In a meeting on March 18, the Hillsdale City Council discussed code enforcement, a loan to the Hillsdale Historical Society, and summer events.
City Manager Linda Brown began a discussion of code enforcement, which involves keeping certain buildings up to a certain level of maintenance. Brown said that she asked Chief Building Inspector Marty Taylor about a semi-dilapidated property on State Street property. She also said Taylor told her that commissioners have no money beyond the need to take care of it, even though the building requires maintenance.
“Every day we drive by, it seems to get worse,” Brown said. “It’s way past time for that thing to be cleaned up.”
Upon hearing the possibility that construction has led to the site’s poor maintenance, Councilperson Brian Watkins, acting as mayor pro tem in the absence of Doug Moon, said that there was still a lack of responsibility.
“Even if you’re doing construction on a site, you have some responsibility to clean up,” Watkins said.
Councilperson William Arnold said that other factors can prevent code adherence.
“What can we do if the property owner just goes delinquent?” Arnold asked.
On the subject of dilapidated property, Watkins also said that the F.W. Stocks Mill, a former industrial site located at the intersection of Carleton Road and Bacon Street, is for sale.
“We can expect a flood of people wanting to buy that,” Watkins said.
The council also discussed a proposal by the Hillsdale Historical Society to relocate some of the books it had been keeping in the basement of the Will Carleton Poorhouse to the Mitchell Building on Manning Street, where many local historical records are currently kept. Discussion centered around the city’s possible insurance liability. Brown said that the city would not be liable.
“They would insure it. The only cost to the city is the space,” Brown said.
After Watkins said that the contract involved no spending by the city, the council approved the Historical Society’s proposal unanimously.
Finally, the council made reference to several events planned for the third and fourth weekends of June. Councilperson Mary Wolfram said that she brought up the events to ensure that there were no scheduling conflicts. Some of the events include a Cruise-In on June 21, the Hillsdale Chamber of Commerce car show on June 22, city-wide garage sales on June 21-22, and the Hillsdale Municipal Airport Fly-In and potentially the Elks Craft Fair on June 30. Councilperson Sullivan said that the Cruise-In might be worth rescheduling, since Jackson will host an identical but bigger event on the same day. Councilperson Watkins, however, said that he had a different idea.
“We should send a spy to their Cruise-In,” Watkins said.
“I think we’re allowed to go to their event,” Wolfram said.
“I know,” Watkins said, “but it’s more fun when you say you’re a spy.”
jbutler@hillsdale.edu
