By Bruce Rolfe
The Climax Village Council faced a light agenda at its regular meeting May 14, however one topic the council has been discussing drew quite a bit of interest.
Instead of the typical two to five guests that routinely attend the Village Council meetings, 15 people packed the tiny Prairie Historical Room inside the Lawrence Memorial Library.
In April, the Climax Village Council hired OHM Advisors, a municipal, architectural, engineering and planning firm to perform a feasibility study and provide an estimated cost to construct a railroad quite zone at the Maple Street and Main Street crossings in the Village of Climax at a cost of $4,238. Costs for the final design, bid documents, construction administration services and equipment used for the project would be extra.
Village of Climax resident Rita Beck, of North Church Street and a 47-year resident of the village, handed the Council petitions containing 118 signatures from Village of Climax residents who are against the Railroad Quiet Zone the Council is considering.
“The reason this is not wanted, is we believe it would be too costly to install and maintain. This could result in a tax increase to pay for doing this work. Anyone who moves to the Village of Climax has to know ahead of time that we have trains,” said Beck, who said the village residents against the Railroad Quiet Zone would like to see village residents have a right to vote on the issue instead of having the Council decide.
Council trustee Joline Chaney said the company performing the study determined all railroad equipment is up to date and no equipment would need to be replaced.
However it was noted by Bowron at a presentation he gave the council in April other safety measures would have to be in place to prevent drivers of vehicles from going around the gates. Bowron said one option to reduce risk is installing a non-traversable curb (typically a six-inch curb in the center of a median) just before the approach on both sides of the road. Another deterrent that could be considered is a mountable curb risk channelization where removable paddles are installed in the middle of the road a specific distance before the crossing.
The board is waiting for the feasibility study to be completed, at which time a cost will also be provided.
Roger Smith is new part time DPW employee
The Department of Public Works has been operating with two full time employees after former part time DPW employee Kevin Leach resigned approximately two months ago.
However because the DPW work load has increased significantly, DPW Manager T.J. Gibson asked the Council to consider hiring a new part time employee.
Interim Council President David Miller said Roger Smith was the lone applicant so the Council unanimously approved a motion to hire Smith as the new part time employee. Smith will work up to 20 hours a week for $16 an hour.
Trustee resigns, appointment made
Trustee Denise Kenney said she will be resigning from her trustee position effective May 14 because her family will be moving out of the area. She informed the council of her intentions of resigning a significant time ago.
Because the Council had previous knowledge Kenney would be resigning, the Council sought applicants to fill the seat. Arlene VonHout submitted a written request, however Village resident Bill Lewis also told the Council at a previous meeting he would be interested in serving for any vacant position.
Miller recommended the council appoint VonHout to fill the position at the May 14 meeting and the Council unanimously approved the motion. She began in the position May 15, 2024.
Village website discussed
Because current Village resident Ron Kenney and his family will be moving soon, he will no longer be able to update the Village of Climax website. He has been updating the website at no charge to the village.
Interim President David Miller began researching website options and presented a proposal from Revize to the Council at the May 14 meeting. He said Revize is based out of Troy, and strictly develops and sets up websites for municipalities. He initiated discussions with a Revize representative and said a template would be available, making it very easy for updating the website with no coding required.
Clerk Linda Coburn added the Revize template has a Citizens Communication and Engagement Center that will allow the village to send information to anybody who signed up for alerts. She said once signed up, citizens could choose from a menu of items to receive.
It was noted the Village’s current website is not ADA compliant, however Revize apps would address those needs.
Miller said there would be a one-time website and development fee of $900 and the annual tech support, software subscription and web hosting service fee is $1,900.
The Interim Village President adds the Revize standard contract is for three years, however he was able to negotiate an escape claus if the council signs a contract with Revize. He said instead of a three-year agreement, after one year the Council could make quarterly payments with the option of discontinuing the service without any penalty or charge with 90 days notice. However if the village did opt out of the agreement, a new website would have to be developed from scratch.
Kevin Harvey, who was in the audience and does not live in the village, said he felt he could offer similar website services at a considerable lower cost. After some discussion, the council asked him to submit a proposal the council can review at a future meeting.
In other items covered at the May 14 meeting:
• Sydney Cope will be the Deputy Treasurer until current Treasurer Brenda Borden’s last day May 31, at which time Cope will become the Treasurer.
After brief discussion, the Council approved by a 6-1 margin (Carolyn Kelly voted no), the rate of $30 per hour to pay Borden for training Cope on tax collection, with a cap of 10 hours of training, subject of adding additional hours with Council approval.
• DPW employee Forrest Cope said the welcome to Climax sign on North Main Street will be replaced soon.
• Public Safety Chairman Nick Ludwig said he will research the cost to get the weather warning siren fixed.
• Ludwig also informed the Council because ARPA funds have to be designated by the end of the year, the Council will enter into a new one-year agreement with the Kalamazoo County Sheriff Department for additional law enforcement presence in the village.
The Climax Village Council faced a light agenda at its regular meeting May 14, however one topic the council has been discussing drew quite a bit of interest.
Instead of the typical two to five guests that routinely attend the Village Council meetings, 15 people packed the tiny Prairie Historical Room inside the Lawrence Memorial Library.
In April, the Climax Village Council hired OHM Advisors, a municipal, architectural, engineering and planning firm to perform a feasibility study and provide an estimated cost to construct a railroad quite zone at the Maple Street and Main Street crossings in the Village of Climax at a cost of $4,238. Costs for the final design, bid documents, construction administration services and equipment used for the project would be extra.
Village of Climax resident Rita Beck, of North Church Street and a 47-year resident of the village, handed the Council petitions containing 118 signatures from Village of Climax residents who are against the Railroad Quiet Zone the Council is considering.
“The reason this is not wanted, is we believe it would be too costly to install and maintain. This could result in a tax increase to pay for doing this work. Anyone who moves to the Village of Climax has to know ahead of time that we have trains,” said Beck, who said the village residents against the Railroad Quiet Zone would like to see village residents have a right to vote on the issue instead of having the Council decide.
Council trustee Joline Chaney said the company performing the study determined all railroad equipment is up to date and no equipment would need to be replaced.
However it was noted by Bowron at a presentation he gave the council in April other safety measures would have to be in place to prevent drivers of vehicles from going around the gates. Bowron said one option to reduce risk is installing a non-traversable curb (typically a six-inch curb in the center of a median) just before the approach on both sides of the road. Another deterrent that could be considered is a mountable curb risk channelization where removable paddles are installed in the middle of the road a specific distance before the crossing.
The board is waiting for the feasibility study to be completed, at which time a cost will also be provided.
Roger Smith is new part time DPW employee
The Department of Public Works has been operating with two full time employees after former part time DPW employee Kevin Leach resigned approximately two months ago.
However because the DPW work load has increased significantly, DPW Manager T.J. Gibson asked the Council to consider hiring a new part time employee.
Interim Council President David Miller said Roger Smith was the lone applicant so the Council unanimously approved a motion to hire Smith as the new part time employee. Smith will work up to 20 hours a week for $16 an hour.
Trustee resigns, appointment made
Trustee Denise Kenney said she will be resigning from her trustee position effective May 14 because her family will be moving out of the area. She informed the council of her intentions of resigning a significant time ago.
Because the Council had previous knowledge Kenney would be resigning, the Council sought applicants to fill the seat. Arlene VonHout submitted a written request, however Village resident Bill Lewis also told the Council at a previous meeting he would be interested in serving for any vacant position.
Miller recommended the council appoint VonHout to fill the position at the May 14 meeting and the Council unanimously approved the motion. She began in the position May 15, 2024.
Village website discussed
Because current Village resident Ron Kenney and his family will be moving soon, he will no longer be able to update the Village of Climax website. He has been updating the website at no charge to the village.
Interim President David Miller began researching website options and presented a proposal from Revize to the Council at the May 14 meeting. He said Revize is based out of Troy, and strictly develops and sets up websites for municipalities. He initiated discussions with a Revize representative and said a template would be available, making it very easy for updating the website with no coding required.
Clerk Linda Coburn added the Revize template has a Citizens Communication and Engagement Center that will allow the village to send information to anybody who signed up for alerts. She said once signed up, citizens could choose from a menu of items to receive.
It was noted the Village’s current website is not ADA compliant, however Revize apps would address those needs.
Miller said there would be a one-time website and development fee of $900 and the annual tech support, software subscription and web hosting service fee is $1,900.
The Interim Village President adds the Revize standard contract is for three years, however he was able to negotiate an escape claus if the council signs a contract with Revize. He said instead of a three-year agreement, after one year the Council could make quarterly payments with the option of discontinuing the service without any penalty or charge with 90 days notice. However if the village did opt out of the agreement, a new website would have to be developed from scratch.
Kevin Harvey, who was in the audience and does not live in the village, said he felt he could offer similar website services at a considerable lower cost. After some discussion, the council asked him to submit a proposal the council can review at a future meeting.
In other items covered at the May 14 meeting:
• Sydney Cope will be the Deputy Treasurer until current Treasurer Brenda Borden’s last day May 31, at which time Cope will become the Treasurer.
After brief discussion, the Council approved by a 6-1 margin (Carolyn Kelly voted no), the rate of $30 per hour to pay Borden for training Cope on tax collection, with a cap of 10 hours of training, subject of adding additional hours with Council approval.
• DPW employee Forrest Cope said the welcome to Climax sign on North Main Street will be replaced soon.
• Public Safety Chairman Nick Ludwig said he will research the cost to get the weather warning siren fixed.
• Ludwig also informed the Council because ARPA funds have to be designated by the end of the year, the Council will enter into a new one-year agreement with the Kalamazoo County Sheriff Department for additional law enforcement presence in the village.
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