The Houghton City Council met Feb. 23 to hear regular city reports and to handle city business.

The council began the meeting by drawing attention to an upcoming event at Kestner Park this Saturday Feb. 23 beginning at 11 a.m. Organized by community member Mary Kaminski, Winter Fun Day Waterfront Relay at Kestner Park (Chutes and Ladders) will have skating, skiing and snowshoeing open to the public. She and city manager Eric Waara made it a point to invite meeting attendees and the public to the event.

As the warmer months draw nearer, the city of Houghton is preparing to host cruise ships touring the Great Lakes. According to city manager Eric Waara, the city is expecting to have a ship anchored off the Kestner Park waterfront. In about 90 days, buses and walking tours are expected to accompany the cruise visitors to furnish their Houghton-visiting experience.

During the report for the police department, Chief John Donnelly noted that, in the coming week, sergeants of the Houghton Police Department are attending Crisis Intervention Team training as a part of their mission to police effectively. Chief Donnelly made mention of how training such as this has contributed a major part in his own effective handling of police situations, allowing him to grow and improve as a professional. To this end, he readily involves his officers in such training to better the department.

In discussion of the formation of a subcommittee dedicated to mental health, the council invited and heard from Kevin Store, the Executive Director of the Portage Health Foundation. He began by imploring the council for questions on the topic, to which council member Joan Suits asked “What could we do as a city to aid mental health efforts?” In reply, Store mentioned the city’s “good job with training police,” but warned that the ”complex issue” is constrained mostly by funding. For patients without Medicaid or major immediate danger, he noted the major “service gap.”

Following the discussion with Kevin Store, council members discussed their concerns about what exactly a subcommittee would actually contribute to the situation. “Another layer of bureaucracy” may not be a solution, in the mind of Suits. The council agreed and, after further discussion, moved to rescind the mental health subcommittee motion.

The council approved two Special Land Use permits, both of which are connected to upcoming local businesses. First, the council approved a permit for the construction of a boardwalk system on the wetlands around Cole’s Creek to accompany an upcoming campground in the vicinity. Second, the council approved a Special Land Use permit for an adult-use cannabis store at 1301 Ridge Rd. near Border Grill.