Kalamazoo Avenue is eating a lot of this agenda. Three separate railroad crossing agreements, a construction engineering contract amendment, and a brownfield deal for the property next door to a project it’s already connected to.

The 3 items worth your attention

Commissioners will take up three new state agreements covering railroad crossing upgrades along Kalamazoo Avenue, all tied to the avenue’s ongoing reconstruction (H-2, H-3, H-4). Two of the crossings involve flashing lights and gate work; the third is a Grand Elk Railroad crossing upgrade budgeted at around $598K. The most expensive of the three sits at roughly $770K. All three draw from the 2027 Major Streets Capital Plan. Why, per the city: The avenue reconstruction triggers state-required improvements at each crossing under a 2012 statewide railroad crossing agreement.

The purchasing policy is getting a new carve-out that’s worth knowing about (K-1). Going forward, any contract for automated license plate readers, and any renewal, amendment, or termination of one, would have to come before the full City Commission for a vote rather than moving through staff purchasing channels. The commission directed this change at the August 17 meeting.

At 116 W Cedar Street, a former city fire station that’s sat vacant for nearly two decades is up for a brownfield redevelopment plan that would put 71 rental units on the site, including 15 income-restricted units affordable to households earning 30% to 94% of Area Median Income (G-9). The plan also pairs with a Neighborhood Enterprise Zone tax certificate for the same parcels (G-8) and a first reading on a land dedication that would turn a strip of the property into public right-of-way (G-16). Why, per the city: Tax increment capture would begin in 2029 and run up to 30 years to reimburse eligible redevelopment costs.

Roads & property

• The city is acquiring two permanent easements and one temporary grading permit from private landowners for the HSIP pedestrian safety project #1, work that extends past the public right-of-way, for $1,207 total (G-13).
• A second round of easement acquisitions for HSIP pedestrian safety project #2 covers two permanent easements and six temporary grading permits, for $6,797 (G-14).
• Hubbell, Roth & Clark Inc. is in line for a $55K supplement to its engineering agreement on the Portage Street road diet and Alcott Street pedestrian improvements, after late-stage design revisions to refuge islands, pavement markings, and ADA ramps pushed the scope wider than expected (G-1).
• The Kalamazoo County Economic Development Corporation’s expansion plan for Heritage Community, financed through revenue bonds that carry no city liability, needs the commission’s formal consent because part of the project falls inside city limits (G-10).
• The Kalamazoo Avenue construction engineering contract with MDOT is being restructured: the original contract (26-5089) gets replaced by 26-5334, incorporating Wightman Inc.’s engineering services, which total $2.1M with $1.7M of that coming from the Streets CIP (H-1).

Where the money’s going

• GHD: $225,100 for environmental consulting at the Cork Street Landfill Superfund Site, July 2026 through June 2027, covering groundwater monitoring, landfill gas monitoring, and EPA/EGLE reporting on a site that’s been on the federal National Priorities List since 1990 (G-3).
• Peters Construction: $252,794.53 to install new fire hydrants in Oshtemo Township, where existing hydrants are spaced more than 300 feet apart; three bids came in and Peters was lowest (G-4).
• Peters Construction: $285,365.72 for citywide sidewalk spot repairs, funded through the Foundation for Excellence program (G-6).
• Severance Electric Co., Inc.: $64,810 change order to extend fiber conduit to the new water treatment plant under construction, bringing the total contract to $160,250 (G-2).
• Carrier and Gable: $250,000 supplemental for 2026 traffic signal components, covering repair and replacement work the city performs for both its own signals and those of the Road Commission of Kalamazoo County (G-5).

Also notable

• The commission will consider updates to its own rules (Policy 10.0), following direction given at the August 17 meeting to revise procedures the commissioners had discussed (K-2).
• FullTilt Performance Athletics needs the commission to formally recognize it as a nonprofit operating in the community so it can apply for a charitable gaming license from the state (G-7).
• The Civil Rights Board’s bylaws would be updated to remove the requirement that meetings happen at City Hall, bringing the board in line with how other city boards set their meeting locations (G-12).
• Curt Aardema is up for reappointment as one of the city’s three representatives on the Central County Transportation Authority; the commission’s recommendation goes to the county board (G-11).
• WMU has a permit request in for a public fireworks display at Waldo Stadium on September 12 (G-15).

Public comment on any agenda item is welcome at the meeting. The September 8 City Commission Business Meeting begins at city hall; check the city’s website for the exact time and how to sign up to speak.

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