Resident tells Sumpter Planning Commission about weekend shootings

“It sounds like World War III,” a township resident told the Sumpter Township Planning Commission at its regular meeting Aug. 10.
He was referring to the week-end shooting that goes on at a 20-acre spread on the north side of Judd Road, east of Haggerty and west of Carleton West roads.
“There are thousands of rounds of shots all week end long,” he said, adding that during bow season he can’t take his nephews out to hunt on his own property.
He said he wanted Sumpter Police to write some tickets, but they won’t.
“Sumpter Township police told me they aren’t going to enforce because the Wayne County Prosecutor isn’t going to enforce,” he said.
“They’re using AK-47s. I can’t even watch a movie on TV because of all the noise,” he said.
Trustee Matthew Oddy replied, “That doesn’t sound like our police department.” He said they are working on a new ordinance with the township attorney on shooting.
Commissioner Virginia Belinski said another lady told her the township police told her the same thing – they weren’t going to do anything — when she complained about shooting.
Oddy asked Deputy Clerk Dawn Hadyniak to pass on a copy of this meeting’s minutes to Police Chief Eric Luke.
In other business at the 39-minute meeting on Aug. 10, the commission:
• Held a public hearing and then unanimously recommended the repeal of current amendments to the township zoning ordinance that relate to the regulation, location, and operation of Medical Marijuana Provisionary Centers, since it might conflict with the new state law. “Really, it’s an ordinance that makes no sense,” said township attorney Rob Young. “We thought the state would go one way and it went another.” This recommendation to repeal will be passed on to the township board which will make the final decision;
• Held a public hearing and then voted unanimously to recommend to the township board that the zoning ordinance amendments that specify medical marijuana growing operations as a home business as allowed in the separate zoning districts and other details. Oddy explained that this ties together the existing caregiving ordinance with home business designation;
• Heard members of the audience question the commission on whether Sumpter is going to opt into having commercial marijuana businesses in the township as allowed by new state law. Oddy said, “Currently the township is opting out. It’s a future decision.” Attorney Young said, “The township hasn’t taken a position on that formally. There’s a lot of misinformation going around.” He said so far the communities around Sumpter are not going commercial. A committee on Medical Marijuana has been meeting for about three years to get information and understand the issue. “Sumpter Township is doing its homework,” Oddy said. The decision on opting in or out will be made by the township board;
• Heard Andre Watkins of Sumpter Road encourage the township to be proactive with the marijuana opportunity for new businesses and employment opportunities in the township. He said his background is in finance and he has watched marijuana evolve from the underworld to a legal business. “I don’t think it’s going away,” he said; and
• Heard Oddy explain, when someone asked about the Abraham project on Carleton West Road, that a lot of people were present before this meeting who were interested in the Abraham project, but they left when they learned it wasn’t on that night’s agenda.