Police looking for vehicle

Area law-enforcement agencies are looking for a Pontiac with front-end damage, as a Grand Prix or Grand Am-type vehicle was involved in a hit-and-run incident Friday in Lockport Township.

The incident occurred at 10 a.m. when a vehicle heading north on Covered Bridge Road collided with a vehicle at South River Road.

The suspect vehicle left the scene heading west on South River Road.

Sturgis plant to expand operations

Officials from a folding-carton company announced last week plans to expand operations at its Sturgis plant.

Americraft Carton Inc. will be adding a new printing press to its South Street facility, company officials said. The 25,000-square-foot addition will house the high-speed, wide-format printing press

The company, which has 110 employees, has already seen facility expansions in 2000 and again in 2008.

The latest project is slated to be completed in December.

Manufacturer to move to WP

State Rep. Matt Lori on Thursday announced an Indiana manufacturer will move its operations to White Pigeon, resulting in a $1.1 million investment and an estimated 46 new jobs in the village.

The Michigan Economic Development Corporation approved a $200,000 performance-based grant to bring Merhow Industries to a vacant facility in White Pigeon. The company, which outgrew its factory in Indiana, manufactures luxury horse trailers equipped with living quarters.

Lori called the move fantastic news for the residents of White Pigeon and St. Joseph County. He said leadership in the Legislature has made it a priority to get Michigan working and the development will help put nearly 50 people to work once the company settles in.

The Michigan site was chosen over a competing location in Indiana, according to the MEDC. The village is offering a 12-year property tax abatement to Merhow Industries in addition to the state grant.

Chief mascot is safe

The Chiefs mascot in White Pigeon appears to be safe following a federal decision to dismiss a case in which the use of Native American names and images would be banned in 35 Michigan school districts.

The Michigan Department of Civil Rights had sought the ban, which would have included White Pigeon’s use of Chiefs as the school mascot.

The federal order to drop the case was made based on the opinion that the use of Native American names and images do not cause harm to students in the districts where they are used.

White Pigeon school officials said they were aware of the February complaint. They said the Chiefs mascot is used as a tribute to Chief Wahbememe, and is embraced and respected in a positive manner.

Farm verified by MAEAP

The Michigan Department of Agriculture and Rural Development’s Michigan Agriculture Environmental Assurance Program is recognizing Sturgis-based Girton Farm as a verified farm in the Cropping System for implementing appropriate pollution prevention practices.

The program assists farmers to comply with state and federal environmental regulations and with Right-to-Farm practices. Technical assistance was provided by the Branch Conservation District.

MAEAP is a collaborative effort of farmers, MDARD, Michigan Farm Bureau, commodity organizations, universities, conservation districts, conservation and environmental groups and state and federal agencies.  More than 100 local coordinators and technical service providers are available to assist farmers as they move through the MAEAP process toward verification.

To become MAEAP verified, farmers must complete three comprehensive steps which include attending an educational seminar, conducting a thorough on-farm risk assessment, and developing and implementing an action plan addressing potential environmental risks.

Tour went well

A guided tour of the City of Three Rivers Wastewater Treatment Plant (WWTP) early Tuesday evening (June 11) provided an opportunity to view the current operation of the facility and learn about the items completed during a $4.1 million plant improvement project.

Elected officials, community members, and local industrial customers were invited to attend the ‘project completion presentation and guided plant tour’ at the facility on Wolf Road at the south edge of the city.

In welcoming approximately 25 people who gathered for the event, WWTP Superintendent James Baker said, “My main goal tonight is to let everybody see the plant, see the progress that we’ve made with the construction project.”  He said the project was bid out in June of 2011 and completed in March of this year – ahead of the July 2013 deadline required by the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ).  Visitors had an opportunity to view a display showing project highlights, review a binder of photos from the project, look over plans for the work, and pick up literature provided by L.D. Dosca Associates, Inc. of Kalamazoo, the general contractor.  Baker then led the tour that provided attendees to see and hear about various aspects of the facility and the improvements that were put in place through the project.

Baker indicated the project included odor control components and said, “For the most part, we doubled our odor control capacity.”  And he said, “We’re pretty confident that most of the odors – if not all of the odors – have been resolved.”

Baker described the improvements as “a great project,” noted that – in addition to being  completed ahead of schedule – it came in under budget, and indicated the project went smoothly.

The plant improvements were designed by Jones & Henry Engineers, Ltd.

The WWTP has a capacity of 5 million gallons per day and operates at around 1.6 million gallons per day.

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