Water tower maintenance and financing for water system upgrades were issues decided by the Schoolcraft Village Council at an early-October meeting.
Dan Lewis, the village’s water system operator, reported that the water tower needs cleaning, painting, and updating among other issues, based on a report completed by Dixon Engineering from July, 2023. The work is being put out to bid and Lewis anticipates the work will be done in April and May of 2026, a process that takes between 30 and 35 days, during which time the tower will not be usable.
“This will require us to run a well continuously with pressure relief valves on a couple of water hydrants to keep from over-pressurizing the system,” he said.
Because the tower will not be in use, the system will need a variable frequency drive (VFD) to control the pumps. The pumps will be installed by Peerless-Midwest, Inc., he said.
Using the drive results in less electricity being used and is easier on the pumps, he said.
The cost of the drive, meter, and pumps is about $31,000. Also, the mechanical parts of the well pump they will be using need to be overhauled, which is done routinely, Lewis said. The cost of that is about $30,000 and must be done before the pump is used continuously for 30 days.
The council approved $61,000 for the drive, meter, pumps, and the pump overhaul.
The estimated cost for water tower maintenance is about $235,000 and will be part of the 2026-2027 budget, he said.
Regarding the financing plan for water system upgrades, Village Manager Cheri Lutz reminded the council of the presentation given at the September 15 meeting about various financing options for the 12 water projects being discussed.
At that time, Paul Bristol, water and environmental loan specialist at the United States Department of Agriculture’s Rural Development program, explained that funding through Rural Development is a 40-year loan with a fixed interest rate which makes it more affordable for users.
Before making a decision on going ahead with the application process through Rural Development, Council members discussed the rate increase that will go into effect soon to cover the costs of the project.
Trustee Kirk Bergland asked if residents would be voting on the financing plan. Lutz explained that the Council will make the decision.
The Council voted to begin the loan application process through the Rural Development with Bergland casting the only “no” vote. The application process takes several months, according to the presentation given by Bristol at the previous meeting.
In other business, the Council voted to send a text amendment request to the Planning Commission. The text amendment is due to a request by Errol Matthews to allow chickens within the Village.
To address noise and environmental concerns brought up at previous Council meetings regarding a proposed chicken ordinance, Matthews sent a note to the Council in late September saying that no roosters should be allowed. Hens would be limited to between six and eight.
The first step in the text amendment process is for the Planning Commission to draft the ordinance along with the Village attorney, a process that could take up to three months. After that, the ordinance will be presented to the Council for approval, according to Lutz. She said that the $500 fee for the text amendment process has been paid.
“The process is quite lengthy,” said Lutz, “but there are legal requirements to be met.”
She has pulled a number of similar ordinances for the Planning Commission to review as they are working through the process.
A request from the Schoolcraft Fourth of July Committee was also approved. This recognizes the group as a nonprofit organization and allows it to obtain a charitable gaming license from the State of Michigan.
Kim Parker, vice-president of the Fourth of July committee, said that the plan is to have two 50-50 raffles, probably as part of the Fourth of July events.
An update on Metro Connect was given by Greg Vlietstra, director of support services for Metro Transit. This countywide program, often referred to as “dial-a-ride,” provides transportation throughout the county and to the VA Hospital in Battle Creek, he said. Rides must be booked seven days in advance.
So far this year, 310 Schoolcraft residents have used the service, he said.
Council President Mike Rochholz reported that he had an email from County Commissioner Wendy Mazer that the Village is on the top ten list for receiving a community grant. He praised Village Manager Lutz and the staff for applying for the grant.
In other grant actions, the Council approved allowing Lutz to apply for a $25,000 grant from Canadian National Railroad for playground equipment. The grant application is due November 1.
