State panel agrees petition sufficient

A step toward a resolution in Three Rivers’ attempt to annex an 80-acre parcel from Lockport Township was taken Wednesday during a proceeding before members of a state panel.
A recommending body comprised of State Boundary Commission staff and the office of the state’s Attorney General, concurred that the annexation petition filed by the city is legally sufficient. Its recommendation was endorsed Wednesday by the five-member State Boundary Commission.
Language in the petition was challenged by Lockport Township and adversaries of the proposed annexation after St. Joseph County District Court Judge Jeff Middleton early this year ruled the property in question is vacant, contrary to claims by opponents.
At stake is the prospective development of a $4 million, 17-field sports complex on a property between North Main Street and Buckhorn Road.
The five-member board will stage a public hearing locally as its next step. That session will take place at 5 p.m. Dec. 13 at A Place In Time in downtown Three Rivers.
Coupled with the recommendation, input during the public hearing will be reviewed and discussed by the State Boundary Commission during its April 2017 meeting.