Daily Press staff
ESCANABA — The Escanaba City Council has a wide range of topics on its agenda Thursday night, but many of the items discussed will revolve around developments or changes to traffic.
PUBLIC SAFETY AND TRAFFIC
Escanaba Public Safety is seeking the council’s approval to purchase 30 Motorola Body Cameras from Motorola Solutions at a cost of $96,570. The price includes five years of subscription service for cloud storage, video transfers, and applications, as well as a five year warranty.
Public safety will also be requesting two traffic control orders be approved. These orders allow for temporary traffic changes, which expire after 90 days unless adopted as permanent changes by the council.
Specifically, public safety is requesting a yield sign be placed at the intersection of South 16th Street and 16th Avenue South. The T-shaped intersection is located in a residential area.
The second traffic control order would place a sign establishing no parking between 6:30 a.m. to 7:30 a.m. and 2 p.m. to 3 p.m in front of the first and second angle parking sports west of South 15th Street on the south side of Ludington Street, across the street from the Escanaba Upper Elementary School.
HOLIDAY ROAD CLOSURES
The Escanaba DDA will make two requests for this holiday season: the closure of a portion of South 11th Street for the Escanaba Christmas Tree Lighting on Nov. 21 and the closure of the entirety of Ludington Street for the annual Christmas Parade on Dec. 1.
On Nov. 21, South 11th Street will be closed from Ludington Street to the alley, from 5 to 8 p.m. for the tree lighting. On Dec. 1, Ludington Street will be closed from 5 to 8 p.m., with the parade taking palce between 6 and 7:30 p.m. The parade will start at City Hall and end at the Catherine Bonifas Civic Center.
LAND SALES
The council will weigh approving two separate land sales, both of which are related to industrial development.
The first request is to sell 1.58 acres of the Whitetail Industrial Park (Lot 8) to Soo Hill Sanitation. The company has submitted a $23,000 bid ($14,557 per acre), which is similar to accepted offers made in the last two years for other lots in the industrial park of similar size.
If the sale is approved, Soo Hill Sanitation will use the site for equipment storage, a sales and office space, and a maintenance area. No garbage will be stored at the property, but unused dumpsters would be cleaned and stored inside a fenced storage yard at the site.
The second request is from Weaver Construction, which is seeking to purchase one acre of city-owned land on North 32nd Street. The company is offering $16,500 for the land, which is identical to an approved offer for a different one-acre parcel sold on North 32nd Street last year.
If approved the construction company would establish a maintenance shop and office space on the parcel. Equipment would also be stored on the property, behind the shop. Fencing around the property is part of the company’s plan for the site.
CHARITABLE GAMING
The Patrons of Escanaba Schools Performing Arts is seeking the council’s approval of a resolution recognizing the group as a nonprofit organization operating in the community for the purspose of obtaining a charitable gaming license from the state.
TAX ORDINANCES
The council will also hold the first readings of two separate ordinances establishing a service charge in lieu of taxes. The ordinances would assess charges of 6% of annual shelter rents collected by Meadowbrook Apartments and Willow Grove Townhomes.
INSURANCE
The city’s administration is requesting the council approve a contract with Mutual of Omaha for life and disability benefits. The proposed contract would save the city $764.28 annually.
