Bowman: McNamara suggests committee to discuss museum

At the end of the regular meeting of the Sumpter Township Board of Trustees on Jan. 25, Supervisor Tim Bowman said he had talked to Van Buren Township Supervisor Kevin McNamara about the Belleville Area Museum that has been closed for almost two years.
Supervisor Bowman said Supervisor McNamara suggested forming a committee of the three leaders in the tri-community – Supervisors Bowman and McNamara and Belleville Mayor Kerreen Conley – to discuss the future of the museum.
Trustee/Deputy Supervisor Tim Rush said McNamara told him that the $10,000 annual donations each from Sumpter and Belleville to Van Buren Township would be suspended until the museum is open.
During public comment earlier in the meeting, resident Mary Ban spoke at length about the importance of the museum and the shared history of the tri-community. She pulled a Rosie the Riveter poster out of her bag and held it up as she spoke of the local women who worked at Willow Run to help win World War II. She spoke of historic articles at the Yankee Air Museum.
“I want to see that museum open as soon as possible,” Ban said, adding she hadn’t been there in almost two years, since it was closed by Van Buren Township that owns the museum building.
“Sumpter Township is part of the community,” she said, adding she doesn’t want to struggle to set up a Sumpter museum, but to reopen the museum that carries treasures from the whole tri-community.
She said she left a message for Supervisor McNamara on the issue.
She said a copy of the book detailing the history of Sumpter Township from 1840 to 1910 was given to her by the author, Jeanne Hartwick, and it is a treasure. She said once the museum reopens, people can buy a copy of it there because it has been reprinted.
She also recommended “The Story of Willow Run” by Marian Wilson, which is available at the Yankee Air Museum, and the “Rosie the Riveter Cookbook,” only available at the museum.
“I pray they will put the museum in operation, SOON!” she said. “It carries rich, rich history from all three communities,” she concluded and the audience applauded her remarks.
Resident Sharon Pokerwinski said she met with Van Buren Township Treasurer Sharry Budd and Treasurer Budd said the museum will be open soon.
Pokerwinski said if Sumpter Township wants a museum of its own, that’s OK, but they should reopen the tri-community’s museum.
Resident Mary Sherwood agreed the book on the history of Sumpter Township by Jeannne Hartwick is so good and so interesting. Deputy Clerk Anthony Burdick said there is a copy of that book at the media center across the street from township hall.
In other business at the hour-long meeting, the board:
• Tabled for two weeks a proposal to post, publish and hire someone as payroll and human resources clerk effective Jan. 26. Trustee Matthew Oddy said the township should move forward instead with the accounting clerk position already approved last October. Trustee Don LaPorte said he would like Clerk Esther Hurst to be present at the meeting when they consider the hiring. Clerk Hurst and Trustee Peggy Morgan were absent and excused from that night’s meeting;
• Approved the supervisor’s appointments of Paul Armstrong as Board of Review member with a term to expire Jan. 1, 2024 and of Sandi Armstrong as a Board of Review member with a term to expire Jan. 1, 2025;
• Approved raising compensation of the Board of Review members to a flat rate compensation of $50 per member/per session for up to three hours and $75 per member/per session for three hours or more. For mandated training or education, a reimbursement of up to $100 annually will be paid per member;
• Approved purchasing water and sewer inventory items from Core & Main for a total of $22,970.75;
• Approved the purchase of two Ford Police Interceptor Utility Vehicles under the FY 2022-23 budget from Atchinson Ford for $81,212.80. Public Safety Director/Police Chief Eric Luke said he ordered one Police Interceptor last April and it’s still not here. He said he usually orders in April, but he’d like to order these two now to get Sumpter’s name on the list. The delay was attributed to the lack of computer chips, the COVID pandemic, and supply chain issues. Trustee Oddy said the Police Interceptors aren’t in production yet;
• Approved Jo Ann Gardner as an alternate member of the Parks and Recreation Committee. Trustee/Deputy Supervisor Rush said Gardner was responsible for creating the beautiful Butterfly Garden in Banotai Park;
• Amended the zoning ordinance text to say the outdoor sales of automobiles and other vehicles in a light industrial zoning district is a permitted land use. This came following a request from owners of the slaughterhouse on Bemis Road who would like to add this use to their business. The text change makes way for them to initiate such a request. Trustee Oddy pointed out there are two businesses next to that parcel that already have outdoor auto sales;
• Set a FY 2022-23 budget public hearing for 6 p.m. at the March 8 township board meeting. The budget will be voted on at the March 22 meeting. Finance Director Scott Holtz will review the budget at the Feb. 8 meeting;
• Heard Rush report that the Parks and Recreation Committee has cleaned up its building and the DPW will be flushing the water heater and adding a sink;
• Heard Deputy Clerk Burdick give the senior report in the absence of Clerk Esther Hurst. He said 200 cookie cans were given to seniors for Christmas, thanks to the township board. Also, free N95 masks will be coming for distribution and 149 free COVID tests for senior are coming. Also, Clerk Hurst and Treasurer Victor Warren are setting up a blood drive;
• Heard Public Safety Director/Police Chief Luke announce that the blood supply is dangerously low and if people can give blood it is very much needed. He said he has presented his yearly ordinance report to the board. He said with the two ordinance officers, if one doesn’t work on a particular case, they throw the other one at it – kind of a “good cop/bad cop” kind of thing;
• Heard DPW Director John Danci announce that the state expects Sumpter’s population to go over 10,000 and so it needs to test the water at 30 sites for lead and copper in June instead of just 20 as in the past. He asked those who pay a water bill who are interested in participating in the testing to add their names to the list at the township. He also said the BS&A training set up by Treasurer Vincent Warren for six employees was very helpful in understanding the water billings; and
• Was advised by Rush that the job performance reviews of DPW Director Danci and Fire Chief Rick Brown have been completed and the board can read them by going to the supervisor’s office.