MONTAGUE — The Montague City Council approved a resolution at its regular meeting Monday that grants the state Department of Transportation (MDOT) authority to move forward with its planned 2027 repaving of Water Street, which will span from the Dowling Street to Stanton Boulevard intersections.
The repaving will change the road layout from four lanes to three lanes, plus a turn lane for vehicles turning from Water to Dowling towards Whitehall. This comes as a result of MDOT studies with data provided by the City of Montague. MDOT hosted a public engagement session last August to introduce the concept to city residents and it believes the changes will enhance the safety of the road for drivers and pedestrians alike.
Council member Paul Schultz asked why the project does not also include Dowling Street from where the causeway bridge enters Montague up to the stoplight, believing it to be "half a job" and "a waste of our time" to not also repave that section of street. City Manager Jeff Auch replied that MDOT did not want to potentially duplicate effort on that section of street, as it may need repaving once again when necessary work is done to the causeway bridge in the future. MDOT has not set a firm time for those improvements, but believes it will be necessary over the next 10 years. Schultz then was the lone dissenting vote on the resolution.
The council unanimously approved a recommendation from Fleis and Vandenbrink to budget $50,000-75,000 for foundation stabilization work at the White Lake Senior Center, which would include the installation of helical piers to keep the foundation steady. The company believes the work would preserve the building, which would keep the city from needing to pursue alternate sites for an area senior center. The council also unanimously approved the city's allocation of its senior millage, with $11,128 being used for the distribution and administration of the Montague Farmer's Market coupon program for 2026 and the remaining $3,206 being allocated to general maintenance and facility insurance for the Senior Center.
The council unanimously granted Auch authority to pursue a grant from the Michigan Department of Natural Resources that would help fund phase two of its planned improvements to Cullen Field. The grant could provide Montague up to $400,000 toward the phase two projects, which are currently budgeted for $908,500 in all. Council member Bob Hires confirmed with Auch that the city could revisit the plan and "trim the fat" if it wanted to reduce costs, and that would not affect its ability to receive the grant money.
Phase two projects include additional shaded seating at the fields, a drinking fountain outfitted to fill water bottles, solar-powered lighting, minor improvements to the concession stand and some landscaping work. The work would also, Auch noted, make the area accessible under the Americans with Disabilities Act.
The council discussed other ways the city could defray the remaining cost of the project's second phase, including soliciting public donations to fund individual items, such as a seating table, and pursuing grants from other local organizations like the White Lake Community Fund.
During the city manager's report, Auch reported that the United Way has contacted the city about cleaning cemetery headstones as a community service project. He and the city's Department of Public Works foreman, Steve Lohman, are working to ensure headstones are not damaged while the cleaning takes place.
Auch also updated an over 18-month-old grant request the city made to help fund improvements to Maple Grove Park. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers told Auch the request is still being delayed due to the park's being a historic site.
During the work session that followed the meeting, the council fielded a recommendation from the facilities subcommittee to demolish the former Teddy's Car Wash on Water Street that the city purchased last fall. The subcommittee had been discussing using the building for temporary storage, but did not find it was worth it to do so. Once the building is demolished, the city could sell the property for development.
The parks subcommittee has recommended the city move forward with a process to designate Cullen Fields as an official city park. Although the area functions as a park, it's been found it was never officially designated as such. The committee also has recommended the city roll over funds presently allocated to phase one of the Cullen Fields improvement project to the 2026-27 fiscal year. Phase one includes parking lot improvements and the installation of a community area, which could, among other things, host food trucks during events.
