The Three Rivers City Commission held its first meeting of 2021 on Tuesday, approving a number of change/purchase orders in varying amounts for multiple projects.

Commissioners approved a change order in the amount of $37,000 to Fleis and Vandenbrink for design engineering for bridges on Hoffman Street over the Rocky River and Broadway Street over the St. Joseph River, as well as a purchase order in the amount of $138,000 to Hurley and Stewart for construction engineering on the Meyer Broadway Trail.

The purchase of Muffin Monster replacement cutters (the product’s actual name, we swear) from Kennedy Industries in the amount of $11,785, and an additional change order to Windemuller Electric for maintenance and repairs in the amount of $7,500 were also approved.

For those curious about what exactly a Muffin Monster is — it apparently grinds raw solids feed to the ATAD (Autothermal thermophilic aerobic digester, whatever that means), and has been in service at the Three Rivers Waste Water Treatment Plant since 2001. WWTP staff will renew the unit with the aforementioned new cutters to ensure it continues to do, whatever it is it does, effectively.

In other business commissioners…

•Held a public hearing to consider a Special Exception Use (SEU) permit for a domestic assault shelter but took no action. Commissioners are expected to consider the request again at their next meeting.

•Adopted a comprehensive report on the city’s public participation strategy for city panning to fulfill a requirement for Redevelopment Ready Communities certification.

•Approved a proposed one-year Cross Connection Control Program contract extension with Hydro Corp, and a corresponding change order in the amount of $15,840.

Alek Haak-Frost is executive editor of Watershed Voice.