Sumpter board votes 6-1 to approve contracting design proposal for park

At its Nov. 22 regular meeting the Sumpter Township Board of Trustees, approved on a 6-1 vote, with Trustee Peggy Morgan voting no, the Hoppe Design proposal and agreement to prepare a design and master plan for the 81.92-acre Banotai Park/Sherwood Pond at a cost of $28,000.
Trustee Don LaPorte said he wanted the plans to associate numbers with it so the board would know how much the changes would cost. Wayde Hoppe said that was to be done.
In other business at the Nov. 22 meeting, the board:
• Removed from the agenda a proposal to assign the water billing clerk to the DPW Director effective Oct. 26, 2022;
• Approved opening the treasurer’s office on Tuesday, Dec. 27, for the designated Winter Tax Collection Day, as required by law;
• Approved the supervisor’s appointment of Vincent Warren to the Planning Commission to fill a vacancy with a term to expire Sept. 23, 2023;
• Approved the supervisor’s appointment of Joe Jackson to the Zoning Board of Appeals with a term to expire Jan. 13, 2024;
• Approved the 2023 meeting dates for the Sumpter Township Board of Trustees and Sumpter Township Planning Commission, with a new starting time of 6 p.m. for the commission;
• Approved the supervisor’s reappointment of Board of Review members: Paul Armstrong, Helen Teall, Sandi Armstrong, with Vincent Warren and Karen Woodington as alternate members beginning Jan. 1 and expiring Dec. 31, 2024;
• Approved extending the part-time DPW seasonal employee an additional 90 days, with union approval;
• Approved purchasing $8,342.44 worth of water/sewer materials from Core & Main of Canton;
• Approved a contract with Advanced Underground Inspection of Westland for $14,250 to video all the township’s gravity sewer mains;
• Approved a resolution to approve Wayne County Annual Permits A-23044, A-23099, and A-23133, as required for parades, repairs, and other activities;
• Approved estimated cost of $18,667 to outfit two new Ford police interceptor utilities through Herkimer Radio Service of Monroe. The cars are due to arrive around the second week of January 2023. Public Safety Director/Police Chief Eric Luke said the cars were approved last January and now a 12-week wait on equipment is expected. The expense is being paid through police forfeiture funds;
• Approved the purchase offer of $95,000 for 14.62 acres on Martinsville Road from Clifton and Heidi Whitehouse. The parcel had been appraised at $100,000 and $5,000 was added for the real estate fee. Trustee Morgan asked why they are selling property now when the market is down and Oddy said this is 95% of the appraised value which he thinks is good;
• Approved the new American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME) union agreement just signed by the union. Township attorney Rob Young apologized for bringing it to the board after the agenda was compiled, but the board voted to add it to the agenda. He said the changes from the last union agreement are small;
• Heard Township Manager Tony Burdick describe the annual holiday party for employees set for one-and-a-half hours on Dec. 15 in the community center gymnasium. He said the township will provide the meat and supplies and employees will bring dishes to pass for sides and dessert. He asked for donations from the board for the event;
• Heard, during the workshop session, Manager Burdick explain that the township festival and fairgrounds project is a big project and will provide multi uses for the community and could include tri-community involvement. He said it opens up a whole host of opportunities and will be done in several phases. He said it was not on that evening’s agenda but will be on the Dec. 13 agenda. Burdick described the project as Supervisor Tim Bowman’s vision. Wayde Hoppe of Hoppe Design was present to answer questions. Trustee LaPorte said his fear is that the projects are not being done in the proper order with “the cart in front of the horse.” Bowman said the whole board is on this journey to upgrade the fairgrounds and Banotai Park. LaPorte said the township needs a township hall and it is spending money on parks. Bowman said the township is capable of bringing money in and resident Eric Partridge asked, “How is that?” Bowman told Partridge he doesn’t have to discuss it with him and Partridge asked Bowman if he was going to pay his bill at Ace Hardware. Chief Luke admonished him for asking and Partridge said the workshop was the open part of the meeting where things are discussed. He was shut down by the chief and he left the meeting. LaPorte asked if they shouldn’t be doing one project at a time and Bowman replied, “Not in my mind”;
• Heard Trustee Oddy verbally attack Trustee Morgan for what he called “lies in the Independent” for her recent letter. She said, “I stand by what I wrote.” She was also criticized by Trustee Tim Rush who said, “This board should censure Trustee Morgan;”
• Heard resident Mary Ban welcome newly elected Treasurer Bart Patterson. This was his first meeting since his election. She thanked the board for the new chair provided for her that will help her knee. She asked why Van Buren Township got so much federal ARPA money and Oddy said Van Buren was in the middle of building a community center and its project was considered improving quality of life. She also asked about the museum and Bowman said he hasn’t had any word on plans for the museum. Ban said she was thankful this Thanksgiving for the U.S. Constitution and freedom of speech, freedom of the press, and freedom of religion;
• Heard Trustee Rush say the Council of Western Wayne is meeting Dec. 2 and will have various problems with Wayne County on its agenda; and
• Heard resident Sharon Pokerwinski report the county cleaned out the drain on her road but ended at their house. She complained about the young drivers who travel like “a bat out of hell” past her home and recently tied cans on their car and drove by at two o’clock in the morning. She asked if the township is closing the gates of Banotai Park for the winter and heard Rush reply they aren’t because police want access to the park.