City Commission

Members of the Sturgis City Commission have approved the municipality’s 2012-13 fiscal year budget. Featuring projected revenue of about $7.5 million and operating expenses close to $6.4 million, the budget represents an increase of about half a percent from 2011-12. During Wednesday’s commission meeting, city manager Mike Hughes said the city has taken every step it can to keep expenses …

Mayor Tom Lowry and members of the Three Rivers City Commission have agreed to name a new city street in memory of a community activist and long-time employee of Three Rivers Community Schools. During their regularly scheduled meeting earlier this week, Lowry and commissioners agreed to name a road in memory of Suzy Warner, who passed away in April. Warner …

Organizers of the fourth annual Burr Oak Heritage Festival said the three-day event, which concluded Sunday, was the village’s most successful community celebration yet. Barb Wittlock, village clerk and a member of the Heritage Festival Committee, said Friday’s old-fashioned baseball game between the Burr Oak Bandits and Sturgis Biscuits drew more than 200 spectators, Saturday’s parade featured 60-plus entries, the …

The St. Joseph County Commission on Aging (COA) has approved a new, five-year lease with the City of Three Rivers for the Three Rivers Community Center. The Community Center, located at 103 South Douglas Avenue, has been the headquarters for the COA in recent years and that will continue until at least 2017 with authorization given last week (July 18) …

The Three Rivers City Commission dealt with a variety of items during a relatively brief regular meeting last week (July 17) The session included three public hearings during which there were no citizen comments. In each case, the commission approved the issue at hand. Specifically, commissioners: • approved a Special Exception Use Permit for a Massage Establishment and Day Spa …

Members of the Three Rivers City Commission have authorized sanitary sewer repairs on West Street. During action on the matter earlier this month, Mayor Tom Lowry and commissioners agreed to a $10,500 allocation to Northern Construction Services Corporation for repairs to compromised sections of the sewer line. The work will occur as crews continue to replace a four-inch water main, …

Village officials in Constantine took action against the owner of a house that was declared a public nuisance this week. During their Monday meeting, council members agreed to order the tenant at a residence in the 400 block of White Pigeon Street to evacuate the premises due to cockroach infestation and other concerns relevant to the health of the occupant. …

Three Rivers City Manager Joe Bippus was the recipient of a highly complimentary evaluation by Mayor Tom Lowry and commissioners last week. During his annual performance review, Bippus earned the equivalent of a 92 percent. The score is the highest he has ever received as city manager in Three Rivers. The evaluation was judged on 10 different categories and tabulated …

Members of the Sturgis Public Works Department spent three hours clearing animal debris from two U.S. 12 intersections last week. City officials said some of the contents of a semi truck were spilled around 7 a.m. Thursday at Centerville Road and further east at Clay Street. The animal parts were loaded two days earlier and sat all day in 100-degree …

White Pigeon Township is joining a number of other St. Joseph County entities by putting into place a ban on burning. Fire Chief Troy Andrews said White Pigeon Township will not be issuing burn permits until measurable rainfall is recorded. Fire officials in Three Rivers this week have declared an outdoor burning ban, including but not limited to campfires, bonfires …