MARQUETTE — Following Memorial Day weekend, the Marquette City Commission will hold a work session that will be focused on glass recycling.

The session will be the first public meeting on the issue since a recycling forum was held in March, when Brad Austin, the director of Marquette County Solid Waste Management Authority, said glass hasn’t been recycled at the landfill in five years.

Austin said the MCSWMA stopped recycling glass because the materials cause wear and tear on processing equipment and contaminates other recyclables, decreasing their values, and also raises concerns of worker safety. There’s also no viable market for glass nearby and transportation is costly due to the remote location, Austin said in March. The closest glass recycling facility, he added, is near Milwaukee.

The work session begins at 4:30 p.m. Tuesday in commission chambers at Marquette City Hall and will be followed by the commission’s regular meeting at 6 p.m.

Work sessions and commission meetings are open to the public and have designated times where anyone can express their interests or concerns.

During the meeting, the commission will discuss plans regarding the upcoming reconstruction project on Fifth and Homestead streets, which will consist of minor water main and service work, sanitary sewer and storm sewer main replacement and extensions, replacement of sanitary sewer laterals, reconstruction of the street structure and other related work, according to the meeting agenda.

Bids for the project were opened May 2017, and three contractors responded to the city’s request. At the meeting, the commission is expected to decide whether Smith Construction Inc., Hebert Construction or Oberstar Inc. will complete the project, which was part of the 2018 fiscal year bond package.

The city commission will also discuss the Dark Sky Park and decide whether to allow public access to the southwest area of Presque Isle Park, where the Dark Sky is located. Commissioners are considering allowing the park to stay open until 1 a.m. Fridays and Saturdays during a trial period from June 1 through Oct. 31 to let people view the night sky in a setting with low light pollution.

For more information and to view the commission’s agenda, visit the city’s website at https://www.marquettemi.gov.

Jaymie Depew can be reached at 906-228-2500, ext. 206. Her email address is jdepew@miningjournal.net.