Lions Club wants to start club in Sumpter

Lions Club member Coleman addressed the Sumpter Township Board of Trustees at the end of its agenda on July 8, saying two local police officers are Lions Club members in Detroit and would like to have a club in Sumpter.
He said he would like the club to start this year.
The international service club will look for needs to be met in Sumpter and is looking for members. He said you need 20 people to start a club and five to start a preliminary group. He said a good first project for the group is to collect discarded eyeglasses to send to those in Third World countries.
He was directed to contact the township manager to set up an information session.
Trustee Matt Oddy said since the Lions Club will have a booth at Family Fun Day on Saturday, July 19, at Graham Park, perhaps they could present membership information at that time, as well.
In other business at the 35-minute public meeting, the board:
• Heard Treasurer Bart Patterson say the person who was to do a presentation at the last meeting and couldn’t come again to this meeting told him the cost to work on the pond vegetation would be about $3,000. He said Banotai Park also needs about four benches, which would cost $1,535 each and the board could work to get sponsorships from local businesses. He said trash containers are also needed at Banotai Park and a poured concrete path to the new playscape at Graham Park is needed to make it handicapped accessible. He said he would prepare sponsorship information for the next meeting;
• Heard township manager Marten report he met the previous day with the Wayne County Road Commission and they will be doing work on Martinsville and Carleton West roads July 16-21. He said he will attend the day of review for Big Swan Creek on July 9. He said work on Big Swan Creek will cost the township $500,000 over 20 years — $25,000 a year — and he wants to get all that information because it will affect the township budgets;
• Began the meeting with a prayer by Steven Brown from Parkview Baptist Church;
• Took no action on a proposal to extend the temporary part-time status of the clerk’s office assistant Gabriella Massel, ending Oct. 21, 2025. When the item was called no motion was made and no one on the board said anything to explain and they went on to the next agenda item;
• Approved the hiring of Wyatt Behrendt as a seasonal, part-time DPW worker effective July 7 through Oct. 7 at the AFSCME rate of $23.33 per hour up to 29 hours per week. He actually already works for the township and this motion was to comply with contract language;
• Tabled an agenda item to consider approval of the township’s amended earned sick time policy to conform with the state’s Earned Sick Time Act;
• Approved a proposed agreement with The Consultancy LLC/Anthony Burdick for as-needed support and projects to the new township manager or board of trustees. Burdick recently retired as township manager. No details were announced;
• Approved a fireworks permit for Brian Messer on July 19;
• In an item added to the agenda, approved payment of $11,769.44 to former township manager Anthony Burdick’s final payout; and
• Went into closed-door session to consider a confidential attorney’s opinion pertaining to Carleton Farms Landfill/Republic Services pending audit. Township attorney Rob Young recommended clearing the board meeting room so they didn’t have to stuff everyone into the small meeting room they usually meet in.