Big Rapids City Manager Newsletter August 28, 2009

August 28, 2009

 REMINDER TO ALL…PETITIONS FOR CITY COMMISSION AND THE CHARTER REVISION COMMISSION ARE DUE SEPTEMBER 15.  PLEASE RECRUIT FOLKS OR WHATEVER IS NECESSARY TO HAVE AT LEAST 9 INDIVIDUALS FOR CHARTER REVISION COMMISSION.  THIS SEEMS TO BE AN ‘UNKNOWN’ OPPORTUNITY AT PRESENT!!!

BOOK SALE

 Friends of the Library have been working for more than a month to sort books and get ready for the annual book sale next week.  The sale begins next Saturday and concludes in Hemlock Park at The Arts & Crafts Sale.  Please stop by and take advantage of the inexpensive books that will be available.

HYBRID RETIREMENT PLAN

 The Supervisors Unit in the Police Division have been very interested in the Hybrid retirement option.  After considerable review and a presentation from Mike Tackett, the MERS system itself has taken the hybrid option ‘off the table’ to rework the way in which existing employees in the DC plan can bring their seniority forward into the new retirement option.  It is unlikely that MERS will get many ‘takers’ if a person has to ‘start over’ in a hybrid plan – but the conversion is a very difficult discussion for MERS.  The Union negotiations with the Supervisors are, therefore, proceeding without this option at this time.

VFD”S AT THE WATER PLANT

 Consumer’s Energy has an incentive program to reduce power demand by granting a refund for equipment purchased.  The water plant purchased VFDs (variable frequency drives – moderated start up equipment) and has qualified for a $37,000 cashrefund.  It is hoped that these funds could be applied to similar equipment at the well field or the State Street booster station, which will qualify the City for additional discounts from this program.

KIWANIS

 The Kiwanis Club is trying to ‘re-start’ a local club.  They are looking at a breakfast option and are looking for potential members.  All suggestions/referrals are welcome!!

DART

 Chip Kraus has emailed to the City his review of the DART/Airport draft lease agreement with language that the FAA would like to see included in the document.  We will adjust this language and are also awaiting input from the transportation side to see what changes they would like before circulating a final draft and implementing the rental, hopefully all before winter.

MIDDLE SCHOOL

 The Big Rapids Public School has placed some playground equipment on the field south and west of the school building.  Some of this land is owned by the City, which has agreed to joint use of the area.  Attached is a drawing and map of the area.

COMPLETE COUNT COMMITTEE

 The Complete Count Committee (census) met and continues to review ways to get the word out to students who should register their residence as ‘Big Rapids’.  The rule is that where one sleeps for a majority of the year, is the location of residence.  Since students are in residence at Ferris for at least 9 months, they should be counted here and not with their parents.  We have an outstanding group from Ferris who are determined to make a difference in getting the word out to students.  We need a person from the BRPOA or other student rental groups to help in this regard.

FERRIS 125

 This year is the 125th anniversary of Ferris State University.  The kickoff begins on Tuesday, September 1, 2009 at 4 p.m. with a ceremony in Highland View Cemetery at Woodbridge Ferris gravesite there.  A community Ice Cream event is planned for the Thursday, September 3rd from 3 p.m. to 7 p.m. on the Quad.  Ice Cream ‘dippers’ have been employed to spread fun and cheer and welcome the students to Big Rapids. Come join the celebration!

ASSESSING

 Based on new IRS regulations governing the employment status for assessors rather then the contract status for assessors, the City has been approached by Clare and Greenville to share in the employment of an assessor to share these duties for all towns.  After conversation with the City’s present assessor, and with the opportunity to network with other communities, Cliff has notified the City, with the proper 90-day requirement, of the termination of his services.  The City will be moving forward in this next time period to complete the employment status, fulfilling the IRS requirements and gaining a certified appraiser for the community.

ACTIVITY

  Aerial Ladder maintenance continues to keep the vehicle operational until December. Ferris State resumes during the upcoming week.  Patrols intensify and contacts are increased with the campus officers. Alert Training’ at Kirkland Community College for all officers begins next week. This will be five days of intensive training including day and night modules.

PUBLIC WORKS ACTIVITIES

Streets –
Hauled brush from Hemlock Park removed by ARRA Michigan Works Project
Made repairs to water main break on the 600 block of Ives Avenue
Made repairs to water main break on the 600 block of Clark Street
Picked up and hauled away a dead tree on the 400 block of Marion Avenue
Rebuilt a catch basis on Ives Avenue near Swan building
Rebuilt a catch basis on Pine Street

Parks –
Maintaining City’s park system and the downtown
  
Sewer –
Cleaning sewer lines and performing other daily scheduled duties

Motor fleet –
Serviced 2 Dial-A-Ride busses
Delivered #105 dump truck to Grand Rapids for warranty work – fuel injector problem
Serviced 3 Public Safety vehicles
Repaired hitch on the Gator
Serviced Truck # 216

Water utilities –
Miss Digs
Reading meters
Repaired touch reads
Read meter finals requested by Treasurers Office
Assisted with water main break repair
Checked for water leaks resulting from report of high consumption at residents

Stephen Sobers, City Manager