By Barb Pert Templeton
A May 16 meeting of the Marine City Commission included an agenda that exceeded one page in length and lasted for an hour and 52 minutes.
Here are some of the highlights:
Engineering contract approved
Members of the city commission were unanimous in their approval of a contract for engineering services with Anderson, Eckstein and Westrick, Inc. The contract in full outlines a variety of services to be rendered to the city plus assurances that the firm has met various insurance requirements. Under Section 7 – Terms of Agreement – it states the agreement shall continue for an indefinite time as long as the city and the consultant desire it’s continuance. The obligation to provide services may be terminated by the city with 30 days written notice to the firm and the firm must provide 60-days of written notice to the city to conclude services.
Board vacancies announced
Marine City Clerk Jason Bell gave a brief presentation related to the need to purchase two new tabulators for the upcoming elections in August and November.
Mayor Jennifer Vandenbossche announced vacancies on a number of boards in the city. She noted that there’s a vacancy on the planning commission, one seat on the historical commission, two spots on the TIFA Board, two on the library board and one on the Marine City Area Fire Authority. Applications can be found on the city website at cityofmarinecity.org. Applications are due to the city clerk by Wednesday, June 12 at 4 p.m.
New election equipment sought
Marine City Clerk Jason Bell requested approval for the purchase of two new tabulators to utilize during the upcoming August Primary and November General Election in the city. Bell told officials that he received a quote for the equipment from Election Source for a pair of Dominion Tabulators under the MiDEAL state contract pricing. He noted that doing so satisfied the requirement to get three bids under the city’s current purchasing policy. Bell then contacted County Commissioner David Vandenbossche to see if the cost of the tabulators could be covered by county’s ARPA funds. He said he was told to fill out paperwork for the funding and the commissioner would do what it could to help out. Bell was formally requesting approval for up to $15,000 for the tabulators from the city commission noting that the cost could be covered by those ARPA funds. The commission was unanimous in its approval of the purchase request.
Tot Lot project update
During his administrative report to the commission, City Manager Scott Adkins stated that the T-Mobile Grant for Tot Lot equipment was received some months ago and the park items were ordered and delivered to the city’s DPW Department. Unfortunately, the assembly process was not like putting Legos together, so now the city needs to hire a special company to put it together and install it. Adkins said they are in the process of getting three quotes that they will present to the commission soon. “We want to make sure it’s installed and it’s safe,” Adkins said. “And we want to have that new equipment installed as soon as possible.” He also noted that safety issues with the existing structures at the park meant they had to be removed prior to putting in the new structures.
Social District meeting a success
Establishing a social district in the city came a step closer to reality in Marine City after City Manager Scott Adkins recently hosted an informational meeting for local businesses. Adkins said they had good attendance and will likely pick up four more businesses so they felt very good about the meeting and sharing of the information. He said two businesses who had previously expressed interest were unable to attend the meeting but information will be provide to them soon. Adkins said one concern for the businesses was the hours proposed and they wondered if perhaps the commission would be okay with starting earlier in the day and not extending as late in the evening. Those are all things that will come up as the plan progresses, Adkins told the commission.
