Several residents used public comment at the Jan. 12 Marquette City Commission meeting to press the city on winter maintenance and facility management.

Matt Loonberger, who said he works at Lakeview Arena, told commissioners that doors, lot lighting and icy walkways create repeated access problems for families and asked the city to consider relinquishing municipal management so community nonprofits could operate and maintain the facility. "Somehow, please relinquish control of Lakeview Arena so that we can manage it better and more efficiently," Loonberger said.

Barb Alzai urged the commission to use the current legislative funding request process as an opportunity to order custom plows designed to cut berms and remove snowbanks on the primary pass, rather than forcing follow-up clearing days later. "When berms aren't systematically cut back, snow is pushed into the sidewalks, crosswalks, and curb ramps. Pedestrians are then forced into the... street," she said, asking that berm-cutting and sidewalk-clearing be core functions of new trucks.

Margaret Brum described long outages and delayed sheltering during the recent storm and asked the commission to request information from the Board of Light and Power about its response. She urged formation of a subcommittee to coordinate county and city emergency planning, and recommended professionalizing disaster response rather than relying on volunteers.

City Manager Kovacs responded to the concerns by saying the city has planned routes and limited equipment and staff, prioritizes school zones and main routes, and will follow up with the Board of Light and Power. Kovacs also encouraged use of the city's online reporting form for trash and recycling and said he meets regularly with waste management to track problems.

Next steps: commissioners asked the manager to follow up with the BLP and to consider plow specifications and berm management as part of procurement planning if funding is secured.