Tag Archives: Gaines Township

Chick-fil-A opens in Gaines Twp.; Wyoming store coming

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Is was cold in Bloomington, Minn., in 2013 when people lined up outside a soon-to-open Chick-fil-A; it likely will be cold in Gaines Twp. when a new store opens this week. (Supplied)

WKTV Staff

 

A Chick-fil-A restaurant will be coming to Wyoming soon, but those who want their first taste of the menu can sample it this week as the first of several West Michigan franchises opens on Thursday, Jan. 12.

 

This week’s opening is at 1545 Edgeknoll Dr., S.E., off the M-6 and Kalamazoo Avenue exit, just south of Wyoming city line in Gaines Township. The City of Wyoming store, located at 700 54th St., S.W, is currently scheduled for a February opening.

 

As with other store openings nationwide, the Gaines Township store will also provide an opportunity for 100 people to win free meals for a year, as well as the ability for the community to donate books to a local youth organization, according to supplied material.

 

According to supplied material, the “First 100” party is a “family friendly” event where people will line up — even camp out overnight — to earn a meal a week for a year. The event is open to persons residing in specific zip codes surrounding the restaurant. (Eligible zip codes and rules are available at www.chick-fil-a.com/Locations/Openings).

 

The donated books will be place in a “Book House” built from reclaimed wood, and will serve as a free library exchange. Chick-fil-A has collected more than 27,000 children’s books which have been donated to 162 local organizations since 2014, according to supplied material.

 

New faces move on for general election in Gaines Township

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Gaines Township Hall
The Gaines Township Hall

Current Gaines Township Supervsior Don Hilton, Sr. lost his bid for a seat as a township trustee at the Aug. 2 primary.

 

Hilton, along with five others, was seeking one of the four trustee spots on the board. Kathy Vander Stel received 1,655 votes; Tim Haagsma received 1,588 votes; Daniel Lee Frying had 1,405 votes, Angela Burnside had 1,178, Hilton had 1,064 and Eric Fouch had 984. All candidates are listed as Republicans. The top four vote getters move on to the November ballot.

 

The rest of the Gaines Township board positions were uncontested. Rob DeWard ran for supervisor. Crystal Asterisk ran for clerk and Laurie Lemke ran for treasurer. They were all listed as Republicans and will move on to the November election.

 

Currently no Democratic candidates have come forth for the township election.

We the People: Gaines Township Office and Board candidates – 2016 Primary

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We The People 2016At the Aug. 2 primary, Gaines Township residents will be heading to the polls to elect all of their township officials as every single office – supervisor, treasurer, clerk and trustees – are up for election.

 

Three of the offices have candidates running unopposed. Rob De Ward is seeking the Gaines Township supervisor position. Incumbent Crystal Osterink is seeking the position of clerk and Incumbent Laurie J. Lemke is running for township treasurer.

 

Current Gaines Township Supervisor Don R. Hilton Sr. is one of six people seeking the four township trustee positions. Also running are current township trustees Eric Fouch, Dan Fryling, Tim Haagsma, and Angela Burnside and newcomer Kathy Vander Stel.

 

Gaines Township is broken into nine precincts. Percent 1 and 2 will vote at the Gaines Charter Township Offices, 8555 Kalamazoo Ave. SE. Precinct 3 is at Gaines Branch Library, 421 68th St. SE. Precinct 4 and 5 voters will head to Heritage Baptist Church, 1570 60th St. SE. Precinct 6 will vote at Hillside Community Church, 1440 68th St. SE. Precinct 7 is at Providence Christian Reformed Church, 7730 Eastern Ave. SE and Precincts 8 and 9 will head to Ada Bible Church, 2045 68th St. SE.

 

For each precinct’s area visit the Gaines Charter Township website and look for the precinct map under the Office of the Clerk in the category of Departments. All precincts are open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m.

Chick-Fil-A Unveils Plans for Location in Gaines Township

Local Business, Upcoming Events, , ,

chick-fil-aChick-Fil-A has had its eyes set on West Michigan for a little while. A potential Holland location brought elated joy to many, but no significant progress has been made bringing the fast food restaurant to a reality. However, Chick-Fil-A fans may soon have a reason to celebrate as developers unveiled plans to build a chain in Gaines Township.

 

The preliminary plan was presented at the township planning commission meeting on Thursday night. The plan calls for a 4,877 square-foot restaurant and drive-thru located at 1545 Edgeknoll Dr. just south of M-6.

 

While the unveiled plan for a Chick-Fil-A has been met with excitement, there are still some steps to take before the famous chicken sandwiches become a reality. Approval of the project centers around the planning commission rezoning a vacant 2.65-acre property from office to general commercial planned unit development.

 

The township planning commission intends to hold a public hearing sometime in February.

 

If the plans are approved, the hope is construction will start soon and be completed by early 2017. The Gaines Township location would mark the third Chick-Fil-A in Michigan. The others reside in Detroit and Rochester.

Chick-fil-a sandwich

 

Chick-Fil-A currently has more than 1,900 locations in 42 states.

 

When Kentwood Mayor Stephen Kepley unveiled his “Fun 5” list to Wyoming/Kentwood NOW back in October of 2014, it included a list of five business he was hoping to bring to the Kentwood area. After successfully bringing in Dave & Buster’s and Trader Joe’s to Kentwood city limits, Chick-Fil-A is looking to fill a need in Gaines Township.

 

Sure, it’s not in Kentwood, but it’s close enough! Now all that’s left is a Whole Foods and a Cheesecake Factory.

 

We’ll wait patiently while inhaling a delectable chicken sandwich.

Switch Getting Ready to Build as Bills Await Gov. Snyder’s Signature

Hard News, Local Business, Tech Trends, , , , , ,

Switch Pyramid campusAfter news broke that data storage giant Switch was looking to buy the old Steelcase pyramid building, and bring with it 1,000 jobs to the area within 10 years, the excitement permeated throughout not only West Michigan, but the entire state! One of the giants in the data storage industry, the Google of data storage if you will, was looking to make a home right here in West Michigan. A whole new industry looking to establish roots in the Great Lakes State.

However, things never go as smoothly as planned. Switch had one holdup before they were willing to make a home in Gaines Township, a tax break for data storage centers. After breaking a stalemate in the House late on Tuesday, the Senate signed off on the bills exempting data centers from sales and use taxes through 2035 if the industry meets job creation goals.

The bills are now waiting for Governor Rick Snyder’s signature to be put into effect.

Pyramid 1While the tax breaks were requested by Switch, they apply to all data centers in the state. The tax exemptions end if the collective data center industry doesn’t create at least 400 new jobs by 2022 and 1,000 new jobs by 2026.

Switch will move into the pyramid building at 4100 60th St. SE, a building that has been vacant since 2010. The building was purchased back in May by Norman Properties LLC. The company plans to use the site to build a 2 million-square-foot “SuperNap” data center.

It’s not just the tech industry that will see an influx in West Michigan, but also local businesses buoyed by Switch’s capital and economic impact. The company has a planned an initial $400 million construction budget and anticipates spending over $2 billion over the next decade. That money and business will be used primarily on local subcontractors.

The jobs created, and pay-rolled by Switch, are sure to bring a jolt to the local economy as well. Minimum wage for SuperNap jobs start at $15 per hour, plus benefits. Salary for a majority of the data center jobs pays between $60,000 and $200,000.

For a company with clients that include eBay, Sony, Boeing, Google, and Amazon to choose West Michigan as a major host site is an exciting opportunity to some, but for Gaines Township Supervisor Don Hilton Sr. it’s business as usual.

Steelcase Pyramid Interior“We’ve worked with many businesses before, and this one will be handled no differently. As of now, we haven’t received any requests from Switch,” stated Hilton who isn’t being caught up in the hoopla surrounding a new business coming into the area. When you’ve been on the job for 23 years like Hilton has, it’s all about the next step in the process.

With a new company also comes new employees who need a place to live. Gaines Township has vacant land available for real estate expansion and Hilton wouldn’t be surprised to see land developed as time goes forward.

“There are a lot of variables, but common sense says yes. With more people comes more demand for homes and real estate.”