Council votes on path forward for parking deck removal, public electronic meeting attendance
Meeting Highlights
City Manager Eric Waara attended this meeting electronically via Zoom/conference call.
Winter Fun Day Waterfront Relay plans put in place
A citizen volunteer updated the council on a Winter Fun Day she has been organizing, and the council gave a nod of approval for the event to move forward on Feb. 26 in Kestner Park.
The event will feature teams of three skiing, skating, and snowshoeing along the Houghton waterfront. The event is open to all ages and free of charge, but preregistration is required.
For more information call or text 906-482-2422.
Pier project held up by AT&T cables
During his administrative report, City Manager Eric Waara told the council that the delays caused by AT&T’s reluctance to locate underwater cables amid the pier project are now costing the city time and money as contractors have had to delay work. He suggested the city would be seeking ways of recouping that cost, including the potential for an appeal to the Michigan Public Service Commission.
Two new Sergeants in Houghton City Police Department
The city police department has promoted two long-time officers to the position of sergeant, Chief John Donnelly reported.
Life After The Deck report from Pat Coleman
Along with the written report that was in the meeting documents (begins on page 11), Pat Coleman gave the council a summary of the public engagement sessions that he facilitated.
Manager’s bond-financed deck removal plan approved by council
After Pat Coleman’s summary, City Manager Eric Waara proposed a plan by which the city would apply for a bond which could potentially be leveraged to gain grant funds that would fund both the removal of the old deck, and some minimal improvements to the site to facilitate surface parking, pedestrian accessibility, green space, and local business redevelopment. The council unanimously approved this plan, which will also prepare the city for the future redevelopment of the site.
Electronic meetings access discussion initiated
Councilor Brian Irizarry moved that the council make all of their meetings and planning commission meetings available for interaction via electronic means such as Zoom. During the discussion, other council members suggested they take some time to give the city administration a chance to explore the options and present something that might work better than the Zoom-based system they were using last year, which proved susceptible to “Zoom-bombing”. Concern for the cost was also expressed.
Councilor Irizarry agreed to spend more time on the process, including the possibility of a special meeting focused on the topic but stipulated that a decision be reached by the end of June when the new fiscal year begins. The rest of the council agreed unanimously.
Public comment shifted to mid-meeting
After being prompted by a motion from Councilor Brian Irizarry, the council had a brief discussion about adding another public comment session to their meeting agendas. The council compromised by moving the single existing comment session to later in the meeting, between reports and the consent agenda, so that late arrivals to the meeting can still comment, and people can respond to the administration reports. The vote was unanimous in approval.