Fall cleanup scheduled for October

By TOM LAVENTURE

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Ironwood — The city of Ironwood has scheduled dates and times for the city compost site and a fall cleanup event, according to reports at the city commission meeting on Monday.

The city composting site will be open from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Fridays, and 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturdays, starting this weekend, according to city manager Scott Erickson in his report to the commissioners. There will be a gate attendant to check residency and make sure materials are deposited at the appropriate locations.

The fall cleanup will be held on Oct. 1-2 behind the Ironwood Public Safety Department building, Erickson said. The schedule will be from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Friday, Oct. 1, and from 9 a.m. to noon Saturday, Oct. 2. Stretching it out over two days helped to prevent long lines in the spring.

The fall cleanup will use the same format as the spring cleanup with residents using the drive-thru method where they unload their materials into the appropriate bins provided, he said.

Public works has completed a phase one tub grinding for rehabilitating the existing compost site and phase two will be to level the remaining rubble, Erickson said. The work is required to get the compost site in a condition that will allow reopening the site to city residents.

The compost site gates will remain closed on weekdays to allow for ongoing work to grind and move materials. Upon completion, the area will be graded for composting sites.

The fall phase of the project will be open for leaves, branches and small brush, Erickson said. A plan for larger volumes of commercial waste will be presented as another phase.

To properly compost leaves, they must be turned monthly in a five-year cycle until they become usable compost, he said. So, there will be areas for tree limbs and brush to be grinded regularly into chips and removed from the site.

“In theory, you hopefully will never have to bury anything again,” Erickson said. “The compost site could then be here for many, many years to come.”

The city project to build a snow sliding hill out of a former roadway near Bonnie Street is ongoing with the public works department depositing excess fill from projects to help increase the height and grade. The hill is currently pretty steep and will be smoothed out before the winter.

“It’s a work in progress,” Erickson said. “I think last year it was very well received, and this year should even be more enjoyable for the kids and families that want to use this location.”

The city commission approved a resolution for the 16th year of the comprehensive deer management program. The resolution outlines the program rules and fees for the annual bow hunting program to take deer within the city limits.

There were approximately seven deer taken in the 2020 program, said Karen Gullan, city clerk.

“We are seeing a little increase in the number of deer that are in town,” Gullan said. “So it’ll be interesting to see if those numbers bump up a little bit.”

Participants will have 48 hours to take a deer and report where and when the deer was taken, its gender and other relevant information requested. A map of allowable hunt areas is available at the city clerk’s office.

The Pat O’Donnell Civic Center is planning a grand opening for Saturday, Oct. 2 at a time to be determined, Erickson said in his report. The official opening when the rink is ready will include a ribbon cutting and flag-raising ceremony.

The gravel parking lot of the civic center is being filled with excess tailings from the city mill and overlay project, he said. Gogebic Community College owns the parking lot, but the city has the tailings.

“Hopefully, that’ll be a nice improvement for not only the college but for the civic center also,” Erickson said.

The city commission approved a fourth payment of $142,883 to Jake’s Excavating & Landscaping LLC for work performed to date on the city’s water and sewer project.

The majority of the underground work is completed with two locations yet to be completed to include a  water connection on a 16 inch main and a storm sewer in the Ayer Street and Bonnie Street area, Erickson said.

“But everything else is coming together,” he said.

The board approved Mayor Annette Burchell’s reappointment of Paul Kostelnik to a three-year term on the Ironwood Parks and Recreation Committee until July 1, 2024. It is preferable to reappoint a sitting member but applicant Jerry Nezworski is also well qualified, she said.

As a member of the Gogebic Range Trail Authority, Nezworski would bring an important voice to the committee, she said. The board discussed the possibility of increasing the number of seats on the seven person committee.

Tom Bergman, director of city community development, said the city commission could approve a bylaws change. However, he said there are board seats with terms expiring in 2022 for Nezworski to be considered.

In other business, the city commission:

—Took no action on a request to waive the late penalty fee for summer taxes on property owned by Ahonen Apartments and Ahonen Investment companies.

—Approved the city manager’s appointment of Heidi Brown to the Ironwood Housing Board to complete the term of Pat Niksich to June 20, 2023.