COLDWATER, MI (WTVB) – The Michigan South Central Power Agency conducted a pair of lengthy closed sessions Thursday with the first one centering around General Manager Paul Beckhusen.
The Coldwater Board of Public Utilities purchased the former Sauk Trail Trading Post building at 168 Division Street almost two years ago at a price of $168,000 for the purpose of putting in office space for the Agency and the CBPU’s technology center.
But some MSCPA. members have raised concerns recently about the rising cost of the building and what they felt was a lack of transparency.
Following the first closed session on Thursday, board member and Union City Village Manager Chris Mathis said he motioned in open session to have the chair engage the law firm of Fraser Trebilcock out of Lansing to investigate a personnel issue involving Beckhusen. His motion was approved 4-1. Beckhusen was the CBPU Director when the Division Street building was bought. He became the MSCPA General Manager about a year ago. Mathis would only say for the record that the investigation was a personnel issue.
Mathis said he made a follow up motion to have Beckhusen suspended with pay pending the investigation, but that motion was defeated on a 3-2 vote. Mathis and Dave Mackie from Hillsdale voted yes, while Jeff Budd of Coldwater, Kevin Cornish of Clinton, and Tom Tarkaweicz of Marshall voted against the motion.
Following the second closed session, it was motioned in open session that board members Budd and Mackie form a committee to investigate the lease or purchase options for the Division Street building.
Budd told the CBPU Board of Directors recently that the building costs $1.4 million and he recommended that the MSCPA should own the building.
