By Gari Voss
Monday, August 31, 2026, found the Allegan City Council on the road learning about the facilities that keep their city healthy and safe. Matter of fact, all city residents had been invited to tour the Water Treatment Plant, the Water Resource Recovery Facility, the Department of Public Works, the Allegan Police Department, and Allegan City Hall. It was an opportunity to learn about the facilities that support the city’s infrastructure.
The doors were open for visitors to see the equipment and storage areas at the Department of Public Works. City workers spend hours mowing the lawns of parks, the sports complex, and the airport. In between, they pick up plant refuse throughout the summer, patch streets, plus fit in the construction of the new sidewalks that will connect neighborhoods to the new Allegan Elementary Complex. Residents are welcome to bring their garden and lawn trash to the Public Works Department anytime and add it to the pile that has grown beside the entryway. In the winter, there is snow removal. All year round, there is the maintenance of equipment.
The Water Treatment Plant is fascinating in that it operates a Reverse Osmosis Water Treatment Plant that produces approximately 1.5 million gallons per day with the ability to produce an additional 2 million gallons per day. The plant contains its own laboratory that is constantly taking samples of city water and testing them for a variety of possible problems. During the tour, visitors could learn that even if they live out in the country with well water, they can bring in a sample and for $20 get it tested for PFAS, E.coli and other elements.
The City of Allegan Water Resource Recovery Facility handles approximately 900,000 gallons of sewage per day, with the capacity to handle another 3 million gallons. These gallons come from haulers in Allegan, Van Buren, and other surrounding counties. The city council approved a new system that will extract twice as much liquid from the sewage. This will allow for better storage before the State empties the tanks and carries the sledge away for disbursement in fields across the county.
A trip to the City Police Department finds a well maintained facility that can accommodate the needs of the city officers along with sheriff department and state officers who drop in. The officers are able to do their rounds of the city or at the schools then return to the office to follow-ups on reports and/or training. The City Council has ensured that the city officers have upgrades on body cameras and other equipment. Most of Allegan’s officers have trained for the Allegan County SWAT team. The advanced training gives officers better tools when carrying out city tasks.
City Hall holds the heartbeat of the city. The administrative staff along with the city manager, assistant city manager, clerk, and downtown technician keep the pulse on the workings of the city. The gals at the desk, the financial officer and support staff follow through on the operations that support city workers and the city administration. The Allegan Area Chamber of Commerce is housed at City Hall, which can open conversations on the businesses that support the town. Space can be utilized for meetings and social gatherings plus house elections. The basement contains storage units that can be used by those living in apartments above city shops and others.
A trip around Allegan’s facilities can enlighten the residents to how the infrastructure of the city operates to maintain the health of its citizens. Asking questions and observing processes can assist in understanding the responsibility of city workers to the residents.
