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| Memorial Day Service | ||
| Recycling | ||
| New Magazines at the Library | ||
| Friends of the Library | ||
| Endowment Fund | ||
| Adult Reading Programs | ||
| Adopt-a-Book | ||
| 2nd Annual Reading Program for Perennial Readers |
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The City of Hudsonville has been looking into one hauler for city wide refuse service. After careful consideration, looking at all the options, we have come to the conclusion that this is not feasible for the City of Hudsonville. We will be meeting with all the refuse haulers that service Hudsonville and try to resolve some issues and concerns citizens have. Hopefully in our next newsletter we will be able to report the progress. In the mean time here are a few thoughts about our trash.
Call it garbage, solid waste, refuse, or trash; we produce this waste at our homes and businesses. We throw it into cans. We have someone take it away. Each year in the United States, we generate enough garbage to fill a convoy of trash-trucks reaching halfway to the moon. Every year that convoy grows longer!
What is in Our Trash?
National averages show:
40% Paper 18% Yard Trimmings 9% Metals 8% Plastic 7% Glass 7% Food Waste 12% Other
Where Does Our Trash Go?
What happens to last night’s empty soft drink cans and bottles? Where does this morning’s discarded newspaper go? For many years, most have gone to landfills. But, many of these become increasingly filled, and their cost has soared. To pay the additional costs many communities raised fees or taxes. Landfills no longer provide simple, easy, waste disposal. Some communities use incinerators to burn waste and recover energy. While incinerators reduce the volume of waste, communities still need landfills to bury the incinerator’s ash. Both incinerators and landfills are expensive and can take a long time to locate and build. In many areas, communities have begun looking for ways to decrease waste, not increase disposal capacity. To do so, communities recycle, reuse, and compost yard trimmings.
Once is not enough. The Solution:
To reduce America’s waste we must use many different approaches. Such approaches include reducing and reusing waste, recycling, burning waste to energy recovery, and land filling. Presently, federal, state, and local governments seek solutions as they study and plan for current and future needs. Yet, without citizen involvement, many solutions cannot work.
Recycling represents onlone important remedy for the garbage problem. It’s an effective solution because it reduces the amount of waste for disposal. Individuals like you can be part of the solution by recycling at home and at work. To make recycling effective, you can use recycled and recyclable products, organize recycling programs, and encourage your neighbors to recycle. As we create our nation’s increasing supply of waste, we can also recycle to contribute to its solution.
What Is Recycling?
“Recycling” means separating, collecting, processing, marketing, and ultimately using a material thrown away. Newspaper publishers can use this morning’s newspaper for another morning’s news. Cans and bottles can become other products. Many firms produce quality products and packaging from recovered materials. We can help create markets for recyclables by using these products.
Why Should We Recycle?
Let’s Clean Up Our Act!
To participate separate recyclables and put them out for curbside pickup. Do not throw away what you can use again. For example, you can use plastic containers many times. If you change your own auto oil, take it to a local service station or recycling center. Leave your grass clippings on the lawn or compost them with leaves.
Shop Smarter!
When choosing between similar products, select the product with the least packaging. Use products in containers that your community can recycle. Use products that one can repair or reuse. Support recycling markets by using products made from recycled materials.
Get Involved!
Get involved in planning for your state and local solid waste management. Inform others about the benefits of recycling. Encourage friends and businesses you patronize to recycle and to use recycled material or recyclables. Participate in or start a voluntary recycling program with a local business, school, church, or community group. Organize a recycling program where you work.
A Closer Look Recycling:
With everybody’s help, recycling offers a great potential to improve management. The EPA has set a national goal to reduce and recycle 25% of our waste. Some communities have set similar goals. Others are just beginning recycling programs.
What can we recycle? We can recycle paper, newspaper, office paper, cardboard, and other paper types; compost yard trimmings, grass, leaves, and shrub and tree clippings. Remember to separate glass-bottles and jars according to color (clear, green, and amber) before we recycle. Recycled products include aluminum cans, other metals-tin cans, auto bodies, refrigerators, stoves, and batteries. Used motor oil-truck, tractor, and automobile crankcase oil are recycled. Plastics-soda bottles, milk jugs, foam cups, and detergent containers are recycled.
Types of Recycling Programs:
Several kinds of collection programs are run by local governments, non profit organizations, and private enterprises:
For more information on recycling in our community, call Ottawa County Environmental Health at 662-3100 ext. 5645.
Thanks to Kris Keegstra and Ron Tamminga, both realtors with Re/Max Grand Valley, we now have ten new magazine subscriptions:
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Friends of the Gary Byker
Memorial Library of Hudsonville
Where would we be without Friends? This energetic group quietly and efficiently works wonders for our Library.
Each year they run a Christmas tour of homes, participate in the “Parade of Homes,” and have several used book sales to provide our library with equipment, books, and many other items that we could not normally afford. In the past year alone they have provided us with two new ladders, a new puzzle holder and set of puzzles, a paper cutter, “tree” wallpaper to brighten up the children’s area, $3000 worth of books, and the chance for our Children’s Librarian to attend a library conference. They selflessly volunteer their time and talents to the library. We would like to take this opportunity to thank all of them and especially the following die-hard volunteers:
Jim and Dot Strickland, Marcia Wierda, Wanda Giem, Marilyn De Jong, Betty Goorhouse, Jacquie Elzinga, Norma Van Harn, Sue Vruggink, Beth TenHave, Sharon Blom, and Gloria Byle.
We have several options available for those wishing to donate funds to the library. Our Endowment fund is one such 
option. The interest from this fund goes to buy more books. Those giving to the Endowment Fund may choose to have a “book” with their name engraved on it added to our Endowment Bookshelf, located near the front of the library. These multi-colored books are cleverly made at no cost to us by Mr. Dick Myers of Panelcraft Co. It’s a great way to show your support.
Our Winter reading program for adults, The 32-Degree Club, sponsored by Ebels Construction, ended on March 31st. Congratulations to the following people who whiled away the winter by reading at least 32 books!
| Marilyn Van Tatenhave Lois Spinks Dot Vruwink Jeannette Rollatz Marjorie Koster Wilma Keuning Jerry Keuning Gloria Byle Charlene Horling |
Laurie Proulx Ashlee Lane Henrietta Rynbrandt Carla Worthington Catherine Schiff Nancy Ferghner Barb Boldt James C. Holtrop Viv Lane Marcia Poortenga |
Vicky Smedley Diane Bordewyk Sue Borda Nancy Noteboom Lisa Aukeman Carol Schut Sue Posthumus Carrie Bontie Marian Johnson Doretta Bouwkamp |
Lisa Dick Judy Bohl Joan Boer Jane Reardon Becky Haagsma Kathleen Adamski Ellie Mazor Caroll Jordan David Kinsman |
Our Adopt-a-Book Program has been around for many years. It is a way for patrons to donate money for books and have a donation label placed inside them. Patrons can adopt specific titles or let us do the choosing. This is a nice way to share your favorite books with the rest of the community, celebrate a special occasion, or remember a loved one. Each time a book is adopted, a specially inscribed feather is added to our Stork, located in our vestibule.
One thing to keep in mind is that any donation to your library is eligible for a 50% tax credit on your Michigan Income Tax return, as well as a deduction on your Federal return.
Second “Annual” Reading Program
for “Perennial” Readers!
We are also now preparing for our summer reading program for adults. Read a book a week for eight weeks, choosing from seven different genres including: Adult Fiction, Mystery, Inspirational, Western, Science Fiction, Non-fiction or Biography, beginning June 11. Fill out a brief review and become eligible for several different reading prizes.
Show your kids how important reading is to you this summer by reading along with them!
Have you ever finished a good book and were just “bursting” to discuss it with someone? Well this group is for you. We are just finishing up our fourth year - and have logged a lot of pages and a lot of smiles. We meet at 7:30 p.m. on the third Thursday of each month, September – May. This year we have read:
Come join us Thursday, May 17 to discuss our last selection for this year, Traveling Mercies by Anne Lamott. We will meet again on Thursday, September 20, 2001 to choose the titles for the coming year. Hope to see you there!
Over the past few months we have been especially blessed by many members of our community. We would like to thank the following individuals and local businesses for their generous donations to our library:
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Byron Center State Bank
Talsma’s Furniture Hudsonville Physical Therapy, Inc. Grand River Construction, Inc. Hudsonville Wheel Alignment Precision Quality Control, Inc. Meyers Cleaning Family Fare |
Jim & Cindy Holtrop
Grace & Arthur Postmus Mr. & Mrs. Gerard Vanden Bosch Kelvin Wabeke Donald Bessey/Kris VandenBerg Julian Aukeman Ken Van Heukelum Panelcraft Co |
It is with great pleasure that we announce that our library is one of 293 libraries nationwide that has been chosen to receive “The Millennium Project for Public Libraries Award.” This award consists of 50 books by some of America’s best poets and writers, including William Faulkner, Robert Frost, Sinclair Lewis, Jack London, Henry James, Eudora Welty and James Baldwin. Our library had to apply and pledge $250 (paid for by the Friends of the Library) for this collection, worth approximately $1,800. This project is a partnership of the National Endowment for the Humanities, the American Library Association, and The Library of America and is funded by Carnegie Corporation of New York. Come check these out!
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Governor John Engler has proclaimed April 1-7, 2001, Severe Weather Awareness Week in Michigan. The purpose of this week was to help Michigan residents understand the risks associated with severe weather and to help them better safeguard themselves and their property in the event of severe weather.
Residents should be aware of how they’re going to receive severe weather information. The National Weather Service’s West Olive Repeater began providing a reliable signal for severe weather information to all residents of Ottawa County through NOAA Weather Radio on 162.425, WXN-99. Please do not call 911 to check on current conditions, depend on the local media or NOAA Weather Radio for current information.
Many communities in Ottawa County have outdoor warning sirens. These sirens will be tested on the first Saturday of the month at 12 Noon, from April through November, consisting of a steady three minute tone.
Residents are encouraged to test their plan and response to Tornado Warnings. In the event of severe weather, residents are to take shelter and tune in to a local media and/or NOAA Weather Radio for specific information.
The Department of Public Works has a new receptionist that is available Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 12 p.m. starting the first of May. Shannon Bales, a recent graduate of Grand Valley State University, will be in the office to help answer any questions you may have.
Hudsonville was negotiating with 17 other Grand Rapids metropolitan communities with 21st Century Cable TV for another local cable TV
franchise. All of the communities felt really secure with this company and all of the final details were being worked out when all of a sudden they withdrew from this area. The firm has recently secured a franchise in Chicago and is completing franchises in a number of other Midwest markets.
Complaints by Hudsonville cable subscribers regarding rate increases, and the city’s on-going dissatisfaction with continued rate increases are surfacing again. The City of Hudsonville is still seeking another supplier of cable for our community however, we have not secured another franchise and we will keep working towards this endeavor.
The Department of Public Works has been working on a meter change-over program. There are two phases to the program. Phase I includes replacing the current meter (inside the house) with an E.C.R. meter and the outside remote (meter) with a touch pad. Approximately one-third of the City has completed Phase I. Phase II will be adding a radio reader attachment to the meter so that they can be read accurately and substantially cut reading time. It will also eliminate estimation. We will continue to contact residents to replace these meters and outside readers. Thank you for your cooperation.
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The Public Works Department will be celebrating National Public Works Week from May 20–26. Throughout the week Public Works personnel will be visiting with local schools for presentations and equipment demonstrations. They are also having an open house at the Public Works building, 5713 Balsam, on Wednesday, |
Over the winter months, the Public Works Department has been doing routine fire hydrant maintenance. Because of this work, we |
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City Election Year 2001 NOMINATION FOR PUBLIC OFFICE ANNOUNCEMENT NOMINATING PETITIONS will be accepted by the City Clerk until 4:00 PM, Tuesday, May 15, 2001 for the following offices:
A petition must be signed by not less than 15 or more than 30 registered electors of the Ward in which the candidate resides. Petition forms and affidavit of identification forms are available at the Office of the City Clerk, Monday through Friday, 8:00 AM – 4:00 PM. |
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May 23 from 12 to 4 p.m. Workers will give tours and equipment demonstrations. The Public Works personnel would like to take this time to share with you the main functions and responsibilities of the department.
have left some fire hydrants around the City needing a fresh coat of paint. We would like to stress that the current appearance of these few hydrants is not an indication of their operational status. When the weather permits, we will be completing the process with a coat of paint.