Coloma City Commission hears concerns; water  and road issues  discussed

JIM WELSH… graced the Paw Paw Lake Rotary Club with his banjo playing talents and shared interesting stories at a recent meeting. Pictured are David Moss, Rotary President and Jim Welsh with his banjo. Jim Welsh is from Watervliet and was a charter member of the Paw Paw Lake Rotary Club in 1983. He and his wife Peggy were the owners and operators of the Dairy Snack and the Fire Place Shoppe in Watervliet for many years. These days they are snowbirds and spend their winters in Fort Myers, Florida where he plays his banjo with a band. He says the band keeps him busy as they perform 3 to 4 times a week at local venues.

By Christina Gelder

Bob Howell attended the Monday, August 22 meeting of the Coloma City Commission to bring some concerns to their attention. He said that he has been working at the new Family Dollar on the heating and air units and has observed that after it rains there is water pooling in the street and parking lot. It is not draining properly and he believes this could really be a big issue come winter time.  Another concern was a safety issue related to the retaining wall behind the store. It is a rather steep drop off and he says he does not want to see the City get sued if someone were to get hurt back there.  Commissioner Marsha Hammond said that these issues were already being addressed. The City has taken pictures and sent them to the Family Dollar corporate office. She said that things are not necessarily how they were originally presented and the City’s engineers are involved as well.  Midwest Civil Engineers will have to do a walk through inspection before an occupancy permit is granted and Hammond says as it is right now, they would not be approved.  Would one trash provider save money? Sieg Freitag presented an idea to the Coloma Commission that he believes would save the City and the taxpayers money. He said he has found out that some other fairly local communities have set up ordinances and allow only one garbage collection service for residential pickup in their municipalities.  As it stands there are three different companies that service the Coloma area and Freitag believes that their heavily laden trucks are part of the reason the streets deteriorate so quickly. His theory is that by putting it out for bids the citizens would save on trash pickup and the city will save on road repair.  Mayor Jim Polashak said that they would look into it as an option. Freitag has said that he will get an example of the ordinance in place in Kalamazoo County for Commissioner Jason Hicks to look at.

Water Advisory Board questions rate study

 Commissioner Hammond presented the rest of the commission with a request from the joint Water Advisory Board with Coloma Township. She said that one of the township representatives has asked about redoing a methodology and rate study.  Mayor Polashak’s response was to ask if they (the township) are willing to “foot the bill”. The general consensus was that the study was not done that long ago and the methodology should still be accurate.

Road work scheduled and approved

 A resolution was approved to have Mayor Polashak and Clerk Martha Darling sign an agreement with MDOT for the construction project scheduled for this October. The work will be done on E. St. Joseph Street (Red Arrow Hwy) from Church Street to Sassafras.  It was also approved to pay Kalin Construction for recent work done to W. Logan and Center streets. The invoice came in $4894 less than the original bid with a total of $73,735.  Compton, Inc. has won the bid to complete work on several handicap approaches on city sidewalks. There are some that need to be redone for safety reasons and one will be added at the corner of Leedy and S. West streets. The cost of that project is expected to be $6790.

Water main break brings up historical railroad ties

 There was a major water main break on E. St. Joseph Street on Monday. Because of the size of it and its relation to Tannery Creek, bigger equipment was brought in to work on it. As they worked to put in a hydro stop railroad ties to the old Interurban were found. Commissioner Hammond says that most of them fell apart as they were uncovered but the City will be taking one to the North Berrien Historical Museum in hopes of preserving it.  The area of roadway that was dug up will remain gravel until the upcoming construction project this fall.  In other news Halloween in the Park is being planned and will be held on the last Saturday of October. Chana Kniebes is looking for groups to set up tents for trick or treating behind City Hall. Kniebes also shared that new this year will be a pumpkin derby race hosted by the Coloma Lions Club.

DARLENE GETZ… local dentist and a strong supporter of the community donates $1,000 to the Friends of the Paw Paw River. These funds are to help in the pilot program of opening the river from Watervliet to Coloma. Accepting the check is K.C. McKay, secretary of the Paw Paw River Water Trail.

Paw Paw River Water Trail meeting; woody debris is a good thing

 “Woody debris in the river is a good thing”. That was the message last week as representatives from the Michigan Department of Natural Resources (MDNR) and Department of Environmental Quality (MDEQ) spoke in Benton Harbor to a group of stakeholders planning the Paw Paw River Water Trail. Marcy Hamilton of the Southwest Michigan Planning Commission (SWMPC) convened the meeting of officials from townships, municipalities, and other organizations up and down the river to allow them to hear directly from state agencies about the right way to create a pathway for canoes and kayaks, without adversely impacting fish and wildlife habitat. Hamilton said, “Water trails are hot right now and are being promoted by the State of Michigan as a means to attract out-of-state tourists”.  Water Trails are marked routes on navigable waterways such as rivers, lakes and coastlines for people using small non-motorized boats such as kayaks or canoes.  Locally, there are existing water trails in New Buffalo on the Galien River, between Bangor and South Haven on the Black River and along the Lake Michigan coast.  Brian Gunderman of the MDNR Fisheries division explained that logs in the river provide cover for fish from potential predators. Log jams also help provide cooler water for fish during summer heat. And logs even help small fish withstand flood events by creating eddies for them to shelter from the full force of the current so they are not swept away in a flood. But perhaps most importantly, woody debris is the most abundant place where aquatic insects live, which is what fish eat. Of course, other wildlife is also dependent on fallen trees. Turtles are often seen sunning on logs and paddlers are used to being startled by loud splashes as turtles drop from logs several feet above the river surface. And even birds benefit from fallen trees. Rob Pearce, a naturalist from Sarett Nature Center, said he has seen the rare Prothonatory Warbler nesting in snags on fallen logs in the river.  So how do you create a paddle pathway that does not disrupt the wildlife habitat that makes the Paw Paw River so special?  Instead of cutting and removing logs, Patrick Ertel of the MDNR said the preferred approach is to use small portable winches and cable to pull trees that are blocking the river to a position parallel to the current. This allows passage for small boats while keeping the log in the stream. When chainsaw work is necessary, Ertel urged only removing the bare minimum of wood from the river. He suggested always try to open up a passage through log jams by removing loose and floating logs first. When a log is completely across the river and has to be cut, Ertel recommended keeping the opening small and using cable to secure the newly cut section of log so that it does not float downstream and cause problems during high water events. Another alternative is to put the cut out sections of log on the bank and stake them down (after first getting permission from the landowner).  Kyle Alexander of the MDEQ commented on permitting issues. He said not only would it be bad for habitat to remove stumps and roots from the bank, it would also be contrary to state regulations regarding sediment control and prevention of erosion. The portion of fallen trees that are secured to the bank cannot be removed without a permit from the MDEQ. Similarly, logs that are embedded in the river bottom cannot be removed. During the discussion, Kevin Haight, President of Two Rivers Coalition commented that it should not be difficult to follow the recommendations of the state agencies and still make several segments of the river easy to paddle, even for families. “Our goal should be to preserve the natural beauty and wildlife habitat of the river,” said Haight,” even as we make the river more accessible to paddlers”.  For more information, contact Marcy Hamilton, Southwest Michigan Planning Commission at hamiltonm@swmpc.org.

Senior Services

Hartford United Methodist Church, 425 E. Main St., Hartford On Monday, August 29, lunch will be served at 12:30 p.m.; bingo and cards/Euchre at 1:30 p.m.  On Tuesday, August 30, lunch will be served at 12:30 p.m.; exercise and cards/Euchre at 1:00 p.m.; computers with Emma, and knitting at 1:30 p.m.  On Friday, September 2, lunch will be served at 12:30 p.m.; cards/ Euchre, hand & foot and knitting/ crocheting/ needlework at 1:00 p.m.  All seniors, age 60 and older, residing in Van Buren County are eligible to participate in these programs and activities.  Rides are available through Van Buren Public Transit with no less than 24-hour advance notice at 269-427-7921.

Community hymn sing

 The next Community Hymn Sing will be celebrated at Plymouth Congregational Church on Saturday evening September 3 at 6 p.m. The brick church is located on Red Arrow Highway across the street from the Watervliet Laundry.  Ken Biastock and Arch Woodstock will provide special music. Come and enjoy singing together, the fellowship, and the ice cream and cookies afterward. All are welcome.

Sister Lakes Lions Club pancake breakfast

 The Sister Lakes Lions Club will have an all you can eat pancake and sausage breakfast on Sunday, September 4 from 8:00 a.m. to 12:00 noon at its clubhouse in Lions Park, 66991 95th Avenue.  The cost is $7.00 for adults and $3.00 for children ages 4 to 12; children under 4 are free.    Tickets are available from Lions Club members or may be purchased at the door.  Proceeds from the breakfast will go to support Lions Club projects.