Sumpter warns blight ordinance enforcement picks up in spring

The enforcement of the township blight ordinance picks up in the spring, Sumpter Township attorney Rob Young told the public at the Feb. 27 meeting of the township board.
He said the goal is compliance and the township will waive fines and costs and dismiss the blight case if the problem is taken care of.
Jay Bardell complained about a blighted barn on the corner of Judd and Wilmot that has been falling down for ten years. When Young asked if he had reported it to the ordinance officer, Bardell said it had been reported.
Young abruptly asked if there had been a complaint to the ordinance department and ordinance officer Peter Gregory and Bardell said he only found out two weeks ago about the pet dogs being killed by coyotes living in that barn.
“You need to call the ordinance department,” Young said sharply and when Bardell asked for the number, Young said he didn’t have it.
Police Chief Eric Luke said if anyone with a complaint calls the police department at 461-4833, Gregory will get the message.
In other business at the Feb. 27 meeting, the board:
• Held a moment of silence in memory of Sybil Buchanan who died Feb. 22. She had worked for the township for 23 years;
• Approved, on a 5-2 vote, Resolution 2018-07 that officially opts out of the Michigan Medical Marijuana Facilities Licensing Act. This will be sent on to the state as the township’s decision. Voting no were Treasurer Peggy Morgan and Trustee Sheena Barnes;
• Set a public hearing for 6 p.m., March 27, on the 2018-19 budget;
• Approved a contract with Toshiba for a 48-month lease on a new eSTUDIO 5008A copy machine. Service with Toshiba will start March 5 at a cost of $139.85 per month;
• Approved selling parcel #81-135-99-0019-000 located on Oakville Waltz Road for $6,000;
• Approved switching phone service from Comcast Business to Verizon Wireless Services at a cost of $785 per month. Total savings per month for the Township, Fire Department, and Senior Center is estimated at $1,000;
• Heard Trustee Don Swinson announce that Menards is expected to have a mid March opening. He said the township’s Easter Egg Hunt for children will be March 24, with a rain date of March 25, at Graham Park. He said the Parks and Recreation project to improve their building at Graham Park with a $11,000 grant from Wayne County will be done by Modern Updates of Sumpter Township, low bidder. Trustee Swinson said they received another $11,000 parks grant from Wayne County and it is yet to be determined how to spend it;
• Heard Trustee Matthew Oddy report that the planning commission finally is getting an updated land use master plan and they hope to have it at the March 8 commission meeting;
• Heard Clerk Esther Hurst give a report on the Senior Department. She said more than 70 people attended the Black History event on Feb. 23. They enjoyed the food and entertainment by blind vocalist T-Bone. She said smoke detectors for those with qualifications are still available from the fire department. She said Sumpter volunteers delivered more than 480 meals to the homebound in their personal vehicles during the month of January. More than 300 meals were eaten at the site and 130 passengers used their transportation service in January. Supervisor John Morgan thanked Mary Ann Watson for all the work she does for the seniors;
• Heard attorney Young report he spent time talking with the district library personnel about the lease of the hexagon building across from the township hall. He said the satellite library will be a nice set up for Sumpter residents who wish to use the electronic media that will be at the site;
• Also heard attorney Young report that Police Chief Eric Luke’s contract expires in March and Chief Luke wants a one-year extension of a modification in the contract that allows him to slide back to captain if he doesn’t want to be chief any more;
• Heard Trustee Oddy ask Young if “the case is behind us now,” referring to the Nelson Po case. Young said, “Everything is resolved at this point”;
• Heard Trustee Don LaPorte report that the fire department had its first brush fire that afternoon on Dunn Road. He stressed there is no open burning allowed in Sumpter Township or Wayne County. He said this fire was really small and Sumpter police got there first and started putting it out;
• Heard Treasurer Morgan announce that people who are saying they are afraid to come to township board meetings should be advised that there are no problems at the meetings, even with all the controversy on marijuana. “People should know they are safe,” she said;
• Heard Mary Ban said she is still upset over Van Buren Township Clerk Leon Wright’s unilateral action at a federal level changing 48111 designations. She said if VBT wants to be a premier community, it should get its own zip code. She and others in Sumpter are getting mail now saying Van Buren Township. She said when she asked the Belleville Post Office about it, they replied, “Mr. Wright went over our head.” She said she is considering going to the Secretary of State about this since it may effect elections and to Congresswoman Debbie Dingell, who has been helping Ypsilanti with the post office. Treasurer Morgan said all VBT was asking was to recognize their residents as VBT residents. “I asked Clerk Hurst to put Sumpter Township on our zip code,” Treasurer Morgan said; and
• Heard Mary Herring ask if township residents can use the township’s new copying machine and she was told no. She asked if there will be a copy machine in the library satellite, so residents don’t have to drive 6 1/2 miles into Belleville to copy documents. She said her copy machine is broken. Supervisor Morgan said it’s up to Sumpter to sit down with the library officials and tell them what the township wants. He said the library has been very accommodating.