By Rosemary Horvath
Herald Correspondent
[private] Alma city commissioners are closing out the year with a basket full of priorities.
Among them is putting guidelines in place for regulating recreational marijuana outlets within city limits.
At the meeting this week, rescheduled a day after the election, commissioners were expected to set a public hearing for Nov. 22 to review proposed amendments for both medical and recreational facilities.
Currently, only medical dispensaries are permitted in the city. City officials have come under pressure this year to broaden the scope or stand at risk of losing all.
However, still forbidden will be designated outlets in which marijuana is consumed and marijuana outdoor events, according to the proposed ordinance.
Unbudgeted Street Paving
Aside from the city’s designated street maintenance program, a slice of good news dropped unexpectedly.
Both Alma and St. Louis qualified for an $81,000 grant through the Small Urban COVID Relief Fund but only one municipality could be the beneficiary.
Last year, at the Gratiot County Transportation Task Force meeting, St. Louis City Manager Kurt Giles and Alma Director of Public Services David Ringle discussed options and agreed to have Alma apply.
Alma will have about three blocks of Michigan Avenue resurfaced between East Superior Street (Business 127) and Bridge Street.
Giles confirmed Monday he saw advantages for residents of both cities to have that busy section resurfaced.
Alma city commissioners at the Oct. 25 meeting approved an engineering contract with Rowe Professional Services Company of Flint for $50,000.
The Michigan Department of Transportation will schedule the project during its fiscal year 2023 summer schedule.
Fire District
Another topic long discussed by city officials relates to reestablishing a fire district governed for decades by a Rural Urban Fire Board.
Now referred to as the Alma Fire District Fire Department, a revised interlocal agreement covers city boundaries, all of Sumner and Seville township boundaries, and designated portions of Arcada and Pine River townships.
Voting members include township supervisors and, from the city, the city manager serving as chairman, and two appointees. Currently, they are Mayor Greg Mapes and Commissioner Daniel Warnick.
Among adjustments was simplifying a payment formula by each member, allowing the city to manage the department and employees although the fire board will have some input.
Fire board meetings will be scheduled quarterly although special emergency meetings are possible when publicly noticed.
Harold House is fire chief for the fire district.
The fire board approved the revised interlocal agreement with the exception of Wernick who was absent. City commissioners followed suit in October. Now approval is required from participating townships.
Seville Township Supervisor Tish Mallory was asked to provide cost estimates at the next meeting for building a fire hall on Lincoln Road.
AIRPORT
Even though city and Gratiot County commissioners are at a stalemate over ownership of the community airport, the airport authority board has approved a contract with the Michigan Department of Transportation to move forward with constructing a fuel farm to service aircraft.
A contract for $824,926 won approval in October. Of this amount, the federal government will cover $633,334, the state $16,667, and remainder as a local share will be covered by the 2023 NPE dollars.
NPE stands for Non-Primary Airport Entitlement Block Grant Program awarded to small airports for improvement projects.
As a result, estimated cost of a local share stands at $23,000.[private]