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City manager reports two federal awards for Mount Clemens, announces .gov email change and personnel updates
Summary
City Manager Mister Johnson said two congressional appropriations were approved — $750,000 for art-space phase 2 and $480,000 for a joint recreation project with Eastpointe (Mount Clemens’ share $240,000) — and announced a switch to @mountclemens.gov email addresses, an appointment to the housing commission, and progress on a fire-inspection contractor.
City Manager Mister Johnson told the Mount Clemens City Commission that two federal appropriations submitted to Congressman Andy Levin have been approved: $750,000 for phase two of an art-space development and $480,000 for a joint recreation project with Eastpointe. Johnson said Mount Clemens will receive half of the $480,000 award — $240,000 — earmarked for capital projects at the Karnes Center.
Johnson briefed commissioners on administrative changes: the city has switched employee email addresses to the @mountclemens.gov domain for security and authenticity; old addresses will redirect to the new addresses and business cards were distributed once the domain was active. He said the Department of Homeland Security vetting process required mayoral confirmation during setup.
On personnel, Johnson said the city is close to contracting a fire-inspection service after receiving no applicants for a full-time hire; the firefighters union contract allows hiring a contractor in that case. He also announced the appointment of Thomas Barnes to fill a vacant seat on the housing commission, with a term expiring Jan. 31, 2027.
Commissioners pressed Johnson for more specifics about how the $240,000 for Karnes Center capital work would be spent. Commissioner Mentzer asked whether a single anchor partner would be appointed to manage Karnes scheduling and liability; Johnson said Advancing Macomb and the YMCA declined that role, TCB indicated willingness, and the library might be a candidate. Mentzer emphasized the need for a short-term memorandum of understanding or lease naming a responsible entity and addressing insurance, waivers and CPR/first-aid coverage for activity leaders.
Johnson also provided a brief COVID-19 update, noting recent declines in local hospitalization and death rates and reminding residents that Macomb County vaccine sign-up information is available online.
Commissioners did not take formal votes tied to the grants at this meeting; staff were asked to develop contracts, MOUs or other documentation to clarify responsibilities before programming or capital work proceeds.
