Present at the monthly Pentwater Village Council meeting on April 13 were council members Don Palmer, Karl Schrumpf, David Bluhm, Dan Nugent, Jared Griffis and Kathy O’Connor, President Mary Marshall, Village Manager Toby Van Ess and Police Chief Laude Hartrum. There were nine residents in attendance and three residents tuning in via Zoom.
Approval of the Consent Agenda included granting requests to use the Village Green by the Pentwater Service Club for the Start of Summer Party on June 7, by the Pentwater VFW for the Memorial Day Program on May 26, by the Pentwater Lake Association for the Annual Strawberry Shortcake Social on August 13 and by the Pentwater Yacht Club for the Wooden and Classic Boat Show on August 22.
Correspondence received by the clerk included a letter of appreciation from Chris Conroy for the detailed communication from the DPW staff on the sewer system challenges and the diligence of the village manager and a letter from Ted Cuchna expressing disappointment in the village's giving the school funding for the recreation program, which he felt the school should fully fund.
In addition to her financial report, Treasurer Michelle Bieri informed council of helpful conferences she attended, along with some ongoing issues with utility billing.
Under department reports, the Pentwater Fire Department (PFD) report included the information that Chris McLaughlin accepted the job offer to join the PFD, with a start date dependent on completion of the pre-employment requirement. In the police department report, Chief Hartrum described the Badges and Business podcasts he is producing with other community members to highlight village events and policies (such as parking all four tires on the grass). He has made eight episodes so far. Hartrum also reported the past three weeks have been especially busy with multiple mental health and domestic disturbance calls.
Van Ess updated council members on the American Tower discussion (no agreement reached) and the Employee Handbook. Marshall and Van Ess have conducted the handbook review. Palmer suggested employees should have an opportunity for input. O’Connor wanted time to review the edits to date. Van Ess said, “Our labor attorneys at the Miller Johnson firm have looked over and approved our revisions.”
The revised document will be voted on at the May council meeting.
New business consisted of two proposals from the Planning Commission, which met on March 24. The first was a change in the verbiage of ordinance 308.D to allow for larger-sized accessory buildings depending on lot size. Bluhm said, “Although council members do not need to be informed of all the details discussed by the planning commission, I believe a brief summary of the primary reasons to propose any change would enable us to make a good, well-informed decision.“
A motion to approve the change in verbiage was supported and unanimously approved.
The second proposal was to grant a waiver for a resident on a corner lot to have no sidewalk on one side of their property. A long discussion followed during which council expressed consensus on the need for a sidewalk master plan to guide policies and waiver requests.
Sidewalk development has not kept pace with new home construction. Growth of old trees has created uneven sidewalks, and grass has grown over the sidewalk in some places. Sidewalk width is inconsistent, and completion of sidewalks is also inconsistent among streets and blocks and even houses on the same block. They noted that resident safety is compromised by the lack of good sidewalks.
Griffis reported, “I cannot walk a grandchild in a stroller the length of the sidewalk on my street.”
The cost for sidewalk construction and repair has not been budgeted in any master plan, although Van Ess said he had included some sidewalk repair funds in the current budget. Sidewalk repair can be triggered by a request from a resident for their property or by the village if they deem a sidewalk unsafe. In either of those cases, the cost is shared 50/50 by the property owner and the village. A motion to approve the waiver was supported and approved, with no votes registered by Palmer and Bluhm.
During public comment, resident Robert Puszykowski, who lives on Rutledge Street, spoke on behalf of his extended family to object to the use of the green space directly across the street from his home for public events. The green space is part of the Pentwater Historical Museum expansion. “Although I am supportive of the museum and its expansion, I am concerned about the noise and the lights and the commotion that would accompany evening and weekend events, impacting the normal peace and quiet in the neighborhood.”
A second comment was offered by Cuchna, who advised that a survey of traffic on the village streets would be important to any sidewalk policies.
Regarding a resident’s question about the connection between the Citizens Harbor Project Committee and the Pentwater Village Council, Bluhm replied it was under the umbrella of the Services Committee, and Palmer replied, “Historically the village president has had the authority to appoint ad hoc committees, which then are responsible to report to the council.”
Van Ess thanked council members for their helpful discussion regarding sidewalks.
Additionally, Marshall asked if any definitive reason had been given or solution suggested for the damage to all the locust trees on Hancock Street. Van Ess responded that a decision was made to allow two more weeks for their revival, at which time they will be considered dead and slated for replacement in the fall. He also shared, “A tongue-in-cheek suggestion was made to me to invite children to decorate the trees this summer to render them more attractive.”
The likely culprit for their demise is believed to have been an herbicide the trees could not tolerate.
At 7:15 p.m. all attendees were asked to leave while council went into closed session.
