MINUTES

 

 

Spring Lake Village

October 18, 2004

7:30 P.M.

Barber School Meeting Room

102 West Exchange

Spring Lake, Michigan

 

I.  Call to Order

 

President Keller called the meeting to order at 7: 30 p.m.

 

II.               Pledge of Allegiance

 

III.          Roll Call

 

A.              Present:  Filber, Fischer, Holland, Keller, Palma & VanStrate.

Absent:  Hall

 

IV.                                 Reports and Statements of Citizens: 

 

Mr. Doug Boon, terminal manager of Citgo Petroleum in Ferrysburg, presented a check for $1000.00 to Chief DeYoung of the Spring Lake/Ferrysburg police department to purchase child I.D. kits and as a donation for the Village Hall and police department renovation.

 

Ms. Lisa Royce, 17770 Navaho Drive, stated she was glad to hear that the Village Council decided against sharing Manager Cotton with Spring Lake Township.

 

V.  Consent Agenda

 

A.              Approved the payment of the bills in the amount of $96,359.74.

 

B.              Approved the minutes of the October 4, 2004 regular council meeting.

 

C.              Approved blocking off River, Prospect and South Streets for the annual Halloween parade at Holmes School on October 29, 2004 at 2:00 p.m. 

 

D.              Appointed Matt Butler, 15268 Vintage Ridge, Grand Haven Township to continue to represent the Village of Spring Lake on the Coast Guard Festival committee for a term of three years from October 1, 2004 to September 30, 2007.

 

E.              Waived the noise ordinance and provided permission to the Michigan Department of Transportation to perform night work on the Lake Avenue intersection with Savidge Street in the fall of 2005 for two weekends. This request enabled reconstruction of the Lake Street intersection with Savidge Street for the fall 2005.  The neighbors were alerted to this need.  The nighttime work would only impact the intersection.  Savidge Street would be closed first on one side and then the other during two successive weekends from Friday at 8:00p.m. to Monday at 5:00 a.m. 

 

F.              Approved a resolution to adopt a policy for automated clearinghouse (ACH) arrangements and electronic transactions of funds enabling automatic payments of utility and tax bills.  This policy would pave the way for these new services within the next year.

 

G.              Set a public hearing for November 1, 2004 at 7:30 p.m. to solicit public comment on the proposed Village Place project and the use of $591,120 of CDBG funds from the Michigan Economic Development Corporation and the Department of Housing and Urban Development at 701 E. Savidge and Rotary Drive.  The public was specifically invited to view the original Notice of Intent and the full Community Development Block Grant Application on file with the Village Clerk-Treasurer in advance of the meeting.   Specific public review of the need, the proposed activities and proposed program was encouraged.  Further, public notice appeared in the newspaper and was distributed to the adjacent neighborhood and to low and moderate-income neighborhoods.

 

 

On a motion by Fischer, support from Filber, the Village Council approved the Consent Agenda as presented.

 

                     Yes:              6                      No:                  0

 

VI.                                   Report By the Village Clerk

 

A.        Held a public hearing on the proposed Spring Lake Village Design Manual and subsequently adopted the Manual.

 

Subject:   This Design Manual was recommended by the CBDDA on September 9, 2004 after review at two meetings.    Completion of this Design Manual was the CBDDA’s highest priority in the Downtown Master Plan.  Color copies of the Design Manual were previously delivered to Council.  Black and white copies were made available to the public.   The Design Manual would apply to the entire community, but would be mandatory only in the Core Downtown and in new planned developments.

 

President Keller declared the public hearing open for comments at 7:45 p.m.

 

Manager Cotton summarized the design manual.

 

Council member Filber commented that the design manual was a fantastic step in the right direction.

 

Manager Cotton said that this was a two- step process.  The first was that the design manual would act as a template or guideline and the second was the updating of the zoning ordinance language.

 

Council member Palma said that the design manual would assist with creating and maintaining the Village character.

 

President Keller stated that the manual would go hand in hand with the zoning ordinances.

 

On a motion by Fischer, support from Holland, the Village Council closed the public hearing.

 

            Yes:              6                      No:                  0

 

On a motion by Holland, support from Filber, the Village Council approved adoption of the Spring Lake Village Design Manual.

 

                           Yes:              6                      No:                  0

 

 

B.  Held a public hearing on the proposed Groundwater Use ordinance, Chapter 30, Article VI of the Village of Spring Lake Code of Ordinances.

 

Subject:  This ordinance was proposed to ensure that the Burnside property would receive MDEQ permission to be sold for redevelopment.  Grand Haven and Muskegon passed similar ordinances recently.  Passage of this ordinance ensured that the Village would receive the property owner’s permission to build Lakeside Trail across the current gap.  The proposed ordinance was modeled after similar municipal ordinances.  The Village Attorney approved as to form.              

 

President Keller declared the public hearing open for comments at 7:50 p.m.

 

Manager Cotton explained that the DEQ was working with Burnside’s so that the property could be sold.

 

Council member Fischer stated that a similar ordinance would be needed in the future for the old Anderson Bolling site.

 

Manager Cotton indicated that this could be done with a simple one-line addition to this ordinance.

 

There was no public comment.

           

On a motion by Fischer, support from VanStrate, the Village Council closed the public hearing.

 

            Yes:                 6                      No:                  0

 

 

 

VII.                              Report by the Village Manager

 

 

A.  Waived the Noise Ordinance and provided permission to the Michigan Department of Transportation to perform night pavement work on Savidge Street from Lake Avenue west to U.S.31 in the fall of 2005 for one to two weeks.

 

 

Subject:  The project options were to conduct daytime work and use flag control (one direction, alternating traffic); or work at night. 

 

The downside of flag control during the day was extensive traffic back-ups for blocks, or miles, and “de-facto” detours onto Exchange and Liberty.  Our original discussions revealed the problems with detoured trucks on Exchange Street and at the Lake Avenue intersection trying to turn eastbound. 

 

The alternative of working nights, for the pavement portion only, on the rest of the project would make the inconvenience for the entire Village shorter. 

 

Other than the paving portions, the curb height adjustments and driveway approach reconstructions would be done during the day while keeping two-way traffic. 

 

Ms. Vicki Weerstra, MDOT engineer, stated that paving at night would eliminate considerable back ups in the afternoons, that the paving could be completed within a week or two, depending on weather conditions and that this plan eliminated the need to detour traffic on to Exchange Street.

 

Council member Palma asked if the fuel depot managers and VerPlanks could be contacted and asked to use an alternate route during this time. 

 

Ms. Weerstra said she would partner with Manager Cotton in contacting the terminal managers.

 

President Keller wondered if with the lanes narrowed during the day, drivers would be uncomfortable with large trucks on the road.

 

Ms. Weerstra said that more police patrol to enforce the speed limits would help this situation and that MDOT was considering hiring police officers to assist with traffic control.

 

President Keller thanked MDOT for thinking outside the box and coming up with the nighttime paving solution.  He added that MDOT had done a top- notch job on the School Street turning lane project.

 

 

On a motion by Fisher, support from Filber, the Village Council granted permission to the Michigan Department of Transportation to perform nighttime pavement work on Savidge Street from Lake Avenue west to U.S.31 in the fall of 2005 for up to two weeks.

                                   

                  Yes:                 6                      No:                  0

 

B.  Authorized a gift of the original Village presidents’ photographs to the Tri-Cities Historical Museum and authorized the Village manager to execute the deed of gift form.

 

Subject:  The Village Council discussed this matter at the last work session and concluded the proposed reproductions would be permanently displayed in Village Hall.    The pictures were digitized and copies were located at the museum and also at Village Hall.  The museum had changed out the upstairs lobby showcase and displayed pictures from when the Village was decimated by the May 11, 1893 fire.  Sixty-two homes, a nearby schoolhouse, two churches and related buildings were destroyed.

 

The Village would have access to the original photographs to make further duplicates or to inspect them if desired at any point in the future.

 

Council member Fischer said that the Village needed to start with the photographs and then move on to the written copies, which were fading fast and the museum had the equipment and the ability to restore them.

 

On a motion by Fischer, support from VanStrate, the Village Council authorized a gift of the original Village presidents’ photographs to the Tri-Cities Historical Museum and granted authorization to the Village Manager to execute the deed of gift form.

 

            Yes:                 6                      No:                  0

 

 

C.  Authorized rental of the Emergency Operations Center in the renovated Village Hall to the Century Driving School and authorized the Village manager to execute a rental registration form.

 

Summary:  The Century Driving School located in Holland wanted to offer driver’s training in the Spring Lake area, since it was no longer part of the school’s curriculum.  Use of the EOC room was requested as a temporary measure given that another location fell through.  The first class would start on November 1st for four nights a week for three weeks.  This use would continue every other three weeks until March 2005 when other facilities became available.  The offered rent was $300 per session, or $1,200-$1,500 total.  A security deposit to cover any damages and an insurance certificate would be required.  The use would be 7:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m.  In case of an emergency, the class would be relocated to elsewhere in the building.  The alternative was to permit their use of Barber School.  This alternative did not work as well, given the need to relocate too many other scheduled events.

 

Since the City of Ferrysburg was paying rent on the EOC room, manager Cotton recommended sharing the revenue on a pro-rata basis.

 

Council member Filber said he was hesitant to set a precedent by supporting rental of the EOC room and added that he did not think that the Village should become a rental agency for all village owned property.

 

Council member Fischer said that some of the rental revenue should be used to purchase some new equipment for the exercise room and then also set up a maintenance fund for this equipment.

 

Council member Fischer said that the Ferrysburg city council should vote on that proposal and that the village council shouldn’t speak for them.

  

On a motion by Fischer, support from Holland, the Village Council approved rental of the Emergency Operations Center to the Century Driving School and authorized the Village Manager to administer rent of $300 per session along with the customary safeguards, with the rental income being accounted for on a separate line item.

 

            Yes:                 5                      No:                  1 (Filber) 

 

           

VIII.       Reports by the Village Council:

 

               No report by the Village Council was presented.

 

IX.                                    Statements of Citizens:  

             

        Mr. David Timmer, 112 Parkhurst, expressed his concern about the possibility                of a high voltage sign at the new Rite Aid building and wanted to know if the                 Village had any rules and regulations pertaining to this. 

 

         Langworthy, Strader, LeBlanc would be providing language concerning approval          of the lighting on this project to the Planning Commission.

 

         Mr. Milt Meekoff, 322 N. Lake, expressed concern about the parking for Lakeside          Beach goers.

          

X.    Reconvened the work session at 8:37 p.m.

 

XI.                 Executive Session to discuss potential property acquisition.

 

On a motion by Holland, support from Filber, the Village Council adjourned into executive session at 8:44 p.m.

 

                        Yes:                 6                      No:                  0

 

Resolved that the Village Council meet in executive session for reasons permitted by Section 8(C) of the Michigan Open Meetings Act, MCL 15.268 (e); MSA 4.1800(18)(e); as requested by the Village Manager, to confer with legal counsel on matters permitted by Section (e) of the Open Meetings Act.                                        

 

On a motion by Holland, support from Filber, the Village Council arose from executive session at 9:14 p.m.

 

                        Yes:                 6                      No:                  0

 

 

XII.            Adjournment

 

On a motion by Holland, support from VanStrate, the Village Council adjourned at 9:14 pm.

 

 

                        Yes:                 6                      No:                  0                     

 

 

                       

 

 

______________________________________________

Daniel Keller, Village President

 

 

 

_______________________________________________

Maribeth Lawrence, Village Clerk/Treasurer