Flushing hydrants

The Three Rivers Department of Public Services announced it will be flushing hydrants starting April 15 and should continue through the end of the month.

The flushing will take place weeknights over a six-hour period starting at 11 p.m. Department officials said some residences may notice rusty water during the flushing process.

Property to go for sale

Mayor Tom Lowry and members of the Three Rivers City Commission have agreed to place a resolution for the sale of city-owned property on file for 30 days.

The property in question is a western portion of the former Essex Wire property on Fourth Street.

Union City-based Dove Ag Services is hoping to gain approval for a truck-loading facility and office building. Company officials said a total of nine storage tanks would hold a nitrogen-based fertilizer and plant-nutrition application. The proposed tanks would range in size from two million, to 30,000 to 5,000 gallons.

Unloading would occur primarily by rail, company officials said during Tuesday’s city commission meeting.

No agreement on the development will be in place between the city and Dove Ag Services until the 30-day period expires in early May.

New officers introduced

Four new auxiliary officers were introduced to the Three Rivers City Commission Tuesday.

Chief Tom Bringman said over the past 11 months, the five completed 120 hours of training, which included classroom, defensive tactics and firearms.

The quartet is comprised of Three Rivers High School graduates Brian Kline and Travis Cain, Caledonia native Gary VanderMei and Kalamazoo resident Shawn Taylor.

Bringman praised the auxiliary squad and said without the assistance of its members, the department would not be as effective as it is.

Lowry to run again

Three Rivers Mayor Tom Lowry said he plans to seek a second two-year term to the city’s highest elected post. Following Tuesday’s city commission meeting, Lowry said he took out a petition earlier in the day to begin the process of appearing on the November ballot. He will need to secure a minimum number of signatures from registered voters before turning in his petition ahead of the May 14 deadline. Lowry, 56, has seven months remaining on the two-year term he captured after running unopposed in November 2011. He originally served as mayor from 1995 to 2007.

Concern over parking violations

Three Rivers Police Chief Tom Bringman will instruct officers to beef up enforcement of parking violations around Hoppin Elementary School when classes resume next week.

Concern about the issue was raised Tuesday by Three Rivers City Commissioner Daryl Griffith, who said illegally parked cars pose a risk to children who walk home from school or to waiting cars parked legally on streets around the perimeter of the school.

Griffith said he was dismayed by the number of parking violations he saw while recently observing the end-of-day dismissal procedure.

Commissioner Jared Hoffmaster, who has children attending Hoppin, echoed Griffith’s concerns.

New water meters in TR

Mayor Tom Lowry and members of the Three Rivers City Commission have authorized an upgrade of residential water meters. City officials estimate more than 1,300 meters will be upgraded in order to make it easier to read water meters and quickly identify leaks. Between installation and materials, the measure will cost just under $330,000. The city has been budgeting for the expenditure since 2011. The new units, which can be read by radio transmission, will be installed by early 2014.

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