HOUGHTON — As the Houghton City Council considers whether to make the Pewabic Street Community Garden director a paid position, council members heard information on the garden’s usage and revenues during Wednesday’s meeting.

In September, the council received (close to an hour) of public comment requesting a director for the garden, which had been volunteer-run since its inception. Most commenters had backed the idea of Elena Busova, a long-time participant in the garden.

The property is newly back in Houghton’s hands, after the Houghton County board voted last week to sign a quit claim deed to transfer the Pewabic Street right-of-way back to the city. Houghton abandoned it back in 1998 to help facilitate plans the city had at the time to build on the property.

Statistics presented by Waara:

≤ The garden averages about 59 members a year, some of whom are likely sharing plots, he said. There are 12 or 13 full-size lots, depending on how they are split; those cost $40 per season. Another six half-size plots are $20 per season; Waara did not have the rates for the remaining six plots, which are smaller in size.

≤ Most of the plots are used by Houghton residents. In 2023, there were three non-residents renting a plot, up from one in previous years.

≤ The garden has three main revenue sources. The biggest is its annual plant sale, which brings in $3,000 to $4,000 each year. Gardener fees consistently bring in $680. And the city adds a $1,500 stipend. Their revenue is about twice their expenses, leading to a cash flow of about $7,900 over the past three years, Waara said.

Although Waara wasn’t looking for a motion Wednesday, he wanted to get the council’s thoughts on the garden and the paid director position. For him, he said, it would be difficult to justify the expense of paying a director for what’s been a volunteer-run position.

“To me, the volunteer part is what makes it special,” Waara said. “And we’ve got a ton of other volunteer efforts. All of these things, the things that led to that cup there (the city’s Michigan Municipal League award), a lot of that’s been volunteer-led … turning the volunteer effort into a paid position, I think that’s a bad precedent for the city.”

Mayor Brian Irizarry suggested putting the garden and other city volunteer efforts such as the beautification committee under the umbrella of a single managerial position.

“That may be worth looking into in terms of blending some things together to make the position worthwhile, if the garden itself doesn’t feel like it is,” he said.

The semi-autonomous nature of the groups might be a reason for their success, Waara said. Councilor Robert Megowen said the position wouldn’t be feasible unless the city had millions more in development. Even then, he said, there would be bigger priorities.

“There’s a lot of things on our wishlist and a lot of people in a paid position more important to the community, I think especially EMTs, more police officers, public works,” he said.

Given the cash flow of the garden, council members also discussed if it could ultimately become a profit center or self-supporting. Councilor Craig Waddell noted the goal in the city’s master plan for the Carnegie Museum to become self-sufficient.

“If we come up with a way to help the Carnegie become financially independent, maybe the same model could be applied to the garden,” Councilor Craig Waddell said.

Waara did not foresee it becoming a profit center for the city, noting that for the plots to cover the funds for a paid position, he would have to charge about $1,500.

Councilor Mike Needham said with additional efforts, the garden might be able to become more independently, though not a profit center for the city. However, he said, the city’s costs are different with the Carnegie, which included unforeseen maintenance issues.

“It’s a historically significant building, so its cost structure is different from a vacant piece of land that has a volunteer-constructed garden on it,” he said.

In other action, the council:

≤ Scheduled a Zoning Board of Appeals meeting for Nov. 13 for 205 W. Douglass Ave. The owners of the house are requesting a rear-yard variance for a proposed addition and garage.

≤ Heard from Waara about a grant the city received through the state’s Shared Street and Spaces program. The $231,000 project — a $200,000 grant with a $31,000 match — includes crosswalk improvements on Lakeshore Drive at the bottom of Quincy Street. where the area will be regraded and resurfaced for handicapped accessibility. The funds would also provide a wheelchair ramp to the dock with the city’s current kayak launch, where it would also then provide a fully handicapped-accessible kayak launch with a floating dock.

≤ Heard from Police Chief John Donnelly, who apologized for traffic back-ups during Treat Street due to the unplanned blocking of turns onto Shelden Avenue at Quincy Street; instead, traffic was rerouted to M-26. Quincy Street will be open for next year’s event, he said. He also reported there had been no accidents at Dunkin’ Donuts/Baskin-Robbins, where the city had temporarily installed traffic controls during its opening week. He said the department would continue to work with MDOT for permanent solutions to issues where cars try to make left turns onto Fifth Avenue and run into traffic in the opposite lanes.

≤ Discussed the upcoming organizational meeting at 7:30 p.m. Nov. 12.