Serving Gogebic, Iron and Ontonagon Counties
Serving Gogebic, Iron and Ontonagon Counties
By TOM STANKARD
Bessemer — The Gogebic County Road Commission Board of Commissioners Monday postponed having a manager review the site plans for the proposed garage for one month.
At a special meeting on Feb. 17, the board of commissioners approved not taking any action concerning the proposed garage until they hear back from the Bessemer Planning Commission.
Darren Pionk, road commission engineer-manager, said the planning commission can choose to have an engineer review the road commission’s site plans in order to make sure they meet the zoning ordinance.
The issue, Pionk said, is the city of Bessemer does not have a city manager, who acts as the city’s zoning director.
At Monday’s regular meeting, the commissioners approved to delay a manager from reviewing the plans for one month’s time.
In the meantime, Pionk said the road commission won’t rush through things and will “make sure they make the proper decisions” regarding proposed facility.
Pionk said the new garage proposed to be on Marshalek Road will be roughly 46,000 square feet and cost about $4.7 million. Pionk said the current garage in Bessemer is “outdated” and no longer fulfills the road commission’s needs.
Pionk said other small communities in the Upper Peninsula “don’t have a full-time engineer on staff to review the plans.”
“It’s not strange order,” he said. “It’s a procedure that happens all the time. We just feel that we have time.”
Pionk said the public has voiced their opinions about the dangers of the proposed location on Marshalek Road near U.S. 2.
At the special meeting Feb. 17, several law enforcement officers said locating the garage there will be an accident waiting to happen.
