VBT thanks Marie, Bob Krouse for flags on veterans’ graves

Van Buren Township Clerk Leon Wright personally thanked Marie and Bob Krouse for flag placements on veterans’ graves in the township cemeteries at the regular meeting of the VBT board on Nov. 13.
Marie Krouse said Wendy Davis and her two daughters helped her and her husband place flags and the four of them did it in rain and snow. The Davis family continued to help out when Bob Krouse was unable to help because of other commitments, she said.
“We know every veteran and we say every veteran’s name out loud as we place the flags,” Marie Krouse said.
She said they get the new names of veterans through the clerk’s office, so if there are veterans the team doesn’t know about someone should let the clerk’s office know.
If a death certificate of a veteran doesn’t say veteran, she said the death certificate should be amended.
“And, please stop taking flags off other veterans’ graves,” Marie admonished the public, “because I’ll just move them back. That’s the way I am.”
The Krouses and helpers place flags on veterans’ graves in the Soop, Tyler, Denton, and Otisville cemeteries.
Donald Boynton
Supervisor Kevin McNamara called Donald Boynton forward to recognize him for his service on the planning commission and to mark his reappointment.
Supervisor McNamara praised Boynton for earning his Citizen Certified Planner and Citizen Master Planner certifications.
Boynton said he has served for 12 years and under four administrations.
“We are definitely family now” in VBT, he said, adding when they lived in their last community, he didn’t even know the mayor’s name.
He said when they moved to VBT in 2005, he got involved. He said he didn’t know anything about “setbacks” or “accessory buildings,” but he learned.
“The community is a premier community … a diamond in the rough,” Boynton said, predicting great things for this area.
At the beginning of the meeting, McNamara explained that all the 18 action items on the agenda were housekeeping items so they were all placed on the Consent Agenda, which is approved without discussion by the board.
Those items included:
• Approval of the agreement between the township and the owner at 13156 Hannan Rd. and the City of Romulus for connection to the water system in Romulus, since VBT doesn’t have water service there. In the future, if VBT does get a water line at that location, the property owner will have to disconnect from Romulus and connect to VBT;
• Approved the commercial fireworks display permit application by Great Lakes Fireworks to set off fireworks on Saturday, Dec. 1, from the closed Denton Road Bridge as part of Belleville’s Winter Fest celebration;
• Approved three annual permits with Wayne County for maintenance, special events, and pavement restoration;
• Approved the reappointments of Shareen Barker and James Williams to the Local Development Finance Authority with terms to expire Aug. 12, 2022, Both Barker and Williams represent the Van Buren Public Schools, where they are employed;
• Approved the supervisor’s reappointment of Donald Boynton to the planning commission and Board of Zoning Appeals (planning commission alternate representative) with a term to expire Oct. 1, 2021; and
• Approved the revised 2019 Board of Trustees Meeting Schedule.
The meeting was 30 minutes long.