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Both the Village of Calumet and the Calumet Theatre applied for grants from the Keweenaw National Historical Park for aid in facilitating related building improvements. The theatre’s boiler failed in February, so the organization is seeking to replace it with a modern HVAC system. Manager Caleb Katz says the village is asking for insulation that will help rein in the cost of the service.
Katz says savings from the new climate control capabilities would go behind just the energy bill.
In other business, member Roxanne King will soon be moving into a new home in Keweenaw County, reducing the council to only three members. They are also missing a clerk. That threatens to hamstring the body’s ability to conduct new business. One potential solution is to reduce the size of the council to five people, so the remaining board members could form a quorum.
Katz says staff is down to him and one part-time employee and that comes at a time where he is seeing a rush of Freedom of Information Act requests concerning the relationship between the village, the Downtown Development Authority, and Main Street Calumet. The requests are more involved than traditional document requests, sometimes taking up to four hours for Katz to complete. He says Calumet has the ability to charge for FOIA requests, but it rarely does. The sheer volume is keeping him from his primary duties, so Katz is looking to hire help.
The next Village Board meeting is Thursday.
