Sumpter OKs $247,230 to rehab Martinsville Pump Station

At its Nov. 12 regular meeting, the Sumpter Township Board of Trustees approved a bid award of $271,953, plus 10% contingency, to Lawrence M. Clark to rehabilitate the Martinsville Pump Station. The total amount is $247,230.
In other business at the 41-minute meeting on Nov. 12, the board:
• Welcomed Pastor Jim McKinnes of Willis Baptist Church to pray over the meeting before it began deliberations;
• Approved the low bid of $5,100 from VanAsche to clean up the blight at 47750 Wear Rd., per court order, cleaning up everything and leaving the house. The other bid on the job was $8,100. Township attorney Rob Young said the board had passed an ordinance and the township went to court where on Oct. 21 Judge Brian Oakley ordered a cleanup within 30 days. Young said there has been no action to clean up so far. The cost for cleanup will go on the property tax and the township could foreclose on the property. Police Chief Eric Luke said the low bidder could also clean up the blight on two other properties while its equipment is here and that will be considered;
• Approved going out for bids for snow removal with Community Development Block Grant funds, with revised specifications;
• Approved a volunteer policy and application form;
• Approved a $3,500 contract with Plan-it, noting the BS&A version would be more expensive;
• Received no support for a motion to transfer Accounts Payable and Payroll oversight from the Clerk’s office to the Finance Director. The motion died;
• Received no support for a motion to approval fiscal year 2025-26 2nd Quarterly Budget Amendments as presented at the Oct. 28 meeting of the board. The motion died;
• Approved closing township hall from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. for the annual employee holiday luncheon on Thursday, Dec. 11;
• Heard treasurer Patterson praise the veterans’ ceremony at Belleville High School on Nov. 11 and noted they need to get more youth involved and should promote it next year so more people will come;
• Heard attorney Young say he has been talking about retirement, but he suggested the township just have him and another attorney work together. He said there is so much more to know these days and there is more than one person can handle. They could take turns coming to the meetings;
• Heard Hassan Nassar complain about a letter in the Independent that said there was no American flag on the Hughes building now that he bought it. He said he was called an “outsider” but he has been in various businesses in Sumpter for 35 years. He said he did not take the flag and somebody else took it during the changeover from Hughes to his ownership. [Note: Now there are many flags.];
• Heard Zeola Walker say Sumpter residents welcome all businesses to the area, but they don’t want all junk yards. She said Nassar has two now and another one was requested. She said she served on the planning commission when the original market request turned into a pharmacy and then turned into a gas station. She said she plans to be around a lot longer to keep watching things;
• Heard township manager Ken Marten report that the Environmental Protection Agency is working to clean up a property on Savage Road. It was granted a landfill permit in 1974 and now there is 10 to 40 times more than the safe amount of lead on the property;
• Heard Marten say he was ill and didn’t attend the last township board meeting when the township logo was on the agenda and not approved. He said the committee working on the logo said the township has a farming heritage so the wheat, tractor, and color green and gold/brown reflect that. He asked for direction forward on completing the logo. He said this project was under way before he beca`me manager; and
• Was advised the township has a 28-page technical report on the penetration test, which shows vulnerabilities in the township computer system. Trustee Rush said he thought that report should be kept confidential because public release could harm the township.