HANCOCK — The Business and Technology Park second phase is near completion with its road completed and opened. Hancock City Manager Mary Babcock gave the update during her report to the Hancock City Council during the council meeting on Wednesday. She said road surface marking has begun and will need be completed before the project is considered finished.

Babcock reported HOCO arena is ready for the season, and expects the city to have more involvement with the operation of the building this year. “Junior hockey has decided that they are not able to staff the concession stand, so they decided this year to let the city do whatever they want in there,” Babcock explained. “They just have a little bit of trouble for time commitment and volunteer hours.”

Babcock said campground employee Lori Murphy will take over the HOCO concession stand management and scheduling. “She’s been a great employee for us at the campground, and I do believe we’ll add a lot to the rink,” Babcock said.

“Hancock Lights the Night” will begin light installation on Oct. 15. The Christmas event will feature 22 business, family or organization light displays at camp sites at the campground for visitors to drive past. Babcock said the city needs volunteers to help put up some of the light displays, and those who are interested should reach out to the city.

The garage the city purchased on Franklin Street has begun being used, with the Department of Public Works moving some equipment into the building. Equipment stoarage in the garage will make things a bit more accessible and the garage has been upgraded with garage door openers. Babcock said other upgrades will be worked on, including windows and new of paint.

Council member Dean Woodbeck reported on a recent KEDA meeting. Wood said that KEDA Executive Directory Jeff Radcliffe is likely retiring at the end of 2026. Babcock also added she heard there was to be a 46 percent cut to the MEDC. “I don’t think that’s finalized yet, but I’ve heard from multiple sources that it’s going to be a deep cut for them. So I don’t know how they’ll funnel their money back out into the communities, but I’m sure they’ll find a way to do that hopefully,” she said.

During the public comment portion of the meeting, a few residents brought with their concerns of Hancock’s prior discussion of Flock Safety License Plate Reader cameras. The residents had concerns over privacy issues, potential Fourth Amendment violations and the storage of data collected by Flock Safety. The council discussed Flock Safety at a prior meeting at which they tabled the issue. No action was taken regarding Flock Safety at Wednesday’s meeting, though council member Lisa McKenzie and Woodbeck indicated they would not support installing Flock Safety cameras if it was to be discussed further.