Department of Public Services Director Lee Hays Monday presented a proposal to the Hastings City Council to update the 2012 project plan for the city by Hubbell, Roth and Clark (HRC) outlining needs at the wastewater treatment plant and possible alternatives to addressing the needs.
The council approved hiring the company to update the report to reflect current conditions and prepare a Project Plan to be used as the city seeks funding options for the WWTP update. The plan must be updated every five years to be eligible for bonds or low interest loans from the DEQ, City Manager Jeff Mansfield said.
Development of a revised WWTP Project Plan will upgrade the previous plan to include all information required by the DEQ. The update is expected to take six to eight weeks, the deadline for submitting a loan application is July 1, he said.
The Project Plan update, to cost $28,000, would be funded by the Water and Sewer Fund and document the entire WWTP process and collection system as well as all needs over the next 20 years for the entire planning area, including a dozen different functions of the plant.
When the documentation of the existing system is complete, HRC will prioritize immediate needs and future needs over the 20-year planning period. The immediate projects will be analyzed with alternatives, worth analyses and other information required by the DEQ.
In other business, the council directed Deputy City Manager Jerry Czarnecki to provide them with information for the next meeting on the natural gas rates from Consumers Power for the last year and the cost comparisons made three years ago when the company changed providers from Consumers Energy to Interstate Gas Supply Inc.
Councilwoman Brenda McNabb-Stange wanted to know the previous costs, saying he gave them nothing to show them for them to compare…we don’t know if it’s a good idea, now you want us took okay a five year contract.”
Czarnecki had recommended a five-year contract with Interstate Gas Supply, for natural gas at a fixed rate of $3.09 per one thousand cubic feet (MCF). Their previous contract, which expires in April, was a fixed rate of $3.39 per MCF for three years.
Czarnecki said Consumers Energy would not give a fixed rate, the cost this month is $3.14 per MCF, it has been as high as $3.43 and low as $2.86 in past nine months. Volunteer Energy offered a fixed $3.39 per MCF for a two year or three year contract.
In his monthly report, Police Chief Jeff Pratt said first responders county wide met to prepare for this year's Barry Roubaix race. This year’s event is capped at 3,500; there are already 2,900 racers signed up, 1,200 more than last year’s racers.
This year’s Roubaix is April 13 starting with the 100-mile race at 10 a.m.
Also, Sgt. Karen Larson attended a week-long training in supervision put on by Dolan Consultants and “brought back a lot of good information,” Pratt said. The department is expected join the West Michigan Criminal Justice Training Consortium in the very near future. “The consortium has many training sessions that will prove to be very beneficial to our younger officers and those who desire to become instructors in specialized areas,” Pratt said.
Larson has volunteered to be the liaison with the police ambassadors. “I met with Larson, Dave McIntyre and John Resseguie and we came up with some good ideas to better our police ambassadors,” he said. Those interested in becoming a reserve officer or a police ambassador are asked to contact the police department for an application.
The council also approved:
*The Hastings Downtown Business Team hosting the Spring Girls Night Out Thursday, May 2 from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. with music and sidewalk sales,
*South Central Michigan Youth Baseball using Fish Hatchery and Bob King Parks ball fields again this baseball season. There are no scheduling conflicts with the YMCA.
*setting a workshop March 14 at 6 p.m. to discuss comprehensive utility capital improvement and utility rate recommendations.
*a revised joint Hastings Public Library Board agreement, making it more flexible. The Library Board will now have representatives from the city and Rutland Township, but not Hastings Township since its voters turned down a millage request for library services. The agreement makes it easier for Hastings Township to come back in if they pass a millage in the future.
