At its regular meeting June 27, a bare quorum of the Sumpter Township Board of Trustees met to hire two fire fighters, purchase two pavilions for Banotai Park and approve going out for bids/quotes for concrete work for the pavilions and the senior center.
Board members also approved a resolution supporting the liquor license transfer at Sam’s bar, Bemis at Savage.
Absent from the meeting were Trustee Linda Kennedy, who has had heart surgery and is recovering; Trustee Bill Hamm, who was in training; and Treasurer John Morgan, who missed most of the meeting for an unspecified reason, but arrived before the end. The meeting lasted less than 30 minutes.
In one sweeping motion made by Clerk Clarence Hoffman, the four board members present approved unanimously agenda items A through J.
The board approved:
• Hiring two new paid-per-call fire fighters, Josh Beaudrie and Don LaPorte;
• Approved entering into an agreement with BSA Software to install assessing, tax and building information online at no charge to the township or residents;
• Approved purchase of two, 24’x31’ pavilions for Banotai Park from American Steel for a total of $7,421 paid out of the Wayne County Parks grant. The board also approved having Metco engineering consultants supply the specifications;
• Approved going out for bids or quotes for concrete work for the installation of the two pavilions paid out of the Wayne County Parks grant;
• Approved going out for quotes/bids on concrete work at the senior center for sidewalks, the handicap ramp, and the slab leading into the gym, paid out of the Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) funds. They also approved allowing Metco to put together a bid/spec package for the work;
• Approved the bid of Diversified Excavating for $4,300 to replace the septic system at 27205 Sherwood, paid out of CDBG re-hab funds. A lien is placed on the property for the cost of the re-hab;
• Approved the bid of Diversified Excavating for $12,300 to replace the septic system (elevated field) at 45465 Dunn paid out of CDBG re-hab funds, with the resulting lien on the property;
• Approved a resolution to transfer ownership of the liquor license at 40675 Bemis from Leota Anne (Sam) Engerson to Vicki L. Prieur; and
• Approved awarding the contract to service the portajohns at the parks to Parkway through January 2012, when they will go out for quotes again.
In other business, the board:
• Heard Deputy Treasurer Karen Armatis announce that the summer tax bills will be going out the first week in July. She said they are colored yellow and if residents don’t get a bill, they should call the treasurer’s office because all property owners should get a tax bill;
• Heard Trustee Peggy Morgan remind them that the free Family Fun Day will begin at noon on Saturday, July 16, at Graham Park. A softball game between the Sumpter Township police/fire team and the Belleville police/fire team will begin at 12:30;
• Heard Trustee Morgan say she expects to have a report on Sumpter Fest finances at the end of July, since money is still coming in and out of the total;
• Heard resident Mary Ban say she wants emergency dispatch to stay in Sumpter and Huron Township is too far away for Sumpter’s dispatch. Attorney Rob Young said consolidating with Huron would bring substantial savings to the communities, plus there is a mandate from the state for consolidations. Young said the supervisor of Van Buren Township wants the consolidated dispatch to be near Metro Airport; and
• Heard Ban also say she did not want to see a new library built just north of the Belleville Bridge, (one of the alleged proposed sites) since the roadway there is too congested. She said going through the city is difficult and they should put a bridge over the lake at Elwell Road so people can avoid Belleville altogether. Ban also said young people are not reading or using the Belleville library, anyway.
A 7 p.m. July 14 meeting has been set at the Belleville-Area District Library to reveal proposed sites for a new main library and satellite library.