Three Rivers Commission approves early voting update, demolition contract

The Three Rivers City Commission met Tuesday for its regularly scheduled business meeting.

Commissioners unanimously approved all agenda items, including an amendment to the county early voting site agreement, a box hangar lease transfer, and the demolition of 318 S. Main St.

The amendment to the County Early Voting Site Agreement primarily addresses budgeting and cost-sharing and reflects an increase in total early voting hours from 72 to 87 hours.

The amendment replaces the budget and cost-sharing section of the original 2023 agreement and clarifies that St. Joseph County will coordinate and host early in-person voting for statewide and federal elections. Under the revised agreement, participating municipalities will share costs equally.

The city’s annual contribution will be $3,626.25 for each of the next two years, totaling $7,252.50 over the life of the agreement. The measure passed unanimously with no discussion.

Commissioners also unanimously approved the demolition of 318 S. Main St., awarding a contract to the lowest bidder, Handy Excavating, for $17,000.

The commission approved a 10% contingency, bringing the total authorized amount to $18,700.

Director of Community Development John Beebe said he could not provide an exact start date but expects the demolition project to begin within the next four months.

Commissioners unanimously approved the transfer of the ground lease for box hangar unit No. 1016 at the Three Rivers Dr. Haines Municipal Airport from Hov-Aire Inc. to Three Rivers Aero.

The board first heard about the sale during its December 2 meeting, and Tuesday’s action approved a revised lease completing the transaction.

All commissioners were present at Tuesday’s meeting.

Years of service

During commissioner comments, First District Commissioner Pat Dane asked the city to formally recognize former Mayor Tom Lowry for his years of service to the city.

“I would really like to see us recognize our former mayor, Tom Lowry, for all of his years of service at our next meeting,” Dane said. “I think he’s done a lot for this community personally and helped the community in a lot of ways, and is still doing it. … I think it’s time that he got recognized for all the years that he gave to this city.”

City Manager Joe Bippus said he reached out to Lowry on Dane’s behalf and that Lowry is “not ready at this time.”

Lowry previously served as mayor of Three Rivers for 27 years. 

Lowry’s most recent appearance in commission discussion came during his appointment to the Zoning Board of Appeals, which sparked significant debate among commissioners.

At that meeting, Third District Commissioner Anthony Stanfill opened discussion by opposing Lowry’s appointment.

“I’d like to welcome you to the start of the end of the good old boy system,” Stanfill said. “I was elected to be the voice of the Third District. That’s exactly what I’m going to do. … I feel the people of Three Rivers have spoken with the election results.”

Mayor Angel Johnston also opposed the appointment, referencing Facebook posts from Lowry’s page that criticized former President Donald Trump and included edited “Make America Great Again” hats reading “Gullible AF.”

“A few people asked me: If you were a Republican, would you feel comfortable having Tom make a decision that could affect your home or your livelihood?” Johnston said at the time. “I had a hard time saying that I would feel comfortable if I was a Republican and Tom was in charge of something.”

City Attorney TJ Reed clarified during that discussion that a board member’s political views would only become legally relevant if they inserted those views into official decisions while serving.

The commission ultimately approved Lowry’s appointment in a 4–3 vote. Dane, Brown, McNary and Haigh voted in favor, while Allen, Stanfill and Johnston opposed.

Maxwell Knauer is a staff writer for Watershed Voice.