At its regular meeting Tuesday, the Three Rivers City Commission passed a resolution in favor of outdoor, café-style sidewalk seating for the Riviera Theatre Bar. The resolution will help the bar obtain a permit from the Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT), which oversees and regulates street and sidewalk obstructions on North Main Street. Outdoor seating will allow the bar to reopen after pandemic restrictions forced it to shut down last week.
The Riviera had been one of many bars that reopened as pandemic restrictions were lifted last month, but following an outbreak in East Lansing in which the Ingham County Health Department linked 158 cases to a single bar, the State of Michigan issued a new shutdown order that specifically applied to indoor service at bars across the state. Since more than 70 percent of the Riviera’s food and drink sales are alcohol, it was subject to the shutdown order.
“I think this is a great idea. Anything we can do to help our restaurants out right now during all the stuff that’s going on, it’s a no brainer for me,” said At-Large Commissioner Daryl Griffith.
Commissioner Clayton Lyczinski II, also at-large, inquired whether it might be possible to pass a blanket resolution that could also apply to other businesses in the downtown historic district, in order to streamline the process should any of them wish to apply for a similar MDOT permit. City Manager Joe Bippus and Downtown Development Authority (TRDDA) Executive Director Tricia Meyer both replied that MDOT staff had advised them that handling the resolutions one at time would be the most “direct and easy route.” Mayor Tom Lowry said because all the other establishments in the district served enough food to stay exempt from the closure, the Riviera was the only one to close.
Lyczinski said, “I’m happy to do my part to approve this and any other establishments that come to us.”
First District Commissioner Pat Dane inquired whether the seating would block the sidewalk. Bippus replied it would leave a four-foot walkway on the concrete that is compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). Griffith clarified that including the brick part of the sidewalk, the clearance would actually be eight feet.
Commissioners discussed whether the Riviera might be able to close parking spaces near the seating area to improve safety and comfort. Bippus said they might be able to do so temporarily, but he “talked with MDOT about parklets, and even though we endorsed it they are skeptical.” Parklets are small areas where part of a street, often parking spaces, are converted into seating or other habitable outdoor space. “They use them in Europe,” Bippus said. “They work great.”
Commissioners also discussed whether the sidewalk width would permit other seating and walkway arrangements, but Colin Monroe of the Riviera, also a TRDDA Board Member, said current rules require all seating to be placed directly adjacent to the building for alcohol service. Commissioner Alison Haigh asked whether the seating arrangement would impact current smoking areas outside the bar. During operating hours, the Riviera’s Danielle Moreland said, “we will put up no smoking signs, and then people will have to be the proper distance before they light up.”
Commission Approves New Tech Infrastructure
Also at Tuesday’s meeting, commissioners approved replacement of the city’s servers and migration of data storage to the Microsoft M365 cloud-based platform, among other improvements.
The current servers date to 2015, and according to a city staff report, “there have been advancements in the server operating systems and virtual technology that the city cannot take advantage of because of the dated server hardware and firmware.” The city currently uses Essentials software by VMWare to create multiple virtual servers that provide for separation of data while operating on a single, physical host server. Cloud-based systems like the Microsoft system generally allow more fluid and easily customizable options for storage and organization of files, with broader allowance and control of access.
The city has already been making improvements to its data infrastructure. Last fall, staff migrated email processing and storage to the Microsoft Exchange platform. Consolidating under features under Microsoft platforms will simplify software licensing for the city.
The measure approved Tuesday authorizes a quote for hardware and maintenance services from Gracon Service, Inc., which is the city’s sole source network provider, in the amount of $33,221.50, as well as $39,488 for the Microsoft platform subscription, for a project total of $72,689.50. According to Lowry, this amount fits within previously authorized budgets.
MDOT Funding Agreement Approved
According to a city staff report, in 2018, the City of Three Rivers committed in cooperation with MDOT to reconstruct a section of 4th Street between Broadway Street and an area just north of the railroad tracks near Pleasant Street and the Clark Logic facility. The project is now out to bid in the MDOT bidding system.
The city commission voted permit the city manager and city clerk to sign a funding agreement with MDOT that allows this work to move forward. The agreement commits the city to a projected contribution of $245,000 toward the $619,200 total estimated project cost, with a capital deposit from the city in the amount of $280,650. The agreement also establishes terms and responsibilities for the project. The work is already budgeted in the city’s 2020-21 Fiscal Year.
In Other City Commission Business
•The commission authorized a change order to work on the Spring Street reconstruction project that allocates $140,000 from the water fund balance to accommodate an extension of time on the project’s contract with Northern Construction Services Corp., as well as a modification to include the replacement of water services in compliance with updates to state environmental procedures.
•Commissioners also authorized relocation agreements with American Electric Power’s Indiana and Michigan division in the amount of $27,726.47 and Q3 Technologies in the amount of $2,275. The figures cover the cost of relocating utility poles in preparation for Meyer Broadway Trail construction. Department of Public Services Director Amy Roth said she was initially under the impression that those companies would pay for the relocation since the trail is a transportation project. She is also working on relocation of lines with Frontier Communications, but does not currently expect the city to incur a cost for that.
•The COVID-19 pandemic delayed annual physicals for Three Rivers Fire Department and EMS staff, but with some restrictions lifted, they can now proceed. The city commission approved a previously budgeted expenditure of $14,930 to Bio Care for the examinations.
•At the start of each fiscal year in July, the city typically authorizes an assortment of budgeted supply purchases and service contracts. Commissioners on Tuesday approved three blanket purchase orders for vehicle maintenance to HS Fleet Services, including $20,000 each for fire and EMS vehicles, and a $500 addition to cover an unforeseen cost in the general vehicle fleet. The commission also approved $20,000 to Bound Tree Medical for various EMS supplies. It authorized various unit-cost bids and 11 separate purchase orders totaling $458,000 for various wastewater treatment chemicals.
Dave Vago is a staff writer and columnist for Watershed Voice. A Philadelphia native with roots in Three Rivers, Vago is a planning consultant to history and community development organizations and is the former Executive Director of the Three Rivers DDA/Main Street program.
