byron Rd., meander through the Greenway and join the bike path on
Adams St. The township plans to build a bike path in 2015 along 64th
between Byron Rd. and Adams. This will create a 9 mile pedestrian loop
in the township.
SMART 911
Sign up for Smart911 and create your own Safety Profile to give 9-1-1
valuable information about yourself, family members, your home, pets
and even vehicles that will automatically display on the 9-1-1 call taker's screen when you make an emergency call. It's private and secure
and you control what information is in your profile. These details can
save valuable seconds or even minutes during an emergency. For more
information go to: www.occda.org > Smart 911
Zeeland Township Office
6582 Byron Road
Zeeland, MI 49464
616-772-6701
[email protected]
Hours:
Mon, Tues, Thurs. 8:30-5:00
Wed. & Fri. 8:30—noon
Assessor available on Saturdays 10:00-2:00
Fire Chief Gord VanHaitsma
Burn permits call: 616-886-6666
Township Web Site: www.zeelandtwp.org
Email Supervisor:
[email protected]
INDUSTRIAL GROWTH
Gentex Corp. began construction of a 278,000 square foot building
located on the north side of Riley St. in September. This is Phase 1 of a
4 Phase project. Initially, the building will be used as a distribution
center. The building will be converted to manufacturing at a later date.
ZEELAND WASTE WATER TO ZBPW
Zeeland Township signed a contract with Zeeland City and Holland
Wastewater to upgrade our wastewater system. ZCT will send our sewer to Zeeland City instead of Holland. Holland is near capacity while
Zeeland City will be expanding their existing plant to accommodate
additional waste from the city and township. ZCT users will not see any
changes to their billing process.
COUNTYWIDE WATER SAMPLING PROGRAM
Ottawa County and researchers at MSU are conducting a study to analyze the available capacity and quality of the County’s groundwater
supply. In order to complete this study, water samples are needed
from hundreds of residential wells in Ottawa County.
That is where your help is needed!
Would you be willing to allow a water sample to be taken from your
outdoor spigot? The water is tested on-site by a MSU well water technician to determine the level of chloride. The entire process takes only
minutes.
Over 150 county residents responded to an initial call for volunteers.
However, hundreds more volunteers are still needed to ensure that
this test program is successful.
If you would like to participate in this important project, or have questions about the program, please complete an online volunteer registration form available at www.miottawa.org/Departments/Planning/
groundwater.htm or contact the Ottawa County Planning & Performance
Improvement Department at 616-738-4852 or [email protected].
FALL CLEAN UP COUPON
ZEELAND TOWNSHIP RESIDENTS
NAME: ____________________________________________
ADDRESS: ________________________________________
This coupon is good for dumping one pickup load of trash free of charge at
Autumn Hills Recycling and Disposal Facility
700 – 56th Ave.
Monday – Friday, 7 a.m. – 4:30 p.m. and Saturday 7 a.m. – 11:30 a.m.
VALID DURING THE MONTH OF OCTOBER, 2014
*This coupon does not include disposal of appliances or tires.*

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