By Sue Moore
Allen Edwin Homes is ready to open 21 more building lots in its Centennial development in northwest Vicksburg. The company asked the Village Council for approval of the first phase of the site plan that is projected to be 106 lots when fully developed.
The request was quickly approved with the recognition that the increased flow in the village sewer system to Portage and the Kalamazoo treatment plant should be analyzed.
The cost is $10,000; money is available in the sewer fund to pay for it. Engineers from Prein & Neuhof had encouraged this approach to better understand the growth impact on the system.
A policy change in brush cleanup within the village was debated as Village Manager Jim Mallery pointed out the cost to the Department of Public Works and the time it takes to collect brush whenever it is put out on the curb by residents. He recommended collecting on the last week of each month, so the chipper used for branches doesn’t need to be hooked and unhooked so often to equipment that was in use for other operations.
Council members thought through the proposal and its enforcement. They could envision some confusion by residents and the timing of pick up each month. Mallery said he would prepare a written policy for the September meeting.
Approval was sought to increase the village’s contribution to the South Kalamazoo County Fire Authority by $4,446 to pay for the increase of the fire chief’s salary from $15,000 to $40,000 per year. “It’s important to the community that Chief Tracy McMillan gets paid appropriately for his work,” Trustee Colin Bailey emphasized as the increase was granted.
Syd Bastos, executive director of the Vicksburg Cultural Arts Center reported that the agency is still up and running while their building is being remodeled. They have cut back on some expenditures until the structure is usable again, but she wanted to be clear that they are still in business and will be looking to control costs until grant applications in the pipeline are approved.