Menards hopes to open store in February 2016

Van Buren Township’s Menards store is expected to open on Belleville Road, north of Walmart, in February 2016 — or even in January if construction goes well.
At the regular VBT board meeting Feb. 17 the board voted unanimously to grant Menards’ request for special use for outdoor sales and storage of building and landscaping materials associated with the Menards home improvement store.
The project now returns to the planning commission for final site plan review and approval for the details of the plan.
Tyler Edwards, Real Estate Representative for Menards, was present at the work/study session on Feb. 17 before the regular meeting. He filled in for Scott Nuttleman who had shepherded the Menards’ plans along almost to the end.
Edwards said the site is approximately 25 acres and 40% of it will be open space. There will be 153 new trees.
Store hours will be 6:30 a.m. to 10 p.m., Monday through Saturday and 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Sundays. The building will be just like every other Menards, he said.
Edwards said they plan to start grading in April, building in June, and open in February 2016, depending on how the construction goes. It could be January or up to June.
He said Menards has made revisions to trees, lights, signage and is in agreement with everybody.
He explained the storage yard in the rear of the store is for large items. Customers buy the lumber and other items in the store, show the receipt at the gate, and then drive in and pick up their purchase. The public will not be driving in the back except to pick up what they’ve purchased.
There will be 200 jobs, to start, he said.
VBT Supervisor Linda Combs told Edwards she appreciates the amount of cooperation from Menards and she can hardly wait until it opens.
“Menards has gone far in making sure everything is right,” Supervisor Combs said.
At the work/study session, Supervisor Combs also said, “It’s been a long time coming. We’d like to get started on it.”
Clerk Leon Wright made the motion to approve the special use and Trustee Brenda McClanahan seconded the motion. Then the board voted unanimously to approve.
At the work/study session, earlier that day, Director of Planning and Economic Development Jack Knowles said the site has about 27 acres, which includes the two future out lots along Belleville Road.
Later Knowles said the sidewalk along Menards and into the residential development to the north is still in the plans.
Nothing has been resolved about the existing driveway north of Walgreen’s that needs to be closed before Menards’ new drive using the new traffic signal is put in place. Knowles said people are working on that issue. The Auto Zone drive is the only drive using the new traffic signal now.
In other business at the 20-minute meeting on Feb. 17, the board:
• Approved the reappointments of Carol Bird, representing the business community in the district, and Mark Laginess, holding an at-large position, to the Downtown Development Authority with terms to expire March 9, 2019;
• Acknowledged the resignations of Tom DiPietro and Terissa Wardwell from the Board of Zoning Appeals and approved the appointment of Joseph A. Barnabei from an alternate member to a full member with a term to expire Dec. 1, 2015 to replace DiPietro and the appointment of Medina Atchinson from an alternate member to a full member with a term to expire Dec. 1, 2016 to replace Wardell. DiPietro, an attorney, is leaving because of a conflict of interest with the township and Wardwell has health issues. Supervisor Combs said she will be looking for alternate members to appoint. The BZA is a seven-member board and four positive votes are needed for official approval;
• Approved a personal services agreement with Joel Sabin to fill the GIS Technician position, which is directly under IT Director Steve Rankin. His salary will be $52,000, which is already in this year’s budget. Sabin worked in the City of Jackson and for the Georgia Department of Transportation. His degree is from the University of Georgia. Supervisor Combs said Sabin will benefit the water department and others;
• Approved purchase of a new server and disk storage for $22,223 to replace the current server that will have reached its 7-year, end-of-life cycle in April 2015 and will no longer be supported by Dell. The purchase is in the 2015 IT budget;
• Pulled from the agenda and postponed until the next meeting consideration of a resolution to affirm the parcel located on the north side of Tyler Road, just east of Belleville Road, was never officially conditionally rezoned from R-1 to C-1 and so that parcel continues to be zoned R-1B. The zoning was brought to the attention of the board by neighbor Andrew Pavlosky, who said he saw people out there checking out the property that was incorrectly labeled commercial zoning. The item was removed from the agenda because Trustee Jahr discovered a technicality to address. The item is expected to be back on an upcoming agenda. When Pavlosky asked why it was removed from the agenda, Supervisor Combs told him to talk to Director Knowles, who would explain;
• Pulled from the agenda the proposal to hire Elections Clerk Nicole Sumpter to fill a new position of Administrative Assistant / Human Resources Generalist in a reorganization of the Clerk’s department. At the work/study meeting, Trustee Jahr had questions about the proposal and it will be on the agenda of the March 2 work/study for more discussion. Clerk Wright, who proposed the move, said, “There’s not a problem waiting. We can talk until you’re tired of talking.” Supervisor Combs said this proposal is a good move for the township. The HR duties originally were performed by Deputy Clerk Kathy Cline and when she retired they were passed on to the supervisor’s executive assistant and when she resigned duties were performed on a part-time contractual basis, which became a part-time permanent position and most recently was approved in the 2015 budget as a full-time position. Wright said changes in election law impacted the workflow in the clerk’s office and so he brought back a proposal he had first come up with in 2012;
• Heard Clerk Wright make a statement about taking a stand to celebrate Black History year around, so young people will know their history, rather than looking at the history just one month a year; and
• Heard Treasurer Sharry Budd remind taxpayers that the deadline for paying taxes has been extended until Friday, Feb. 27. The treasurer’s office now accepts credit cards for taxes and water bills with a 2.75% service fee .
The board went into closed-door session at 4:40 p.m., after the work/study session on Feb. 17, to discuss ongoing Michigan Association of Fire Fighters (MAFF) contract negotiations and an attorney’s opinion regarding Visteon.