Sumpter Township board approves slaughterhouse, 5-1

The Sumpter Township Board of Trustees at its Aug. 28 regular meeting voted 5-1 to approve special land use for a custom slaughterhouse at 50425 Bemis Road.
Treasurer Peggy Morgan voted no and Trustee Sheena Barnes was absent.
Treasurer Morgan said she had lived on Sully Drive for ten years and she said if she was still there she would not be happy to have the slaughterhouse nearby. She said concerns included odor, property values, and that the school down the road is against it.
Treasurer Morgan said the former Pet Resort was purchased to be part of a marijuana grow operation and she saw the people involved at the marijuana committee meetings last winter.
The original plan date was submitted to the township on July 24, 2017 and the revised plan submitted Feb. 1, 2018 for a custom slaughterhouse.
A public hearing was held before the planning commission on July 12 and the special land use sent on to the board with a recommendation for approval. The board sent it back to the planning commission asking for more information. The commission held a special meeting on Aug. 21 and sent the slaughterhouse plans back to the board with another recommendation for approval with more information.
Denise Adkins of Sully Drive, who had been working against the slaughterhouse, presented copies of the petitions she circulated carrying 74 signatures asking for the board to turn down the special approval.
Adkins then asked the board to assure her that none of the board members had anything to do with this business and Treasurer Morgan was the only one to assure her that she didn’t.
Adkins conceded that she took the petition to Keystone Academy on Bemis Road and teachers signed it.
“They’re not residents,” called out Sharon Pokerwinski from the audience.
Trustee Matthew Oddy, who sits on the planning commission as board liaison, was absent for the commission’s public hearing on the slaughterhouse, but was present for the special meeting on the issue.
He said it shouldn’t be called a slaughterhouse, but a “custom meat processing facility.”
However, all the township’s paperwork says slaughterhouse and in Section 4.16.2 of the Sumpter Township zoning ordinance, slaughterhouses are permitted as special land use in the GI, General Industrial zoning district, which is the zoning of this site.
Clerk Esther Hurst asked about the site plan review and Oddy told her that is still with the planner.
“If we turn it down, he could sue,” Clerk Hurst said.
Township attorney Rob Young said you can’t turn this down because you don’t like it. He said you have to think what the judge would say when he asks what were the grounds for turning it down. The smell was 90% of the problem and the odor had to be contained.
“We’ll shut them down if they’re not in compliance,” Young said. “Because you don’t like it is not grounds to deny it.”
In the motion to approve the special land use, Oddy said requirements should be added that if there is activity at the business the dumpster should be dumped daily and the dumpster should be placed on the far west side of the building, in the opposite direction from the residential area, as requested by residents.
In other business at the regular meeting Aug. 28, the board:
• Recognized the appointment of Timolin Pozon to the position of deputy treasurer with pay of $25.08 per hour starting with her swearing in on Aug. 24. She said she has a Ph.D. in education leadership and management. The former deputy treasurer Janet Hoffman recently married and is leaving the state for her husband’s employment;
• Heard attorney Young say there has been some interest shown by developers in the township and it is premature to talk about it now. “We’ll see what comes of these proposals,” Young said. He also noted that the township has been working with the library on the building across the road and he shortly will bring a lease to the township including improvements to the building;
• Heard Treasurer Morgan ask about the fire chief’s new contract that was supposed to take two weeks and now it’s been six weeks. Attorney Young said it will be eight weeks when he brings it to the next meeting. He said it will include updates to the job description. Treasurer Morgan also asked Fire Chief Joseph Januszyk about the monthly reports and why some fire fighter names are not on there. Chief Januszyk said if you don’t show up that month for a fire run the fire fighter’s name is not on the list. The current format doesn’t show zeros. Treasurer Morgan asked if that could be changed, so all the fire fighters’ names will be on the report each month. Chief Januszyk said he would look into it;
• Heard Clerk Hurst report that political signs were supposed to be removed by five days after the Aug. 7 election and so candidates should attend to that. She said the last day to register for the Nov. 6 election is Oct. 9. She expects absentee ballots to be delivered Sept. 22 and she needs election inspectors for election day; and
• Heard Sharon Pokerwinski report that someone took poles out of the dock and threw them in the water at Banotai Park. She also noted that repairs to the Parks and Recreation building haven’t been done yet and they’re ready to put on their addition. She also noted Parks and Rec needs a secretary. She said she’s served as secretary “forever” and she will fill in, but a new secretary is needed. People can get forms to fill out to be a member of Parks and Rec, she said.