It was ugly sweater night on Monday as Lowell City Council met for the final time in 2024. While the council usually meets twice a month, the second December meeting was cancelled, as has been the custom in recent years.
Before starting the night’s business, though, City Clerk Sue Ullery swore in the newest councilmember, Mark Ritzema. He was chosen earlier in the day to fill a vacancy created by the resignation of Leah Groves (look for a separate article highlighting all applicants for the seat).
After that, councilmembers approved the consent agenda and opened the floor for public comments.
Public Comments: Non-Profit News and Traffic Concerns
Wendie Priess, executive director for Flat River Outreach Ministries, provided an update on the non-profit’s latest affordable housing project. Fundraising for the project began in earnest earlier this year, and of the $3.03 million needed, FROM has raised 76%. The campaign is $808,000 away from its goal, and only $146,000 needs to be raised to release all private funds earmarked for the project.
Tom Muszynski, chief operating officer for Care Resources – PACE, shared that the organization’s new facility in Lowell was complete and will open for services on Jan. 2, 2025. While the building was finished in September, the non-profit needed to receive a number of government approvals before using it. Care Resources was founded in 2006 and provides services for those age 55 and older who are nursing home eligible but want to remain in their own homes.
Lowell resident Dale Latva asked about the barricade blocking northbound traffic on Riverside Drive. He wondered if the council had considered installing speed bumps instead. Latva also commented on the new stop signs at the intersection of Marsac and Monroe, noting that it was only a three way stop and there was a driveway on the fourth side.
“I don’t know who’s guiding you or giving you advice because it doesn’t make sense to me,” Latva said. He thought traffic wasn’t stopping for the signs either. He wrapped up his comments by asking if Lowell would be “a city of more stop signs and barricades” or if other solutions would be found for speeding traffic.
Along those same lines, resident Jody Horton asked who the council consulted before placing the barricade and stop signs. She noted that the Michigan Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices states that stop signs should not be used for speed control. It was her understanding that using signs for this purpose could mean a loss of federal funds and increased tort liability.
Rounding out the public comments was Police Chief Chris Hurst who said that Main Street will be closed at 5:50pm from Hudson to Jackson Streets this Saturday (Dec. 7) for the annual Christmas Parade. “Don’t plan on getting back through there until 7pm,” he said.
LLP Wins Customer Satisfaction Award
The lone item of business on the agenda was a presentation by Charlie West, general manager for Lowell Light & Power. He shared that the municipal utility had received a Gold Public Power Customer Satisfaction Award from the American Public Power Association.
It is the second year that LLP has received the gold award, and in 2024, it was one of only two utilities to earn this honor. The other recipient is the Braintree Electric Light Department in Massachusetts.
The award is based upon survey responses from customers. At the end of the meeting, Mayor Mike DeVore noted that LLP’s scores were 25% better than the national average in almost every category.
Trees to be Removed on Main Street
During board and commission updates, Councilmember Eric Bartkus said the Arbor Board had voted to recommend the removal of the 13 largest trees on Main Street in the historic downtown. He said the matter will be brought to the council for a vote in the future.
“It will look a little barren there until we get the new smaller trees in,” Bartkus added.
The trees have been a subject of discussion at a previous meeting, and City Manager Mike Burns has said he is planning to use his authority to remove the trees in front of City Hall. Chief among his concerns were the berries dropped by the trees which make a mess on the sidewalk and are tracked into the building.
Councilmember Jim Salzwedel said he had been asked by a resident if the trees could be saved rather than destroyed. He wondered whether they might be relocated elsewhere.
Councilmember Marty Chambers didn’t think that was likely. “They are heaving the sidewalk,” he said. He echoed concerns about the berries and noted that they made the sidewalk slick in front of his store, Red Barn Mercantile.
Final Comments for the Night
In their concluding comments for the night, councilmembers welcomed Ritzema, thanked City Treasurer Sue Olin and her team for their work on the budget and its audit and noted that Christmas Through Lowell was a huge success.
The meeting adjourned at 7:36pm. The next regular meeting of Lowell City Council will take place on Monday, January 6, at 7pm in Lowell City Hall.
Leave a Reply