If it’s needed, Chelsea City Manager John Hanifan was given the go-ahead by the City Council to get bids for zoning and planning assistance.
At its Sept. 10 meeting, Hanifan said the Planning Commission is working on an update to the city’s Master Plan and the city might need professional help with infrastructure punch list items for Heritage Pointe subdivision, which is ready to turn over its streets to the city.
Hanifan said that with City Engineer Christine Linfield on extended medical leave, and with the promotion of Karon Barbour to deputy clerk, the need may arise for interim assistance from a professional zoning and planning firm.
The city manager said he planned to meet with the chairman of the Planning Commission to see if the planning commissioners needed any assistance with their work.
Although Hanifan said he hoped that Linfield would be back by the end of September, he didn’t want her to return to work and be immediately overwhelmed after being off for a few months. Plus, he said, although Barbour has been helping out in the planning and zoning offices, she has a new job in the clerk’s office.
“This is just another example of the caliber and passion of city employees,” said Mayor Jason Lindauer, who praised city staff for helping each other through this transition.
“Although they’ve changed hats, they continue to fill in and the city continues to move forward as it always has,” he said.
In other business, the City Council also unanimously approved low bidder Phoenix Contracting‘s $44,208 bid to renovate the city offices, which are located inside the downtown Chelsea State Bank building. Phoenix was the general contractor for the city’s new police building and renovations to the Chelsea Area Fire Authority fire house.
He said that the work could begin as soon as the end of September and is expected to be completed by the end of October.
The council approved up to $50,000 for the work that includes the removal of one of the two lobbies in the city offices, a removal of a dividing wall and additional security measures for the doors.
City staff is expected to move into the basement of the building during the renovations and bank customers will be given fair warning about the construction, Hanifan said.
