The latest meeting of Lowell City Council included a new round of comments from residents about the closure of Riverside Drive at Elm Street. While previous comments on the matter have been overwhelmingly positive, some residents were critical of the change at this week’s meeting.
Meanwhile, agenda items for the evening included a review of the city’s annual budget report, a decision on how to spend surplus funds and approval of a stop sign on Washington Street.
Councilmembers Leah Groves and Marty Chambers were absent, but the remaining members – Mayor Mike DeVore and Councilmembers Jim Salzwedel and Eric Bartkus – constituted a quorum.
Riverside Drive Comments
Six people spoke during the public comments portion of the meeting, and all addressed the closure of Riverside Drive to northbound traffic.
Currently, a temporary barricade has been placed at Elm Street to divert northbound traffic, but at last month’s meeting, councilmembers discussed replacing that barricade with a gate in the future. Residents and councilmembers have previously expressed concern about the volume and speed of traffic on Riverside.
During public comments, resident Jody Horton said, “I don’t know whose brilliant idea this was…This makes no logical sense to me.” She noted that online feedback on Facebook about the change was overwhelmingly negative.
Horton said she was also surprised to hear that the council was placing stop signs on Washington and Monroe streets when Assistant City Manager Rich LaBombard had previously recommended against using stop signs as a means to slowing traffic.
Tonia North, who owns North Star Antiques in downtown Lowell spoke next. She noted that vehicles were parked on both sides of Elm during Christmas Through Lowell, effectively turning it into a one-lane street. She worried about traffic safety and congestion during future large events.
“You’re just changing the problem,” she said.
Perry Beachum, Kimball Dlouhy and Annette Ritzema all live along Riverside Drive and also spoke.
Ritzema likened her home’s location as being between “two freeways” with Hudson and Riverside on either side. She was not in favor of adding stop signs on Riverside because she felt that would increase traffic noise and exhaust. Meanwhile, Beachum said the volume of traffic was never his concern as much as the speed.
“You can turn past Elm anytime you want to take a nice drive,” Dlouhy commented in response to concerns about the barricade cutting off the scenic views of Riverside. He thought blocking the road at Elm Street had worked well to improve safety on the street for children and pets.
Beryl Bartkus who owns Ability Weavers and lives in an apartment above the downtown store thought those commenting online were missing important information. “Riverside from Main Street to Elm Street is not a street,” she said. “It’s a parking lot.”
She added she has regularly seen people hit the gas once they pass Sabor Mexicano. Both she and her husband have almost been struck by cars in area, and one of her workers was hit by a vehicle. However, placing the barrier at Elm Street had improved safety significantly, according to Bartkus.
In councilmember comments at the end of the meeting, Councilmember Eric Bartkus said the issue was a complicated one. “I want to be fair,” he said and added that he thought some people might not be aware of the volume of traffic that travels down the road.
“I don’t feel like we’re taking away anyone’s scenic drive down Riverside,” said DeVore in his final comments of the evening.
Audit and Budget Surplus
A representative of accounting firm Vredeveld Haefner LLC attended Monday’s meeting to present the findings from the most recent annual audit of the city’s finances. No concerns were noted.
The city did end the 2023-24 fiscal year with a surplus of $160,000. City Manager Mike Burns recommended directing that money toward the following:
- $100,000 for well monitoring and clean-up at the site of the former Ware Road landfill
- $35,000 for repairs to City Hall
- $25,000 to the Fire Capital Fund to pay for future needs of the Lowell Area Fire Department
After some brief discussion, councilmembers voted unanimously to approve the recommendation from Burns.
With those allocations, the city’s fund balance remains approximately $1.6 million, which is 37% of the city’s budget.
Other Meeting Updates
In other news:
City Council Vacancy
Letters of interest for the soon-to-be vacant city council seat must be submitted by Tuesday, Nov. 26, at 5:30pm. Councilmembers will hold interviews with all applicants on Dec. 2 before their meetings that evening.
Police Chief Search
Burns has narrowed the Chief of Police candidates down to two: Lt. Dennis Albert and Deputy Dale DeKorte, both of the Kent County Sheriff’s Office. The public will have the opportunity to meet the finalists during an open house on the Lowell Showboat on Dec. 2 from 5-7pm.
Current Chief of Police Chris Hurst has announced he will retire next March.
Road Updates
Councilmembers unanimously approved the placement of stop signs on Washington Street at the intersection with North Street.
Work on Washington Street is done, but Salzwedel said he was concerned that there were already some cracks in the roadway surface near a few turns.
All councilmembers noted the success of this year’s Christmas Though Lowell event. Salzwedel also shared his worry about people trying to cross Main Street between cars, particularly in the dark. He noted that he witnessed one woman and child almost dart out in front of traffic but stop in time.
“I don’t have an answer to that, but it is a concern,” Salzwedel said.
Coffee with Council
In an attempt to increase attendance at Coffee with Council – by both residents and councilmembers – Salzwedel said the informal meetings would be moved to the fourth Monday of every month from 5:30-7:30pm.
They will still be held at the Chamber office on the Riverwalk, and the following dates are planned as a trial run of the new schedule:
- Jan. 26, 2025
- Feb. 24, 2025
- March 24, 2025
Despite the change in time, the event will still feature coffee and will not be “Cocktails with Council,” Salzwedel quipped.
Lowell City Council went into closed session at 7:54pm to conduct a personnel evaluation of the city manager.
The next regular meeting of Lowell City Council will be Monday, Dec. 2, at 7pm in Lowell City Hall.
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