Parker Springer first BHS student to take part in Schoolcraft program

Parker Springer, a junior at Belleville High School, was introduced at the regular June 6 meeting of the Van Buren Township Board of Trustees as the first student to take part in a new dual enrollment program at the high school.
VBT Public Safety Director Greg Laurain said the program is put on by BHS and Schoolcraft College, allowing the student to earn 20 credit hours toward an associate’s degree while still in high school.
Parker has a 3.5 grade point average, is enrolled in Advanced Placement classes, and plays in the marching band.
Director Laurain said Parker will study firefighter skills during his junior and senior years at BHS and prepare himself to be a paid-on-call fire fighter. Laurain said he hopes Parker will work for the VBT Fire Department.
Parker is the son of Dean Springer and Kathleen Springer, who served as an emergency dispatcher at VBT for ten years.
Parker said he has been interested in fire fighting for some time and is glad to be able to take advantage of the program.
In other business at the June 6 meeting that was held at the Belleville Area Museum, the board:
• Heard VBT Supervisor Kevin McNamara announce that the Michigan Department of Natural Resources has approved the township’s request to acquire the DNR property on the lake north of the Belleville Bridge. Now they will find out a price, he said. “Our idea of use is in accord with their uses,” he said. Later in the meeting he said the MDNR will take 60 days for appraisal, put together a land transaction agreement and a comment period. “After that, we get the property,” he said;
• Approved special land use for the Belleville Yacht Club to build a Tiki Bar on the lake behind the main building at 831 E. Huron River Drive. VBT Supervisor McNamara was recused from participating in discussion on the project and the vote, since he is a member of BYC. Trustee Reggie Miller led the meeting for this item because Supervisor McNamara had left the room. “I’m glad I’m not the only one with a conflict of interest,” said Trustee Sherry Frazier jokingly as McNamara walked away from the table. The day before at the work/study session, Trustee Frazier said she tried to join the BYC, but they told her, “No women allowed”;
• Approved the second and final reading of an ordinance amendment on Waterways, adopting state regulations, but allowing them to be processed locally in district court. Supervisor McNamara said this is “taking state law and putting a kinder, gentler slant on it so people don’t end up with a misdemeanor on record for life”;
• Approved the first reading of rezoning parcels at 4941 Michigan Ave. from C (Local Business) and C-2 (Extensive Highway Business) to C-1 (General Commercial) to make way for a gas station, drive-through restaurant, and market. This is at the northwest corner of Michigan Avenue and Denton Road;
• Approved the professional services contract between the township and Fishbeck, Thompson, Carr and Huber, Inc. for general engineering services. Dave Potter and Kamran Qadeer, principal and senior vice-president, were present to answer any questions on the company, which has 400 employees. McNamara said in negotiating the contract he had asked the company to reduce their rates by 5% and it did;
• Approved the professional services contract between the township and McKenna & Associates to provide general planning services. McKenna has been the township’s planners for many years and has committed to keeping the 2015 fees through the end of 2018;
• Approved an agreement between the township and Van Buren Public Schools regarding the paving of McBride Road, with Trustee Sherry Frazier making the motion and Trustee Reggie Miller seconding it. At the work/study session a day earlier, Supervisor McNamara declared Frazier will make that motion and a surprised Frazier agreed that was a good plan, “Since I had to bite the bullet.” She referred to being forced to resign from the school board to satisfy the school district that the McBride agreement would be legal and without challenge. At the regular meeting after making the motion, Frazier said, “Unfortunately it cost me my seat on the school board … for the good of the community and the school district, I resolved it as amicably as I could, though I didn’t agree with my removal.” Trustee Reggie Miller said, “You stepped aside so the project could move forward. She should be recognized”;
• Approved declaring the township’s intent to establish a special assessment district (SAD) for the McBride Road Improvement District and schedule the necessary public hearings. Supervisor McNamara said no costs will be absorbed by the township. He said technically the county funds for the project had to be used last year and VBT got an extension. He said, “as long as we get started we can complete it in the spring”;
• Without discussion approved the attorney’s recommendation regarding Visteon litigation. A long closed-door session on the subject was held June 5;
• Watched a demonstration of the township’s new phone app. It is free and allows the public to keep up to the minute on township information;
• Heard Barbara Miller, a VBT resident and attorney who practices in Belleville, ask for the supervisor and board to consider establishing a committee to look into the best use of the fire hall behind the museum and an expansion of use of the historical museum. McNamara said he would set up those meetings;
• Heard McNamara state that Sovereign has announced potential construction of a new building at the Grace Lake site and it has hired an architect. McNamara said they plan to build a building similar to what they have now at the site, “but it’s not a done-done deal.” Matthew Best, deputy director of planning and economic development, said his department has been told that they will be dropping off their plans on Friday (June 9);
• Heard McNamara announce that VBT did host a tire disposal day the previous Saturday and 800 tires were brought in; and
• Heard Trustee Frazier report that she and Trustee Miller went to Sen. Hopgood’s environmental meeting at Belleville High School the previous evening and listened to information about a butterfly house in Westland. She suggested the VBT Downtown Development Authority consider putting a butterfly house in the Placemaking project now under way. Trustee Miller said Brenda Stumbo of Ypsilanti Township talked of the importance of pollinators. Best said VBT has a pollinator pocket program and whenever there is a new development, the township arranges for pollinator pockets. This includes Mayser Polymer and Menard. He said as new developments occur, this will continue. He said the goal is that every square mile in the township have a pollinator pocke