The Empire Village Council approved a list of 12 possible improvements to the village’s recreational operations during its rescheduled regular meeting Wednesday night, Dec. 16.

The council unanimously approved the consideration of 12 proposed projects for improving the village’s North Park in a grant application to the Michigan Natural Resources Trust Fund (MNRTF). The council has forwarded the list for review to the village Planning Commission, along with all supporting documentation.

Council President Susan Deering, in an e-mail communication sent Thursday, said the council wants the Planning Commission to consider placing the following projects in the grant application:

New tennis courts; a picnic pavilion; new picnic tables and grills; renovate existing lighting; replace scoreboard and bleachers; new playground equipment that is compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA); constructing a new ice skating rink with possible use of dugouts as warming huts; develop appropriate signs for paths and trail contiguous to the par; and construction of an ADA-compliant footbridge across Chippewa Creek, depending on costs.

The council also wants the Planning Commission to look at the costs of an asphalt walking/jogging trail around the exterior of the park for seasonal recreation use, and building a sidewalk along Fisher Street to Park Street for better access to the park. The council also wants the commission to include repair or renovation of rest rooms in the park to make them ADA compliant.

Carpenter said Monday the council decided to focus on projects that could be included in the MNRTF grant request. At a work session meeting held last month, the council received project requests from residents for the park and village. The citizens filled out a survey listing proposed improvements, and new tennis courts at North Park received the highest response.

Carpenter said there is widespread support for building public rest room facilities in the business district, but that project would not be eligible for the MNRTF grant request.

In other business, the council:

• Reviewed and approved sending a written response to the signers of a petition asking the village to shepherd an agreement with Consumers Energy to have all utility lines along the M-22/LaCore Street corridor buried underground. The council got its first view of the draft written response at its work session meeting Dec. 10 and made no significant changes to the document at the meeting Wednesday.

• Approved continuing to hold work session meetings on the second Thursday of the month through March 2010. The council added work session meetings to its calendar in August to help the council get caught up on it work and to cut down on having one very long monthly meeting.

• Approved the annual Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT) Trunkline permit application. Carpenter said the agreement allows village workers to work in the MDOT rights-of-way without having to apply for an individual permit each time work may need to occur in those rights-of-way.