Details of parking deck engagement night announced in short Houghton City Council meeting
Houghton City Council, Sept. 22, 2021
Meeting Highlights
Pushback against dog park construction
A resident who lives on Donmar Drive addressed the council about the new city dog park that is being constructed now. She expressed that she was shocked to find out that a dog park was even under consideration for the site, and that she and some of her neighbors were concerned with potential noise and traffic disturbances. She was also worried it might lower her property value.
Public hearing for Dodge Charger police vehicle grant
A public hearing for a rural development grant ended with no comments from the public. The council approved the application, which is a 55% match on a roughly $50,000 vehicle. The rest of the cost will come from the city’s equipment fund.
City Manager’s update
City Manager Eric Waara was not in attendance at this meeting but did provide this printed update to the board and public (highlighting added):
Parking deck public engagement night details
The public engagement work starts next Wednesday (Sept. 29), at the Bonfire conference room, from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. Pat Coleman will be facilitating the activities. City Clerk Ann Vollrath said they are encouraging people to wear masks because of the number of people they are expecting in attendance, and that people should expect to be there for the entire time, as there is active engagement rather than an open house-style event.
Continued training for Houghton PD
Police Chief John Donnelly reported that officers within the department had retrained this week on how to handle traffic accidents, another program called ‘Hope Not Handcuffs’ from former judge Linda Davis(this is her 2019 TEDx Talk), and also a talk from David Bartley, a professional speaker and suicide survivor, about his experiences with first responder services.
The consent agenda passed with very little fanfare.
The items under new business also passed uneventfully.
Fireworks permitted, regretful resignations accepted, and city manager rated exceedingly well
Hancock City Council, Aug. 18, 2021
Editor’s Note: The audio for Hancock’s city council has been giving me trouble, and just when I thought I had it solved, a new problem was introduced. This week, the air conditioning was running. I did my best to make it understandable, but there’s only so much that can be done. Councilor Will Lytle and Mayor Paul LaBine’s voices particularly blended into the sound of the fans blowing. I’m trying to figure out what more I can do. Thanks for understanding.
Meeting Highlights
During City Manager Mary Babcock’s administrative report, she updated the board on census results, which showed the population decreased by more than 100 people. This could signal a small decrease in the tax budget. She also implored everyone to keep voting for the Hancock dog park in the Bark For Your Park contest until the end of the month.
Poster from the council information packet.
The community night out plans have been finalized. Rewind will be at Porvoo Park, and the city council approved the fireworks permit during this meeting, too.
Poster from the council information packet.
During the meeting, the council accepted a couple of resignations, with regret. Doug Lancour informed the council of his wish to be replaced on the Board of Review, and Jerry Wuorenmaa resigned from the Rental Code Board of Appeals. Both emails of resignation are in the council information packet (‘Agenda and Documents’ link above). The board positions will be advertised for applicants.
The council also unanimously supported a resolution to support partnerships for “materials management”, which is a term that combines things like garbage, recycling, compost, and other refuse. Councilor William Lytle pointed out that while Hancock was a regional leader in recycling, there was still plenty of room for improvement.
The council reviewed the city manager’s performance in closed session, in accordance with the Open Meetings Act. They returned to open session after a few minutes and reported her review as generally exceeding standards. No link on this one because there’s not much on the video other than the vote, which was unanimously in favor of accepting the positive report.
One resident complained during the final public comment, about the traffic turning left from Reservation Street onto Quincy Street. They said the confusion of people in the right lane turning left and the left lane sometimes suddenly deciding to go straight was dangerous and asked if there was anything that could be done to improve signage or find solutions to prevent collisions.
Dog park developments, Houghton County Arena consideration, and caring for MDOT overlooks
Hancock City Council, Aug. 4, 2021
Councilor Ron Blau was absent.
Meeting Highlights
Siri interrupted the meeting early on, but was quickly silenced. It’s worth a chuckle.
The council accepted this correspondence from the Keweenaw Co-op regarding their reason land purchase agreement.
The Gitzen Company Wholesalers also moved to Hancock from beneath Houghton’s parking deck.
During the administrator’s report, City Manager Mary Babcock thanked voters for approving the recreation millage renewal, updated the council on park work and improvements, city events, and progress on the funding and creation of the new dog park. Plans for a joint event between Hancock and Houghton are being nailed down for the first weekend in September, to include live music, fireworks, and more. The building west of St. Vincent DePaul is having facade work done before new businesses move in.
A request to the city from the Quincy Mine Hoist Association for $5,000 toward clearing the land south of the Quincy Hill lookout on U.S. 41 went without vote or discussion after it found no support.
During the second public comment session at the end of the meeting, there was further discussion about the desire and responsibility to maintain the overlook.
The council agreed to a lease for the property the dog park will be on. I haven’t read the lease, but it sounds like it was a 50-year lease at $1/per year. Babcock said the $50 would be paid upfront, and councilors roundly thanked the property owners for their generosity.
The council also created a 3-person ad hoc committee to formally consider some property acquisitions, specifically the Houghton County Arena, although other acquisitions are possible, too. The members are Mayor Paul LaBine, Mayor Pro Tem John Haeussler, and Councilor Will Lytle.