MONTAGUE — After some discussion on the matter, the Montague City Council voted 6-1 at its Monday, Oct. 19 meeting to approve the sale of a lot in the Montague Industrial Park to Wiley Fry for a storage and repurposing facility that will focus on Fry's efforts to recycle products.
The move was, in part, procedural, as City Manager Jeff Auch said Fry needed approval from the council to make the purchase to go before the city's planning commission to ensure the proposed property will meet zoning regulations.
Fry, who's also running to be on the council as a write-in candidate, spoke after some discussion about the proposed facility. Paul Schultz, the lone dissenting vote, said he was in favor of the idea of a recycling facility but shared misgivings about the site's proximity to White Lake and groundwater and didn't want to vote to approve without getting answers to the unknowns. Bob Hires voted to approve Fry's purchase but said he supported Schultz seeking specific answers to some questions, and the council will submit those questions to Auch to pass along to the planning commission.
Fry said the facility will not house anything difficult to recycle, and that any electronic items recycled will be taken apart, with parts shipped to a facility in Ohio for recycling. Outside of that, Fry addressed concerns of PFAS or fire risk by saying if they cannot compost something, they do not want to be responsible for it.
Fry added that they don't want to disturb residential neighbors nearby and is planning to periodically meet with them to keep them apprised of planned activities at the site.
Council member Susan Newhof praised the idea of the facility, noting that there's often discussion of needing new ideas to improve recycling, and was thrilled one was being presented to the council.
The council also approved a revised Rules of Procedure document in a split vote after months of discussion of the document in work sessions. The council narrowly approved the document 4-3, with Schultz, Hires and Laura LaGuire dissenting. Schultz said he had discussed his issues with the document repeatedly in work sessions and didn't want to belabor the point further, and LaGuire said her dissension was due to a desire to table the issue until after the Nov. 3 election so the newly comprised city council would have an opportunity to weigh in on it.
During the city manager's report, Auch noted that the Bowen Woods Planned Unit Development is on a brief hold for now due to what he called a "glitch in the subordination agreement" that governs loan repayment. As a result, tree clearing at the site has paused while attorneys for the city and the PUD are discussing the situation. Auch said work could resume within a few weeks if the issue is settled. Auch also added that police department renovations should be completed soon and that as a result the city council chambers should be available as a voting site for the Nov. 3 election as planned.
The council unanimously approved the purchase of a residential lot near the industrial park by adjoining property owners Nathan and Rebekah Long. Auch said the Longs are paying the price established by the city assessor.
