Sperhake approved as Wakefield treasurer

By DAMIIAN LANG

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Wakefield - The Wakefield City Council approved on Monday evening a resolution that acknowledged Patricia Sperhake of Wakefield as the city's treasurer.

Council members had appointed Sperhake as deputy treasurer on July 10, 2023.

As City Manager Robert Brown Jr. said in a related agenda report, "The council intended to promote Mrs. Sperhake as treasurer after several months of in-house training and attending the Michigan Treasurer's Association training session in Mount Pleasant, Michigan."

He added that Sperhake now has completed that training.

The council's approval of Sperhake's promotion - which was effective as of Tuesday - included a wage of $23 per hour, and Brown said the funding already had been built into the 2024-25 fiscal year budget.

In a separate vote, the council also approved the reappointment of Carole Lillar to the Wakefield Housing Commission.

"Carole is an invaluable board member," said Sheri Graham, executive director of the Wakefield Housing Commission. "Both the board and I are in support of her continuing for another 5-year term."

Lillar's new term will run from July 1 until June 30, 2029.

In other news, council members also approved a new parade route for the Fourth of July, so as to avoid construction now occurring downtown.

According to Brown, the new route will start at Putnam and U.S. 2 and then head west, where it will turn south onto Smith Street, west onto Pierce Street, and north onto Brotherton, before concluding at the Old Memorial Building site.

Council members also:

-Approved a resolution authorizing a drawdown of $579,431.31 from the city's $3.5 million loan from the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Rural Development loan for the Phase 1 Water Project. Brown said the funds will be used to pay for services rendered by U.P. Engineers and Architects in Houghton and Ruotsala Construction Inc. in Ironwood.

- Approved a change order of $112,900 in relation to old and new issues relating to the Phase 1 Water project.

The City Council's next regular meeting will be on July 8, and the Planning Commission will meet on July 9. Both meetings will be at 5:30 p.m. The Parks and Recreation Advisory Board also will meet on July 10 at 5 p.m. All three meetings will be in the council room of the municipal building.