On Monday evening, Lowell City Council met for approximately 50 minutes to discuss three pieces of business. Two related to local roads while the third was the approval of grants from the LCTV Endowment Fund. All councilmembers were present.
Public Comments: Affordable Housing, Government Concerns, Snow on Sidewalks
During the public comments portion of the meeting, Wendie Priess, executive director of Flat River Outreach Ministries (FROM), shared an update about the capital campaign currently underway to fund the non-profit’s affordable housing project.
Priess said the organization opted against using the Brownfield Tax Increment Financing (TIF) option which is available. She noted that it wasn’t feasible for this project, but FROM has been successfully fundraising and currently has a $125,000 matching gift program underway. Those who would like to make a donation can do so on FROM’s website.
Resident Perry Beachum rose to speak about his concerns with the direction the federal government is taking.
“My biggest concern is that if the current national administration continues in the current direction, we’re not going to have a democratic democracy,” he said.
Beachum noted that he voted for Donald Trump in 2016 because he believed there was corruption and dysfunction in national government. However, he was disappointed by the president’s first term. “Trump didn’t improve the landscape in Washington,” according to Beachum. “It appears more corrupt and dysfunctional than ever.”
In his remarks, Beachum mentioned concerns about reductions in services for low income families, an increase in the national debt and Trump’s inclination to support Russian president Vladimir Putin over Western allies.
“What I am most disappointed in is when people know the lies (said by Trump) and won’t speak out to the lies and falsehoods,” Beachum said. Members of the audience clapped as Beachum returned to his seat. During their comments at the end of the night, Councilmember Eric Bartkus and Mayor Mike DeVore noted Beachum’s passion and said they appreciated his willingness to exercise his right to free speech.
Resident Tyler Kent was the third to speak, and he noted that the city had recently changed its policy on enforcement of the snow removal ordinance. Property owners are required to clear sidewalks within 24 hours of snowfall. In the past, this ordinance was enforced on a complaint basis, but the city recently indicated that it would begin actively monitoring whether walkways were cleared in a timely manner.
“I do have concerns about using our police to be sidewalk police,” Kent said.
At the end of the meeting, Bartkus thanked Kent for his comments but also added that “walkability even in the winter is important.”
LCTV Fund Grants Awarded
For the first item of business, LCTV Endowment Fund Board Chair Dennis Kent presented the board’s recommendations for 2025 grants. The LCTV Endowment Fund was created after Lowell Cable Television was sold to Comcast, and it offers grants annually for non-profit projects based in the City of Lowell, Lowell Charter Township and Vergennes Township.
Kent noted that the board received grant requests for twice as much money as the fund had available this year. Two organizations – the James C. Veen Observatory and Lowell Rotary Club – voluntarily reduced their requested amounts so more money would be available for other projects. That’s something Kent says he doesn’t remember ever happening before.
The projects recommended for 2025 grants are as follows:
Lowell City Council unanimously approved the recommendations.
Traffic Calming Policy
Assistant City Manager Rich LaBombard presented a draft traffic calming policy which outlines how residents could request changes to their road and if and how those changes would be implemented. The policy’s goal is to move traffic off local roads and onto main arteries such as Main Street and Hudson Street.
Within the policy, there is a timeline for how traffic calming requests will be reviewed and what criteria will be used to determine if a street qualifies for calming measures. A dozen measures are defined in the policy, including roundabouts, roadway narrowing and raised intersections.
The draft policy can be found in the council meeting packet.
Street Plan Update
A second road-related agenda item involved a look at the city’s street plan.
City Manager Mike Burns noted the city is slated to receive $350,000 in marijuana excise tax funds this year, and he was able to move up a project on Laurie Gail by a year. However, funding remains the biggest obstacle to completing street projects.
“We need more funds,” Burns said. “It all ties to dollars.”
Councilmembers briefly discussed trends related to the marijuana tax money, and Burns said he had been very conservative in his estimates when planning street projects because he knew this funding could decline in the future.
Councilmember Updates
Councilmember Jim Salzwedel said he would like to see more community members attend the monthly Coffee with Council meetings. The time had been changed from the first Saturday morning to the fourth Monday evening of the month. Salzwedel said that they will hold one more meeting in March and then evaluate whether to continue the meetings.
Councilmember Marty Chambers noted that he would be unable to attend the next Planning Commission meeting since the council would be meeting with Lew Bender that day. The council is apparently receiving the results of personality profiles they completed when they last met with Bender, a training specialist who facilitates team-building workshops.
DeVore ended the night by encouraging the public to reach out to Lowell Area Schools administrators and board of education members in support of their work. His comments were met with applause from those in the audience.
The meeting adjourned at 7:51pm, and the next regular meeting of Lowell City Council will be held on March 17 at 7pm in Lowell City Hall.
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