Van Buren Township hires Dan Power as planning director

Dan Power, the planning director for the City of Walker for the past year, and Walker’s staff planner / zoning administrator for three years before that, has been hired as the new planning director for Van Buren Township.
Unanimous action was taken at the VBT Board of Trustees’ meeting on Dec. 17.
He replaced Ron Akers, who resigned last July to take a job in Ypsilanti.
Power will have a base pay of $73,000 and work under Director of Public Services Matthew Best.
Power received the American Institute of Certified Planners (AICP) certification in 2018. He earned a master’s degree in Landscape Architecture from the University of Michigan in 2012 and a bachelor of science degree from Central Michigan University in 2008, with majors in environmental studies, policy and geography, and land use and environmental analysis.
He worked for Spicer Group in Saginaw as a community planner and was an environmental services assistant for The Greening of Detroit for a year.
He has computer skills that include GIS, AutoCAD, ArcMap 10, Sketchup, Access, Excel, Adobe Creative Suite, and PowerPoint. He also has done grant writing.
At the board’s Dec. 17 meeting, Power said he and his wife are from this area and spent time in Van Buren Township and Belleville growing up. He said he started moving their things to this area last month. He begins work in VBT on Jan. 2.
During the board’s work/study session on Dec. 16, Director Best described an exhaustive hiring process.
Supervisor McNamara referred to Power as a “Swiss army knife,” with many skills.
In other business at the 45-minute meeting, the board:
• Approved spending not to exceed $213,000 from the Water and Sewer Fund to Fishbeck, Inc. to provide engineering services in the design and planning phase of the proposed Old Michigan Avenue / Denton Road Water Main Rehabilitation Project. The project will replace the existing 8-inch cast iron water main along Old Michigan Avenue near the VB-06 (Rawsonville) meter pit, including the rehabilitation/reconstruction of Old Michigan Avenue and the water main crossing of Michigan Avenue at Denton Road. Funds of $375,000 are also available for the rehabilitation of Old Michigan Avenue through the Wayne County 2019 Local Partnering Initiative. McNamara said the township will be able to get another $375,000. The estimated total cost of the project ranges from $1.85 million to $2.4 million. It was noted a 12-inch water main was damaged by traffic signal drilling operations by a private utility working in the Michigan Avenue right of way at one point and the township permanently severed and capped the crossing rather than repairing the main. Subaru is completing utility construction and needs the upgraded water lines, as promised. Other vendors are showing interest in this part of the township, so it is imperative to repair and upgrade these water system deficiencies, said Fishbeck engineers;
• Approved amending the 2019 Amended Budget to transfer $52,000 from the fund balance to “Township Board Other” to total $102,000 to account for the Recreation Center Feasibility Study. So far, the study has shown that 80% of the residents responding to a poll supported a recreation center, once they found out what could be in it. McNamara said that in 2022 the $450,000 the township has been paying annually from the landfill fund to pay off the water tower property and the fire hall on Hull Road will be freed up. The township can chip in $2 million to the $5 million then available to make a $7 million project possible without tax increase;
• Approved changing the language of the Elected Officials’ manual to reflect the retiree benefits change effective Sept. 1, 2019 to receiving a Health Care Savings Account rather than benefits;
• Discussed the merits of the Van Buren Today magazine and its cost and then approved the Voucher List that carried a $10,500 quarterly payment for the magazine, with Trustee Paul White voting no because of the magazine’s cost. White said if $10,500 is a quarterly payment, then $42,000 would be the full-year payment. Supervisor McNamara said there is no $42,000 cost. Treasurer Sharry Budd said they have put $28,000 in the budget for the magazine next year;
• Learned a free ride to the Detroit Institute of Arts for a daylong visit is being offered on Jan. 30, leaving from the Senior Center. Sign up at (734) 699-8918;
• Heard Supervisor McNamara explain that the Dec. 17 board meeting was being streamed live over YouTube and will later be put on governmental channel 12. The recent board meetings have been in the Otisville/Sheldon room because the regular board meeting room is being renovated;
• Heard Treasurer Budd announce the township hall will be closed between Christmas and New Year’s Day, but people can pay their property taxes at the drop box in front of township hall, the police department office, and through the mail. The treasurer’s office will be open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Friday, Dec. 27, to accept tax payments;
• Heard Clerk Leon Wright announce that the board meetings of Jan. 6 and 7 are cancelled. He announced that, so far, his department has 1,170 requests to be on the permanent absentee voter list;
• Heard Trustee White announce that the township officially closed on the purchase of the Ford property across the road from township hall. “Now we can continue the discussion on what to do with it,” he said;
• Heard resident Reg Ion complain about the cost of the Van Buren Today magazine. He asked if anybody was related to those publishing the magazine and McNamara asked, “In this room?” There was no further reply. Ion also complained about the tiny flags at the voting precincts. He would like to see 3’x5’ flags on poles at each precinct. “Next we won’t have any flags. It’s coming to that,” he said, noting there is a Korean or Asian banner next to the American flag in the gym, which is inappropriate. “I’m sick of this flag stuff. I’m not going to be nice about this flag stuff any more.” He also would like the gun range moved away from the ball park and school, possibly to the Waste Management golf course area, now that they aren’t using it. Or, the township could buy them something at T-Rex. He also complained about paying $3,000 to hire Paula Tutman to give a motivational speech to the employees. “How about hiring someone who doesn’t need to be motivated?”