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The Hancock city council, planning commission and downtown development authority heard a recap of the city’s progress at a joint meeting last evening.
Achievements in the past year included the opening of the city dog park and pickleball courts, bath house renovations at the campground, trail enhancements along Tezcuco and Navy Streets, completion of the new zoning code, and the hiring of a new police chief and downtown development coordinator. The Business and Technology Park opened for business, and city manager Mary Babcock said more development will take place there this year.
New police chief Tami Sleeman said the department made 91 arrests last year, a slight increase over 2021. An 11th officer is undergoing training at the police academy at Northern Michigan University, and will join the department soon. She said that the department is strengthening its relationship with the Upper Peninsula Human Trafficking Task Force, and hopes to develop programs this year that will build better relationships with city residents.
The rewrite of the city’s master plan will begin in earnest over the next few weeks. The most recent update was in 2018. The state requires reviews every five years. To that end, the city has scheduled public input sessions April 12th and 13th at the Orpheum. Babcock hopes many residents will share their input, to guide the process.
