Rieth-Riley acquisition of Kasson Sand and Gravel may displace five families
By Linday Dewey
Sun contributor
Five rental homes may be leveled as a result of a massive business deal between the Noonan family and Rieth-Riley Construction, Inc., headquartered in Goshen, Indiana. Rieth-Riley’s services include road and bridge construction as well as earthwork and building site preparation. The deal, which closed on July 1, centers around the sale of Kasson Sand and Gravel, which began operation under Peninsula Asphalt Company of Traverse City in 1959. In 1982, it was sold to Robert Noonan and has been family operated ever since.
Except for one privately-owned residential property, the entire area stretching from Pierce Road on the east to Coleman Road (669) on the west, and from Kasson Center Road on the south to Bloswick Road on the north is included in the sale. The gravel pit is located behind the residential properties.
Rieth-Riley’s Michigan area manager, Chad Loney, commented on the sale. “We purchased Kasson Sand and Gravel from the Noonans, and we plan to continue the operation as it is now.” As far as the homes go, Loney said, “There are no long-term plans for the structures. Probably sometime down the line it will be mined.”
One growing community concern is what will happen to the families whose homes have been sold. One of the residences is the 1930 stone house currently rented by Glen Lake School employee Debbie Ellis, who received notice of the change of ownership and a continuation of her lease on a month-to-month basis only. Although she is at a loss as to what her family will do if they are evicted [see related article], Ellis is also worried about a family with school-age children on another portion of the parcel. A third property to go — the old Noonan dairy farm on Pierce Road; Roger Noonan has already begun construction on a new home on Tower Road in Leelanau County. A fourth resident in the affected area is buying another home, “so he’s all set,” says Ellis. However, three more rental homes are involved in the sale.
Regarding the fate of the renters, Loney said that the deal just closed July 1. “We’re just getting our feet on the ground.” Loney, who was unfamiliar with the shortage of affordable homes in the area, also did not realize that the age of Ellis’s home could make it of interest to the community.
“We just took over the business on July 1,” Loney emphasized. “The homes came with the business properties. We’re in the construction business. We’re new to any rental homes, so we’re still sorting out what we’re going to do with those properties. Once we determine what we have to do with the rental agreements, we will be in touch with the homeowners.”
This is contrary to the understanding of the former landlord, Roger Noonan. “The renters will be moving,” he told the Sun. “They give ‘em a year to find a new place,” he added, saying that Rieth-Riley “bought all that property up and bought those homes up to protect the gravel operation. The homes go with it.”
The Sun last month asked county officials who were previously unaware of the sale of the rental residences. Since then, alerted officials have taken notice.
Leelanau County Equalization director Laurie Spencer and an assistant were out taking pictures of the property at the end of August. “Our department reviews the local units,” she explained. “We go out and verify sales and see what is going on, and that is obviously a sale of 17 parcels or so. We’ve talked to owners and people that have rented, and we have taken pictures. We are just trying to determine what we have going on there in terms of the sale.”
Spencer shared the concern over what will happen to the residents on the affected properties. “We’ve been told that Rieth-Riley isn’t interested in any of those buildings and that most of those people have been given notice to get out.” She admitted that she has not spoken directly with Rieth-Riley yet, and that her information comes from the renters and the Noonan family.
When informed of Loney’s comments, she replied, “The feeling I’ve been getting from talking to people was that they [Rieth-Riley] had no intention of keeping the buildings. They don’t want to be in the rental business. That was the indication I was getting when we had a chance to talk to somebody.
“Again, I don’t know,” said Spencer. “If enough people have that feeling, somewhere along the line they got that feeling from somebody.”
