Commissioners inquire about removal of Bellows Street mini-circle; students agree over lack of effectiveness

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Some city commissioners want to explore removing the mini-circle just north of campus at Bellows and Arnold streets just a year after its construction.

At Monday’s regular meeting, Commissioner Jon Joslin asked city staff how they could bring the matter up for formal discussion, following up on a brief suggestion made by another commissioner at an earlier work session.

“Is that something that we could look at as a possibility of doing this year?” Joslin said.

The mini-circle was first constructed in the summer of 2010 largely to slow traffic down. In August 2010, Duane Ellis, former Mount Pleasant director of public works, said the construction costs the city about $75,000. However, when the circle was first tested, it was found not to be accessible for ladder trucks, costing the city an extra $2,500 in adjustments.

“Certainly we know there is concern about that mini-circle and its placement,” said City Manager Kathie Grinzinger. “We would like to conduct some additional study and research there to make sure the design that’s in place is doing what it’s supposed to do. If it’s not, we will bring in a proposal to remove it or change it.”

Commissioner Sharon Tilmann said the mini-circle is a “hated piece of city property.”

“There are a lot of citizens who … I think if you gave them sledge hammers and jack hammers, they would volunteer to (remove) that thing,” she said. “Without being facetious, I really want to know how long would such a study take?”

Grinzinger could not pin down an exact timeline to re-examine the mini-circle, but said it could be added to the list of the city’s newly-hired Director of Public Works Roger Rousse. She said if commissioners could give city staff “a few months,” information could be provided back.

Several Central Michigan University students agree the mini-circle should be removed.

Kelly Korbel said she doesn’t think the intersection of Arnold and Bellows is the right area for a mini-circle, and the roundabout downtown makes a lot more sense. The intersection of Preston Street and East Campus Drive, she said, would make a more sense.

“People complain about it all the time,” the Traverse City senior said. “If you go to coffee shops like Kaya or residence halls on north campus, you hear them.”

Farwell senior Nathen Hoard has also heard complaints.

He said the circle makes it difficult for people to turn left on to Arnold, because its size doesn’t allow people to travel the full way around like a roundabout does.

“I see people go over the curb of the center piece a lot because there just isn’t a lot of room,” Hoard said. “Traffic can be a problem in a lot of places on campus, I guess. But I don’t know if it was something they needed to fix necessarily.”

To calm traffic on Preston, Alma junior Anna Dvorak said installing stop signs would be more efficient. She called the mini-circle an “intrusive hunk of cement,” and said it has actually made traffic problems more hazardous.

“Even people who live in town think it’s ridiculous,” she said. “I’ve seen quite a few accidents almost happen there. People just aren’t slowing down.”

Monday marked the sixth day on the job and first City Commission meeting for Rousse.

Rousse said Grinzinger’s mention of conducting a study was the best method to tackle the concern regarding the mini-circle, but that he didn’t yet have enough information and background.

“For example, they can be used for pedestrian safety, traffic calming, they can be used just for safety because traffic circles, you know, eliminate head-on collisions,” Rousse said. “But I don’t know the original intent of it. It’s a non-typical installation for that.”