Sumpter board honors fire dept. service of Donald LaPorte, Jr.

At its regular meeting on Nov. 22, the Sumpter Township Board of Trustees honored fire fighter Donald LaPorte, Jr., who was resigning to move out of the township.
He said he has bought his first house in Livonia after being hired by the City of Farmington as a public safety officer, certified in police, fire, and EMT services.
He said he patrols in a SUV in his police uniform, with his fire gear and EMT equipment in the rear. If he arrives at a fire, he said he takes off his bullet-proof vest and dons his fire department turnout gear and fights the fire.
“It’s a blast,” he reported.
LaPorte’s father, Donald LaPorte, Sr., is a Sumpter fire fighter and an elected township trustee.
LaPorte, Jr. said his father got him involved in the Sumpter fire department five or six years ago.
Trustee LaPorte said he was very proud of his son who went on 30 calls a month. He said his son showed a lot of dedication and devoted a lot of time to the fire department.
Trustee LaPorte invited people of the community to come forward and apply to be paid-per-call fire fighters.
“It’s very, very rewarding,” Trustee LaPorte said, adding, for example, he was able to come home earlier that day and tell his wife, “I just saved a boy’s life.”
Township Supervisor John Morgan presented LaPorte, Jr. with a plaque honoring six years of service and the Michigan Association of Fire Fighters union local gave him another plaque. Fire Chief Joseph Januszyk said LaPorte, Jr. could take the shield with his number off his helmet to keep, if he wanted to.
The township board accepted his resignation, with regret.
In other business at the Nov. 22 meeting, the board:
• Held a moment of silence for former township Trustee Linda Kennedy who died on Nov. 19;
• Approved the renewal of Blue Care Network for 2017 at its renewal date of Feb. 1. Jack Smith of Burnam Flowers insurance agency said in 2012 they met with the township’s insurance committee and set up a health reimbursement account, which saved money. But in 2014 the Affordable Care Act came into play and now employees are absorbing more cost. He said there was an unexpected 4% decrease last February and now there is a 4.5% increase as of Feb. 1, so it’s a pretty much zero increase. Recently, they were advised of an upcoming 17% increase and, “We’re shopping it now,” Smith said;
• Approved the return from leave of absence of Fire Chief Joseph Januszyk, but restricted him to administrative duties until further notice. Chief Januszyk had taken a leave to attend the Eastern Michigan University School of Staff and Command, from which he recently graduated. But, he is suffering from a torn rotator cuff and is facing surgery on Dec. 5;
• Approved removing Rick Brown as interim fire chief and reinstated him as deputy chief;
• Approved placing Sumpter fire fighter Jamie Goode on the Washtenaw County Hazardous Material Response Team, since he teaches hazmat in his real job. “He’ll make us look great,” Chief Januszyk said;
• Approved the township’s workshop and regular board meeting schedule as presented for 2017. The meetings are the second and fourth Tuesdays of the month, with the workshop at 6 p.m. and the regular meeting at 6:30 p.m., with the exception of Dec. 26, 2017, which is the day after Christmas;
• Approved the planning commission’s meeting dates as quarterly on the second Thursday of the month at 7 p.m. on Jan. 12, April 13, July 13, and Oct. 12. If a hearing is requested, there could be meetings set on the second Thursdays of other months;
• Approved advertising for bids for labor to remove existing bleachers and install new aluminum bleachers in the fairgrounds area;
• Approved Supervisor Morgan’s re-appointment of Joy Cichewicz to the planning commission with a term to expire Nov. 20, 2019. The board also approved the supervisor’s reappointment of Trustee Matthew Oddy as board liaison to and voting member of the planning commission;
• Approved Supervisor Morgan’s appointment of Jennifer Massel to the Zoning Board of Appeals with a term to expire Nov. 20, 2019. The board also approved Morgan’s reappointment of Trustee Oddy as board liaison to and voting member of the ZBA;
• Heard Chief Januszyk report on how a little girl student at Keystone Academy, who was back at school after surgery to fight cancer, was named honorary Chief for the Day and was taken to school with her mother in a fire truck on a recent morning. He said the special event was the work of Deputy Chief Ron Brown and Fire Fighter Dan Frost;
• Heard Trustee Don Swinson report that while all the members of the Parks and Recreation Commission came to a recent public session on the proposed updated Parks and Recreation Master Plan, only one member of the public attended. Trustee Swinson said they plan to have another public meeting on the master plan;
• Heard Trustee Swinson report that the Belleville Area Chamber of Commerce donated 200 stockings for the Dec. 14 Supervisor’s Christmas Party for Children in Sumpter. Parents should register children for the event by Dec. 8;
• Heard Supervisor Morgan report that the Senior Christmas Party is Dec. 13. Cost is $8 for residents and $9 for non-residents. All should bring a dish to pass or pay $5;
• Heard Trustee Oddy report he has heard talk of a solar farm being put up in the township, but it is just a rumor now, he said;
• Heard township attorney Rob Young report that he is monitoring changes to the medical marijuana act that will go into effect in December 2017. He said the township will have to make some decisions before then;
• Heard Mary Ban note that Sumpter Township voters did not pass the two proposals for the new library. Also, she said, the wording on the Non-Homestead millage for the Van Buren Public Schools was confusing and the Sumpter voters voted no;
• Heard Ronald Barrington Robinson ask if Sumpter Township is ready to defend a multi-million-dollar lawsuit brought by the Po’s. Attorney Young replied, “We’re prepared… Bring it on!”;
• Heard Jay Bardell ask about the township complying with the ADA regulations and Supervisor Morgan replied, “We’re on a plan to comply.” Bardell asked if all the fire hydrants are flushed and ready for the winter, and he was told they are. “You missed one at my house,” he reported; and
• Heard former Republican candidate for a board seat comment: “Wow. What an election season. The race was incredibly tight. Just know the people in the township are watching everyone … We want to work together to make Sumpter Township the best in Wayne County.”