Serving Gogebic, Iron and Ontonagon Counties
Serving Gogebic, Iron and Ontonagon Counties
By P.J. GLISSON
Wakefield — The Wakefield City Council voted Monday evening to approve a curbside brush pick-up during the fall season.
No date has yet been set, but City Manager Rob Brown provided a list of strict guidelines with agenda materials.
“We’re not going to be picking up their junk or garbage,” said Mayor Dale White,” but we will pick up their brush.”
White said the action will be in lieu of the city’s annual spring clean-up, which was postponed in the spring and now canceled.
“I think, with the COVID, it’s going to be difficult to do a citywide clean-up this year,” said the mayor.
Brown added that he thinks “it’s best this year” to cancel the clean-up, which traditionally has provided residents with the opportunity to deliver large items of garbage such as old furniture, metal scraps, and other miscellaneous materials to a designated site where volunteers prepared it for disposal.
The city manager said that picking up brush this year at least would provide some relief to city residents.
“The city does not have a location or a program in place to assist residents with the disposing of brush,” Brown wrote in a report to the council. “Unfortunately, many residents turn to illegally dumping brush and other material on the brush pile located on Cemetery Road.”
He added that the increasing size of that pile has been “a challenge” for the city to address since it was created as a result of storm damage in 2016.
Brown estimated that the city now has $7,500 in reserve for the cancelled annual clean-up. He said that about half of those funds can be reserved for a 2021 clean-up, while remaining funds can cover the costs of a curbside brush pick-up in the next few months.
In other news, council members voted to upgrade Wi-Fi service at the Eddy Park campground. The city manager — who called current Wi-Fi service “atrocious” — said he will work with Charter Communications in Ironwood to establish more robust service for park users.
“The campground has 70 sites,” said Brown, adding that the new service likely also would “shoot access” to the neighboring beach.
At this time, he said Wi-Fi connections are unreliable and sometimes require walking across the campground to search for a signal. He anticipates upgraded service to phase in soon, with full service likely by spring.
The council also:
—Learned from the city manager that Lou Boetto is retiring as fire chief of the Wakefield Volunteer Fire Department. “At this point, I’m going to hold off on appointing a fire chief until October,” said Brown, who noted that Assistant Fire Chief Mike Singleton will be in charge until then. Tarro expressed thanks to Boetto for several decades of service, and Brown said a resolution of appreciation will be drawn up for the next council meeting.
—Learned from Brown that Public Works Lead Mike Sibley worked on the Sunday Lake boardwalk on Monday and that continuing work by city employees is anticipated. Because lighting has been unreliable on that walkway, Brown said rope lights are being considered.
—Voted to maintain the current 11-member board for the Gogebic Range Water Authority. GRWA officials have been discussing the possibility of reducing the number of their board members, but council members concluded at a previous meeting that the city’s interests might best be served by retaining the larger authority board.
—Learned from Brown that the city has been contacted by several residents who may purchase alleys adjoining their properties. “I think, as we get going, we’re going to find more and more people interested in that,” he said of the public offer discussed at a previous meeting.
—Voted to approve the annual renewal of the city’s membership in the Michigan Municipal League’s Liability and Property Pool. According to Brown, the cost for the coming year will be $39,496, which is an increase of 1.93%, or $748. He stated that the pool provides comprehensive municipal insurance and risk management services. The city has been a member since 1985.
