Kent Kraft/For the Gazette Jim Flood, owner of the Mineral Range Depot, addresses the Calumet Village Council during the public comment period.

CALUMET – After the Calumet Village Council meeting was called to order Tuesday, Village President Rob Tarvis recommended amending the agenda to remove discussion on what had been labeled as the “Ninth Street Issue.” Tarvis said this change was encouraged, “due to last minute legal correspondence.” Tarvis said, “We’ll still take public comments on the topic, but it seems like council members should take the time to review everything before we discuss it.” An amended agenda was unanimously passed.

Two members of the public did take the opportunity to discuss the topic with one resident of Ninth Street advising the council they had retained legal council over the matter. As the Daily Mining Gazette reported on Oct. 23, Jim Flood, owner of the Mineral Range Depot in Calumet, is asking the Village of Calumet to vacate a portion of 9th Street over lots 11, 12, and 13 which is property between the Depot and Saint Paul the Apostle Catholic Church.

Vacating that portion of the road is not something the Calumet Village Council can do quickly. They must pass a resolution announcing their intention to abandon the roadway, then have a public hearing to hear any objections to vacate the road, and then pass a resolution to vacate which must be passed by a majority of council members.

With no open discussion in council meetings to date, this process has not yet begun. The October Public Hearing was exploratory in nature, and purely for the council to collect information both from Flood and the public, according to Village Manager Megan Haselden. There is no set timeline at this point as to when the council will take up the matter again.

In other action, Haselden provided updates on the grant from the Financially Distressed Cities, Villages, and Townships program to repair and replace the roof of City Hall. She said conversations continued with representatives from the state and she received confirmation they (the State) would reimburse the entire cost of roof repairs, but have still not sent the money. Haselden is hoping the village will receive it before the end of the month.

Similarly, the Michigan Neighborhood Community Development Block Grant run by the Michigan State Housing Development Authority, for $400,000 has been slow in getting to the village. Haselden reported the hold up is on the grantor’s side as they still need to assign someone to the village to help manage the grant. Once the process is underway, she will inform residents and disseminate information on how to apply for the home improvement money this grant supplies.

Showing progress on the combined Calumet-Laurium Fire Authority, a draft of their articles of incorporation was provided to council members. Haselden informed the council the group working on the combined Fire Authority is looking for feedback from the three councils on the articles before sending them to a lawyer. After that, an actionable document will come to the council for a vote.