Planning commission meets at 7 tonight

Dowagiac Planning Commission meets at 7 tonight to  consider a lot split for the industrial zoned property at 300 E. Railroad St.
The lot split is requested for the pending sale of a portion of the property that will become Fryman’s Recycling, according to City Manager Kevin Anderson.
Anderson said zoning will remain industrial and there are no immediate plans for the vacant lot. The request meets the standards of the zoning code.

Bids taken
for parking lot project

Bids were taken last week for resurfacing the parking lot between Cass County Council on Aging’s Front Street Crossing and City Hall, as well as development of a parking lot and green space at the former fire station site behind City Hall.
“The good news is that the bids are below engineers’ original estimates,” Anderson said Friday.
The low bid appears to be $75,000. Funding for the project will come from existing capital project funds from the DDA and Municipal Facilities Improvement Fund.
Bids are under review by Wightman and Associates for a recommendation to City Council March 12 so construction can take place in April.

Safe Routes to School grant pursued

It appears likely this is the last year the state will provide grant assistance for construction of sidewalks to elementary schools.
Hill Street and Paul Street from M-62 to Franklin are good candidates for participation in this program.
Staff is pursuing the viability of these two projects and will be scheduling a meeting with the state officials who review projects to see if they meet the goals of the grant program.
If the projects are deemed eligible by the state, an application will be prepared for council consideration within the next six to eight weeks, Anderson said.

Fleet vehicles
need replacing

It is time to replace a number of vehicles in the city fleet.
As department heads review the vehicles for which they are responsible, they are considering a variety of factors including the vehicle’s current condition, miles or hours of use, age, cost to operate, fuel efficiency and function.
During the course of this review it is becoming apparent that several vehicles are rarely used and the fuel efficiency of the fleet can be improved without adversely impacting services.
Anderson expects the council to see a recommendation to reduce the number of vehicles in the fleet and to reduce the number of four-wheel drive vehicles that remain. The result will be a reduction of capital and operating costs throughout city operations.