Edmore council approves festival permit, recycling agreement and other routine business; Norway Street vacation moves to public hearing

At its July 14 meeting, the Edmore Village Council approved a set of routine permits and agreements, scheduled a public hearing on a proposed street vacation and heard community concerns about park vandalism and festival cleanup.

The council unanimously approved the Edmore Potato Festival special-event and parade permit and received a comment from festival committee member Kassey Mortensen that the committee addressed cleanup issues raised after the last festival. Council member Pierce expressed disappointment in prior cleanup; Mortensen said volunteers and the committee have already discussed improvements for 2025.

Council members adopted Resolution 2025-0714, a declaration of intent to vacate one block of Norway Street from 10th Street west; the council set a public hearing for Aug. 11, 2025. Resident Gloria Burr asked the council to consider repairing the road before vacating it because the village has maintained the street for more than 30 years; the council said the street committee will discuss options.

Other actions: the council approved the County of Montcalm Recycling Site Hosting Agreement, authorized the Gleaner's Life Insurance Society to install a bench in Curtis Park with DPW assistance, and approved using Sherwood Auction Services for unsold museum items at no cost to the village if needed. A proposal for the Curtis Building pond (fountain, lights, treatment) was discussed as a potential joint project with DDA and Nita Curtis Foundation and was tabled. A separate request to vacate Cherry Street was also tabled.

Manager Mark Borden reported that a private company, identified as CMS from Mt. Pleasant, has requested a permit to install fiber throughout town as a competitive business project; Borden said the Metro Act allows such work but the village can set hours-of-operation and other work restrictions to protect underground utilities. He also reported that Pinnacle's parent company is closing all Michigan stores and the downtown Pinnacle retail cannabis shop will close Aug. 31, 2025; that change reduces the number of active retail licenses in Edmore and the village's state retail-tax receipts tied to cannabis sales.

Park facilities were also discussed: Clerk Kerri Peterson and Manager Borden said bathroom facilities at the pavilion were locked during a June 28 reservation because of vandalism and because DPW staff did not unlock them for the reservation as expected; vandalism was reported at other trail bathrooms as well.

Votes at a glance: Potato Festival permit (voice vote, all yes); Resolution 2025-0714 to declare intent to vacate Norway Street (roll-call, all yes); Gleaner's bench approval (voice, all yes); County recycling-hosting agreement (roll-call, all yes); Sherwood Auction Services authorization (voice, all yes); Cherry Street and Curtis pond items (tabled).

What happens next: a public hearing on the Norway Street vacation is scheduled for Aug. 11, 2025; the street committee will consider repair options before any final vacation action. The village will proceed with the county agreement and bench installation as approved.