Keweenaw Report Your Source for Local News and Sports
Heroin use in the Upper Peninsula continues to grow and the city of Houghton is no exception.
Houghton Police Chief John Donnelly shared his concerns with the city council and noted that prescription pills used to be the biggest problem but they are now seeing more incidences of meth and heroin use.
Donnelly said our location has long prevented these drugs from making a big impact locally, but that is changing.
Donnelly said his department is working with other law enforcement agencies to try and stay ahead of the problem.
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Pedestrians crossing Sheldon and Montezuma Avenues are finding it much more difficult, and dangerous, lately.
Houghton City Manager Eric Waara said the city is working with the Michigan Department of Transportation to come up with ways to address this problem.
One way is to use delineator signs in the roadway that marks where crosswalks are.
The signs also show pedestrians where to cross the road.
Among the concerns are pedestrians crossing Sheldon Avenue on the west side of an intersection…where they are in danger of traffic turning from the connecting street.
Crosswalks are located on the east side of the intersections to avoid this, with the exception of the traffic light controlled intersection at Isle Royale Street.
MDOT is allowing the delineators on these two state trunklines though it’s usually not permitted.
Waara said the use of the signs will be on a trial basis and their effectiveness will be re-evaluated in the near future.
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The city council approved the rental license for 1701 MacInnes Drive under the conditions that all the requirements will be met.
There are a total number 65 of rental units at the approved site.
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A couple of changes were made to the city’s ordinance on peddling goods and services.
The hours that a peddler or solicitor can operate were set at 9:00am to 8:00pm.
Also inserted into the ordinance were steps for a law enforcement officer to revoke a peddler’s license if the regulations are not being met.
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The council approved the spending of $4,500 to have the Western Upper Peninsula Planning and Development Region prepare an Asset Management plan as required by the state.
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The bid for the Ridge Road reconstruction and paving project was awarded to Bill Siler Contracting for just over $128,000.
The project will involve the stretch between Sharon Avenue and Luanne Avenue that is expected to see much higher traffic volumes when the new Walgreens opens up near that location.
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The new $4 fee for recycling continues to ruffle feathers of those wishing to do well by the environment but irked by the cost of doing so.
The per-vehicle fee was imposed by Waste Management due to the cost of handling recyclables.
Since the fee, the use of the service has dramatically dropped.
The Houghton City Council briefly discussed the need to possibly subsidize the service to avoid recyclables from ending up in landfills or even in illegal dump sites.
No action was taken by the council at Wednesday’s meeting.
