Trenton council approves disbursements, schedules hearing for Pickled Pickleball site and proclaims Constitution Week

The Trenton City Council on Sept. 15 approved authorized disbursements of $9,030,424.91 and a slate of routine and ceremonial items, scheduled a public hearing for a proposed commercial rehabilitation district at 3360 West Jefferson, and adopted proclamations recognizing Constitution Week, a national rail-safety week and Forging Manufacturing Day.

The council met at 7:03 p.m. and conducted roll call before approving minutes from its Sept. 2 meeting. Mayor Steven Rezeppa and council members then heard a presentation from the City Beautiful Commission and included the commission’s annual home- and business-award program in the meeting record.

In appointments and personnel actions, the council approved the mayor’s reappointments of Cindy Mazurek to the City Beautiful Commission, Janice Ritchie to the Civic Commission and Kevin Lucidi to the Traffic Safety Commission for terms ending Oct. 1, 2028; the motion carried on a roll call vote with one recorded abstention (Mayor Rezeppa). The council also received letters of resignation from Mario Ferrante (Planning Commission) and Marlana Nasowitz (Downtown Development Authority) and directed that letters of appreciation be sent.

Planning staff presented a request from 3360 West Jefferson LLC (doing business as Pickled Pickleball Club) asking the city to establish a commercial rehabilitation district for the property. The council scheduled a public hearing for Oct. 6 at 6:45 p.m. pursuant to Public Act 210 of 2005 (as amended).

The council approved multiple community-event requests, including temporary road closures for an Evergreen block party (Oct. 4), a Canterbury block party (Oct. 25) and a “trunk-or-treat” event hosted by Small Biz Buys (Oct. 26 at Kennedy Recreation Center); approvals were conditioned on coordination with the police department and public services and, where applicable, food-truck inspections and licensing.

Three proclamations were read into the record and added to the minutes: a proclamation recognizing Constitution Week (Sept. 17 anniversary), a proclamation encouraging awareness of national rail-safety activities and a proclamation designating Oct. 10, 2025 as Forging Manufacturing Day, which highlighted investments and employment at a local forging company.

Administrative items approved without dissent included scheduling changes to the council calendar (rescheduling the Nov. 17 meeting to Nov. 24 and the Dec. 15 meeting to Dec. 22) and the placement of routine departmental reports and minutes on file. The council also voted to hold a closed session immediately after the meeting to consult with counsel on ongoing litigation.

Votes at a glance - Excuse Councilmember Von Crooks — motion approved unanimously. - Approve minutes (09/02/2025) — approved unanimously. - Include City Beautiful Commission annual awards in the minutes — approved unanimously. - Reappoint Cindy Mazurek (City Beautiful Commission), Janice Ritchie (Civic Commission), Kevin Lucidi (Traffic Safety Commission) — motion approved; roll call recorded one abstention (Mayor Rezeppa) and the motion carried. - Receive and place on file resignations of Mario Ferrante (Planning Commission) and Marlana Nasowitz (DDA); send letters of appreciation — approved unanimously. - Approve 30th District Court waiver application and authorize mayor to sign — approved unanimously. - Schedule public hearing — 3360 West Jefferson (Pickled Pickleball Club), Oct. 6 at 6:45 p.m., pursuant to Public Act 210 of 2005 as amended — approved unanimously. - Approve Evergreen block party (Oct. 4), Canterbury block party (Oct. 25), and Small Biz Buys trunk-or-treat (Oct. 26) — all approved unanimously, subject to department coordination. - Proclamations (Constitution Week; rail-safety week; Forging Manufacturing Day) — included in minutes, approved unanimously. - Amend Chapter 98 cross-connection references from Michigan Department of Environmental Quality to EGLE (amendment to city code language) — motion approved unanimously. - Purchase holiday garlands for downtown (Christmas Designer quote; 50 garlands, $9,500; budgeted in FY25-26) — approved unanimously. - Authorize Harrison Avenue emergency bridge repair (CA Hall), $114,875, funds from Major Street Fund — approved unanimously. - Purchase 2027 Freightliner dump truck with underbody scraper and salt spreader (Wolverine Truck Group), $268,494; surplus 2007 truck at future auction; funds from Water Fund Machinery & Equipment — approved unanimously. - Award emergency wastewater secondary wet well repair to Monroe Plumbing, $8,483; work from capital improvement account — approved unanimously. - Reschedule council meetings (11/17→11/24 and 12/15→12/22) — approved unanimously. - Approve disbursements for 09/15/2025, $9,030,424.91 — approved unanimously. - Hold closed session for counsel discussion on ongoing litigation immediately following the meeting — roll-call approval recorded as yes by present members.

Why it matters: The approvals included infrastructure repairs, equipment purchases and event permits that affect public safety, departmental operations and downtown appearance. The scheduled public hearing initiates a statutory process (Public Act 210) that could affect redevelopment incentives for a downtown property.

What’s next: The council will hold the public hearing on Oct. 6 for the commercial rehabilitation district and reconvene in two weeks for its next regular meeting. Several purchases have multiweek or multi-year lead times (the dump truck delivery was discussed as 16–18 months).