City Council Meeting - 2020-03-16

Detailed briefing

Harbor Springs City Council Meeting — March 16, 2020 • City staff outlined COVID-19 continuity measures. Utility-payment and parking-ticket due dates were extended to May 15 or further notice; essential services will not be shut off for nonpayment through that period; and residents were encouraged to use mail or the drop box rather than enter City Hall. Staff also announced food-delivery help for elderly, self-isolating, or quarantined residents, plus an opt-in wellness-call program. • Several public facilities and gatherings were restricted. The Kiwanis Building, skate park building and park, DPW building/public area, and Harbor Master bathrooms were closed because of sanitation demands. Non-city meetings and events at City Hall after hours and on weekends were banned. Most city boards and commission meetings in March and April were to be canceled, while the March 19 Planning Commission and April 20 Council meeting remained scheduled at that time. • Council tabled a resolution to seek a pickleball-court grant. The proposal discussed a roughly $120,000 complete rebuild and a potential $60,000 matching grant, but members wanted clearer fundraising commitments from players and the community, plus more time for broader parks planning. The existing courts will not be resurfaced if the city expects to pursue a full rebuild later. • Council approved widening West Third Street and awarded the related infrastructure contract to Sperling for $207,756. Residents raised concerns about speed, neighborhood character, trees, and irrigation systems. The fire chief said the current roadway width could restrict emergency-vehicle passage and did not meet the state roadway standard cited during the discussion. • Downtown tree-base improvements were approved with iron tree grates, standardized pits, tree work, and electrical infrastructure, but without proposed brick borders. The city had budgeted $100,000 for the project; discussion noted that electrical work would be considered through the electric fund and could reduce future temporary holiday-lighting costs. • Council also approved temporary 2020 Irish Boat Shop use of Ottawa Stadium parking, subject to school arrangements for ferry parking; a one-year Wallstrom Dock and Dredge operation at Fort Park; M-119/Zoll Street park design work; and an $18,800 RESCO purchase for a Beach Road electrical recloser. Council kept the city prohibition on mobile retail vendors and adopted a 30% renewable-energy goal by 2025. Worth watching: • Whether pickleball supporters organize funding and whether the city returns to the grant opportunity. • West Third Street construction impacts, including concerns about irrigation, trees, and access. • How COVID-19 restrictions affect scheduled meetings, public events, and city operations. Upcoming: The next Council meeting was scheduled for April 20, though staff said it could be canceled or an emergency meeting could be needed depending on state requirements. Why it matters: Council made long-term infrastructure commitments while preparing city services and public spaces for rapidly changing COVID-19 conditions.

No open public follow-ups are linked to this meeting yet.