Business View Magazine | February 2018

112 113 water, sewer, stormwater, buildings, parks, etc.“We are proceeding to bring all of our infrastructure under an asset management program so we can take stock of what we have and get those items that need work scheduled into the capital plan,”he re- ports. Some upcoming agenda items include using a $340,000 grant from the state’s Stormwater,Asset Management, andWastewater (SAW) program to survey and video capture all of the city’s storm sew- ers to get an idea of their condition and location.“It will all be set up on a GIS (Geographic Information System) format,”he adds.“We already have a layer of parcel lines over the aerial photo base map; nowwe will add a layer of the stormwater system. We are also separately contracting to have our entire water and sanitary sewer systems added to the GIS system. Soon, our public works crewwill be able to pull up a GIS map on tablets in their vehicles to see what was put in where and, potentially, be able to link up to a video of it to see its underground condition.That’s a way of using technology to help us prioritize where we need to make improvements and repairs.” Yonker believes that Ithaca, small as it is, still offers any new settlers who may want to relocate there,many advantages.And he is bullish about its future.“We’re right in themiddle of the state,so transportation routes are veryefficient,”he proffers. “We’re building newpaved pathways and bike routes; we’remaking the citymorewalkablewith a city-wide sidewalk improvement millage; we’ve got a great school system; and there’s a good qualityof life,here. We’re veryprogressive and are not afraid to be creative and takemeasured chances.I’ve been in local govern- ment for 37years in three states, and Ithaca is right up there with some of the best communities with which I’ve worked. Its future is very bright.” PREFERRED VENDOR n Zeeland Farm Services www.zfsinc.com ZFS Ithaca, LLC is poised to take over the role of Michigan’s largest soybean processor, a title held by its parent company, Zeeland Farm Services, Inc., for more than 20 years. ZFS Ithaca will be a 40 million bushel per year soybean processing operation, a 4.5 million bushel grain storage facility and a feed ingredients transloading site serviced by both rail and truck. Located in the beautiful city of Ithaca in central Michigan, ZFS Ithaca is expected to quadruple the state’s soybean processing capacity and will impact agriculture in the state for decades. The grain elevator is expected to be operational in late summer of 2018, while the soy processing plant is in the permitting and engineering stage and is slated to be on- line in the spring or summer of 2019. The new plant will create about 75 jobs and is expected to raise the value of soybeans for producers, while reduc- ing the cost of soybean meal, a primary feed ingredient for Michigan’s livestock herds and poultry flocks. It will also bring several infrastructure upgrades to Ithaca and its sur- rounding area. ITHACA, MICHIGAN this project,which is the soybean processing facility. They potentially have a Phase Two and Phase Three. Phase Two-maybe within the next three to five years -may likely be a corn process- ing facility, and Phase Three- if the market and incentives are proper -may involve some sort of ethanol production at that site.” Wheeler believes that ZFS’ presence will attract other business ventures to the area.“We know, given the scenario of this company, it is going to draw folks in here,”he states. In fact, one company has alreadymade the move.“We just had a business relocate from the industrial park, leaving a vacant building,”Yonker relates. “Now,we have a company that’s transferring here fromAlma, ten miles north, and they’re go- ing to be working on large equipment and semi- trucks and maintenance,which is right in line with what ZFS will be needing. When it’s under full operation, next fall, at harvest time,we’re going to be looking at three to four hundred trucks a day, in and out of the ZFS facility.This is the type of complementary economic develop- ment that we want to encourage. By assisting ZFS with this project,we’re going to need other peripheral businesses to support them. So, sixty jobs are going to be multiplied by two,maybe two-and-a-half times.” Meanwhile,Yonker says that in planning for future growth, Ithaca is in the process of ex- panding its six-year capital improvement pro- gram for all its capital investments–streets,