Sumpter board approves second amendment to Moose land contract

At the Sumpter Township Board of Trustee’s Oct. 27 meeting, township attorney Rob Young asked the board to add a last-minute item to the agenda.
He said he knew the board didn’t like last-minute items, but he said he had sent information to board members on the subject.
The board agreed to add to the agenda the second amendment to the land contract with the Moose in the purchase of the PNA Hall from the township.
Young said the Moose commences to pay in March 2021 and $112,372 will be owed at that time. He said the taxes must be paid in a timely manner and insurance presented to the township regularly.
He said this will protect the township.
Later in the meeting the board unanimously approved the second amendment to the Moose land contract.
In other business at the 28-minute meeting, the board:
• Approved hiring JAN-PRO janitorial services to clean township properties, effective November 2020, at a monthly cost of $3,085. The company it was using was not providing the services and the township decided to change companies, said Clerk Esther Hurst;
• Received from Fire Chief Joe Januszyk a framed copy of individual pictures of members of the fire department to hang in the township hall. Chief Januszyk said the pictures were taken before COVID-19 hit. He said there were several milestones this month, including Richard Brown and John Krushlin hitting 35 years of service, Rick Sliwa hitting 43 years on Nov. 1, Tim Armstrong 22 years and Don LaPorte, 14 years. Also, he said, Jamie Goode passed Staff and Command school. Chief Januszyk said when COVID leaves, he’d like to get all the firefighters before the board, in January or February, and give them a token to celebrate their service;
• Heard Trustee Tim Rush ask attorney Young for an update on the investigation of the information on missing funds that were in a letter to the editor written by Jim Clark. Young said he had nothing new to report and his expectation is that this was an inaccurate letter to the editor and, “I’ve done what I can.” Trustee Matt Oddy said the township’s outgoing treasurer [Ken Bednark] reversed his endorsement of Clark because it was a serious allegation and cast a bad light on the treasurer’s department. “I’m sure Mr. Bednark knows there are not missing funds,” said Young. “Unpaid water bills are not the same as missing money,” Young said. Delinquent money or moneys owed to the township are different, he said;
• Heard Trustee Don LaPorte give an email address for residents to ask questions or give input on his proposal to put a bike path in the township, that was discussed at the last board meeting. He said they would like input and what residents think about it before the township spends any money on it.
The email address is: [email protected]; and
• Heard Mary Ban applaud the fire department for what they do. She said when she recently fell and couldn’t get up, she was trapped in her own bedroom. Her husband was out in the barn and wouldn’t be back for a while. She said Colleen and Brian came and helped her up and kept her calm. “I feel so stupid,” she said. She also asked if they couldn’t get the county to clean up five dead trees in the county right of way at the northeast corner of Sumpter and Bemis roads. She said it is a traffic hazard.
Treasurer Ken Bednark was absent and excused from the meeting.