MARINETTE – The City of Marinette Common Council met most recently on Tuesday, Oct. 6, in the council chambers.
Their regular meeting covered a variety of topics relating to service funding, ordinances geared towards public safety and discussions about infrastructure. It opened with public comments.
During the public comments portion of the meeting, Jayne Mattson spoke in support of installing “Children at Play” signs in the James Street neighborhood. She highlighted safety hazards caused by increased delivery traffic and an influx of young families with small children.
Additionally, CASA of Menominee/Marinette Business Administrator Peggy Zielinski detailed the organization’s annual operating budget, noting the cost to screen and train each advocate.
Mayor Steve Genisot updated the council on discussions regarding Marinette County’s intent to relocate the library to the UW-Green Bay Marinette campus.
Council members discussed sending a formal written request asking the county for explicit cost figures regarding the building’s facade, HVAC, roof and elevator maintenance before considering any lease or cost-sharing agreements.
Finally, Travis Spell of T. Spell Development Group LLC updated the council on the Wisconsin Housing and Economic Development Authority (WHEDA) Low-Income Housing Tax Credit (LIHTC) application for the city hall parcel.
After missing the previous cutoff by four points, new scoring criteria granted 25 extra points for rural areas without recent awards. In order to satisfy city parking requirements for the 60 planned units, the developer eliminated the retail space in favor of an onsite gym facility.
The council unanimously approved accepting a $62,857.14 Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Assistance to Firefighters Grant (AFG) along with a 5% city match of $3,142.86.
Fire chief Steve Campbell explained the total grant will fund Emergency Medical Technician (EMT) basic training for 10 firefighters over two years to upgrade department care from the Emergency Medical Responder (EMR) level.
The city’s match will be covered using the department’s 2% Wisconsin DHS funding assistance program.
“I’m very excited about this opportunity and grateful that we were successful in securing the grant funding,” Campbell wrote in a statement to the board.
Agenda items following this pertained to the city hall building.
A Class 1 notice for a $30,445.00 contract with Faith Technologies for access control at the new city hall/police department building was approved. This contract includes the project costs for card reader installation to city hall doors.
Additionally, the council awarded the low bid of $62,722.23 to Michels Underground Cable Inc. for city hall fiber optic connection.
They also approved a $24,905.00 proposal from Parkitecture & Planning to conduct a Marinette Civic Center Aquatic Facility Study to evaluate pool condition and redesign options.
The council then took action on a variety of ordinances. This included Ordinance No. 2563, which repealed and recreated “Chapter 166 — Bicycles, E-Bicycles, E-Scooters,” in order to broadly encompass all electric mobility devices.
This piece covers general rules of operations, such as traffic compliance, single-file riding requirements and giving pedestrians the right-of-way.
Next, Ordinance No. 2564 created Chapter 166-16, serving to regulate electric bicycles/e-bikes while incorporating electric mobility devices.
According to this, there are three classifications for e-bikes: Class 1 — pedal-assist only, where the motor cuts off at 20 mph; Class 2 — throttle-powered, with the motor cutting off at 20 mph; and Class 3 — pedal-assist only, where the motor cuts off at 28 mph. The motor size across e-bikes is capped at 750 watts.
Finally, Ordinance No. 2565 established Chapter 166-17, prohibiting motorized scooters on walking and bicycle paths. It was also amended to include electric mobility devices.
In other board actions, the council approved sending a request for two “15 MPH when children are present” signs on James Street to the finance committee for funding approval.
They also approved selling back a Woodlawn Cemetery plot to Dan and Karen Everson for $575.
The next regular common council meeting was scheduled for Wednesday, Nov. 4, at 5 p.m.
Comments
No comments on this item Please log in to comment by clicking here