Hancock will hire UP Environmental Services to complete the lead service line inspections around town. Last year the city received grant funding from EGLE to fund inspections on the city’s water line connections between the street and properties. The state department has sought to identify and assist communities in replacing lead service lines following incidents resulting in unsafe drinking water in cities such as Flint and Benton Harbor.
The city will have the inspection contractor complete more than 30 percent of homes in the city still on Hancock’s list. The city’s staff in 2024 was able to complete inspections for several properties, however, workloads have increased for the Department of Public Works, requiring the need for outside assistance.
Work will start to pick up around the former Finlandia University campus. After the institution closed in 2023, Hancock purchased a handful of properties. Nikander and Mannerheim Halls were two of the three Hancock purchased in 2023 for 30,000 dollars. Hancock will hire Marusich Architecture of Bloomfield Hills to work on initial architecture and engineering designs. The firm had a low bid for the project at 38,000 dollars. The city will need to support the work with 3,000 dollars invested alongside a 35,000-dollar MEDC grant awarded in 2024. City manager Mary Babcock expects design work will take between six to eight weeks.
Other actions by the council involved lots of purchases in the Spruce Haven Estates and the Sylvan Estates. Hancock will donate one lot in Spruce Haven to the Copper Country ISD Construction Technology program to build a single-family home. The city hopes to partner with the students on two more homes after the first has been completed. Councilors expect the program will purchase the two lots for future projects when planning for those sites starts down the road.
Comments