WHITEHALL — The Whitehall city council unanimously approved awarding a sidewalk repair bid to Jaekel Construction during its regular meeting Tuesday, subject to negotiating a smaller project than originally planned.
The negotiation, recommended by public works director Brian Armstrong, will be necessary because the city had only budgeted $90,000 for sidewalk repair, anticipating that would be sufficient. However, the bids that came in surprised city manager Scott Huebler, as they were "nearly double" what similar projects were running last summer; Jaekel's was the low bid at $135,000.
The originally planned projects were the 400 block of Slocum Street, the 100 block of West Muskegon Avenue, the 200-300 blocks of South Livingston Street, and the walk from Carleton Street to Lake Street, those having been identified as the ones most in need of attention. It was not stated which of those could be affected by the reduction in the project. Council member Scott Brown asked about separating the Gee Park sidewalk from the rest of the project and bidding it out, but Huebler said the project was kept together in hopes that "economies of scale" would benefit the city.
The council also had some discussion about affordable housing - namely, the definition of it. Council member Steven Sikkenga stated he wasn't sure how to define it, though all were in agreement there's a housing shortage in the area. WaterDog Outfitters owner Steven Crooks offered an example during a public comment that the same house he lived in during an earlier stint in Whitehall now costs three times as much as it did 10 years ago without any significant upgrades made. It's a tricky subject and no one knows precisely how to proceed, but Crooks said more options are needed, "or this town is going to die."
Crooks also suggested a yield sign be put up at the crosswalk from Lake Street to Hanson Street, saying he's seen too many near-misses from drivers not paying sufficient attention to pedestrians. No action was taken on that suggestion.
During the preceding work session, the council was presented with several companies offering their services in recruiting the next city manager, since Huebler is retiring in August. A final decision will be made during a coming council meeting, though Huebler recommended a company called Strategic Government Resources. Though much of its experience is in the Southeast, Huebler cited an impressive track record and strong list of candidates already on hand as reasons for his recommendation.
