Sturgis city manager search to start by December
STURGIS — The search for a new city manager in Sturgis is expected to start at the end of the month.
The Sturgis City Commission at its meeting Wednesday, Nov. 16, selected two executive search firms to guide the city in the process of finding the successor to current city manager Michael Hughes. Hughes announced last month he plans to step down in January to pursue other career opportunities outside city government.
At the Oct. 26 meeting, the commission decided to move ahead with interviewing Amy Cell Talent of Ypsilanti and Walsh Municipal Services of Okemos. The city will schedule meetings with both Nov. 30.
Walsh Municipal Services has 25 years of experience and has assisted a number of communities across Michigan, the nearest to Sturgis including Jackson in Jackson County and Morenci in Lenawee County.
Amy Cell has seven years of focused experience on matching municipalities with employees and has worked with the cities such as Grand Rapids, Holland and Jackson.
More:Sturgis city manager resigns to seek other opportunities
Hughes has served as Sturgis city manager since July 2005. He previously served as the assistant city manager before accepting the city manager position in Buchanan. After 2.5 years, he returned to Sturgis and has remained since.
Road improvements and bike lanes
The city approved a bid to make improvements to Haines Boulevard and Peterson Circle in Stapleton Industrial Park.
The city received a grant of up to $307,277 in conjunction with the Heartland RV development to help in funding the project.
On Oct. 24, the city received six bids for the project. The low bid accepted Wednesday was Thompson Construction of Coldwater at $297,281.
Based on eligible costs, the final grant amount will be approximately $232,000. After applying grant funding, the project is estimated to be under the city's budgeted amount of $472,735 by approximately $310,000.
A $29,700 contingency budget for the street project was also approved, about 10 percent of the construction cost.
A task order to provide construction inspection and oversight will be brought to a future city commission meeting.
The topic of bike lanes throughout Sturgis was also a discussion point at Wednesday's meeting.
The city commission approved traffic control orders 22-06, 22-07 and 22-08, provisions that allow modified signs to identify bike lanes on each of the street segments.
City officials previously reviewed the existing street system and identified three areas where bike lane designations could be made: South Lakeview Avenue from Mechanic to Merribe streets; North Franks Avenue from East Chicago Road to the north drive of the Doyle Community Center; and East South Street between South Nottawa Street and South Lakeview Avenue.
The white line pavement markings on those streets were examined to confirm they met the minimum bike lane width requirements. All were found to be sufficient, in areas where vehicle parking is currently not allowed. No adjustments to current parking restrictions would be required to incorporate the bike lanes, where signs would be put in place and bike symbols be added to the pavement.
The changes generally follow the city's 2014 nonmotorized trailway plan to add bike lanes on East South Street and South Lakeview Avenue. The trailway plan also called for side path trails on North Franks Avenue.
This article originally appeared on Sturgis Journal: Sturgis city manager search to start; bike lanes approved
