Serving Gogebic, Iron and Ontonagon Counties
Serving Gogebic, Iron and Ontonagon Counties
BESSEMER — The Bessemer City Council continued its effort to deal with traffic issues on U.S. 2 through town at its meeting Monday evening.
A “general discussion” of the highway traveling through town included ideas about how to slow traffic, according to City Clerk Jim Trudgeon.
One idea floated was to put up electronic signs that flash the driver’s speed as they approach.
During public comment, concerns were heard about the Michigan Department of Transportation’s proposal to widen traffic lanes on the highway — either four wider lanes, or just three but still wider lanes.
Trudgeon said the idea of moving to three lanes is to “calm the traffic. You can only go as fast as the guy in front of you.”
No decisions were made on the U.S. 2 speed or lane changes, but the council did place on file two letters from residents in favor of moving to three lanes.
The council heard an update and paid some bills related to the ongoing water and sewer replacement project. Trudgeon said the plan is to do the final paving in the spring or June.
The council approved amendments to its engineering contract studying the city’s sewer system. The ongoing study, funded by a SAW grant, will provide a status report of the entire system and produce a list of items that need attention in the next year, five years and 10 years, said Trudgeon.
The council also discussed the city’s trash and recycling collection contract with Eagle Waste of Eagle River, Wis. Trudgeon said the contract is up in 10 months and the council discussed ideas about what do to next, including asking for bids and discussing going back to a city-run operation. Again, no decision was made on the next step.
The meeting began with public hearings on three ordinances having to do with amending fines for civil infractions, establishing a three-member appeals board for the Property Maintenance Code and an ordinance related to private exterior lighting.
The council later approved the amended fines, created a three-member appeals board to include the mayor, fire chief and planning commission chairman or their designee, and tabled action on the exterior lighting ordinance until the city manager returned from vacation.
— Larry Holcombe
