MONTAGUE — The Montague City Council approved at its Oct. 20 meeting an adjustment to the Whitehall Products property that will move the building slightly closer to Water Street and will result in 35 feet of land behind the building being deeded to the city.
Whitehall Products CEO Brad Bruns was present at the meeting and explained why the company was pursuing the approval, stating it will allow the company to construct an underground conveyor that will make moving molding sand from one step to the next less labor-intensive. The increase in productivity, Bruns said, will allow the company to bring some work that had previously been done abroad back to its facility.
The expansion of the building, he said, will be by 20-25 feet. City manager Jeff Auch presented mock-ups of what the building will look like after the expansion, sharing that the company is planning an aesthetic improvement to make the building look "more commercial and less industrial."
In addition to a 6-0 approval of the plan (Bob Hires was absent), council member Laura LaGuire said her company, Cascade Die Casting in Grand Rapids, implemented a similar conveyor system at its facility and saw improvement as well.
The council approved mayor Tom Lohman's recommendation of Shawna Ramthun of ReNew You Fitness to the Downtown Development Authority. Ramthun was appointed to fill a vacancy created when Mark Peets left downtown, and her term will expire in 2026. Ramthun, Auch said, was a recommendation made the last time there was a vacancy but did not apply to fill it in time.
The council voted 4-2 to table the approval of a one-year charity gaming license for the White Lake Fireworks Committee, with Lohman and LaGuire dissenting. The decision was made due to a lack of details offered by the committee on what the license would be used for; 50/50 and prize raffles would be allowed under the license. Council member Paul Schultz said he would like to hear more from the committee on the topic, as it will also be seeking approval from the City of Whitehall for the license.
During the city manager's report, Auch stated, having received the final invoices, the recently completed city hall renovations came in under budget. There was $150,000 budgeted for the renovations, and Auch said the total came to a little over $127,000. He also shared that the Michigan Department of Transportation is reviewing the city's proposed crosswalk ordinance. The city is also getting quotes on how much new garage doors would cost at the old car wash property on Ferry Street, which the city recently purchased. The council will be presented any resulting costs for approval.
The council also welcomed Olive Carlson as a new student representative. Abbi Tallquist is also a representative, and the two will share the duties based on their respective schedules.
