City Commission

The Three Rivers Public Library Board has agreed to follow through on the purchase of the Southern Michigan Bank and Trust building. Board members said the building purchase price is $350,000. Additional funds will have to be allocated from its $1.2 million budget for first-floor renovations and improvements elsewhere in the building. The board has authorized Arkos Design of Mishawaka …

Members of the Centreville Village Council have accepted a bid for the sale of timber. Indiana Wood Products’ bid of nearly $52,000 was accepted for trees on village property behind the St. Joseph County Fairgrounds. The selective harvest will include mature trees, as well as trees that have been blown over, trees declining in health, poorly formed trees and low-value …

The law firm representing St. Joseph County’s board of commissioners has filed a complaint for declaratory judgment against the city of Three Rivers. Troy-based Abbott Nicholson filed the paperwork Monday in St. Joseph County Circuit Court. The issue centers on the current validity of a contract between the county and the city, and whether Three Rivers has breached its terms …

Property owners in the city of Sturgis will see no property tax increase this year. City commissioners last week sidestepped adding nearly a half-mill to hire an additional police officer and a fire marshal. The commission set the 2017 operating tax rate at 10.0285 mills, the same millage levied in the city for more than a decade. A millage hike was …

Constantine Village Council members have approved an ordinance authorizing the use of golf carts on village streets. An operator must be at least age 16 and licensed to operate a motor vehicle, must comply with signal requirements and may not use the sidewalks. By ordinance, the speed limit is 15 mph. In addition, carts are not permitted on the street …

Three Rivers’ effort to annex a 77-acre property from Lockport Township gained considerable strength Thursday, following support from a key state official. Shelly Edgerton director of the Michigan Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs, sided with a recommendation from her five-member commission and approved the annexation. Edgerton’s signature Thursday means Three Rivers cleared the most significant – and potentially final …

Two public hearings and eight matters of new business highlight this evening’s Three Rivers City Commission meeting. The public hearings center on a budget hearing and property-tax act, and a user-fee ordinance update. Business to be considered by Mayor Tom Lowry and commissioners include the sale of 125 East Broadway Street to Clark Logic for $275,000, a resolution related to …

Three Rivers’ plan to develop a multi-field sports complex hit a snag Tuesday, when the Michigan Third District Court of Appeals reversed a local ruling on whether the parcel is vacant. The setback marks a win for Lockport Township. Its officials filed the appeal in February 2016 after St. Joseph County District Court Judge Jeff Middleton ruled the 77-acre parcel …

A Community Development Block grant application for a brew pub in downtown Three Rivers was approved Tuesday by the Three Rivers City Commission. The $365,788 CDBG was being sought by Landmark Tap House and Grille, which is slated to open in a three-storefront location North Main Street early next year. Specifically, it is targeted for an area that included Pub …

Over the objections of a vocal opponent and despite concerns from a pair of its members, Three Rivers City Commission has authorized design, bidding and construction-engineering services related to a proposed youth sports complex. Tuesday’s action allocates more than $300,000 to Kalamazoo-based Virdis Design Group. The decision came after resident Kathy Bingaman questioned whether it was premature to act on …