The village of Empire has begun identifying potential locations to complete site plans on up to three potential locations for a new “village office and community space.”
The Village of Empire has known the need of a new village office, but things have been heating up since last March.
Currently, the village office is located in a building adjacent the Empire Township hall.
The village will be putting away roughly $70,000 ($35,000 over two years) to help identify sites and produce drawings of some plans of what a village office and community gathering place could look like. Potential grants are on the table.
Village officials say they are hoping to have a public meeting sometime around June with drawings.
The Empire Wastewater task force has met several times throughout November and December once again studying scenarios for a community wastewater system that has prompted an economic impact study.
A community wastewater system is different than a sewer system.
The last time the village has studied a similar plan was in 2017 through the planning commission.
In 2020, the Empire Chamber of Commerce secured an USDA rural development grant to pursue their own plan.
Options under discussion include a community step system, or gravity system to help negate need for drainfields, which could have the power to change things economically, according to the task force.
More discussion is expected to come in the new year as the village takes aim at multiple issues.
