Plymouth Council sets meeting dates, discusses aquatic center
The Plymouth Common Council met for the first time this year on Monday night.
The council approved a motion to keep the meeting dates and times the same from the prior year. Meetings will be every second
and fourth Monday of the month at 6:30 p.m. or after the Board of Public Works and Safety. They will meet in the Council Chambers, located at 124 N. Michigan Street through the Garro Street entrance.
Council Member Don Ecker Jr. was voted to serve as Mayor Pro-tempore for the 2021 year.
Appointment of Keith Hammonds to the Marshall County Unsafe Building and Premises Board for 2021 was approved by the council.
During the attorney report, City Attorney Sean Surrisi updated the council on the status of the Dr. Susan Bardwell Aquatics Center. Surrisi stated that on Wednesday there’ll be a meeting involving the mayor, clerk-treasurer, members of the Park Board and Park Department, Council members, and Eric Walsh from Baker Tilly. The discussion of that meeting will include the financials of the aquatic center.
Surrisi told the council that “there was an operating company that was originally part of the way this deal was structured. Dr. Susan Bardwell Aquatic Center LLC, which was a company owned by Rick Miller which breached its obligation to operate the facility. There was a personal guarantee of that obligation entered by Rick Miller.”
There has been a lawsuit filed against Rick Miller seeking damages resulting from that breach of contract. According to Surrisi, there have been three attorneys that have seeking to have litigation continue. There is a hearing on that motion on Feb. 16.
“In the meantime, the facility’s been operating over the last, little more than a year with some contingency funds built into the budget in case something like this were to arise. Those funds are going to be running out sometime in March of this year. So we’re looking at some kind of long term solution for at least in the interim to cover the operation so the facility can continue to operate,” said Surrisi.
There have been talks with the Park and Recreation Department about having that department take control of the aquatic center operations.
Council Member Greg Compton asked Surrisi what would the center close if, come March, nothing changes and the funds run out.
“As it exists right now, that’s the case,” Surrisi replied.
New MCEDC Executive Director Laura Walls introduced herself to the council. She said she’s been “blown away by the warm welcome” from community leaders.
Walls comes from Monticello. She still lives there with her husband and her three sons, but is looking to relocate soon. She studied at Purdue University.
Surrisi also gave an update on the Stellar Communities. There’s a meeting soon so there should be some news coming from that meeting.