DOWAGIAC — A year marked with triumph and tragedy, of new beginnings and fond farewells, of unity and conflict, 2017 was littered with unforgettable moments in the history of Dowagiac.

Before we flip the calendar to yet another New Year, our newsroom will be taking a look back at the seminal events of the past 12 months, as we count down the 10 stories of the year, as determined by our staff. We will recap several stories per day over the next several issues, culminating in our top story of 2017 Friday.

We continue our countdown with stories seven through five.

7. Dowagiac barber, business owner wins city council seat

A local business owner, family man and dedicated volunteer snipped another item off his achievement list, following the city elections in November.

Dowagiac’s Patrick Bakeman, owner of downtown’s Bakeman Barbers, become the newest member of city council, defeating incumbent Lori Hunt, by a vote of 81 to 43, to become one of two 1st Ward councilmembers on Nov. 7. The barber assumed office the following week, during the council’s Nov. 13 meeting.

Bakeman, a Dowagiac native who also serves as vice chair and a founding member of the influential Young Professionals of Greater Dowagiac service organization, said he made the decision to run for office for the first time this fall after several people approached him to get involved with local politics. He also said that he wanted to inject some new blood into the city’s leadership.

The new leader wasted little time making an impact in his new position. Shortly after proposing that the city establish an economic development and opportunity board during a recent workshop, the council voted to create such an entity during its Nov. 27 meeting.

Bakeman is not the only new face to join the upper echelon of city leadership this year. Longtime city employee Latoi Wilson — another member of the Young Professionals — was appointed to succeed Robin Coffey as city treasurer in April, and was elected to continue in the position on election night in November.

6. City welcomes new, returning businesses 

Another batch of new places for Dowagiac and Sister Lakes residents to eat and shop opened their doors this year, to the delight of many.

In May, Dowagiac’s Reynaldo Blanco, a former chef at the popular La Perla restaurant in Benton Harbor, and his family opened his new restaurant, Taqueria Del Rey, at 724 N. Front St. The eatery — which serves authentic Mexican dishes, including tacos, burritos, tortas and more — quickly became a lunchtime and dinner destination for hungry people living in Blanco’s hometown and beyond.

Over the summer, another local hotspot opened its doors for the first time: The Strand Brewery/Grill, located next to Round Lake in Sister Lakes. The restaurant, conceived by Chicago resident Blair Rhode and his friend and longtime Sister Lakes resident, Tyler O’Connor, offers contemporary American fare and an extensive list of beers, wines and spirits, just off the scenic lake coast.

In November, Berrien Springs’ Becky Bennett took over ownership of the former Irish Spartan Sports Bar, located off Indian Lake. Following several weeks of renovations, Bennett reopened the establishment as Indian Lake Pub, dedicated to serving good food and drink in a family-friendly atmosphere.

A slew of new retail operations also opened their doors this fall. In September, Tractor Supply Company opened a location in Dowagiac. A month later, Niles’ Kim and Brandon Dutton and their son, Colton, opened a new movie store, Northside Movies and More, located inside the former Strength Beyond gym at 105 Sheldon St. A few weeks later, Dowagiac’s Melissa Gunn opened the city’s first year-round Christmas store, Deck the Halls, at 102 Commercial St. downtown.

Several other popular local businesses also changed owners this year, including Lutz’s Drive In, which was purchased by Dowagiac couple Scott Scherer and Karmen Grady in January. In addition, the formerly closed Spruce Ridge Golf Course was purchased by Marcellus’ Jaime and Stacey Sumners in September, who plan to reopen the course to the public in the spring.

Finally, a familiar face returned to downtown in September, when Michelle Stambaugh resurrected her art studio, Mud-Luscious Pottery, in a downtown storefront at 206 S. Front St.

5. City leaders in hot water following sewage plant labor dispute

Tensions ran high near the beginning of the year, when local leaders and officials with the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Local 876 clashed following the city’s decision to privatize the staffing of the local wastewater treatment plant.

On Jan. 9, in front of the packed chambers in city hall, the Dowagiac City Council voted unanimously to replace the city’s four employees who ran the day-to-day operations of the sewage plant with contractors with Grand Rapid’s F&V Operations.

The council made the decision on several factors, including correspondence from a contractor the city had hired previously to help manage the plant, Infrastructure Alternatives Inc. An email from the company, delivered to the city in November 2016, stated that their employees faced resistance from the city employees working at the plant, and that, based on that conflict, they would not renew their contract with the city.

The city’s decision to replace the staffing of the plant received significant pushback from officials IBEW Local 876, the union that represents the city’s wastewater treatment employees. The union threatened legal action against the city due to the decision, claiming that the issues the plant had been experiencing laid at the feet of the private contractors managing it, not the public employees working with them.

On Feb. 16, city and union officials hammered out a deal to prevent the conflict from entering litigation.

The terms of the deal called for the city to retain two of the senior wastewater plant employees at the site, while providing opportunities for the other two plant employees to move elsewhere within the city’s ranks. The two employees would be managed by an F&V contractor on the premises.