Hartford City Council agrees on next steps to fix wastewater treatment plant

TODD S. KORABIK STATE FARM INSURANCE AGENCY… held an official grand opening and ribbon cut-ting on October 19, 2016. Todd opened his doors on July 1 and has been busy meeting with clients, doing business and getting involved in the Coloma/Watervliet area. Stop in to check out this new business at 6560 Red Arrow Hwy in Coloma. This former chiropractic office has seen a complete updating of the inte-rior with fresh paint new carpet and a very nice facelift on the outside. Pictured in the photo are (from the left) Kelly Korabik, Todd Korabik, Coloma Township Supervisor Ken  Parrigin, Coloma City Mayor Jim Polashak, Todd’s staff Erica and Bobbie Jo, Chamber President Karla Smothers and Chamber Ambassador Stacey Davis. The little ribbon holders are Todd and Kelly’s twins, Isaiah and Isabella, and niece, Presley. Todd can be reached at the office at (269) 202-7159. We wish Todd and the gang much success!

By Nancy Albright

At the regular meeting of the Hartford City Council on October 25, Wightman & Associates consultant Tom Deneau and Project Engineer Mary Nykamp were joined by Hartford Wastewater Treatment Plant (WWTP) Operator Tom Strand to help city council members understand precisely what needs to be done to fix issues with the WWTP prior to expiration of the equipment warranty in December.    The group explained that iron in the water is interfering with an ultraviolet lighting system that disinfects water before it leaves the WWTP. City Manager Yemi Akinwale requested a baseline of current iron levels prior to moving forward with mitigating this problem.  The council agreed that immediate next steps are for Mr. Strand to get the water tested to obtain the baseline for the current free iron level. Then Wightman will tweak the chemical feed until the proper balance is reached so iron is no longer interfering with the UV system to disinfect the water.   Mr. Deneau told the council that, “I know we can get the system working when we make the proper modifications, and when we modify operations as required we can save the city approximately $20,000 each year in chemical costs.”  City commissioners requested that Wightman keep them apprised of the results of each step taken to fix this issue, and provide them with ongoing monthly status reports once the system has reached full capacity.  Chris Cowgill, also of Wightman & Associates, informed the council that the current sanitary sewer line system clean-up should be complete within the next two to three weeks.

Halloween trick-or-treat hours will remain the same for 2017

 The council approved a request by a group of community members who attended the meeting to ask that the City of Hartford keep trick-or-treat hours from 6:00-8:00 p.m. for 2017 rather than change them to 5:30-7:00 p.m.   One spokesman for the group, Mr. Bill Pinter, said that, “We feel that having some trick-or-treat time in the dark is tradition.”  Other community members presented the arguments that starting at 5:30 does not allow parents enough time to get home from work and get the kids outfitted in their costumes; and that there are plenty of lights in the neighborhood to help keep kids safe, as many residents put a lot of time and effort into decorating their homes for Halloween.  The council is primarily concerned for the safety of the little kids after dark.  Commissioner Docktor told the group that the communities of Coloma, Hagar, Keeler, Lawrence and Watervliet have varied start times this year; Watervliet ending the latest at 7:30, which still gives kids about half an hour before dark sets in. Commissioner Tibbs pointed out that it can be hard to see some of the hundreds of trick-or-treaters walking through town while driving, reiterating the council’s safety concerns.  The council ultimately approved the request to leave trick-or-treat hours from 6:00-8:00 p.m. for the 2017 Halloween holiday, and agreed to revisit the issue for the following year.  Trick-or-treat hours are from 6:00-8:00 p.m. this Monday, October 31.  Be safe and have fun.

City Council approves funds for holiday decorations

 Judy Sinclair and the Hartford Lions Club have been working hard to raise the money needed to decorate Ely Park and Main Street for the winter holidays. City commissioners approved a donation in the amount of $1,000 to fund decorating the park, and funds not to exceed $950.00 to light up Main Street. The Lions will partner with Fifty Two Sixty Designs to light and decorate the light poles on Main.

Bowling benefit for Timmy Dibble family

 On Sunday, November 13 from 1:00-4:00 p.m., a benefit is being held at Coloma Lanes, 6025 Mountain Rd., to help this sweet little boy and his family. Timmy was recently diagnosed with Leukemia and is undergoing treatment. In addition to bowling two games and shoe rental for $10 there will also be a 50/50 raffle, silent auction and bake sale. Come hungry because a $5 Sloppy Joe meal deal is part of this benefit event. For more information join the Facebook page “Bowling to Stay Strong for Timmy” or call 269-207-8501.

Coloma decides on holiday closures for City Hall

By Christina Gelder

The Monday, October 24 meeting of the Coloma City Commission was a brief one but they did vote on when City Hall would be closed for the holidays. City Hall employees get two days off for Christmas and for New Years and this year both of those holidays fall on Sunday.  For Christmas they have requested to close Friday, December 23 and Monday, December 26. For New Year’s however, they want to split the days. They will close Friday, December 30 but save the second day until Monday, January 16. This is so that they will be open on Monday, January 2 when they are likely to be busier and closed on the 16th which is Martin Luther King Jr. Day. The County offices will also be closed that day so it would be in conjunction with them.  In other news the Department of Public Works has received another load of salt and is gearing up for the winter season. They have been trying to secure some cold patch to fill in some holes but none has been made yet by the companies they typically purchase it from.  Commissioner Jason Hicks encouraged everyone to “get out and vote” saying that this is a very important election.

Veterans Day  celebration at Coloma HS  November 11

 Around 150 veterans and their spouses are expected for breakfast on Friday, November 11, 2016 at Coloma High School.  This will be the 42nd year for this special event. This breakfast originated at Washington Elementary and was held there for the last time in 2013.  This year it will be held again at the high school in Coloma.  The veterans begin arriving for coffee at 7:30 a.m. to share stories about their service experiences and their lives today. At the conclusion of breakfast around 8:30 a.m., the veterans and their guests are entertained by Boy Scouts of America Troop 696, and the 4th grade students. The 4th graders will sing patriotic songs and end with a rousing medley of the various service anthems.