Serving Gogebic, Iron and Ontonagon Counties
Serving Gogebic, Iron and Ontonagon Counties
By RALPH ANSAMI
Bessemer — The Gogebic County Board of Commissioners will sit down with the road commission board next month for a joint session and the location of the proposed new county garage will be one of the issues discussed.
On a 4-3 vote, the county board on Wednesday moved to send a letter to the road commission saying the proposed new road commission building site off U.S. 2, on the south side of the highway and west end of Bessemer, would not be suitable for the building.
“No one thinks it’s a safe site,” said county board chair Joe Bonovetz, of Bessemer. “They should respect the will of the people,” he added.
The garage would be built on Marshalek Road, between some homes, and county commissioners expressed concerns about a hill and traffic safety at the proposed highway intersection.
Commissioner Jeff Wasley, of Ironwood, said sending a letter to the road commission before the proposed April 6 meeting would be premature, however.
Wasley, Bob Orlich, of Wakefield, and Leroy Kangas, of Ironwood Township, voted against sending the letter.
Bonovetz noted sheriff Pete Matonich and state police have made it clear the proposed location would not be safe.
Orlich suggested the county board get opinions from the Michigan Department of Transportation and other experts about the site.
Matonich attended the meeting and said MDOT issued an opinion that the location near U.S. 2 “would be marginal, at best.”
There was no opposition to the road commission constructing a new $4.7 million building at Wednesday’s meeting, but the location was the sticking point.
At a finance committee meeting before Wednesday’s regular county board meeting, Dan Siirila, of Ironwood, now a road commission member, criticized the road commission.
The former county board chair was appointed to the road commission by the county board about three months ago.
Siirila said, “It’s like the wild, wild west,” indicating road commissioners don’t follow Roberts Rules of Order and claiming bills are paid before being approved by the panel.
“It’s been a struggle for me from Day 1,” he said.
Siirila said he has voted against accepting minutes of meetings because he doesn’t approve of the actions.
“They all hate me,” he said of the fellow four road commissioners.
County board members said “procedures and perceptions” will be discussed at the joint meeting.
In January, the road commission unveiled plans for a 46,000-square-foot building that would cost around $4.7 million.
