Keweenaw Report Your Source for Local News and Sports
Houghton homeowners will see a change in their trash pickup next spring.
At last night’s meeting, the city council approved a new five-year contract with Waste Management to continue trash and recycling services. Waste Management was the only company that expressed an interest in the job.
As part of the new deal, the current system of using city-specific trash bags will be phased out. Instead, each homeowner will receive a 64-gallon trash cart for garbage pickup. The carts can be picked up and emptied into a truck mechanically, which increases efficiency, and reduces fatigue and injuries among employees. Officials said the changeover will likely take place after Michigan Tech students leave the area next spring. A public information session to introduce the new system to new residents will be scheduled.
As expected, the council approved an extension of the deadline for completing the College Avenue rebuild. Construction this summer was delayed when contractors encountered unexpected rock formations, a mine shaft and a deteriorated sewer line. Traffic patterns will return to normal within the next few days, but wrap-up work will need to be finished next spring. City Manager Eric Waara hopes construction can resume in early May, and be completed by the end of June.
Council members hired Upper Peninsula Engineers and Architects to coordinate the teardown of the big parking deck, and rehabilitation of that property. Once the deck is down, UPEA will facilitate landscaping and Lakeshore Drive corridor design. Specific plans for the project have not yet been finalized. The city will bear the cost of removing the deck. A Michigan Economic Development Corporation Revitalization and Placemaking grant will help pay for the follow-up work.
