WHITEHALL — When Paul Kissel, a beloved community member and active part of the Muskegon County Bicycle Coalition, was toward the end of his valiant fight with cancer last year, he told his wife, Carol Mills, that his biggest fear was that he would be forgotten. Last Thursday, a ribbon-cutting to celebrate a new hydration station across from the White Lake Area Chamber & Visitor's Bureau building ensured that won't happen.
The new hydration station, which includes a memorial placard dedicated to Kissel, was placed on the bike trail as it passes the Chamber building in Whitehall, giving bicyclists, runners and even animal friends the ability to hydrate. The station includes a bottle-filling station, a water fountain and a doggy dish, each of which provides water with the push of a button. The fountain is handicapped-accessible as well, said John Hanson of the White Lake Snow Farmers.
The station is the result of fundraising done by the White Lake Snow Farmers with help from the Bicycle Coalition, which oversaw the donations that came in.
"When he first got sick, I asked him what he was most grateful for," Mills said in a brief speech prior to the ribbon-cutting. "The first answer was me, which was the correct answer (laughs), and the second thing was, 'I have the most amazing friends who will support me.' He loved the bike groups and his friends."
Kissel started the Fetch bicycling club in Whitehall, and Thursday's ceremony saw several of those club members on hand to honor him, but he was more than a bicycle enthusiast; he was also a common sight volunteering to help the community. He was part of the Trinity Community Food Pantry in Claybanks for nearly 20 years, making sure the pantry was manned and ready to help those in need. His obituary described Kissel as "the unofficial director of logistics and boxes" at the pantry. Hanson said Kissel and Mills also went on missionary trips to do service projects.
"He was just such a giving person," Hanson said of Kissel. "If you had an issue with your bike, if he was able to help, he would. He was just a super guy."
According to Hanson, it was Steven Salter, a friend of Kissel's and the former mayor of Whitehall, who suggested the hydration station as a way to honor Kissel during a conversation last summer. Hanson thought it was a great idea, and together the two researched some ideas for the fountain before landing on the model unveiled Thursday.
The fountain cost just over $6,000 in total, with the Snow Farmers, through donations, covering $4,500 of the cost. The City of Whitehall contributed $1,750, with the city council approving the donation in February.
Hanson said Whitehall Department of Public Works director Don Bond handled the actual purchasing of the fountain once funds were ready, as well as the installation of the placard memorializing Kissel.
"I thank Don for being so diligent and making sure it all got done, and it was great to work with the city," Hanson said.
