City Commission

Design-engineering services related to a pair of road-improvement projects were approved this week by Three Rivers City Commission. Mayor Tom Lowry said the action taken Tuesday is in advance of work to be performed on South Constantine Street from Broadway Street south to the city limits. Meanwhile, the other upgrade will be made on 11th Avenue, between Washington and Jefferson …

The first hurdle for a new housing development in Vicksburg was cleared earlier this month. Vicksburg Planning Commission members discussed the proposed Homestead at Centennial neighborhood. It is slated for development on a 35-acre parcel between Trillium Plat and the original Centennial neighborhoods. It is on the west side of South 22nd Street. Allen Edwin Homes is proposing a 118-unit …

A new monitor/defibrillator is on its way to the Sturgis ambulance network next year. City commission members last week approved $40,000 for the purchase of a Lifepak 15v4 monitor/defibrillator from Stryker Corp. Sturgis Department of Public Safety Director Ryan Banaszak said the fire division was in need of another cardiac monitor for its third ambulance. Since adding the spare/transfer ambulance …

Incumbent Tom Lowry was elected to serve two more years as mayor of Three Rivers. Unofficial results of Tuesday’s election show Lowry earned 479 votes. His challenger, Vernis Mims Jr., captured 428 votes. Lowry has served as the city’s mayor for 26 years. Meanwhile, all three incumbent city commission members were re-elected to two-year terms. First District incumbent Pat Dayne …

Sturgis Planning Commission members this week voted to not recommend urban chickens in town. Despite Monday’s vote, members of the Sturgis City Commission may proceed as they wish, as the planning commission is a recommending body to aid city commissioners in making an informed decision. If the city commission decides to move forward, the planning commission would support the measure …

Constantine municipal officials are looking into moving its Civil War cannon at South Washington Street Park to the township cemetery. Village resident and local historian Rebecca Shank last month asked the council if it would consider relocating the cannon to a place of honor. A cemetery, she said, would be more appropriate than a community park. Shank said the cannon …

Sturgis City Commission members voted this week to approve the city’s 2023 street rehabilitation project. The city received a single bid by the May 1 deadline, submitted by Northern Construction Services Corp. of Niles. Its bid was for about $720,000. The three segments in the project are South Orange Street from Wenzel to West South Street; South Nottawa Street from …

Sturgis Interim City Manager Andrew Kuk last week accepted an offer from the city commission to become city manager on a permanent basis. Kuk has served for more than 15 years as assistant city manager, assuming the interim primary role in January after former manager Mike Hughes accepted a new management position at a local manufacturing company. The city commission …

A number of local entities, including the villages of Burr Oak, Centreville and Constantine, featured uncontested races. In Colon, six trustee candidates vied for three seats to Colon Village Council. Winners were Jodi Gross, Dillon Baker and Marvel Delp. They were challenged by David Senkewitz, Donald D’Water and Thomas Whitford. Gross and Delp are incumbents. In Three Rivers, Lucas Allen …

Sturgis Hospital is facing mounting financial deficits, and officials from the medical facility have turned to the city for help. Hospital officials approached Sturgis City Commission last week to ask for a $645,000 loan to keep the facility open until a decision is made for $15 million in emergency funding. If approved by the state, that $15 million to fund …