Interim City Manager Doug Terry, Director of Public Services Jason Kern and Chief of Public Safety Aaron Phipps gave an update at Albion Association for Lifelong Learning’s Fall General Assembly Thursday September 11th. The event was livestreamed to YouTube through the Albion 1st UMC channel.
Terry said the City of Albion’s primary emphasis this year has been on infrastructure improvements as the City utilizing a $27 million bond issue. Projects include repairing sewers and water lines, install smart water meters, repaving roads and building a water tower in the new industrial park that the City of Albion and the Albion EDC are developing northeast of the city. Terry said that the City of Albion was a $34 million enterprise with 70 employees, or 1% of the city’s population which is typical.
The Department of Public Services consists of twenty-four unionized employees, two superintendents, and the Director. They are responsible for the maintenance and repair of 54 miles of streets, 100 miles of sidewalks, 60 miles of storm sewer pipes, 60 miles of water lines and 500 hydrants, 54 miles of sanitary sewers, and 90 acres of designated public parks.
Other responsibilities include management and care of the tree dump, and the almost 50-acre Riverside Cemetery. Also, the department handles code enforcement, parks maintenance, snow and ice removal, the organization of Clean-Up Day, the Wastewater Treatment Plant, street sweeping, and maintenance and management of the City’s vehicle and heavy-equipment fleet. The department is also in charge of the coordination and monitoring of environmental investigations and remediation on municipally owned property.
Jason Kern reinforced the significant undertaking the City of Albion is involved in with repairing the sewer lines under the streets, some of which are over 100 years old and no longer functional. As part of this, the Public Works Department will be removing some of the very old maple and oak trees that border Albion streets as the roots of these venerable and sprawling giants have wreaked havoc on the City’s sewers and sidewalks.
Kern also discussed the dam removal project that has been proposed. The declining state of the dams on the Kalamazoo River in Albion and the safety of the dams has been a concern for some time. The State of Michigan is interested in seeing natural waterways restored and has grant money available for dam removal. The Albion project is still in the planning phase as geological and habitat surveys need to be completed. The current view is that the millrace that borders Linden Avenue would be removed so that the street can be widened to accommodate emergency vehicles.
Aaron Phipps reported that Albion Public Safety has 17 officers with two current openings. Phipps said that Michigan is a leader in the Public Safety model in which officers are cross trained both in police and fire safety. Nearby Kalamazoo is the largest city in the country with a Public Safety department.
Phipps devoted most of his presentation to discussing the impact of fraud in Albion, as seniors are often targets. There were 42 reported complaints of fraud in Albion last year, some involving large sums of money. Many frauds are not reported and attempts to defraud individuals through email, texts and phone calls are rampant and growing more sophisticated.
“The key tip off that someone is engaged in possible fraud is the sense of urgency that they communicate,” Phipps said.
In the handout he shared, he advised people to be suspicious of pressure to act immediately, and of requests for payment involving gift cards or wire transfers. People should use credit cards for online purchases for protection. It is also important to verify unsolicited requests for personal information by contacting companies directly through a known website or phone number, never by clicking on links in emails and texts which can download malware onto a personal computer. And be wary of free offers that ask for a credit card.
City Officials reiterated that they are available to talk with the public on city issues. Individuals are encouraged to reach out to them at City Hall.
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