At the Pentwater Village Council's 6 p.m. meeting, this past Monday evening, all members were present except for Dan Nugent.
The council spent half their meeting discussing when to put the new water well on Ridge Road into service. Shane Peterson was present to report on behalf of Fleis & VandenBrink (engineering) and answer questions. The new well has been held offline since December, waiting for a final site visit and approval from EGLE, which was denied on the basis of a minor concern about the “aesthetic” level of iron in the water, although it is still totally safe to drink.
The iron measured just over the defined level, which could possibly be detectable in taste, odor or staining in undiluted water from well #4. However, detectability could be avoided if water from well #4 were mixed with water from well #2. Presently, the entire system is being run from only well #2, and it will take some time to bring the water to a 50/50 mix. Peterson affirmed that many other municipalities operate with multiple wells in varied locations that have different levels of minerals and contaminants, and mixing the water works effectively. Council encouraged Peterson to give some “pushback” to EGLE regarding its level of concern.
Jared Griffis summed up the council’s thoughts and directive by stating that they want the water system to be able to function at maximum level during the busy summer season. So the council directed Peterson to move ahead with putting the new well online as soon as possible. They requested testing to be done as frequently as weekly until the goal mix is achieved so that the new well can be shut down quickly if problematic levels of iron are detected. Village Manager Toby Van Ess assured council members that the Pentwater DPW is capable of doing the testing and that funding designated for water treatment equipment is available if it should prove to be needed at the new well.
Reports to the council listed under the consent agenda included some information of interest. The fire department reported 16 medical calls in March and 24 medical calls in April. The Downtown Development Authority (DDA) changed their monthly meeting time and location to 8:30 a.m. at the village hall and they requested an increase in the village budget line for Hancock Street improvements from $3,400 to $10,000. DDA officers elected for 2026-2027 were Ryan Williams, chair; Katie Saunders, vice-chair; and Kyle Jansen, treasurer.
Also, a request was granted to Centenary UMC to use the Village Green on Sundays from 8:30-11 a.m. June 28 through September 6.
Treasurer Michelle Bieri reported she had recently attended a helpful conference for municipal treasurers. With continued confusion over utility bills, Bieri created a “cheat sheet” for other office staff to use when answering residents’ questions about water bills and “ready to serve” charges. She also informed council of her upcoming vacation.
In his police department report, Chief Laude Hartrum stated the village had more violent crime in the month of April than in any single month period in the past. It included two felonious assaults. He continues to look for two additional offiers, one full-time and one part-time. He was also pleased with the attendance of 15-18 residents at his recent Village Police Advisory Committee meeting.
In other business, approval was unanimous for the updated Employee Handbook as presented. Three resolutions were approved regarding the date to return delinquent taxes to the township, the new millage rate levy and the disposal of unclaimed bicycles.
A Memo of Understanding between the village, the township and Pentwater Public School regarding the operation of the Youth Sports and Recreation Program was approved with a request voiced by David Bluhm that the council receive periodic reports on its progress from the person the school placed in charge of the program.
Van Ess gave a bit of history on Park Place rates and reported the recent agreement with the township that rental rates will be the same for village and township residents, but the township will pay the village an additional $7,500 per year.
Eight residents attended the meeting in person, and Ted Cuchna attended via Zoom. Under public comment, Cuchna said many residents may not understand that the utility billing term “ready to serve” refers to the minimum base charge, and he wondered if that would be different for Chester Street residents who did not use the village sewer system. He also expressed concern about the iron level in the new well and the amount of wastewater the DPW reported was going into the treatment plant. Fortunately the DPW was able to trace some of the excess water to two specific sources, which they had contacted. Pat Lajko also voiced her deep dismay over the loss of all the trees on Hancock Street.
During the time for council comments, Don Palmer expressed his gratitude for the Williams family’s initiative and hard work to accomplish the Petal Project and his appreciation for the beauty that the daffodils give to the village entrances. Kathy O’Connor reminded council about the Pentwater Women’s Club event the following Sunday, May 17, and the benefits it provides to many Pentwater High School graduates. Karl Schrumpf expressed thanks to Flowers by Mary Ann for the flowers recently planted in all the large pots on Hancock Street.
In his manager's report, Van Ess said repairs had been made that day (May 11) to the lift station on Russell Street. He shared the DPW plan to remove the dead trees on Hancock and temporarily put wood chips in the spots vacated by the trees until new trees can be planted. The DPW staff recently discovered a memo from MSU sent last fall to Jeff Gier at the DPW that was until now unknown to the council, which asserted that the soil samples sent to MSU were uncontaminated, but the leaf samples sent were contaminated.
Van Ess also shared that he had received an email earlier in the day to inform him of a meeting on Thursday, May 14, at which fire department representatives from several county fire departments planned to discuss the consolidation of the fire authority into one administrative office for Hart and Pentwater fire departments. The proposal was being considered to cut costs, not to make operational changes. Van Ess had heard nothing about this prior to the email and was planning to attend.
With no further business or discussion, President Mary Marshall entertained a motion to adjourn and the meeting concluded at 7:25 p.m.
