HOUGHTON – The Houghton City Council meeting was held Wednesday to unveil reports and pass some resolutions. While the city is busy with snow removal and sand placement, City Manager Eric Waara said he and others who work for the city have already begun discussions about spring projects. These projects in the making include improvements to Bridge View Park. Waara said he and Public Works would like to be ready to begin spring projects as soon as winter ends.
The Houghton Police Department reported 210 calls for service and two misdemeanor arrests, seven simple violations committed, five city tickets issued and 31 vehicle accidents mostly related to inclement weather.
The police department wanted to remind citizens that when driving in the winter, they should leave earlier than usual to allow extra time to get to their destinations.
The council then approved changes to the rules of procedure via Resolution 2024-1955, and then approved Resolution 2024-1956 which was a decision on Public Law 152. This decision revolved around employee health insurance which had three different options.
The first option was a hard equity option that limits the amount the city will pay, the next was the 80/20 option that has the city pay 80% with 20% on the employee to pay and then the waiver option which was described as a hybrid between the other two.
the city has historically chosen the third option and has chosen to continue with this.
The Board then approved Resolution 2024-1957 Rural Development Pay Application which was related to the College Avenue Project.
A bill from UP Engineers and Architects for was run for $884.
The meeting then returned to Waara who went over the subject of a well for the town. However, there were points that were not originally included in the proposal when it was first approved in April with other changes. Where before an eight-hour test on a pump would suffice, EGLE now requires a 72-hour pump test in a known well field. The initial cost before the additions was $143,580, and now with additions the estimated cost is $257,308.08 which does not include the cost of running the pump for 72 hours. The cost of the test run is estimated at under $40,000.
We have to simulate the conditions as if the well was in full production for 72 hours, which provides a lot of data to inform EGLE and the engineers how everything down there will work,Waara said. “The 72-hour pump test gives a lot of data for people to know exactly how everything is going to work with this, too.”
Wara also explained other expenses for the well.
“We had an intention that we would use our own forces to install the pipe to get the water into the waterworks,” he said. “Well this time of year we plow. We can’t do that, so we have to pay someone to do it.”
The board approved paying for the well’s new costs. Afterward, the board approved hiring an additional member to the fire department and divesting a 2014 Ford Taurus from the police department.
