Tri-County Citizen

NEWS BRIEFS


KC RAFFLE WINNERS – The winners of the Chesaning Knights of Columbus raffle are Dexter Wilson ($1,000), Tom James ($1,000), Arlene McDougall ($1,000), John Bila ($250), Gail Alden ($250), Jamie Alden ($250) and Tom Angst ($250).

CHAMBER RAFFLE WINNERS – The winner of the Chesaning Chamber of Commerce biweekly raffle for Wednesday, Nov. 13, was Adam Rowe. His ticket was drawn by the chamber marketing team. The winner of the Wednesday, Nov. 27 raffle was Suzanne Lane. Her ticket was drawn by George Fletcher, of HJV Equipment.

BLOOD DRIVE – Memorial Healthcare will host an American Red Cross blood drive on Friday, Dec. 13 from 10 a.m. to 3:45 p.m. at Memorial’s Auditorium, 826 West King St. in Owosso. To donate, one must be healthy, at least 17 years old and weigh 110 pounds or more. As a thank-you, Amazon gift cards will be given to those who donate. To schedule an appointment, contact Lyn Freeman at (989) 729-4818 or email lfreeman@memorialhealthcare.org. Walk-ins are welcome, but pre-registration is preferred.

CODE ENFORCEMENT – During its Monday, Dec. 2 meeting, the St. Charles Township Board hired Scott Crofoot as the township’s new code enforcement officer. The board approved Crofoot’s hiring unanimously.

GRAVE SITE COSTS – The St. Charles Township Board voted to increase the price of cemetery lots, effective Jan. 1, 2020, due to the increased cost of lawn maintenance and snow removal. The lot fee has been increased to $400 each.

MDOT GRANT – The Chesaning Village Council formally accepted a $250,000 grant from the Michigan Department of Transportation’s Transportation Economic Development (T.E.D.) Fund for the purpose of road improvements on East Liberty and Center streets. The project consists of asphalt and storm drain work along East Liberty Street, from M-57 to the eastern boundary of the Village of Chesaning and along Center Street from Washington Street to M-57. The total cost of contracted work is expected to be $599,800. The village’s share of the construction cost is estimated at $349,800.

PARK RESERVATIONS – During the Tuesday, Dec. 3 meeting of the Chesaning Village Council, Administrator Troy Feltman suggested making some changes to the park rental fee schedule. He said, “You rarely rent half a pavilion. You end up using the whole thing.” He also talked about the problem of people making park reservations without paying a deposit and then cancelling at the last minute. It prevents others from securing the space. People who keep changing reservation dates are also a problem. Feltman explained that in both these cases, it prevents others from reserving the space and the village loses revenue. He talked about making several changes to the park reservation system, but those changes have not yet formally been presented to the council for a vote. Feltman wanted the council to see the proposed changes ahead of time.

LARNER NAMED PRO-TEM – During the Tuesday, Dec. 3 meeting of the Chesaning Village Council, President Joseph Sedlar, Jr. recommended the appointment of Phil Larner as the new president pro-tem. From the audience, former councilman Mike Navarre asked for the reason to shift from another council member to Larner. Sedlar said, “It’s my prerogative. I can recommend who I want.” Larner was approved in a vote of the council with five “yes” to two “no” votes.

WATER METER REPLACEMENT/PIPE INSPECTIONS – During its Tuesday, Dec. 3 meeting, the Chesaning Village Council voted to move forward with replacement of the existing water meters with radio-read meters. In the first phase, the village would replace 563 water meters; which is half of the water meters in the village. The switch will provide significant savings to the village; saving 80 hours of staff time every month. The DPW staff would then be able to use that time on infrastructure maintenance. Village Administrator Troy Feltman estimates it will take about two to 2.5 years to complete the replacement of those 563 water meters. He added that with the new radio-read water meters, residents will be able to download a free phone app that allows them to monitor their own water usage. He added that while switching out the meters, the DPW staff will be able to fulfill the state’s new requirement that municipalities determine if residences have lead/copper pipes. Feltman added that there may be some people who refuse to allow the DPW staff in their homes. If this is the case, Feltman wants to have a waiver ready that they can sign; so the village is not held responsible if they have lead in their water.

FLOODING ISSUE – On Tuesday, Dec. 3, Jerry Cecil, 1124 South Front St. addressed the Chesaning Village Council about the flooding problem in his yard. Village Administrator Troy Feltman explained that at the corner of Front Street and Peet Road, the storm drain is too shallow. The village is working on it. Feltman said Greg Dawes, of Glaeser-Dawes Construction, is putting together a bid. It’s going to be a difficult job. There are oil and gas lines at that intersection. The job will include a catch basin. The village wants to get the project done this winter, before the spring.

BEAR CREEK/YOUNGS DRAIN – There will be a joint public meeting of the Bear Creek (Saginaw County) and Youngs Drain (mostly Shiawassee County) at the Chesaning Township Office/Hall on Monday, Dec. 16 at 2 p.m. Saginaw County Public Works Commissioner Brian Wendling, Shiawassee County Drain Commissioner Anthony Newman and Michigan Department of Agriculture drain chairman Michael Gregg are expected to receive a report from LSG Engineer Alan Boyer to evaluate the cost of expanding the existing Bear Creek Drain to accommodate water from the Youngs Drain; as well as how the costs will be assessed.

REHMANN HEALTH CENTER – On Tuesday, Dec. 10, the Rehmann Health Center will hold both a Women, Infants, Children (WIC) Clinic and a dental clinic. As the Citizen went to press, the dental clinic was 75 percent full, with five spots still available. Call (989) 845-3911 for appointments. Health services at the Rehmann Health Clinic are provided by Great Lakes Bay Health.

CHESANING AREA UNITED APPEAL – Chesaning Township Treasurer Cathy Gross reported that the Chesaning Area United Appeal fund raising drive has raised $12,000 to date. The goal is $30,000. Funds are disbursed through grants to local nonprofit organizations, such as the Chesaning Area Emergency Relief (CAER) Center, the Chesaning Senior Center’s Young at Heart Club, the Rehmann Health Center, River Rapids District Library, Manna from Heaven (Chesaning community food pantry) and other local nonprofit efforts. Those who donate to the Chesaning Area United Appeal before the end of 2019, will be entered into a drawing to win one of two gift cards. Donations can be mailed to Chesaning Area United Appeal, P.O. Box 88, Chesaning, MI 48616.