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EDWARDSBURG — The Edwardsburg Village Council continued discussing park amenities and looked toward the future with a possible new charter at their regular board meeting on Monday.

Trustees voted to approve the purchase of two replacement park benches at a cost of $800 each. One of the benches in need of replacement had been damaged by recent tornados. They also briefly returned to the topic of adding a pier to Gunn Park, which would add additional seating and extend into the water for easier fishing. After the extra cost of tornado clean-up, the council decided to delay the purchase of the pier until next year. They also discussed the possibility of seeking donations for such park amenities and honoring those who contributed with a plaque. 

Later in the meeting, the council discussed responsibly spending village funds.

“It’s the people’s money, ” said Village President Dennis Peak. “We’re good stewards with the people’s money.”

With the approval of Resolution 25-03, the Village of Edwardsburg begins the process of considering a new charter. The current charter was last reviewed, amended, and approved in 1986. The first step in the process is putting to a vote whether or not village residents would like to update the charter. With the approval of the resolution, village electors will be able to adopt or reject moving forward with the process. The resolution will appear on the next fall 2025 election ballot.

Trustee Sam Garwood expressed a desire for a public outreach campaign for village residents to understand the charter process and to create awareness for the election.

The village’s new iron filtration plant continues to improve water in Edwardsburg, with a 97-100 percent reduction in iron and manganese reported by the Department of Public Works. DPW Coordinator Richard Low noted that he is continuing to calibrate the system to further lower costs. Already, the system requires less backwash recycling, decreasing sewer costs for the village.

The DPW report also noted that road patching had been completed and most of the tree damage from recent storms had been cleaned up. Sidewalk repairs will begin soon on sections of Cass Street, with up to $1000 approved for the purchase of concrete.

An invoice of $1,850 from Brown’s Tree Service was approved for the removal of a tree that had fallen on power lines on Maple Street. Trustees also approved up to $750 for the cleaning of catch basins on Cass Street and up to $1,000 for road striping paint for use around the village.

The Police Board is in the early stages of researching the possible need and cost of a police dog.

The Village office will be closed Friday, July 4 for Independence Day. The next regular village council meeting will take place at 6 p.m. Monday, July 21.