The Climax Village Council approved one large purchase and added a small guideline that will be part of the spring and fall cleanup service at the April 1 regular Village Council meeting.
The Council unanimously approved the purchase of a standby Cummins generator from Michigan Critical Power at a cost of $28,785 for the village’s water system.
The standby generator will be installed with an automatic transfer switch by Michigan Critical Power out of Byron Center.
Because the new piece of equipment was not part of the recently adopted 2025-2026 budget, there will be a budget amendment.
The new standby generator will run all three of the Village’s wells when there is a power outage. The new standby generator will also be able to operate well house lights and heaters as well as communications and computer equipment through a phone App that will monitor water tank levels Department of Public Works Manager T.J. Gibson can monitor.
Gibson said the price was much less then the original quote of approximately $40,000 he was provided because some of the electrical infrastructure needed for the large standby generator is already in place. Electric hookup capabilities that were also put in place when a variable frequency drive the Council approved to purchase earlier that will monitor water pressure levels when the water tower tank is cleaned, also reduced cost.
Gibson said the current process the DPW uses when there is a power outage, is older, requiring the DPW staff to guess how much water is in the tank.
While new back up generator is not included in the new budget, Village Council President Bill Lewis said with approximately $21,00 of new revenue the village expects from a new T-Mobile contract to have equipment on top of the water tower, the funding will be available in the water budget when considering a five-year spreadsheet for anticipated future costs on the water system.
The Climax Village Council approved a motion that will provide the option of placing items at the curbside three days ahead of the spring and fall pickup.
The spring pickup date is Saturday, April 12.
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The spring and fall pickup guidelines are below.
Curbside Cleanup and Bulk/Large Item Pickup Guidelines
• Strictly for household rubbish.
• Place items neatly within three (3) feet of the street or curb.
• If your items are put out late, they will not be picked up. Trucks will not make a second trip
Household doors, furniture, mattresses and carpeting will be accepted as long as:
• Carpeting must be rolled and securely tied in no longer than four (4) foot sections.
• Mattresses/Box-springs must be sealed in a plastic mattress bag.
• Bags may not exceed 35 pounds and trash cans may not exceed 75 pounds.
• No individual items over 4 feet in length, 3 feet wide or 3 feet high or weigh over 100 pounds
• Glass and mirrors must be less than 3’X4’ in size. Broken glass should be placed in a box, taped shut, and clearly marked, “BROKEN GLASS.”
• All small items must be in bags or cans for collection. LOOSE PILES WILL BE LEFT FOR THE HOMEOWNER’S DISPOSAL.
Best Way Disposal will not accept:
• Auto parts, engines, tires, batteries, oil drums, gasoline, oil.
• Air conditioners, freezers, refrigerators and dehumidifiers will not be accepted unless the appliance bears a certification sticker indicating that the Freon has been removed by a certified technician.
• Lumber, plaster, drywall, paneling, siding, fencing or other building material. NO LOOSE LUMBER OR BUILDING MATERIAL WILL BE COLLECTED.
• Chemicals, pesticides, paints, solvents or other household hazardous waste.
• Propane tanks/gas tanks
• Burning barrels/ Ashes
• Dead Animals
• No Yard Waste (grass clipping and or tree trimming) will be accepted.
• Concrete, dirt, rocks, sod, or stumps, sawdust, sand, asphalt, bricks
• Iron or Steel, cast iron bathtubs
• Medical Waste
• Hot tubs
• No Windows
Anyone with questions may call 269-388-3300.
In other items covered at the April 1 meeting:
• The Council unanimously approved minor changes T-Mobile requested be made in a contract with the Village the Council recently approved that will allow the communications company to place equipment on the water tower.
The added verbiage doesn’t change the terms in the agreement but clarifies when the effective date is.
The effective date of May 16, 2025 and the next five-year effective date of May 16, 2030 and thereafter was added. There are three terms of five years and an additional term of one year for six years. At the end of each term there is an increase in revenue the Village will receive.
• After expressing interest in establishing a Planning Commission at the recommendation of the Village attorney, the Council has authorized the attorney to provide options moving forward. Because the attorney’s response came the same day of the April 1 meeting, the council is expected to review the options at the next council meeting.
• Public Safety/Fire/Law Enforcement Disaster Planning Chairman Nick Ludwig said the weather warning siren is scheduled to be installed near the water tower some time between April 14-18.
• Department of Public Works Manager T.J. Gibson said the DPW was busy for two days following the March 30 thunderstorm cleaning up large tree limbs, making sure roads were safe to drive on and monitoring the water system during the power outage.
The council thanked Gibson and DPW employee Forrest Cope for their great work.
• Gibson adds the Climax United Methodist Church will be performing a large parking lot and driveway replacement project that will involve some work on a drain and sidewalk replacement. The church offered to assist in the sidewalk project which will reduce cost for the Village.
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