Meeting primer: Three Rivers City Commission
Commissioners will hold a public hearing and likely vote on a zoning ordinance amendment allowing group housing for veterans in residential and business districts. The ordinance defines “Veterans Family Homes” and “Veterans Group Housing” by size (2-20 residents) and sets location and permit requirements. The measure, developed with input from the St. Joseph County Veterans Affairs Department, aims to expand housing options for local veterans.
This evening, October 7 at 6 p.m. the Three Rivers city commission will meet for the second to last time before November’s election.
Key items on the agenda include a public hearing on a veterans housing ordinance, infrastructure and parks projects, and setting the PFAS sewer ordinance public hearing.
Veterans housing
Commissioners will hold a public hearing and likely vote on a zoning ordinance amendment allowing group housing for veterans in residential and business districts. The ordinance defines “Veterans Family Homes” and “Veterans Group Housing” by size (two-20 residents) and sets location and permit requirements. The measure, developed with input from the St. Joseph County Veterans Affairs Department, aims to expand housing options for local veterans.
Infrastructure and parks projects
Commissioners will review several public works and park improvement items. The city is set to approve an agreement with the Michigan Department of Transportation to reconstruct the terminal apron at Dr. Haines Airport, a $609,864 project funded entirely through federal and state dollars under the Infrastructure and Jobs Act of 2021. A related contract for engineering and design of new airport fuel tanks is also on the agenda.
Other proposed projects include design engineering for improvements to Pealer Street and Sixth Avenue, along with an engineering change order for the Memory Isle Park bathroom project. The commission will also consider renewing a hangar lease with Conrad Aero LLC at the municipal airport.
PFAS sewer ordinance public hearing
The commission will set a public hearing for a proposed amendment to the city’s sewer use ordinance addressing PFAS, commonly known as “forever chemicals.” The update specifically targets perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS), a compound within the PFAS family, by establishing local discharge limits to help the city comply with state and federal environmental standards. The measure is part of ongoing efforts to monitor and reduce industrial and commercial sources of contamination before wastewater reaches the treatment plant.
Maxwell Knauer is a staff writer for Watershed Voice.
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