ESCANABA — The Escanaba City Council will weigh a number of resolutions related to brownfield redevelopment plans for projects during their meeting Thursday.

SUPER ONE

The first brownfield-related issue on the docket Thursday is a resolution to terminate the brownfield redevelopment plan currently on the books for the former Super One grocery store. That plan was based on a proposal to construct a hotel on the property, an idea that failed to come to fruition.

The council will then approve or deny a resolution declaring the property a blighted building. Considering the building blighted was highly controversial when the hotel development was first on the table. At that time, Dial Companies, which owns the property, approached the city’s brownfield redevelopment authority board and asked if disconnecting the sewer in the building would meet the legal definition of blight. The state’s brownfield law includes having utilities “permanently disconnected, destroyed, removed, or rendered ineffective so that the property is unfit for its intended use” as one way a property may be blighted.

Brownfield authority board members argued at the time that self-blighting a building to achieve brownfield status — which opens the door to tax incentives — was unethical. However, the sewer was disconnected by the developer, the authority declared in a split vote that the building was blighted, and the property was designated a brownfield by the city council.

The resolution being considered Thursday would re-designate the property as blighted for a new brownfield plan to develop the site as a Kwik Trip gas station.

Finally, the council will weigh the resolution approving or denying the new brownfield plan itself.

FORMER JAIL AND CHAMBER OF COMMERCE

The last brownfield-related issue on the docket for the council is the brownfield redevelopment plan for the former Delta County Jail and Delta County Chamber of Commerce sites. The area is being redeveloped by two separate developers into a Hampton Inn and a condominium complex with mixed-use retail spaces.

WASTEWATER

The council will hear two requests for hiring companies to do work for the Escanaba wastewater department.

The first request is for the hire of TCR of Iron Mountain for digester repair for an amount not to exceed $56,190, which includes $18,000, or three-days worth of work, in contingencies. Money has already been approved for the work in the city’s budget.

The second request is for the hire of Bradfield Excavating, of Escanaba, for the replacement of Orangeburg sewers. The cost will be $6,000 per Orangeburg sewer plus $3,000 for abandonment. Funds are already budgeted for improvements to the city’s collection system this year.

ENERGY STORAGE SYSTEMS

The council will hold the first reading and set a second reading, public hearing, and possible adoption of an ordinance regulating energy storage systems. The proposed date of the public hearing is Sept. 5.

ELECTRIC DEPARTMENT

The city’s electric department is seeking the council’s approval to hire Dynamic Design Group to provide engineering service and prepare a bid spec for remodeling the electric department bathrooms to comply with state regulations. The cost of the engineering services is $10,000, which is already budgeted for the work.

UPTOBERFEST

The council will hear a request from the Bay de Noc Brewers and United Way of Delta County to hold this year’s UPtoberfest in Ludington Park on Saturday, Oct. 12.