Bridge Street location part of Marine Park development
By Barb Pert Templeton
The Oct. 21 meeting of the Algonac City Council lasted 30-minutes and included a full agenda with a dozen items. Council members Wendy Meldrum and Jacob Skarbek were absent.
Cleaning at the new community center
The council approved a cleaning bill of $44,865 to M.C. Shine Cleaning and Restoration in Fort Gratiot for work at the Algonac Community Center. Mayor Pro Tem Dawn Davey asked if they could get an idea of what the cleaning and restoration included. Fire Chief Joe Doan stepped to the podium and said the cleaning included removing all the mold and mildew in the building, cleaning all the walls and the floors and removing ceiling tiles before doing a second thorough cleaning disinfecting everything including the floors.
Landscaping services for the library
The Algonac/Clay Library made a request to have the city council approve the hiring of a landscape service to pull weeds, cleanup the beds around the library sign and flagpole and plant grass to make things look more attractive. A maintenance agreement for the library that represents both municipalities states that any expenditure over $500 much be approved by the governing bodies and in this case the library sough $1,484 for the work. Every year the city and the Clay DDA put $5,000 into a capitol improvement fund for expenses and the account currently holds $67,000. A contract to D & E Landscaping in Richmond was approved.
SMUA board appointment
The council approved the appointment of Charles Bayly to the Southwater Municipal Utility Authority (SMUA) for a term beginning on Oct. 21, 2025 and ending on June 30, 2027. The SMUA Articles of Incorporation require Algonac, Clay and Ira townships form a board to oversee the administration of the Authority. A new board member was needed due to the recent resignation of the water plant superintendent. “I think Charles is the perfect person for this,” Councilman Michael Bembas said. Mayor Pro Tem Dawn Davey agreed and said the city is very lucky to have Bayly stepping up to take the post.
City Manager search costs
Algonac resident Eileen Tesch spoke during public comments asking what the city’s cost was going to be to the Michigan Municipal League (MML) ifor the search for a new city manager. She said the council had stated they wouldn’t be paying a firm in their search for a new city manager but f they are utilizing the MML it would be nice to see the contract and fees to them to assist in an employee search. City Manager Denice Gerstenberg announced her retirement in September and will leave the post in late November. Mayor Pro Tem Dawn Davey told Tesh that
what the council said was that they were putting the job posting on the MML website but they were not paying for any services.
An appearance by the Swamp Witches has become a staple at the annual Halloween in the Nac’ event in Algonac each year.
Council pleased with Halloween in the Nac’
The festive Halloween event, Halloween in the Nac’, on Oct. 18 in the city was a big success. Hosted by Algonac Alive, Councilman Michael Bembas, took time during his council comments to thank the fire department and DPW, noting the event was awesome. Councilman Ed Carter echoed those sentiments and said the witches were particularly good and so was the music. The event was fun and the weather was awesome, Mayor Pro Tem Dawn Davy added. Councilwoman Cathy Harris said the event was a riot and there were lots of kids. “Halloween in the Nac’ was a blast,” Mayor Rocky Gillis added, noting a new feature, a free costume table, worked out well.
