Kent Kraft for the Gazette The Calumet Village Council approved a number of resolutions Tuesday including the transfer of ownership of the Agnitz Block structure

CALUMET – At its regular meeting Tuesday, the Calumet Village Council unanimously approved the transfer of the Agnitz Block property at 427 5th Street from the Downtown Development Authority to MCP Properties, LLC. Plans are in place to redevelop that building and 425 5th Street into three new storefronts. Parking spaces will be needed, so the Council unanimously approved support for MCP Properties, LLC to develop a parking lot on the vacant lot at Lot 6, Block 19, which will have room for up to 18 parking spaces. The lot would still be owned by the village but developed and maintained by the developers for a period of 15 years.

Similarly, the Council unanimously approved support for Quello Block LLC to have 15 spaces, also for 15 years, from the parking lot on 4th street. These parking spots would service the planned boutique hotel with a restaurant and bar built at 308 – 310 5th Street.

The two projects combined represent nearly $9 million in investment and will provide more than 26,000 square feet of commercial space and plan for seven long-term housing units. Calumet Village Council President Rob Tarvis applauded the forward movement on these plans and hailed it as, “huge for the Downtown” area of Calumet.

The Council also unanimously approved Ordinance 162, the Dangerous Buildings & Structures Ordinance. If this sounds familiar, it is because the ordinance was previously approved, but was not published within the required 15 days, so it was assigned a new ordinance number and was reapproved.

Because of lingering questions, the Council tabled an Outdoor Burning Ordinance to May. However, there was unanimous approval of a Conflict of Interest Policy which all board members and employees will adhere to, providing more transparency.

At the request of Village Manager Megan Haselden, the Council also considered pre-approval of $25,000 for equipment purchases for Fiscal Year 2026. As the Village uses auctions and other quick response methods of procurement, special meetings of the Council to approve expenditures are frequently difficult, so having money pre-approved gives the Village better chances to get equipment at more competitive prices. The Council unanimously approved this request.

Haselden also mentioned another planning workshop for volunteers interested in helping with the continued 150th anniversary celebration for the Village of Calumet will take place on Tuesday, April 22nd at the Village Offices at 4:30pm.

In other action, the council:

· Unanimously approved Manager Haselden’s recommendation to hire a secretary with the selected candidate set to start at the beginning of May.

· Appointed John Taylor to the Planning Commission.

· Approved paying bills totaling $40,074.70.