Elmore: Village wants input on parking limit

News Editor
news@presspublications.com

Residents in the Village of Elmore are being asked to share their opinions on parks and parking.
The village administration and council are seeking comment from the public on a temporary change in policy that eliminates a 2-hour limit on parking in the business district.
Dave Hower, village administrator, said the 2-hour limit has been suspended for the rest of the year.
“We’ve suspended it while we receive feedback on whether or not we should rescind the 2-hour parking or continue to use it or maybe expand it a little,” he said. “We want input from the community on how the central business district parking limit should be.”
Two persons voiced their concerns about dropping the limit during village council’s Oct. 28 meeting and a third provided some clarification on obtaining signatures for a petition being circulated, according to minutes of the meeting.
Mayor Tom Jackson urged the public to attend council meeting and express their opinions about parking limits.
“In January of 2025 council will make a decision on moving forward with parking time changes or rescind it all together,” Hower said. “We’re hearing from business owners and we also want feedback from the community. It’s been split so far in who wants it and who doesn’t want it. People can come to council or provide feedback in letters or any other way to communicate how they feel about it and what their choices are.”

Park study planned
In other business, Hower said he plans to apply for a grant from the Ottawa County Parks District that would fund a study of the village parks and whether they are meeting the needs of the community.
Council recently approved retaining an engineering firm, Mannik & Smith Group, to conduct the study of Ory, Riverbend, Well, and Veterans parks.
“The study itself will be done in 2025,” Hower said. “It will probably take us six to eight months to do the study. We’ll start in January and work through June.”
In the November election, voters rejected a request for additional millage that was partially earmarked for park improvements.
Council’s village newsletter prior to the Nov. 5 election describes the village parks as “an area that has been underfunded for some time and many residents have voiced their concerns that this area needs attention.”
With the village switching from its municipal well water system to purchasing water from Ottawa County, “Well Park is one area that has the potential for significant upgrades,” the newsletter says.