Serving Gogebic, Iron and Ontonagon Counties
Serving Gogebic, Iron and Ontonagon Counties
WAKEFIELD CITY councilman Dale White, center, addresses his colleagues during a Monday evening meeting as Kay Wiita and Jim Anderson listen.
By P.J. GLISSON
Wakefield - A Monday evening meeting of the Wakefield city council resulted in city manager Rob Brown volunteering to verify, firsthand, the status of city sidewalks.
"I will go out, and I will try to get a rough estimate of what we're looking at," said Brown, who had begun the discussion by referring to a formal staff report he had prepared for council members.
Brown said that, in the few months he's been in his position, several residents have asked whether the city can share costs in repairing or replacing sidewalks.
Meanwhile, he and other staff members have not found any evidence of a sidewalk share program. The city also has no such formal appropriations plan.
"Without a policy in place or the funds appropriated, city administration cannot commit city funds for a sidewalk cost-share program," Brown wrote in his report. "If the council wishes to provide this service, a rigorous policy will need to be developed, and the council will need to find the funding to fund the program."
"There's a lot of sidewalks in town that are bad," said mayor pro tempore Amy Tarro, who agreed with Brown that the city also faces budget constraints in the next year, but that money should be set aside for such a project within a couple years.
After council member Jim Anderson said trip hazards are evident on the sidewalks now, mayor John Granato said, "Let's prioritize and fix them before they become a greater liability."
Council member Kay Wiita added that the matter deserves research because "concrete is expensive."
During public comments, Bob Blaskowski of Wakefield said the city should explore potential funding by tying sidewalk improvements to the state's Safe Routes to School program.
Granato said the Wakefield-Marenisco School District would have to initiate that direction.
Loraine Mussatti, another city resident, added that the council also should consider potential snowplow damage when contemplating any sidewalk upgrades.
Whatever the council decides, said Brown, the plan needs to be "sensible and sustainable."
The council also:
-Voted to reappoint Carole Lillar to the Wakefield Housing Commission.
-Voted to authorize Brown to seek options in replacing municipal building computers whose systems soon will not be compatible with a Microsoft requirement to use the Windows 10 operating system by Jan. 14, 2020.
-Voted to publish a proposed amendment to the city charter regarding the hours and days during which Board of Review meetings take place.
-Voted to authorize Brown to notify SBA Communication Corporation that the city wishes to extend its current contract so that city manager Ray O'Dea may proceed with the company to prepare a lease agreement for city review. Brown said the company's current lease with the city will expire in about 13 years, but the company would like to extend it to 2037. He said the cell tower provides a valuable service for residents, businesses and tourists.
-Voted to allow Niko Hewitt to sell firewood at the Eddy Park Campground this summer, while also waiving a related vending fee.
At the end of all other business, the council went into a closed session to strategize negotiations on a collective bargaining agreement with the city's union employees.
The council will meet today for a budget workshop at 10 a.m.
The council's next regular meeting will be on June 10 at 5:30 p.m.
The planning commission will meet on June 3 at 5:30 p.m.
All sessions will be in the meeting room of the municipal building, and the public is welcome.
