Chesaning to set hearing on abandoning part of Railroad Street

Part of Railroad Street in Chesaning could be handed back to the adjoining property owners, and the first formal step comes Tuesday. The village council's Sept. 15 agenda lists Resolution 06-2026, which would set a public hearing on abandoning a portion of Railroad Street. The agenda does not say which stretch is involved, or what date the hearing would be held.

Abandoning a street means the village gives up its public right of way, so the strip is no longer a public road the village maintains or controls. It would be the second street action of the year for the council. The Current reported in August that the council cleared a vacation of a strip of Lockwood Street at its June 16 meeting, a step the synopsis minutes said may have been left undone earlier because of a clerical error.

Also up for action: a $933.13 refund to 709 W. Broad St. for the unused remainder of a site plan review fee. That address came before the Chesaning Planning Commission for site plan review. The agenda does not explain why part of the fee was not spent.

The council is scheduled to take up a parks and recreation proposal from the engineering firm OHM as a discussion item, meaning no vote is listed. The agenda does not include a price, a scope, or a timeline for the proposal, and the packet posted with the agenda contains no attachments.

On the consent agenda — the block of items the council clears with a single roll-call vote and no discussion — are the minutes of the Sept. 1 meeting and $157,901.69 in accounts payable. The agenda notes that any council member, staff member or member of the public may ask that an item be pulled off the consent agenda for separate discussion, and that all such requests will be granted. Recent bill runs approved by the council have ranged from $135,493.98 on Aug. 4 to $207,962.86 on July 21, according to our earlier coverage.

Public comment is limited to three minutes and comes before the consent agenda. The agenda states that questions asked of the board will be recorded and may be answered at the following meeting so members have time to confirm the accuracy of any answer, and that public comment "shall not be interpreted as a means to initiate dialog or debate."

What happens next: The council meets at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, Sept. 15, in the Village of Chesaning Council Chambers. If Resolution 06-2026 passes, the hearing date it sets will determine when residents can speak on the Railroad Street abandonment; the abandonment itself is not before the council Tuesday. The next regular meeting after that is Tuesday, Oct. 6, at 7:30 p.m. Full minutes are available at the village office, open weekdays 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.