EDMORE — The aptly named Sunrise Center continues to bring new life to the former Hitachi building.

As part of this village’s upcoming fiscal year budget, the Edmore Village Council recently approved relocating the Department of Public Works to the Sunrise Center. The DPW will now be housed in the village’s former police office, which was no longer needed after the village’s police department merged with the Montcalm County Sheriff’s Office last spring.


The current Edmore Department of Public Works facility at E. Gilson and Sheldon streets is no longer considered suitable for the department, which is transitioning to the Sunrise Center (formerly Hitachi Magnetics).
According to Village Manager James Lower, it would cost the village about $150,000 to build a new DPW. However, Hitachi Magnetics Corp. — which shuttered in 2004 — will fund the $55,000 in renovations for the new DPW digs, including:

• installing floor drain and cap the entire shop with 4 to 6 inches of concrete ($25,710)

• moving electrical control panels from center of new shop to the side ($10,000)

• installing an overhead door for rear parking area ($9,621.44)

• building new work benches and shelving, plus contingency cost ($7,479)

• repairing roof from wind damage ($2,190)

“It’s basically perfect for our DPW shop,” Lower said. “It’s just a much better building. I am excited about it. The village has been so blessed, building-wise.”

Andy Andersen has worked as the village’s DPW director since last June. He oversees two other employees and they are all excited about their new location.

“It’s a steel construction building with a new roof so it’s hopefully going to last a lot of years,” Andersen said. “It’s a lot bigger and nicer building than what we have, and we already own it.”

Lower noted a large water main goes through the building, so to sell the building the village would have to pay approximately $80,000 to remove the water main and pump controls, plus surveying, appraisals, marketing, land splits and legal work. And as long as the village owns the building, they have to keep it heated due to the water main, so it makes sense for the DPW to set up shop there.

Andersen said the moving process has just begun and will likely continue into the summer.

“It’s a big upgrade,” he said.

Lower said the village will probably end up selling the old DPW property at Gilson and Sheldon streets, which has frontage on M-46.

In other Edmore news, the village officially began using its $644,276 stormwater, asset management and wastewater (SAW) grant funds in mid-February and a long-discussed water tower project may begin by May.

The old General Bag Corp. building project is currently out for bids and the village council may select a contractor at the regular March 14 meeting, with work starting as early as April.

The village received a $625,875 grant for the old bag building, which will be matched by $244,125 from the Edmore Downtown Development Authority for a total investment of $870,000 to renovate the old factory into the Edmore Marketplace, a vision that calls for a tourist attraction similar to Indiana’s Shipshewana with dozens of vendors selling local goods in the fully restored 1800s-era building.


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