Chesaning sets Oct. 20 hearing to abandon part of Railroad Street

Chesaning is moving to give up part of Railroad Street, and residents will get their say on Oct. 20. The village council adopted Resolution 06-2026 at its Sept. 15 meeting setting a public hearing on abandoning a portion of the street, according to the synopsis minutes posted by the village. Abandoning a street means the village stops owning and maintaining that stretch; the land generally reverts to the adjoining property owners.

The synopsis does not say which portion of Railroad Street is involved, who asked for the abandonment, or what would happen to the right of way afterward. Those details would be in the full minutes, which the clerk's office makes available on request at the village office, open weekdays from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.

This is the second street the council has moved off its books in recent months. The Current reported in August that the council vacated 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.

The council also voted to refund $933.13 to the owner of 709 W. Broad St., the remainder of a site plan review deposit. Village Administrator Tom Ebenhoeh told the council the money had in the past been held in escrow and would have been returned automatically, and that not returning it was an error, the minutes say.

Downtown Chesaning is getting wood ducks. Representatives from Friends of the Shiawassee asked during public comment to display wood duck sculptures downtown for a fundraiser, and the council approved the display. The minutes do not give dates for the display or say how many sculptures are involved. The council separately recognized the Music Boosters as a local charitable organization, a step the minutes say the group needs to apply for a raffle license.

On the consent agenda, the council approved $157,901.69 in accounts payable dated Sept. 15 along with the Sept. 1 minutes. Five of the seven members were present — Navarre, Larner, Danek, Bueche and Wenzel. Hoover and Chludil were absent. The synopsis records each item as carried but does not break out how individual members voted.

One item came in for introduction only, with no vote: a proposal from engineering firm OHM to write a Parks and Recreation master plan for the village. The minutes put the cost at $10,000, to be split with the schools as a joint project. The synopsis does not say when the council would act on it or whether the school district has agreed to pay half.

What happens next: the public hearing on abandoning part of Railroad Street is set for Oct. 20. The council's next regular meeting is Oct. 6 at 7:30 p.m. The Sept. 15 meeting ran 26 minutes, from 7:30 p.m. to 7:56 p.m.