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Residents seek gravel, paving and snowplow changes; fire chief outlines Oct. 12 prevention visit to elementary school
Summary
Residents raised several neighborhood concerns at the Village of South Range council meeting on Oct. 5, including a request for highway gravel, a status update on Whealkate paving, snow-removal routing complaints, and ordinance-enforcement expectations; the fire chief announced an Oct. 12 fire prevention event at South Range Elementary School.
Several residents used the Oct. 5 Village of South Range council meeting to press for localized fixes and to share community updates.
Brian Maki asked the council to arrange gravel along the highway in front of his home; the clerk said she will contact the Michigan Department of Transportation. Janet Kokko sought an update on paving of Whealkate; council members said they plan to solicit bids in 2024 now that the final Whealkate lot has sold.
Steve Sabatini asked about ordinance enforcement. President George Eakin replied that he "will be enforcing ordinance violations." The council did not record a separate enforcement policy at the meeting but identified President Eakin as the official overseeing ordinance enforcement procedures.
Arbutus Paoli said her side of the road receives the bulk of the village's snow removal, and on-duty Public Works employees present — including Dave Swetich and Kody Maki — said they will look at the routing and seek a solution. Trustee Greg Harkonen volunteered for the Fourth of July Committee after Mike Renier requested volunteers; Renier also noted he has completed chapters of a book about the village.
Fire Chief Mike Balma announced that the South Range Fire Department and Adams Township Fire Department will present a fire-prevention program Oct. 12 at South Range Elementary School, that three department members will attend fire school, and that the department will host the Fireman Association meeting Jan. 18, 2024.
What’s next: The clerk will contact MDOT about the gravel request; Public Works will review snow routes; trustees will pursue bids for Whealkate paving in 2024. The council did not adopt new ordinance-enforcement regulations during this meeting.
Sources: Resident remarks and department announcements as recorded in the meeting minutes.
