Serving Gogebic, Iron and Ontonagon Counties
Serving Gogebic, Iron and Ontonagon Counties
By CHARITY SMITH
Bessemer — The Bessemer City Council voted to move forward with applying for $990,000 state grant funds for the U.S. 2 project on Monday.
The city will pay C2AE $13,000 to start the process of applying for the grant. If the grant is approved, the council will pay the firm an additional $6,000.
C2AE had requested the city to pay the $19,000 up front, but the council felt that withholding part of the payment would give C2AE incentive to secure the grant.
“This potentially could be a whole lot of money for the city of Bessemer or it could be nothing,” said councilwoman Linda Nelson in suggesting the partial payment.
She said that it would be an additional incentive for C2AE rather than the city of Bessemer just “crossing our fingers.”
“We need C2AE to have skin in the game as well, cause there’s a lot at stake here,” said councilman Terry Kryshak.
The council voted unanimously to approve the partial payment. If approved for the grant funds, the city would be able to use them for the 2022 portion of the 2021-2022 project. The city had already taken a loan from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Drinking Water State Revolving Fund to pay for this year’s expenditures.
The council also:
—Voted to put the $23,914 the city earned by auctioning old equipment towards the purchase of future equipment by the Department of Public Works.
—Approved paying $7,000 for the right of way on Peck Street to C&M oil. The purchase will come out of the major street fund.
—Tabled contracting with the Michigan Department of Transportation, until they get approval from the city attorney and the U.S. Department of Agriculture-Rural Development.
—Reviewed the city’s 2020 achievements towards its 2017 master plan.
