Garrett Neese/Daily Mining Gazette The demolition of the Houghton parking deck is ahead of schedule. MJO closed off the west section of the deck Tuesday. Work will begin on installing new curbs, gutters and sidewalks along the east portion of the worksite.

HOUGHTON — With the east section of the Lakeshore Drive parking deck already down, demolition is proceeding ahead of schedule, the Houghton City Council heard at its meeting Wednesday.

Construction firm MJO expects to finish demolition by the end of July, Houghton Clerk Ann Vollrath said. MJO closed off the west section of the deck Tuesday, about a week ahead of the original estimate. Crews are now putting up protection for buildings ahead of the takedown of the west half, which is slated to start July 5.

In a meeting earlier Wednesday, residents near the construction area said they were happy with MJO and had no complaints about how the work has gone, Vollrath said.

As the east side is cleaned up, crews will begin installing new curbs, gutters and sidewalks. The current surface will be left there temporarily until it is repaved for parking in the fall.

In other action, the council:

• Approved a right-of-way grant for Semco Energy. Semco is installing a new gas main connecting to the Douglass House Apartments. It will go across Huron Street between Shelden and Montezuma Avenues, and run along the north side of the Carnegie Museum property. City Manager Eric Waara and Department of Public Works Supervisor Ryan Avendt both approved the grant. Waara said the area is close to the property line, and it is not expected it would ever need to be built upon, Vollrath said.

• Approved adjustments to the 2022-23 budget. New revenues include grant money for the police department and for restoration work for the Father’s Day Flood. Other changes included adjusting the Tax Increment Finance Authority budget to include extra legal fees, and adding money to the civic better fund for cruise ships and other activities.

• Approved the Local Development Finance Authority budget. The balanced budget of $1.88 million is up 8% over last year’s. The bulk of expenses — $1,170,100 — goes to MTEC for the contract with the SmartZone.

• Approved the purchase of a new police vehicle. The city is purchasing a 2023 Dodge Durango and equipment for $66,608.72. The city’s total cost is $42,708.72, with the rest coming from a Rural Development grant. Police Chief John Donnelly said he believes the department will be able to get the vehicle by the end of the summer; if not, it should come by 2024.

• Heard a report from Donnelly. Lt. Nick Roberts and Houghton County Sheriff Josh Saaranen hosted a behavioral health crisis class in conjunction with Copper Shores Community Health Foundation. It was the first one in the U.P. where officers were trained, Donnelly said. Donnelly also said the city will have a debriefing meeting on Friday to look for ways to market better and bring in more cruise ships. American Queen Voyages, which visited Houghton each of the past two years, announced last week it was ending its Great Lakes cruises at the end of the 2023 season.