Sumpter Township accepts 10.5 acres on Sumpter Road from DNR, no cost

The Michigan Department of Natural Resources has given a 10.5-acre parcel of land to Sumpter Township without charge.
The parcel abuts a 10.14-acre parcel already owned by the township and the two together make a rectangular piece of land.
The land is about nine parcels south of the Willow/Sumpter road intersection on the west side of Sumpter Road.
The offer from the DNR was announced by Deputy Treasurer Karen Armatis at the Sumpter board’s regular meeting on Oct. 13. She said usually there is a fee of $300 for such a transfer, but they are not charging Sumpter.
Township attorney Rob Young recommended accepting the property stipulating a title search and combination. He said the title search would cost about $300. The board unanimously accepted the parcel with stipulations.
In other business at the Oct. 13 meeting, the board:
• Approved the supervisor’s reappointment of Tyrone Borden to the planning commission with a term to expire Oct. 14, 2018;
• Approved the supervisor’s reappointment of Jane Stalmack as the chairperson for the planning commission with a term to expire Nov. 14, 2018. When Trustee Matthew Oddy questioned whether the board should pick the chairperson for the commission, the appointment of Stalmack as chairperson was changed to be “subject to the planning commission deciding its own officers.” Supervisor John Morgan said the commission might want to choose Stalmack to continue as chairperson;
• Approved the supervisor’s reappointment of Stalmack to the Zoning Board of Appeals with a term to expire Nov. 14, 2018;
• Heard Police Chief Jim Pierce give his police report for September, which included one renewal of a caregiver’s license, two applications issued for caregivers, and five inspections by Detective John Toth. He said there are seven licensed growing operations in the township;
• Approved five fire fighters going to Washtenaw Mutual Aid for further training at a cost of $650 each or $3,250 total. Fire Chief Joe Januszyk said there is no haunted house this Halloween but there will be Trunk or Treating at the fire hall, prizes for the best costumes, candy, hotdogs, and checking candy. The event is 5-7 p.m. on Oct. 31;
• Heard Supervisor Morgan announce the township newsletter was at the printers and should be delivered to residents soon. The township hasn’t had a newsletter for several years;
• Approved retaining the services of a surveyor for a situation on Willis Road. The property was split in 2004 and they need to figure out the easement;
• Heard resident Mary Ban say she went to her 50th high school reunion at the old Ypsilanti High School, where senior citizens have independent living. “I came away very glad … to see how beautiful it was decorated. It was a solid building,” Ban said, adding she blames the Van Buren Public School Board for a lack of vision for destroying Elwell Elementary and old Belleville High School. She said the population is growing older and it’s not easy for seniors to take care of large properties. The community could have had independent living in those solid structures, she said. “The school board didn’t listen to us,” Ban said. “They were so afraid they would get a charter high school at Elwell. We could have had a senior citizen housing development”;
• Heard Ban also say people need to investigate just what marijuana does to the human body. Ban, a Registered Nurse, said, she would like to know the half-life of the main component in marijuana, how long it lasts in the body before the body completely eliminates it. “People are driving half-stoned,” she said. “I think it’s a disgrace to think of having this as a recreational drug. People have to be educated on how it affects the fat tissue, like the liver and brain tissue”;
• Heard a resident complain that she wants to recycle, but she can’t get to the recycling center on Saturday morning, the only time it’s open. She said she was willing to pay Republic Waste to come to her house, but they said they couldn’t because of something in the contract with Sumpter. “I feel it shouldn’t be so hard if I want to recycle,” she said. Attorney Young said if Republic is willing to do that, the township could give a waiver, but they can’t get into change. “We don’t have curbside recycling for a lot of reasons,” he said; and
• Went into closed-door session to discuss negotiations and strategy in labor negotiations with the fire department.